SW Tait of Australia

Full Name:

Shaun William Tait

DoB:

Tuesday, February 22, 1983

Birthplace:

Adelaide

Teams:

South Australia, Durham

Test Debut:

not yet capped

ODI Debut:

not yet capped

Bats:

RH

Bowls:

RAF

Player Record:

link to stats

Followers of Durham may be amazed to see Shaun Tait's name in the Australian touring party after they saw him spray the ball all over the place last season for his adopted county.

Tait bowled 21 no balls and two wides on a spectacularly awful debut for Durham against Somerset. His only other game against Essex was almost as bad, leaving him with overall figures in the two games of 0-176 from 18 overs.

But his performances in Australia, where he was the leading wicket-taker with 65 at 20 apiece in the 2004-05 Pura Cup, suggest those games were an anomaly and he is a bowler of enormous potential.

Now 22, he has only played 26 first-class games, but boasts a rare strike rate of 40.17. He can be expensive, but he has blistering pace only a notch below that of Brett Lee.

Tait runs in hard to the crease and hits the deck in an effort to gain maximum speed with a slingy action reminiscent of Jeff Thomson. He is definitely earmarked as a star of the future but will probably have to wait for the retirement of one or two of the old guard to get a game.

Tait is a tallish pace bowler from South Australia with a slingy action that produces skiddy bounce off the pitch.

His slingy style reminds me of Devon Malcolm, who didn't give you such a clear sighting of the ball as bowlers with classical actions like Allan Donald. Tait is similarly deceptive when you first play against him, so if he got an opportunity he could do some damage.

Tait runs in hard and bowls at a pace not much slower than Brett Lee's. He's a genuine wicket-taker who attacks the stumps, but he won't get a game unless there is an injury.