Brendon Julian - Australia - Batsman

Brendon Julian belongs to that category of domestic stars who couldn't quite set the stage ablaze on the international arena. A lanky left-arm pacer who could generate appreciable movement as well as uncomfortable bounce off the pitch, Julian also had the power game when it came to his batting that stemmed from a stable base. Considering all these traits, it wasn't surprising that he took the Australian domestic circuit by storm in the late 80s and the early days of the 90s, consequently getting recognition in the form of a national call-up. The Sheffield Shield seasons of 1998 and 1999 saw him at his brutal best with both bat and ball. However, barring the odd flashes of brilliance that came about, Julian wasn't able to replicate those heroics which restricted his international career to a mere handful of Tests.

Julian's aggressive ways with the bat and the all-round utility package he brought to the table did give him a slightly better run in ODIs but those were also scattered sparingly across a six-year career. The most memorable part of Julian's international career was undoubtedly the tour of West Indies in 1995 - a series that defined Australia as the new superpower in cricket. He had a fairly good series in Tests and a lot was expected from him as a result of it. Unfortunately, Julian's career never really took off in red-ball cricket and all he could manage was to gain some solace from his comparatively better ODI career where he was part of the 1999 World Cup winning team. While he struggled on the big stage, Julian went onto become one of the bowling greats in the Australian domestic circuit with more than 400 First-class wickets to his name. After retirement, Julian has been involved in television commentary.

By Hariprasad Sadanandan