Jeff THOMSON

Jeff Thomson burst on England in 1974-75 as Australia's worst kept secret weapon. Aussie pundits had warned he was coming: it was just that no-one believed them. Thomson had played one Test against Pakistan two years before, taking no wickets and conceding 100 runs in seventeen overs. England did not know what hit them - with Lillee at the other end, and he was supposed to be a near-cripple - Thommo blasted his way through the England batting and sometimes through the batsmen as well. David Lloyd had to be carried off the field after being hit in the box. Thomson took nine wickets including 6-46 in Brisbane, 5-93 in Perth, eight wickets in Melbourne, six in Sydney, then tore fibres in his shoulder while playing tennis on the rest day in Adelaide.

In England in 1975 the wickets were deader and he began with the crowd laughing at him as he bowled wide after wide in the World Cup match against Pakistan at Headingley. They laughed on the other side of their faces when he took 5-38 to win the first Test against England. When Pakistan came to Adelaide in 1976-77 he collided with Alan Turner in the field and dislocated his collar bone. He was never so fast again, although he took 23 wickets in the Ashes series of 1977. Contractual disputes stopped him taking his place in World Series Cricket from the beginning and he spearheaded the second-string Australian attack in the West Indies in 1977-78, taking 6-77 in Barbados. In the 1975 World Cup final he scored 21 out of 41 in a last wicket partnership with Lillee which was not enough to bring victory over the West Indies. (Bob Harragan)

 By the time he returned to the Test side in 1979-80 Thomson had lost the pace which made him one of the fastest bowlers ever seen and young pretenders like Lenny Pascoe and Rodney Hogg were vying for his place. Hogg got to share the new ball with Lillee against West Indies in the first Test at Melbourne, although Thomson took 3-80. He came to England for the Centenary celebrations of 1980, but missed the 1981 tour, returning to the Test side against Pakistan in Perth in 1981-82. He took 4-112 against West Indies at Adelaide in the same season. In New Zealand in 1981-82 he took 4-51 in Christchurch.

He toured Pakistan in 1982-83. In the Ashes tour of the same season he took 5-73 in Brisbane and took five wickets in Melbourne, although that match is better remembered for the 21 he scored in a last wicket partnership with Allan Border which took Australia to within four runs of victory. In the end Ian Botham found the edge of his bat. Chris Tavare dropped the catch at second slip but fortunately for England Geoff Miller caught the rebound before it touched the ground. In the same series Thomson took 5-50 in Sydney. He came to England for the last time in 1985, but only as a first change bowler. He could not hold his place throughout the series and at times he was heavily punished. "Thomson was very quiet and unlike the perception a lot of people had of him, hardly saying anything to a batsman", said Tony Greig. (Bob Harragan)