Lee Carseldine had to overcome a serious back problem and years of rehabilitation before winning a surprise recall for the Bulls in November 2007. An allrounder, Carseldine had not played for the state since January 2004 when he benefited from a Queensland injury epidemic and was promoted to the one-day side. He scored 2, collected two wickets with his left-arm seam and was involved in an accidental tussle that broke Cameron White's foot. After the match he could not stop smiling at the good fortune of recovering from back surgery that included inserting a titanium disc in his spine. The operation didn't stop the pain straight away and he suffered septicaemia when one of the needles used for further tests was infected. "It could have been life-threatening," he said. "I was in bed for two weeks and basically couldn't move." Over the rest of the season he contributed in the FR Cup with 45 against South Australia, appeared in five Twenty20 fixtures and was soon back on Queensland's contract books for the following season.

Carseldine's breakthrough as a senior player came with a fleeting first-class appearance against Tasmania in 1998-99 and then with berths in the state's semi-final and final teams of the 1999-2000 Mercantile Mutual Cup campaign. He went on to play 24 first-class matches, including being part of the 2000-01 Pura Cup win, before he was floored by the injury. Back then he was primarily a batsman, reaching a highest score of 124 not out, but he picked up eight wickets to average in the 30s with bat and ball. A scholar at the Academy in 1997, his body prevented him from achieving regular great things on the field, although he owns a century against New Zealand and two in the same match against India in 2003. In an interesting off-field career, he has studied for an MBA, worked for a power station, run a gym and been a lifeguard.
Cricinfo staff August 2008

Australian Cricket Academy 1997
Club: Valley

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• Victoria lose game, bonus point and White (Nov 23, 2007)
  
• Injuries cut down nearly half the Queensland squad (Nov 22, 2007)
  
• Carseldine to undergo surgery (Aug 5, 2004)
  

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Dec 19, 2007 Lee Carseldine topscored with 45 as Queensland could only make 170 © Getty Images

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Nov 29, 2003 Lee Carseldine plays the hook © Getty Images

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