Peter Taylor

A tall, angular offspinner and stubborn left-hand bat, Peter Taylor was plucked from such obscurity to play England in 1986-87 that it was assumed the selectors had mistaken him for Mark Taylor. Undaunted, he took 6 for 87 with his energetic, jerky action that resembled a bell-ringer, and was Man of the Match. Thereafter, he struggled for penetration in Test cricket, but became a redoubtable one-day player. For a while, he occupied an odd position at the periphery of both Australian and New South Wales teams, and finished his career in Queensland. Ultimately, he was replaced in the Test team by Shane Warne. An intelligent and intense man, Taylor became an Australian selector. Greg Baum