SK Flashback: Bruce Reid, a potential Australian legend, if not for his injuries

Injuries halted a promising career

Reid played 61 ODIs for Australia

One of his test-mates had famously said, “He never played two Tests in a row”. While this was an exaggeration, the fact remains that Reid’s body was unable to cope with the strains of fast bowling.

The popular view was that he was too fragile for his craft. After one of his many injuries, two discs from his back were removed and a metal plate was inserted.

One of the reasons given for his career full of injuries is that he was used as a stock bowler much before his frame was ready for this arduous task. He is at number three in the list of most balls delivered by Australian fast bowlers under the age of 23 since 1970 (behind Craig McDermott and Dennis Lillee).

Player	Number of deliveries bowled	Number of Overs bowled
Craig McDermot	3035	505.5
Dennis Lillee	1471	245.2
Bruce Reid	1407	234.3
Mitchell Starc	1379	229.5
Jason Gillespie	1370	228.2

This is supported by data collected on the formative years of fast bowling by Cricket Australia. As per that data, bowlers are likely to face a range of injury problems until their bodies mature fully.