Five bowlers I rate highly

One of the major reasons for Australia's consistency in Tests is the fact that they have always been blest with quality bowlers. In the decade-and-a-half that I have been part of the team, I have had the privilege of playing alongside some class bowlers. Here are the names of the five I rate highly, and I have placed them in no particular order.

Shane Warne is perhaps the bowler who brought an enormous interest back into the game, and is responsible for the re-emergence of leg-spin bowling. A match-winner Warne combines great variety with mental strength. He has every delivery in his armory and revels in getting the best batsmen in the opposition out. Warne possesses tremendous mental stamina and is quick to work out the weaknesses of the batsman facing him. A reliable bowler, he rarely errs in accuracy, another exceptional quality for a wrist spinner.

The next bowler I would like to mention is Glenn McGrath. He is a captain's dream, and once you bring him on, you know what to expect. Reliable and consistent, he possesses remarkable discipline. He is so accurate that he hardly ever strays down leg, and also gives the batsmen very little width to play the cut. McGrath also has a big heart - a prerequisite for pace bowlers and has thought nothing of playing even while he is carrying an injury. Like Warne, he is quick to pinpoint the weaknesses in a batsman's technique and is willing to work for his wickets. McGrath has great endurance and stamina and is an asset for any captain to have in his side. I would say of all the pace bowlers I have played with, he is the thinking man's paceman.

Bruce Reid was in my opinion one of the most gifted bowlers of his time, but his career was always plagued by injury. Reid possessed great rhythm for his height, and had a deadly delivery that came into the right-hander from a tremendous height. Reid was a hard-working bowler and was ready to bowl long spells even in trying conditions. Deceptively quick, I think Reid was unlucky to have played fewer Tests than he should have. Injuries hit him at crucial points in his career.

In choosing the fourth and fifth bowler, I would rather opt for future stars than for some others who made good contributions in the past. Among those I rate highly as names to reckon with in the future are Jason Gillespie and Brett Lee. The most remarkable quality Gillespie possesses is that it is very hard to pick him out of the hand. Quite naturally, this makes him that much tougher for batsmen to face. In fact, of all the bowlers I have faced I find him the toughest to pick. Gillespie is also extremely accurate and gets the ball to land on the seam. Unlucky injuries have kept him out of the team for some time, but he is young and I think the best is yet to come. He is also a captain's bowler and always bowls to his team's plan.

Brett Lee is another name to watch out for. A charismatic bowler, I think he will do for pace bowling what Warne did for spin bowling - bring back a great deal of interest to the art. Lee has a great deal of energy. Couple that with natural aggression and you get an exciting prospect. Lee is extremely quick on the uptake, and I have seen him listen to Dennis Lillee and immediately put the latter's tips to practice. Lee has a great deal of variety in his bowling and is an outstanding talent. Extremely young, I think he will soon be one of the most feared bowlers of his generation. With bowlers like these, getting a side out twice should not be a problem on almost any surface, and is a major reason for our string of successes.