In his pomp, Jeff Tomson was known as the Scourge of the Poms because of his ability to strike fear into the heart of any English batter when he had the ball in his hand.
One of the fastest bowlers of all time, he had a slinging action, which was attributed to the fact that his trained as a javelin thrower in his youth. He also generated extreme pace from a short run-up, and relied on short-pitched deliveries to intimidate batters.
Thomson rarely swung the ball, which made him less effective overseas, particularly in England. But on Australian pitches he could be lethal, and many rate his partnership with Dennis Lillee was one of the finest Test cricket has ever seen.
By his own admission, Thomson liked to see batsman hurt on the pitch.
He left an indelible mark, literally in some cases, during the 1974/75 Ashes, when he took 33 wickets in addition to forcing several others to retire hurt.
But for a shoulder injury which ruled him out of the fifth Test, he might have surpassed the Australian record for the most test wickets in a single season.
However, in 1976 against Pakistan, he collided with teammate Alan Turner when they both went for a catch in the deep against Pakistan and dislocated his collarbone. He missed the rest of the season, and his pace was never the same again.
When World Series Cricket (WSC) came along, Thomson was not initially part of the rebel circus, because he had an existing contract with a radio station that obliged him to play for Queensland.
He was eventually released from that contract and entered into an uneasy period of coexistence, flitting between the official Australian side and WSC, before throwing in his lot with the latter to resume his partnership with Lillee.
When the rapprochement came, Thomson was back in contention for international selection again, but with his fitness a constant doubt, he was always being dropped and then picked again.
His final victim in test cricket was another Pom, Graham Gooch, on the 1985 tour of England, and he retired with exactly 200 test wickets to his name. But for his injury problems it would have been many more.