Damien Fleming

Damien Fleming is a former Australian cricketer who played in 20 Test matches and 88 One Day Internationals from 1994 to 2001 in an all conquering Australian cricket team breaking Test and One day records and winning World Cups.

Damien was recognised as an expert in the art of swing bowling and is one of only three men to have taken a Hat-Trick on Test debut.

In ODI’s he was seen as a specialist bowling in the latter overs. Damien was the last-over specialist in both the 1996 and 1999 World Cup Semi-Finals. In 1996 at Mohali with the West Indies needing six runs to win off five balls, Damien bowled Courtney Walsh for victory. In 1999 at Edgbaston with South Africa requiring one run with four balls remaining, it took a Run Out brain-fade to send Australia into the final. And Damien helped Australia get over the line on both occasions.

Following his retirement in 2003 he was appointed coach at The Australian Cricket Academy. It was around this time that the beginnings of his Bowlology theory began to take shape.

In May 2018 it was announced that Damien would join the 7 Network TV cricket commentary team, after working on Channel 10’s award winning Big Bash Coverage and BT Sports Ashes coverage. In August 2018 it was announced that he would also join the SEN 1116 radio commentary team.

He appeared on Before the Bounce with Jason Dunstall and Danny Frawley, a weekly AFL football show broadcast on Foxtel.

Damien began to make regular TV appearances during the fourth season of “Thank God Your Here” where he parodied the prevalence of sportsperson’s (notably cricketers) endorsing anything in the Australian media.

He also published a best selling book “Bowlology- Stories from the Avenue of Apprehension” A collection of humorous stories based around his life in cricket.

Today, Damien is a popular and humorous figure on the public speaking circuit, including hosting the MCC Boxing Day breakfast since 2010 and regular questions are asked of the last over he bowled in the 1999 semi final tie against South Africa and that dropped catch by Shane Warne which denied him his second hat-trick.