![]() ![]() MacLeay even lost his state spot for a time in 1984-85 which is a shame because he might’ve been a genuine chance for the 1985 Ashes squad as a bowler after all those South African defections he would’ve been a better bet to take over there than Jeff Thomson, who did go. O’Donnell shouldn’t have played Tests, at least not unless in tandem with another all-rounder, but he was one of Australia’s best ODI players of the 1980s. Simon O’Donnell came along in 1984-85 and he became the big-hitting-tight-bowling ODI all-rounder that Australia wanted MacLeay, Graf and Trevor Chappell to be. If we’d played MacLeay maybe we would’ve won! MacLeay was dropped in favour of Jeff Thomson for a game against the West Indies, and Thommo went for 0-64. And Australia needed him to bat as well as bowl. MacLeay ended up playing four World Cup games and generally did well with the ball, including 6-39 against India (at that stage the second best performance recorded by an Australian bowler in a limited-over international), but could never quite get there with the bat, with a highest score of 9. This slightly unbalanced the team, as Chappell’s bowling was very useful in one-dayers – but how do you replace Greg Chappell? What other top-line Australian domestic batter could also bowl 10 overs? Peter Sleep? John Inverarity? Peter Faulkner? Then Greg Chappell pulled out, pleading a neck injury, and MacLeay went in his place. However, at this stage Greg Chappell still intended to go (as a player only – he’d retired as Australian captain). MacLeay was not initially chosen for the Australian World Cup squad in 1983, the selectors going for Trevor Chappell as the all-rounder. He was picked on the Young Australia team that toured Zimbabwe in early 1983 under Dirk Wellham. ![]() I remember watching this on TV, and even though the Kiwis thumped us, I recall how exciting it was to discover MacLeay. He kept his spot for a few more matches, having a terrific game in a special one-off ODI against NZ to raise money for bushfire victims, scoring 41 off 37 balls and taking 1-42. Spoilers: this would be the case for MacLeay, too.Īnyway, MacLeay made his ODI debut against New Zealand, taking 1-39 and scoring 3. They’d given a few games to Shaun Graf and Trevor Chappell – they’d even both been named 12th man in Tests over the 1980-81 summer – but neither player had quite worked out: both had their bowling moments but neither quite fitted into the batting line up. This was very rapid rise but MacLeay played for WA who were very strong and by this stage it gave you extra points coming from that state, and had gotten a first class century and a five-wicket haul, which was enough to be classified as an all-rounder and Australia were looking for one in ODI cricket. Some sexy performances, including 5-7 off 21 balls in a game against Victoria, 5-12 against Queensland, and most of all 100 against Victoria, combined with a spate of injuries, saw him selected in the Australia ODI team. MacLeay held his state spot throughout 1982-83. Those results would kind of set the template for MacLeay’s overall first class career (129 first class games, 3750 runs at 27, 300 wickets at 30). He did well as a bits and pieces all-rounder in the Ian Brayshaw mould – a few useful wickets here, a few useful runs there, usually batting at 6 or 7: seven Shield games, 242 runs at 27, 10 wickets at 33. ![]() In the summer of 1981-82 MacLeay had just joined the WA Institute of Technology as a trained auditor when he was selected in the state side, then needing new blood because of all the West Australians who were required on international duty. ![]()
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