Michael Kasprowicz - Australia - Bowler

It won't be wrong to say that Michael Kasprowicz barely played as many games on the trot as the number of comebacks that he made to the Australian team. Unlike his teammate, Jason Gillespie, it wasn't always about injuries either. Kasprowicz's career was always about being the filler man in Australia's pace attack although he did have some bright spots of his own during those tenures. Having shot to fame as a 17-year old in the domestic circuit, it wasn't until the 1995-96 season that he got to play international cricket. 'Kasper' had got picked earlier as well in the squad but had to be the 12th man more often than not. Initially a genuine fast bowler with outswinger as the man option, Kasprowicz added off-cutter and reverse swing to his repertoire, as he started making more sub-continental appearances for the country.

The fact that Kasprowicz played more games away than at home further shows us that he was the filler man. He had the responsibility of leading Australia's pace attack at times when their key men were injured, especially in Asian conditions. He never shied away from these responsibilities and played key roles in the tours of India in 1998 and 2004, the latter one resulting in a historic series win for Australia after 35 years. In 2005, he had another opportunity to churn out an iconic Test win in the Ashes series but departed with Australia needing just three more to win. It was his partnership with Lee that had taken the team to the doorstep of victory but it wasn't to be. The 2005-06 season was Kasprowicz's last tenure in international cricket even as he continued to get call ups when the main pacers got injured. He did harbor hopes of getting similar opportunities again but in early 2008, decided to call it quits.

In domestic cricket, Kasprowicz was a giant and with 501 scalps, the leading wicket-taker of his state Queensland. It was his impeccable domestic record that enabled him to keep earning comebacks into the national team despite never really establishing himself in the international arena. After his international retirement, he did involve himself with the rebel Indian Cricket League that later on became defunct. A man with a bubbly persona and lovable nature, Kasper was a loyal servant of Australian cricket and although he barely got recognized for his unsung contributions, he never really took that to heart. His ready-to-perform attitude meant that Australia were never really affected during their golden era of dominance when their strike bowlers broke down.

By Hariprasad Sadanandan