Australian cricket is known for its fighting spirit and never-say-attitude. It won't be wrong to say that David Boon was one of the pioneers of this brand of cricket. The burly Tasmanian was a vital cog of Australia's steady rise as a cricketing nation in the 80s and early 90s. It was his gritty nature that defined his gameplay as a batsman. Most of the times, his batting appeared attritional and wasn't as entertaining as many of his peers but they were mighty effective. Mental strength was key to Boon's success and he almost always put a price on his wicket in both formats. He also had a great cricketing brain and was a fine thinker of the game.

Having made his international debut in 1984 across both formats, it took a while for Boon to get going but once he did, there was no looking back. His longevity was critical to Australia's smooth transition as a cricketing country. Primarily an opener, especially in ODIs, Boon gradually became Australia's iconic number three in Tests. There were several marathon knocks from him, especially in the Ashes series in which he was part of the winning side four times. He loved playing against his arch-rivals while also relishing the contests against India. These were the two countries against whom Boon had the most success.

Unlike many Australian cricketers, Boon was a strong player of spin and could deal with it almost as easily as he did with pace. His ability to deal with slow bowling was a critical part of Australia's World Cup win in 1987 that came on Indian soil. Boon was a big match player and his stats in World Cups prove that point. Not only did he love playing in such showpiece events, but also saved his best for the knockout games. Nothing defines this better than his brilliant Man of the Match performance in the 1987 final that led Australia to glory. Boon was a part of one more World Cup campaign, in 1992 at home that didn't go well for his country.

Boon did seem eager to take part in the 1996 edition as well, considering that it was in the sub-continental conditions where the 1987 success happened. Perhaps, he wanted to sign off in a blaze of glory but that wasn't to be. After being ignored for the World Cup, he decided to quit from international cricket in January 1996 after the Test series against Sri Lanka at home. Post-retirement, Boon was an active National selector before becoming an ICC match referee. Much like his cricketing days, he was a tough cookie in his other roles as well and therefore, was highly respected.

By Hariprasad Sadanandan