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| Full name | Damien William Fleming | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1970-04-24)24 April 1970 (age 55) Bentley, Western Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | Flemo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-armfast-medium | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Bowler | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side |
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| Test debut (cap 361) | 5 October 1994 v Pakistan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 27 February 2001 v India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 115) | 16 January 1994 v South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 21 June 2001 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI shirt no. | 17 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1988/89–2001/02 | Victoria | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002 | Warwickshire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002/03 | South Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Source:Cricinfo,12 December 2005 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Damien William Fleming (born 24 April 1970) is an Australian cricket commentator and formercricketer who played for theAustralian national cricket team and domestic cricket forVictoria. He played in 20Tests and 88ODIs from 1994 to 2001 and was part of the all-conquering Australian teams underSteve Waugh andMark Taylor. In recent years Fleming has spent time refining his theory of Bowlology, a set of scientific coaching principles to help developing bowlers. Fleming was a part of the Australian team that won the1999 Cricket World Cup.
Injury problems shortened his career, with the side-on bowling action that generated his swing, also putting more strain on his body.
Fleming's 20Tests between 1994–95 and 2000–01 returned 75 wickets at an average of 25.89 with best figures of 5/30. He is one of only three men (along withMaurice Allom andPeter Petherick) to have taken ahat-trick on Test debut. Fleming's hat-trick was taken against Pakistan at Rawalpindi where he claimed Australia's nemesisSalim Malik in the second innings as his third wicket.[1]
His Test match record is impressive, with the 1999–2000 season Fleming's finest hour: he claimed 31 wickets in six Tests against Pakistan and India. His career best figures of 5/31 came against India at Adelaide in December 1999, where if not for Shane Warne dropping a regulation slips catch, Fleming would have claimed a second hat-trick.[2]
Fleming's ODI record is equally impressive, representing his country 88 times including twoWorld Cup finals and taking 134 wickets at an average of 25.38. He was seen by many to be a one-day specialist, especially in the latter overs when his fine economy rate kept runs down. Fleming was the last-over specialist in both the1996 and1999 World Cup Semi-Finals. In 1996 at Mohali with the West Indies needing six runs to win off five balls, Fleming bowled Courtney Walsh for victory.[3] In 1999 atEdgbaston, with South Africa requiring one run with four balls remaining, it took anAllan Donald brain-fade to send Australia into the final.[4]
He played 78 First Class Matches forVictoria taking 258 wickets. He took 6/37 on First Class debut vsWestern Australia in 1989/90.
Fleming was named in theSouth Melbourne Cricket Club’s team of the 20th century, alongside such greats asBill Woodfull,Keith Miller andClarrie Grimmett.
Following his retirement from all cricket in 2003, he was briefly appointed head coach at theAustralian Cricket Academy.
Like many of his counterparts, Fleming became a cricket commentator for both internationals and domesticSheffield Shield matches. He has been heard onTriple M Melbourne andSEN 1116 radio, and is a specialist cricket commentator forSeven Network having previously worked forABC Radio Grandstand,Channel 10 andFox Sports.
Fleming, a keenHawthorn fan, appeared onBefore the Bounce in 2009 withJason Dunstall andDanny Frawley, a weeklyAustralian football program broadcast onFoxtel, before becoming a regular on the show's successorAfter the Bounce. Recognising his own capacity for sporting insights (developed through deep contemplation of Bowlology theory) the show's producers gave Fleming a role akin to 'editor at large' in his segmentTurn It Up. In this segment, Fleming cast a critical eye over theAFL and society in general, raising the questionable and confronting issues that others thought inappropriate. He also ran a part of the show featuring a broken chocolate wheel. No longer in his role onAfter The Bounce. The chocolate wheel was never seen again.
Fleming began to make appearances during the fourth season (2009) ofThank God You're Here where he parodied the prevalence of sportspersons (notably cricketers) endorsing anything in the Australian media.[5]
In May 2018, it was announced that Fleming would join theSeven Network's cricket commentary team, after the network won the Cricket Australia broadcast rights from the 2018/19 season.[6] In August 2018 it was announced that he would also join the SEN 1116 radio commentary team.[7] In 2025 he appeared as a contestant on Claire Hooper's House Of Games.[8]
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