When the subject of Australian pacemen is raised, three names immediately spring to mind – Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie and, of course, Glenn McGrath

Eddie Smith29-Oct-2002When the subject of Australian pacemen is raised, three names immediately spring to mind – Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie and, of course, Glenn McGrath. Yet this talented trio is but the tip of the iceberg.Sitting just below the surface is a plethora of talented pacemen biding their time, primed and ready to step up at any opportunity. Perennial wicket-takers like: Brad Williams, Andy Bichel, Michael Kasprowicz, Stuart Clark, Nathan Bracken, Matthew Inness, Ashley Noffke and Damien Wright, are but a few who would no doubt represent their country with distinction, but who are perhaps destined to end their careers not having played a fraction of the senior Australian matches that their talent would demand in a different era.Dig a little deeper still and you will find an emerging crop of youngsters who are set to burst onto the Australian domestic scene at any given time. Names like Mitchell Johnson, Damien MacKenzie, Brett Geeves and Aaron Bird may not be household names just yet, but all of these boys have got talent to burn and may head the Australian attack well into the next decade.Johnson (20) is the most well known of this group. He is a potential express paceman of rare ilk, one who can hurl a cricket ball at speeds of around 150km/h, is tall at 1.91m (6 feet 3 inches) and is also a left-armer. Johnson was clocked at 138km/h at the Australian Cricket Academy when he was 18 but he was on the road back from injury and was operating off only a few paces.Last year in interview Johnson said: “When I get stronger and reach my peak, I want to be the fastest bowler in the world, there’s no two ways about that.”For many, such a statement may seem like the words of a cocky kid but the softly spoken Queenslander is far from a braggart. A couple of years ago an official from the Academy told me that Johnson was faster than Lee at the same age, and last year in Dennis Lillee’s regular weekly newspaper column, he described Johnson as a “once-in-a-lifetime talent”.Injuries, particularly spinal related, have held Johnson back in recent seasons. But as his body matures and strengthens, he should start to string together periods of injury-free speed and given the opportunity he will wreak havoc on the Australian domestic circuit.A fellow Queenslander who is gaining a reputation as one of the fastest guns around is MacKenzie. MacKenzie (22) has been in the shadow, or should I say blur, of Johnson for a couple of years now, but MacKenzie is a fast-man in his own right and is ripe and ready to burst onto the Australian domestic scene like no paceman has done since 1999, when the 23-year-old firebrand Lee emerged.With all the hype surrounding some of the young ‘fast men’ in international cricket of late, it’s easier to get a gauge on where a guy like MacKenzie stands in the matter of bowling speeds.When Shane Bond came to Australia last season and played his debut Test, his fastest ball of that match was 142km/h. MacKenzie’s current speed could be placed slightly higher than this mark, with the potential to emulate Bond and take his speed up to, and over, the 150km/h mark. MacKenzie was clearly Queensland’s fastest bowler against NSW in the recently completed ING Cup one-dayer and looked to be a clear 5km/h faster than Kasprowicz who is regularly clocked around 138km/h in his international matches.Watching MacKenzie’s action from various angles in frame-by-frame shots it was noticeable just how similar in action he is to Bond, even down to the customary dragging of his back foot. His action is uncomplicated and explosive, with a strong shoulder element. MacKenzie does, however, tend to fall away a little in his action, and in striving for that extra yard of pace perhaps doesn’t gain the maximum benefit from his height.At close to 1.93m (6’4″), MacKenzie is well-built for a youngster and his delivery is so smooth and uncluttered. It is not until you see him next to the likes of Kasprowicz and Andrew Symonds that you realise what a large man he really is.The problem immediately confronting MacKenzie and Johnson is that they are playing for a state which has undoubtedly the most powerful domestic bowling attack in world cricket.Queensland has at its disposal 10 bowlers who would walk into any state/provincial team in the world, but they can only field six of them at any given time. Both pacers for varying reasons played only one Pura Cup match last year. If this figure does not increase all but tenfold this season then the talented duo may follow Shane Watson’s lead and defect to another state, where their talents can be showcased as they deserve to be.Whenever these two men are fit then they should be honing their skills in the first-class arena and not biding their time in grade cricket, waiting for their next break-down.One youngster who is close to the complete package is Geeves (20) of Tasmania. Geeves stands at around 1.85m (6’1″), generates good pace from a smooth, high, front-on action and comes from the McGrath/Lillee school of hostility and intimidation. Geeves was ready and, no doubt, would have played almost every game for Tasmania last season but for an osteo-pubic injury.Geeves’ action is very similar to that of Lee although Geeves is a little less explosive at this stage. Still, he is deceptively sharp and when he’s fit and firing, Geeves would be bowling around 140km/h. His pace and hostility are not his only weapons as he possesses fine line and length and can swing the ball both ways, a la McGrath.In August of this year, Geeves played for the Cricket Academy side against touring teams comprising of the cream of South Africa’s youngsters and a side from the New Zealand Academy. Geeves ended the mini-tournament with the best bowling averages of any player in both forms of the game. He played two matches and took 10 wickets at 14.70 in the longer game and took 4 wickets at 10 apiece in his two one-dayers.If Geeves can get himself fit and stay that way for an extended period of time, then he could well do as did Paul Rofe last year, and find himself amongst the top wicket-takers in Australia’s domestic competition. A national call-up to the senior squad or the A side may be close behind.One young man who performed brilliantly at the Under-19 World Cup earlier this year was Bird. He was one of the leading wicket-takers in the competition with 15 wickets @ 14.33 runs apiece. Bird (19) is lithe in stature standing 1.85m (6’1″) and earlier this year was listed as weighing only 70kg, yet from a slight frame his whippy action can generate serious speed.Although Bird performed admirably for Australia in the Under-19 competition, it was one single ball whilst playing for Bankstown which temporarily catapulted the youngster into the public eye. His hostile bouncer catapulted into the side of Michael Slater’s forehead, above the eye, causing blood to stream and Slats to leave the field in a fit of rage. The story ran in every major news service in the country and everyone wanted to know who was the youngster who had felled one of our best all-time opening batsmen. Bird was quickly signed up on a rookie contract by New South Wales and his career seems to be somewhat fast-tracking.As Bird grows in strength and stature, an extra 10kg may well add an extra 10km/h to his already impressive pace. The name Aaron Bird does not quite instil fear into many senior batsmen at the moment but this cagey customer may soon be soaring with the eagles and preying on batsmen the world over.All four of these boys possess the potential to be world-beaters, but talent can be a poisoned chalice. Whether all, or none, of these youngsters grow to represent Australia with distinction will be seen in time, but with rising stars such as these on the horizon the future of Australia’s pace stocks has never looked so bright.