10 best players of all time from Western Austalia

There are certain geographical egions in many, if not most cricketing countries, which are known for supplying the national cricket team with a large chunk of the players.

For instance, Mumbai had been this place in the case of India for many years, while for England it was Yorkshire, and when it comes to Australia then that honour definitely goes to New South Wales.

However, in spite of their dominance, other states have been quite prolific suppliers of international cricketers as well - and one of those is the state of Western Australia. The state has produced some of Australia's greatest ever cricketers and here is a look at 10 of the very best.

10 Terry Alderman

While Western Australia is famous for the lightning-quick surface at the Western Australian Cricket Association (WACA) Ground, the state also produced highly accurate swing bowlers and one of the most distinguished among them was Terry Alderman.

After breaking into the Western Australia side in 1974-75, Alderman was soon picked up by World Series Cricket and hence it was not till 1981 that he made his debut in the 1981 Ashes in England.

Alderman's excellent medium pace swing and seam bowling gave him a 42-wicket haul in his debut series. He was an instant success and in an international career that lasted 41 Test matches (65 ODIs) over a span of a decade, he took 170 wickets.

He was an Ashes specialist of sorts and took 40-plus wickets in the triumphant Ashes series in England in 1989.

9 Stuart MacGill

Born in Perth in Western Australia, Stuart MacGill was supremely unlucky for having been the contemporary of the greatest spinner to have played the game, Shane Warne. At a time when Australia fielded 3 fast bowlers, MacGill could only play 44 Tests in a career spanning 10 years.

However, his talent has never been in doubt and after having played for Western Australia, he switched to New South Wales, before finally breaking into the Australian team in 1998. MacGill had the ability to turn the ball appreciably on any pitch and that fetched him 208 Test scalps in only 44 Tests at an impressive average of just over 29.02.

Had he played in a different era, he would definitely have played more but there is no doubt that MacGill is one of the finest cricketers to have emerged from Western Australia.

8 Bruce Reid

It is indeed a pity that one of the best fast bowlers to have emerged out of Western Australia had his promising international career cut short due to injuries, and if that had not happened, Bruce Reid could well have gone on to achieve much more.

He debuted for Australia in 1985 when the rebuilding process was in full swing, but Reid impressed everyone with his accuracy and the ability to bring the ball back into the right-handed batsmen.

In 27 Tests, played over a period of around 7 years, he picked up 113 wickets at an average of only 24.63 and it is a bit of a shame that his body could not cope with the demands of top-level cricket. For Western Australia, he picked up 250 wickets in only 96 first-class games and averaged 26.63.

7 Kim Hughes

The former Australian captain took charge in only his 11th Test match at a time when the cricket team was ravaged by the absence of some of the senior players.

Born in the town of Margaret River in Western Australia, he struggled to break into the side in his initial years but when he did in 1975, he scored a century on his debut and never looked back. Hughes was an excellent stroke player and had an excellent technique, which eventually saw him get selected for the national team in 1977.

He scored 9 centuries for Australia in 70 Test matches and averaged 37.41, but there is no doubt that he was one of the best cricketers to have been produced by Western Australia.

6 Graeme Wood

Left-handed opening batsmen Graeme Wood might not be counted among the best batsmen to have played for Australia but he certainly was among Western Australia's finest and in fact, helped in steadying the top order at a very difficult time for the team.

Following the unavailability of some key players due to World Series Cricket, Wood got his first international cap in 1978 and became a steadying influence at the top of the order. Throughout the 1980s, he played 59 Tests and scored 9 centuries at an average of 31.83.

For Western Australia, he was a prolific scorer as well, having scored 35 centuries in 227 first class games and there is no doubt, that Graeme Wood will be remembered as one of the best players from the state.

5 Geoff Marsh

The Northam-born opening batsman was a pillar of the Western Australia team in first-class cricket for around 16 years and during that team, Geoff Marsh had also become one of the architects of the Australian national team's great rebuilding process under Allan Border in the 1980s.

Playing for Western Australia, Geoff Marsh played 184 first class games and scored 33 centuries, with the highest being a mammoth 355 not out.

Marsh was vital for Australia in both forms of the game during his seven-year career and helped the side win their first World Cup triumph with solid shows at the top of the order. He remains an influential figure in Australian cricket and one of Western Australia's most well-known cricketers.

4 Justin Langer

One of Western Australia's greatest ever batsmen, he debuted for Australia in 1993 against the West Indies but had to wait for some years before he could become a regular in the side. After his return, he initially batted at number 3 and after a few years formed one of the most devastating Test match opening partnerships with Matthew Hayden.

From being a defensive batsman, he became a thrill a minute opener and went on to score 23 Test match hundreds for the country. For Western Australia, he made his debut in the 1991-92 season and remains one of the best batsmen to have played for the state in first-class cricket.

3 Michael Hussey

The man who came to be known as 'Mr Cricket' might have made his Test debut at the age of 30, but Michael Hussey went on to become one of Australia's best batsmen in the modern era and shone in all formats of the game.

In 79 Tests, he scored 19 centuries and 29 half-centuries at an average of 51.52 to become one of the top batsmen in the world. In limited overs cricket, Hussey was responsible for many wins throughout his career.

His ascent as a cricketer, however, started with his Sheffield Shield performances for his home state Western Australia and then for English County side Somerset.

Hussey scored 6741 runs in his career for Western Australia and that is at 6th position in the all-time list for the state. There can be no doubt that he one of Australia's and Western Australia's finest batsmen ever.

2 Rod Marsh

Western Australia produced one of Australia's and indeed, the world's greatest ever wicket-keepers in the form of Rodney Marsh, who recorded a record 355 dismissals in Test cricket during an illustrious career.

His record of 355 dismissals stood as the highest in Test cricket for many years till Ian Healy broke it but as far as wicketkeeping skills are concerned there are very few who came close to Marsh and he is often counted among the best wicket-keepers to have ever played the game.

He slogged in the domestic circuit for Western Australia for some years and in fact, had to play as a batsman but his talent was never in doubt as he eventually made it to the national team. In first-class cricket for Western Australia, Marsh played in 257 games and took 803 catches and affected 66 stumpings.

1 Dennis Lillee

Widely regarded as the best fast bowler to have ever played the game, Dennis Lillee is without a shadow of a doubt the greatest cricketer that Western Australia has ever produced. Born in Perth, Western Australia, Lillee got his call-up to the state first-class team when he was 20 in the 1969-70 season and impressed the selectors with his express pace.

The next season he made his debut and quickly became the spearhead of Australia's pace attack. Lillee did not only have pace but he was hostile and had varieties that allowed him to take wickets on unresponsive pitches as well.

Stress fractures affected his career and perhaps cut it short, but he still managed to claim 355 wickets in a career spanning 13 years. Along with his Western Australian teammate Rodney Marsh, he formed a great combination.

Marsh used to advise him on the weaknesses of the opposition batsmen and Lillee profited from it a great deal. Eventually, ''caught Marsh bowled Lillee” became one of the most popular modes of dismissals during those years.