Cast your vote to help build the best Aussie Ashes Team since 1977 as we take a look at some of the best quicks in recent years
Best Aussie Ashes XI: Fast Bowlers
During the Magellan Ashes series, we are asking fans to help us build the greatest Australian Ashes XI of the past 40 years.
Watch the above video which features some memorable moments from each player's career and then cast your vote below to have your say on which three players should make the final team.
To help you pick your side, click the link above to check out Australian Cricket Legend Ricky Ponting's own choices for his Best Aussie Ashes XI.
Glenn McGrath (1994-2007)
Tests: 30. Wickets: 157. Ave: 20.92. BB: 8-38. 5W/I: 10. 10W/M: 0
Perhaps the greatest indicator of just how good Glenn McGrath was is the fact Australia lost just one Test against England - dead rubbers excluded - with him in the side. After going wicketless in his Ashes debut (the only time that would occur in 30 matches against England) in 1997, McGrath went on to rack up more than a quarter of his 563 Test scalps against the old enemy. A force in both the United Kingdom and Australia, few fast bowlers inspired as much fear as the metronomic right-armer, and his infamous rolled ankle at Edgbaston in 2005 is generally regarded one of a major factors in England's drought-breaking series win.
Terry Alderman (1981-91)
Tests: 17. Wickets: 100. Ave: 21.17. BB: 6-47. 5W/I: 11. 10W/M: 1
Terry Alderman was born and bred in Perth, but his true calling came in the Old Dart. An old-fashioned swing bowler, the right-armer terrorised England on their own soil at either end of his 41-Test career. His first series in the Baggy Green – the 1981 Ashes – yielded 42 scalps at 21.26 in a losing cause, while he helped kickstart Australia's glory era when he snared 41 wickets at 17.36 in the 1989 Ashes. His dominance over Graham Gooch was such that the England captain was said to have changed his answering machine message to, "I'm not here right now. I'm probably out ... lbw, to Alderman."
Mitchell Johnson (2009-15)
Tests: 19. Wickets: 87. Ave: 25.81. BB: 7-40. 5W/I: 5. 10W/M: 0
The fiery left-armer's career might well have been remembered in a different light had it not been for THAT Ashes campaign in 2013-14. Tormented by English crowds in 2009, Johnson gave a glimpse of what was to come when he handed Australia their only win in 2010-11 with a stunning nine-wicket, player-of-the-match performance at the WACA. He was overlooked for the 2013 away Ashes as he struggled to piece together all the parts of a bowling action that seemed, at times, as irreparable as it was feared. With his international career on the line, Johnson tore England to shreds with 37 wickets in Australia's 5-0 13-14 whitewash in one of the greatest Ashes efforts of all time.
Craig McDermott (1985-95)
Tests: 17. Wickets: 84. Ave: 26.30. BB: 8-97. 5W/I: 8. 10W/M: 1
While he mightn't have grabbed the headlines like some of his contemporaries, Craig McDermott's an outstanding record with the ball could have been even greater had it not been for persistent injuries through his decade-long Ashes career. After collecting 30 wickets in his maiden campaign against England in 1985, McDermott thrived in home conditions and picked up five-wicket hauls in six of the nine Tests he played against England Down Under.
Dennis Lillee (1977-82)
Tests: 12. Wickets: 82. Ave: 20.78. BB: 7-89. 5W/I: 6. 10W/M: 3
A cricket icon who inspired a generation to bowl fast with a thick upper lip, Dennis Lillee's lion-hearted efforts are the stuff of Ashes folklore. The right-armer with a classical seam bowler’s action was Australia's spearhead for over a decade and few can match his overall record of 82 scalps at a tick over 20. His ability to remain a force despite crippling injuries towards the end of his career was a testament to his iron will and reflected in his Ashes-best haul of 7-89 at The Oval in his penultimate Test against the old enemy in 1981.
Image Id: 1C4E13AD9B2846B4BB8D78730804E9D3Merv Hughes (1986-93)
Tests: 20. Wickets: 75. Ave: 30.25. BB: 5-92. 5W/I: 1. 10W/M: 0
A fan favourite who made stretching cool, Merv Hughes is perhaps better remembered for his quick wit and hostile demeanour than any of his feats with ball in hand. But the heavy-set right-armer was a tireless Ashes contributor who averaged close to four wickets a Test despite taking just one five-fer in 20 games. Defeat in his maiden Ashes campaign in 86-87 was followed by a trio of victories away (in 1989 and 1993) and at home (in 1990-91) with Hughes playing vital roles in all three triumphs.
Peter Siddle (2009-15)
Tests: 21. Wickets: 73. Ave: 28.63. BB: 6-54. 5W/I: 4. 10W/M: 0
It's hard to top a Test hat-trick, let alone one against the old enemy, but Peter Siddle is more likely to point to being the perfect third wheel in Australia's well-oiled 2013-14 machine as his career high watermark. The relentless Victorian proved an ideal counterpoint to Mitchell Johnson's fire and Ryan Harris' grit, picking up 16 wickets for the series. His birthday hat-trick on the opening day of the 10-11 Ashes was one of the few upshots of that series and while Siddle played in defeats in defeats in 2009, 2013 and 2015 (albeit only featuring in the final dead-rubber match despite calls for his inclusion when the series was on the line), his numbers stack up favourably to his contemporaries.
Jason Gillespie (1997-2005)
Tests: 18. Wickets: 65. Ave: 29.03. BB: 7-37. 5W/I: 3. 10W/M: 0
The yin to Glenn McGrath's yang, Jason 'Dizzy' Gillespie was one in a long line of bowlers to continue Australia's Ashes dominance through the late 90s and early 2000s. A career-best seven-wicket haul at Headingley (the ground where he'd later call home as coach of Yorkshire) in 1997 aside, the tall right-armer was rarely the hero despite playing in four straight Ashes series wins. And it was perhaps no great coincidence his struggles in 2005 to rediscover his touch with the ball coincided with England's drought-breaking victory.
Ryan Harris (2010-14)
Tests: 12. Wickets: 57. Ave: 20.63. BB: 7-117. 5W/I: 4. 10W/M: 0
A late bloomer, Ryan Harris made the most of his limited opportunities to get on the park as he battled increasingly severe injuries towards the end of his career. The Queensland-born quick nonetheless pushed the pain barrier in 2013-14 series to finish behind only Mitchell Johnson on the wicket-taking charts, playing in all five of Australia's victorious Tests. While that bout will forever be remembered for the rampaging Johnson rattling England with a short-ball barrage, Harris' delivery that swung in and nipped away to remove England captain Alastair Cook at the WACA was arguably the moment of that series.
Rodney Hogg (1978-83)
Tests: 11. Wickets: 56. Ave: 17. BB: 6-74. 5W/I: 5. 10W/M: 2
With a self-described 'happy-go-lucky' approach, Rodney Hogg rocked England in 1978-79 by taking 41 wickets at 12.85 in his debut Test series to lead an Australian attack missing a host of its stars to World Series Cricket. The hostile Victorian would never again reach those heights but his phenomenal record remains in tact: 56 Ashes scalps at 17 are the kind of numbers a quick can hang their hat on.
Jeff Thomson (1977-85)
Tests: 12. Wickets: 51. Ave: 26.84. BB: 5-50. 5W/I: 2. 10W/M: 0
The enigmatic Queenslander stirred countless backyard heroes to attempt to copy the slingy, jerky action that netted more than 50 Ashes scalps. Regarded as the fastest bowler of his generation, Thomson inspired fear into England hearts like few have. His union with Dennis Lillee proved particularly effective and his career high point was the 1974-75 Ashes where he captured 33 wickets at 18 to better even Lillee in Australia's 4-1 series triumph.
Image Id: A9A4A440C7F24C4A96D00C0A04C6A54EBrett Lee (2001-07)
Tests: 18. Wickets: 62. Ave: 40.61. BB: 4-47. 5W/I: 0. 10W/M: 0
The Australian half of one of the iconic Ashes images, Brett Lee inspired a generation of youngsters to tear in and bowl as fast they could through the early and middle part of the 21st century. A remarkably durable Test quick given the strain bowling at upwards of 150kph put on his body, Lee helped Australia to three separate Ashes series wins but was famously at the non-strikers' end and unbeaten on 43 at Edgbaston in 2005 when Michael Kasprowicz was given out caught behind with the visitors three runs short of a miracle victory. The speedster surprisingly never took a five-wicket haul against England but nonetheless caused plenty of headaches with his raw pace, offering a fearsome counterpoint to legendary fellow bowlers Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne.
2017-18 International Fixtures
Magellan Ashes Series
Australia Test squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Cameron Bancroft, Usman Khawaja, Peter Handscomb, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Jackson Bird, Chadd Sayers.
England Test squad: Joe Root (c), James Anderson (vc), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Gary Ballance, Stuart Broad, Alastair Cook, Mason Crane, Tom Curran, Ben Foakes, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ben Stokes, Mark Stoneman, James Vince, Chris Woakes.
First Test Gabba, November 23-27. Tickets
Second Test Adelaide Oval, December 2-6 (Day-Night). Tickets
Third Test WACA Ground, December 14-18. Tickets
Fourth Test MCG, December 26-30. Tickets
Fifth Test SCG, January 4-8 (Pink Test). Tickets
Gillette ODI Series v England
First ODI MCG, January 14. Tickets
Second ODI Gabba, January 19. Tickets
Third ODI SCG, January 21. Tickets
Fourth ODI Adelaide Oval, January 26. Tickets
Fifth ODI Perth Stadium, January 28. Tickets
Prime Minister's XI
PM's XI v England Manuka Oval, February 2. Tickets
Gillette T20 trans-Tasman Tri-Series
First T20I Australia v NZ, SCG, February 3. Tickets
Second T20I – Australia v England, Blundstone Arena, February 7. Tickets
Third T20I – Australia v England, MCG, February 10. Tickets
Fourth T20I – NZ v England, Wellington, February 14
Fifth T20I – NZ v Australia, Eden Park, February 16
Sixth T20I – NZ v England, Seddon Park, February 18
Final – TBC, Eden Park, February 21