If there was an award for the best 12th man award, Andy Bichel would be right at the top of the list of contenders and arguably, even be the winner. Armed with a charismatic smile and a friendly personality, Bichel was a selfless servant of Australian cricket. Who could forget his heroics in the national team's 2003 World Cup triumph? He was at his absolute best at that point, bowling as fast as he ever did with a bit of swing and bounce to boot. In addition to this, his batting had become so efficient that he could easily be labelled as a bowling all-rounder. Flashes of performances with Michael Bevan in tense run chases during the World Cup immediately come to mind. He was clearly one of the unsung heroes of that campaign for Australia.

Phenomenal performances in the Sheffield Shield from the 1994-95 season onwards catapulted Bichel to national selection in 1997 in the home summer against West Indies. Like his State mate Michael Kasprowicz, Bichel also knew that his role for Australia would mostly be limited to being a filler when the star bowlers were absent. In spite of that, Bichel rarely lost his spirits and was always committed to giving 200% on the park. It was only during the 2003 World Cup that he finally saw some recognition because otherwise, he was mostly under the shadows of McGrath and Gillespie. Despite playing a huge role in the successful title defence, Bichel was omitted from the central contract list for Australia's next season and this shocked everyone, not the least himself.

The never-say-die spirit of Bichel meant that he wasn't ready to give up. He continued to dazzle in the Sheffield Shield and Pura Cup competitions, hitting his peak in the 2005-06 season where he scored runs and also picked a bagful of wickets. He was eyeing a comeback and it could have materialized, especially with McGrath's retirement in 2007. But a shoulder injury during that time effectively ended Bichel's dreams of representing the country again. He retired in 2009 and subsequently was involved in the IPL as the bowling coach for the Chennai Super Kings. An affable Aussie who was as committed as they come, Bichel's story was a roller coaster ride to say the least.

By Hariprasad Sadanandan