Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Dennis Keith Lillee | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born |
Subiaco, Perth, Western Australia |
18 July 1949 |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nickname | FOT | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 6 ft (183 cm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Batting style | Right-hand batsman | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bowling style | Right-arm fast | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Role | Bowler | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Test debut | 29 January 1971 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last Test | 2 January 1984 v Pakistan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ODI debut | 24 August 1972 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last ODI | 18 June 1983 v West Indies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1969–1984 | Western Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1987–1988 | Tasmania | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1988 | Northamptonshire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: CricketArchive, 14 January 2009 |
Dennis Keith Lillee, AM, MBE (born 18 July 1949 in Subiaco, Western Australia) is a former Australian cricketer rated as the "outstanding fast bowler of his generation". Lillee was known for his fiery temperament, 'never-say-die' attitude and popularity with the fans.
In the early part of his career Lillee was an extremely quick bowler, but a number of stress fractures in his back almost ended his career. Taking on a strict fitness regime, he fought his way back to full fitness, eventually returning to international cricket. By the time of his retirement from international cricket in 1984 he had become the then world record holder for most Test wickets (355), and had firmly established himself as one of the most recognisable and renowned Australian sportsmen of all time.
On 17 December 2009, Lillee was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. He has also contributed to the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai, India.
Aged 20, Lillee made his first-class debut for Western Australia in 1969-70 and impressed with his raw pace. Lillee took 32 wickets in his debut season to be WA's leading wicket-taker. At the end of the season, he toured New Zealand with an Australian second team and took 18 wickets at 16.44 average.
The following season, he made his Test debut in the Sixth Test at Adelaide in the 1970-71 Ashes series, taking 5/84 from 28.3 eight-ball overs. His first Test wicket was John Edrich, caught by Keith Stackpole for 130, but it was not until the Seventh Test at Sydney that John Hampshire became the first batsman to be "caught Marsh, bowled Lillee". In 1971–72 against a World XI at Perth, he destroyed a powerful batting lineup that included Garry Sobers, Clive Lloyd, Rohan Kanhai and Sunil Gavaskar by taking 8/29. Lillee followed this performance with a successful Ashes tour of England in 1972, when he "asserted himself as a great bowler". In a series that ended 2–2, he was the outstanding bowler on either team, taking 31 wickets at an average of 17.67. This earned him selection as one of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Year for 1973.