With a waistline somewhere between Billy Bunter and Friar Tuck, Austin was an unlikely sporting figure. His approach to the wicket wasn't exactly threatening either - he trundled in with short, rhythmic strides - but he was accurate and could move the ball off the seam. Former Lancashire team-mate Wasim Akram once said that Austin's blockhole delivery - which denies the batsmen any room at the end of a one-day innings - was one of the best of its kind in the world. Austin batted left-handed, and liked to thump the ball back over the bowler's head and cover-drive with minimal foot movement. England picked him for their one-day side in 1998, and although he struggled that winter in Sharjah, many believed he would be England's trump card in the 1999 World Cup, when, aged 32, he took the new ball in the opening game of the competition at Lord's. It didn't work out, and Austin returned to his native Lancashire for good. He retired at the end of the 2003 season.
Lawrence Booth (April 2004)