Cameron Gannon

A giant of a man, standing at 2 meters tall, and growing up with a keen interest in cricket, what was Cameron Gannon's destiny? Becoming a fast bowler, of course. There is the odd exception, like Suliemann Benn, but Gannon knew he always dreamed of batsmen hopping around to his chin music at his home-ground, the Sydney Cricket Ground.

He burst into the Sheffield scene in 2012/13 as a 22-year-old, and immediately impressed everyone with his precocious penchant for taking top-order wickets, including getting the then-Aussie-captain Michael Clarke out twice in the same Shield game against New South Wales. He ended up with an unprecedented 31 wickets at 23.51. However, the dream run came to a sudden halt when the ICC deemed his action illegal in 2013.

After the humiliation of a ban, Gannon came back strongly with a remodeled action and the ban was lifted for the 2013/14 domestic season. He was signed by the Brisbane Heat BBL franchise after his comeback and immediately responded with 18 wickets in 8 matches. More importantly, he had paid off as an investment for the Heat, as several teams were looking to play him out and target the other bowlers; such was the discomfort he caused to the batsmen because of the steep bounce he generated. That, combined with lateral movement off the seam turned out to be almost unplayable on slightly responsive surfaces.

Gannon, holding an American passport owing to his mother, decided to make the move and represent the USA. He made his T20I debut for the United States against Bermuda in the 2018-19 ICC T20 World Cup Americas Qualifier tournament. He continued to play for Western Australia domestically though.

He played for the Stars and Renegades in the two subsequent seasons and returned to Brisbane Heat in the 2017/18 season. Subsequently, Gannon represented the Perth Scorchers in 2023/24.