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Damien Fleming was one of Australia's best performed and most reliable bowlers of recent times, but a career dogged by untimely injuries and a low-key approach has restricted his international appearances, but his contribution when given the opportunity was telling. He played 20 Tests and 88 One Day Internationals for Australia between 1994 to 2001, playing in an era where the Australian Team broke the all time record for consecutive wins in Test and One Day cricket being an integral member of both teams. An unfailingly good-humoured man, best known for his swing bowling but also played the occasional astonishing late-order innings.
He is the only Australian to achieve a Hat –trick on his debut test and would have had another hat-trick at Adelaide in 1999-2000 if Shane Warne had not dropped a straightforward slip catch. Without Fleming, Australia might never have reached the 1996 or 1999 World Cup finals. Fleming was the last-over specialist in both semi-finals. West Indies needed six runs to win off five balls at Mohali; South Africa required one off four at Edgbaston. Richie Richardson and Lance Klusener promptly self-destructed. But as ever with Fleming, it was his cool head and late swing – the quality that made him a lively force on the deadest of wickets –, which planted seeds of doubt where none existed.
At different stages throughout his career he was rated in the Pricewaterhouse / Cooper’s list of the Top 5 Bowlers in the world in both Test and One Day cricket. But Fleming had rotten luck. He was forever, on and off the physio's bench. His only constant was his smile. Fleming injured body parts that sounded more like pasta dishes. A strained patella here, a swollen rotator cuff there. Then maybe a stiff neck for variety, or a broken finger, or a bout of knee tendonitis and two-shoulder reconstruction’s. Fleming had 'em all. Only once, in 1999-2000, did he see out an entire Australian summer. He played six Tests against Pakistan and India that season, taking 30 wickets at an average of 22. When Shane Warne floored a simple catch off Javagal Srinath at Adelaide, thus robbing Fleming of an historic second Test hat-trick, Steve Waugh commented: "Flemmo has definitely been our best bowler all summer."
Damien made his debut for Victoria in 1989 and made his Australia debut against South Africa in the 1993/94 season. He toured England, South Africa, West Indies, India, Pakistan and New Zealand with Australian Teams.
He retired in May 2003 after another shoulder reconstruction to take up a Senior Coaching position at the Commonwealth Bank Centre Of Excellence and tours the country with the Pace Australia program. He was also a member of the Australian Cricketer’s Association Executive Board from 1999 to 2003.
Damien sees coaching as a great opportunity to pass on to the next era of Australian Cricketer’s all his cricket career experiences from great highs of playing in a hugely successful team who rose to be the dominant team of the world with great preparation and planning, To his own self coaching to battle to overcomes injury’s and be the best player he could be.
As well as coaching he can be seen giving his special comments on Foxsports for all Australian tours and as well as work commentating for ABC cricket and Sen radio in Melbourne.
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