With the white shirt clinging to his torso, a handlebar moustache, a run-up that sent a chill down the spine of the hapless batsmen, and pace like fire, Dennis Lillee earned the title of the complete bowler.
Lillee was one of the bowlers that cricket in the 21st century craves for.
Dennis Lillee was born on July 18, 1949 in Subaico, Perth, Western Australia. He was a sensation when he was selected to play in his first Ashes series in 1970-71, when he took five wickets for 84 runs in his debut innings in Adelaide.
In the tour to England in 1972 he was the best bowler with 27 wickets in that series. When the stress fracture disturbed him, he came back strongly in the 1974-75 Ashes series and with the company of Jeff Thomson (better known as ‘Thommo’), they were the best lethal pace bowlers who terrorised batsmen.
The aggressive duo possessed an aura that is still talked about with awe. Though he shortened his run-up – it was reduced to a quick jog – Lillee was giving the press more to bite into. The pace duo of Lillee and Thommo tormented the hapless England side.
(PA Images via Getty Images)
Another pair in the Aussie team was Lillee and Rod Marsh, the wicketkeeper combo. “Caught Marsh, bowled Lillee” appeared 95 times in Test cricket and is yet to be challenged.
In an era of contests, the best duel was Lillee versus Viv Richards – the lethal bowler versus the destructive batsman.
Lillee and Richards were the main protagonists in the pinnacle of cricket. When they met first in 1975, Lillee dismissed the young Viv Richards five times in the home series and took 27 wickets in a 5-1 home win for the Aussies.
In the World Series Cricket promoted by Kerry Packer, the duel continued and in fact it was marketed as Lillee versus Richards in 1977 and Lillee dominated by dismissing him eight times.
Overall Viv Richards won the contest in Tests, averaging 48.73 facing Lillee, though Richards was dismissed nine times by Lillee in Tests – more than any other bowler.
In the Centenary Test in 1977 against England, his 11-165 was the cornerstone of the Aussies’ victory.
Lillee overtook Lance Gibbs from the West Indies on 309 wickets and posted his 300 wickets in the fastest time (56 Tests), a record at that time. He was also the highest wicket taker in Tests with 355 wickets at that time.
His stint in ODIs was also worth mentioning. He took 103 scalps in 63 outings including a five-for in the World Cup in 1975, which was the first five-for in an ODI.
Taking a strict fitness regime, he spent time in the gym and on the treadmill. He also liked pilates and had a machine at his home.
Post his retirement, he was the president of the Western Australia Cricket Association plus the MRF Pace Foundation, which was started in 1987. Lillee was made into a director and he held the post until 2012 when he passed the baton to another legendary Aussie bowler, Glenn McGrath, who presently holds the post.
Incidentally McGrath was also trained here. One of the early aspirants, Sachin Tendulkar, was turned down by Lillee, asking him to concentrate on batting rather than pace bowling.
Dennis Lillee, the tutor, helped so many young pace bowlers to hone their skills at the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai, India.
He held the post of director for 25 years in the foundation. Many pace bowlers were trained under him. The likes of Javagal Srinath, Venkatesh Prasad, Zaheer Khan and Irfan Pathan of India and international bowlers like Brett Lee, Shoaib Akhtar and Shane Bond.
To date, 17 trainees from the MRF Pace Foundation have played for India.
Not bereft of controversies, Lillee chose to take a confrontational attitude some times. He had a tiff with Javed Miandad in the 1981 Perth Test and subsequently was fined and copped a Test ban. He also came in to bat with an aluminium bat for a Test match.
Dekoda
Guest
So cool definitely
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
That was a magnificent innings by Randall, and I can say that even though it was before my time. Randall, career wise, underachieved as a batsman, but he was also a brilliant fieldsman, way ahead of his time, and his clown ness only made him a more popular human being with team mates, opponents and fans alike.
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
I believe that part of the compromise between the ACB, as it was known at that time, and the world series ‘defectors’ was that they would not have to attend the arduous 6 test tour of India prior to the 1979-80 Australian summer – not one single world series player was on that tour, even though Packer’s world series was over, Packer had his much sought after television rights and the world series players were no longer contraband. Also, Lillee declined to tour Pakistan in September-October 1982, back when a star player could get away with that without damaging his selection prospects. So it’s not so much the tests Lillee did play on the sub continent, but rather those that he didn’t but easily could have, but conveniently chose not to. And then there are those that he did play, and didn’t perform in, such as all four that he did ala 3 in Pakistan early 1980 and one solitary test in lanka land in early 1983 when the lankans were absolute minnows.
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
Ravi, Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie had decent records in India, and McGrath also did in Sri Lanka, Pakistan and UAE and Gillespie also did alright in lanka land.
Mooty
Roar Rookie
I sat through every day of the Centenary Test, come the last session on the last day Lillee blasts through and takes four wickets to win the Test. He ends up with 11 for something as match figures, yet Derek Randall gets man of the match. That would be the only thing that clown has ever been gifted
Marty
Roar Rookie
Neither did Bradman, does that make him an ‘incomplete’ batsman?
Tigerbill44
Roar Guru
That's my point also. I didn't say that he was a failure in the subcontinent. I said that he didn't prove himself in the subcontinent.
Marty
Roar Rookie
4 tests? Not sure you can draw any conclusions from such a small sample size.
Ravi Keelveedhi
Roar Rookie
Sub continent pitches are alien to foreign bowlers, especially pace bowlers. No foreign player has great record in sub continent pitches, including Jimmy Anderson, England's highest wicket taker in Tests and highest pace bowling wicket taker in tests. He has got a abysmal record in India, Srilanka, Pakistan. So, Lillee is not an exception.
Tigerbill44
Roar Guru
I used the word subcontinent which doesn't mean India only. In 3 test series in Pak in early 1980 he took 3 wickets, avg 101, SR 204. He did play 1 test in SL in 1983; took 3 wickets for 107 runs in the match.
JGK
Roar Guru
Sorry, missed this. He is a left arm quick. He was too good for my mate (who is in his mid 40s) but probably not good enough for higher honours.
Ravi Keelveedhi
Roar Rookie
Yes I agree that Malcolm Marshall , one of the great exponents of Pace bowling and he's got a great record in India in Tests. And of course Sir Richard Hadlee also did reasonably well in subcontinent pitches. But Dennis Lillee didn't get any opportunity to tour India. During 1970s Australians didn't travel to India except in 1979 under Kim Hughes. Lillee missed that along with other senior players. Even great players like Don Bradman, Greg Chappell didn't travel to India in their career that didn't mean they are not great players. I mean Lillee was a complete bowler in the sense that he bowled all types of balls, Inswingers, outswingers, yorkers, leg cutters.
Ravi Keelveedhi
Roar Rookie
And really this shows his stamina to bowl long spells. Once he went to his captain Ian chappell and told him that he was tired. But Ian and Mckenzie convinced him to bowl and he continued and took more wickets. That is a testimony to his endurance to bowl long spells and those days it was 8 ball over. And Lillee was the captain's go-man.
Paul
Roar Guru
and?? Was he any good? Was he quick? Don't leave me hanging! :crying:
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
After Gilly, he'd be my 2nd pick in a World XI. And it was his wickets by an indomitable will that stands out.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
He was better than a Ferrari, he was a Porsche! He was a balls out performer not some show pony.
JGK
Roar Guru
He was complete in the sense that he was a Ferrari when he had to be and a Hi-Lux when he had to be. That is, he never shirked having to bowl the hard overs when conditions weren't great for bowling. In that sense, he was a 2 in 1 bowler for his captains. Some stats on that: Of all the fast bowlers in Tests from 1970, Lillee bowled 400 balls in a Test 5 times (including once more than 500). No one else has done it more than 3. And Anderson, Broad, Steyn, Ambrose, Marshall, Ntini, Johnson, Lee, Willis, Waqar, Donald and Vaas (of the 300 club bowlers) NEVER had to do it McGrath, Pollock, Imran and ZAK only did it once. And Lillee played fewer Tests than all of them.
JGK
Roar Guru
Thanks for that link. That has made my day. And this was late career Lillee as well. How was that out swinger to Gower? Similar to what Akram used to do to RHBs.
JGK
Roar Guru
Tendulkar's son is a quick bowler. He played a few junior games in Oz a couple of years ago. A mate of mine face him at Bradman Oval in Bowral.
Tigerbill44
Roar Guru
While I agree that Liliee was a great bowler; I don't agree with the word complete. For me to become a complete bowler; a fast bowler needs to prove himself in the subcontinent. Bowlers like Marshall or Hadlee did that in the 1980s. Lillle didn't; may be he just didn't have enough chances.