2002-03 Annual R eport 2002-03 Annual R eport - Australian Sports ...

Tributes and Milestones
Damien Fleming announced his
retirement from domestic cricket
in May opting to take up a
coaching position at the
Commonwealth Bank Cricket
Academy.
The colourful Colin Miller said
goodbye to all forms of cricket
in July 2002.
DAMIEN FLEMING
MOVES FROM PLAYING
TO COACHING
Damien Fleming’s decorated playing career came to an end in May, when he announced
his retirement from domestic cricket.
The former Australian representative was, however, not lost to Australian cricket – the
popular right-arm seamer accepting the role of senior coach at the Commonwealth
Bank Cricket Academy.
He replaced Wayne Phillips at the academy, who assumed the head coach position at
South Australia.
Fleming played 20 Test matches for Australia after making his debut against Pakistan in
1994-95, claiming 75 wickets at an average of 25.89.
He was renowned for his steadiness and reliability at the bowling crease, and for his
hat-trick against Pakistan on debut – only the third time in the history of cricket this feat
has been achieved.
Fleming was also a key member of Australia’s one-day international team, playing 88
matches including the 1999 World Cup victory.
His composed bowling in the final overs of the World Cup semi-finals in 1996 and 1999
against the West Indies and Pakistan, respectively, have long gone down in cricket
folklore.
Having spent 12 years with Victoria, Fleming joined the Redbacks for the 2002-03
domestic season, playing just five games before suffering a serious shoulder injury.
COLIN MILLER
CALLS IT A DAY
Charismatic former Australian Test off-spinner and medium-pacer Colin Miller retired
from first-class cricket in July 2002.
Miller’s unique 17-year first-class career culminated in 18 Test appearances for
Australia and the honour of being named Test Player of the Year in 2000-01.
Originally a medium-pace bowler who could swing the ball either way, an ankle injury
forced the colourful Victorian to try his hand bowling off-spin during a club match in
Tasmania.
The change brought astonishing success at state level, including an Australian record of
67 wickets in the domestic first-class competition and a Tasmanian record of 70 firstclass
wickets in 1997-98.
His unlikely Australian debut was as a 34-year-old off-spinner, and he performed with
superb reliability, netting 69 Test wickets at 26.15, including a 10-wicket haul against the
West Indies at the Adelaide Oval in 2000-01.
He went on to play an important role in Australia’s record 16 Test match winning streak
from 1999 to 2001, claiming 35 wickets at 22.23 in seven matches.
Miller made his debut for Victoria in 1985-86, which was followed by four years in South
Australia (from 1988-89 to 1991-92), nine years in Tasmania (1992-93 to 2000-01) before
finally returning to play with Victoria in 2001-02.
He claimed 446 first-class victims at an average of 30.97.
52