Adam Dale

He may have been underrated in his original state, and sufficiently underendowed with raw pace to be considered a fearsome fast bowler, but Queensland's Adam Dale was far from a substandard cricketer. A lightly built swing and seam bowler, nuggety lower-order batsman and keen fielder, Dale originally plied his trade in Victoria but a lack of opportunities and a work transfer encouraged him to head to Queensland in his mid-twenties. It was a move which paid handsome dividends; he was promoted to his adopted state's one-day team in 1995-96 and immediately impressed with the control of his line and length and the extent to which he was able to move his deliveries both in the air and off the pitch. So striking were these qualities that he was able to join a select band of players who have made their first-class and international debuts within a year of their first state appearance.

Throughout that period and in the years since, Dale earned a reputation as one of Australia's most consistent, reliable and miserly bowlers. He was rarely errant in either width or length, bowls from very close to the stumps (it was not unusual to see him make contact with the bowler's end wicket in his run-up), and was almost always economical.

For two seasons he was a regular in the one-day squad but made only two Test outings. A serious shoulder injury caused him to miss the best part of two seasons and helped to lead to his decision to retire at the end of the 2002-03 season.
John Polack