Damien Martyn

A languid shot-maker whose strokes were like a beautiful painting, Damien Martyn was an unassuming hero during Australia's golden era. In a side full of superstars, he was the unsung hero, often behind the limelight but mighty effective and priceless to the team's cause. Gritty and dogged in his approach, Martyn was pretty much old-school in his modus operandi as a batsman but seldom was a boring moment when he was at the crease due to the aesthetic equation that he brought to his batsmanship. Despite all his sublime skills, he almost never played for Australia again after debuting in the early 90s as a reckless young talent who was temperamentally very fragile. The result was a poor start to international cricket and he was sidelined for six years before he could play a Test again, four years as far as the ODI format was concerned.

The effective exile of sorts helped Martyn to rework himself. Shed away were those rash strokes and irresponsible tactics as a batsman. He strove hard in the domestic circuit and perhaps, leadership role there at a young age also helped to mellow down considerably. Since his comeback, Martyn didn't put a foot wrong as he established himself as a vital cog of the Australian batting line-up in both formats of the game. What stood out was his effortless ease to adapt to conditions - be it the swing of England, pace and bounce of South Africa or the turning pitches of the sub-continent. If anything, he relished these challenges and was crucial to Australia's away success. For non-Asian batsmen, Asian conditions are the ultimate test and it's fair to say that Martyn aced it comfortably.

Martyn's batting was copybook in almost all ways and was a visual spectacle when in full flow. 2004 was his most productive year, like it was for Justin Langer as well, as the unsung duo shone brightly to take Australia to bigger heights. Martyn tallied over 1300 Test runs with an average in mid-50s, providing the ideal foil to the aggressive Ricky Ponting and the lower middle order. With age catching up and Australia losing the Ashes for the first team after 16 years in 2005, heads were bound to roll as Martyn did have moderate numbers during that season. However, the think tank persisted with experience and hence, he continued before retiring the next year from all formats gracefully. A World Cup and Champions Trophy winner, Martyn's most significant contribution in the 50-over format came in matches held on tricky pitches.

Post-retirement, Martyn was among those who flocked to the rebel Indian Cricket League before getting a surprise IPL contract at the 2010 auctions with Rajasthan Royals. He only played a single game that season though and was consequently released from the contract as well. Thereafter, Martyn has spent a lot of time as TV commentator, albeit not as frequently as some of his former teammates. Subdued in character and relaxed in his approach to the game, Martyn was a dedicated foot soldier of Australian cricket. You wouldn't instantly recall him hogging the limelight over the years but there is no way that you can forget those signature strokes of his, especially the delicious cover drive and back foot punch apart from a ferocious reverse sweep. He did have some technical flaws, especially during the fag end of his career and wasn't a big hitter for white-ball cricket, but was still mighty efficient nevertheless.

By Hariprasad Sadanandan