Lillee, the perfect fast bowler

Still a fine figure of a man, direct of gaze and striking of looks - bald now, but with cheekbones high and his trademark moustache still strong - Dennis Lillee gives the impression of a person who has enjoyed his life and continues to do so. He remains a real Aussie, one who can afford to show his softer and generous side more amply now that he doesn't have to live out the burden of ''If Lillee don't get yer, Thommo must''. It has been a privilege to know him; and to have batted against him, however ineptly.

Freedom. There's no other word to summarise how Adam Gilchrist played. When he became a Test cricketer in the month of his 28th birthday he stepped lightly onto the Gabba to face Shoaib Akhtar, whose thunderbolts had just sent off Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting. In his stance, Gilchrist tapped his bat tremulously, but his feet did not move until the last moment, if at all. He had the self-belief to play late.