Mike Veletta is unlikely to figure in any Australian cricket Hall of Fame, but he did play a pivotal role in their seminal 1987 World Cup win. In the final against England he slammed 45 off only 31 balls, an innings that was ultimately decisive as Australia squeezed home by only seven runs. Such chicanery was slightly out of character for Veletta, the man with eyes like Errol Flynn's. He was ordinarily a dogged opener for Western Australia, and in the 1986-87 Sheffield Shield final he took them to victory with a 762-minute 266. He also had three opening partnerships of more than 300 with Geoff Marsh for WA, but at the top level Veletta never really cracked it. In eight Tests he got a number of starts, but failed to reach 50 and ended with an average of 18. He returned to WA as their coach on a three-year contract in 2001, but that was terminated a year early.
Martin Williamson