Dennis Lillee

At 75 years old, Dennis Lillee has this physical status:

Dennis Keith Lillee, AM, MBE (born 18 July 1949) is a former Australian cricketer regarded as the "outstanding fast bowler of his generation."

Lillee was known for his fiery temperament, 'never-say-die' attitude, and general adoration among the fans. Lillee was an excellent bowler in the early stages of his career, but a string of stress fractures in his back nearly ended his career.

He fought his way back to full fitness after returning to international cricket after being disciplined.

He had been the first world record holder for most Test wickets (355), by the time of his retirement from international cricket in 1984, and had solidly established himself as one of Australia's most recognisable and renowned sportsmen of all time.

In a fan poll carried out by the CA in 2017, Lillee was voted in the country's best Ashes XI in the last 40 years.

He has also contributed to the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai, India.

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Cricket career

Lillee, 20, made his first-class debut for Western Australia in 1969–70, and was impressed with his raw energy. Lillee was WA's top wicket taker on his debut season in his debut season. He toured New Zealand with an Australian second team at 16.44 percent and took 18 wickets at 17.44 percent at the end of the season.

Lillee made his Test debut in the Sixth Test at Adelaide in the 1970-1971 Ashes series, winning 5/84 from 28.3 eight-ball overs. John Edrich was his first Test wicket, but it wasn't until the Seventh Test at Sydney that John Hampshire became the first batsman to be "caught Marsh, bowled Lillee" that he was deemed "caught by Stackpole for 130. Lillee revealed himself during the second unofficial "Test" match in Perth, which had been postponed in place of the cancelled series against South Africa, defeating a solid batting lineup, including Garry Sobers, Clive Lloyd, Rohan Kanhai, and Sunil Gavaskar, who had been on the podium for the first time in an innings. Sobers would later note that Lillee's bowling on the day was the fastest he had ever seen as far as particular spells went. Lillee then backed up with 4/63 in the second innings to finish with match figures of 12/92 as Australia defeated by an innings.

Lillee followed this appearance with a fruitful Ashes tour of England in 1972, when he "asserted himself as a superb bowler." He was the best bowler on either team in a series that ended 2–2, taking 31 wickets at an average of 17.67. For 1973, he was selected as one of Wisden's top cricketers of the Year.

Lillee's efficiency was reduced after being overbowled by Western Australia and Australia in 1971-73, according to John Snow.

Lillee felt acute pain in his back during a Test against Pakistan in 1972-1973, but he continued to play. Lillee fell completely and was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his lower vertebrae on the tour of the West Indies that followed. He was banned from cricket for six weeks during the winter of 1973 wearing a plaster cast that encased his entire torso. After the cast was disregarded, he played for Perth as a specialist batsman. He returned to the bowling crease at the end of the season, leading Perth Cricket Club to the final at the WACA Ground.

His bowling career was rumored. Lillee soldiered on, undergoing an intense physiotherapy regiment formulated by sports scientist Frank Pyke and respecializing his bowling technique. He returned to Test cricket for the Ashes series from 1974-75 and was paired with New South Wales fast bowler Jeff Thomson to form one of Test cricket's most effective opening bowling pairings. The pair was a key factor in Australia's emphatic 4–1 win. Lillee's bowling speed was recorded at 154.8 km/h by the University of Western Australia in 1975.

During the 1976–75 Ashes series, the impact of the Lillee/Thomson bowling attack was summarised, when Sydney newspaper The Sunday Telegraph published a portrait of Lillee and Thomson with a cartoon caption beneath: "Under advertently," reads the caption.

In 1975, Lillee toured England once more. He took eight wickets in five matches, including 5/34 against Pakistan at Leeds, which was the first five wicket haul in ODI cricket. His ferocious bowling was not particularly suited to the run-in style that was needed in the one-day game. Lillee claimed 21 wickets against England in the upcoming four-Test series, winning by 1–0. He made 73 not out at Lord's to save Australia from a difficult situation with the bat.

In the summer of 1975-76 against the West Indies, another 27 wickets (at 26.37 percent average) was followed by another 27 wickets (at 26.37 percent average). Lillee was one of Australia's most popular celebrities at the time, but he was dissatisfied by the little money he earned from the game. He came into conflict with the game's administrators after being outspoken in his views. Lillee suggested that a made-for-television exhibition series be played each season, with players receiving money. He and his boss, John Cornell, were sent this information by Kerry Packer, who later converted it into World Series Cricket (WSC).

Lillee was forced to take on more workload during the season's six Tests. Thomson sustained an injury early in 1976–77. At the MCG and 11/123 in Auckland against New Zealand, he returned 47 wickets, including match figures of 10/135 against Pakistan. His 11/165 was the most deciding factor in Australia's triumph in the Centenary Test. However, the extra strain caused "hot spots" on his back, and without wanting to reaggravate his previous health, he was forced to miss England's 1977 tour.

Lillee was isolated from England's tumultuous professional sport, with a journalist reporting on the tour. WSC has remained in Australia to provide television commentary on the tour. In May 1977, he was announced as one of the WSC's most popular players. WSC's innovative marketing of their games was based on Lillee's image and personality. However, he struggled on-field during the first season of WSC, and he made further changes to his position in the winter of 1978. He spent time with ex-World sprint champion Austin Robertson, improving his running technique and fitness. Lillee took 46 wickets at 22.5 percent against the West Indies XI at the SCG, four in Australia and five in the West Indies).

Lillee's speed and duration of his run-up have been cut, and he's now focusing on getting the ball off the seam with occasional faster or slower balls for variation. Lillee recorded 35 Test wickets in six Tests against the West Indies and England, giving Australia's bowling attack stability during the selectors' experimentation. His modified style helped him win 20 wickets (at 12.7 percent) in eight ODIs, including 4/12 against West Indies and 4/28 against England, both at the SCG. However, the tour of Pakistan that followed was ruined for Lillee by flat batting pitches prepared by local curators to derail his effectiveness. In three Tests, he took only three wickets.

Lillee took 37 wickets in six Tests against New Zealand and India in 1980-81, and she was the leading bowler in the World Series Cup for the second time in succession. He took the first wickets in Australia's first victory in the event. Lillee toured England in 1981 after losing Richie Benaud's Australian Test record of 248 wickets, but his preparations were hampered by a viral disease. In the first and last Tests, he had a score of 39 Test wickets (at 22.30) for the series, and he received man of the match awards. Lillee formed a strong alliance with fellow West Australian Terry Alderman, who also claimed an Australian record of 41 wickets. Despite being in possession of this potent weapon, Australia lost the series by 1–3 when Ian Botham turned in a sequence of spectacular individual performances. Despite this, he has risen to the top of the ICC Test Bowling Rankings for the year 1981.

Lillee's season began sluggishly when he was involved in the legendary Test of the summer with Javed Miandad (see below). The level of his on-field abuse was reiterated after he was suspended for two ODIs. However, he kept taking wickets: 15 in three Tests against Pakistan and 16 in three Tests against the West Indies. Lance Gibbs' 7/83 and 3/44 at the MCG in the first Test set the world record for the most Test wickets held by him. With 12 wickets in 12 games, his ODI season was less fruitful. During the third final of the World Series Cup, Australia's only match in the final series was able to win, with 218 in ten overs against the West Indies.

Lillee had an uneventful tour of New Zealand between March and April 1982 before suffering a serious knee injury in the first Ashes Test at the WACA Ground in November of the same year. This forced him to miss the remainder of the series and Australia's 2–1 victory, which regained the Ashes. Lillee was no longer a natural option to play the new ball when returning to the team for the second half of the World Series Cup. However, Australia beat New Zealand in the final after his 11 wickets in six ODIs.

His wicket-taking capacity was decreasing. Lillee took three wickets at Kandy in the inaugural Test between the two nations during Australia's brief tour of Sri Lanka in 1983, going wicket-less in two ODIs. His ODI career came to an end in England after losing 52 runs from 12 overs in the match against the West Indies at Lord's later this year. Lillee, who was forced to leave the team, admitted that he was not fully recovered.

He took just one wicket against Pakistan at Perth in the first two Tests of 1983–84, and the Test team was expected to be dropped as well. Carl Rackemann, the man of the match from the second Test of the series, was forced to leave the game as a result. Lillee was able to participate in the remainder of the Test series, finishing with 20 wickets at 31.65. During the final Test at Sydney, he announced his retirement, as well as a wicket, with his last delivery in the match.

Lillee was also known for his friendship with wicketkeeper Rod Marsh throughout his career, although he wasn't playing for both Australia and Western Australia. c Marsh b Lillee' appeared 95 times in Tests, a ties' record between wicket-keeper and bowler that has yet to be broken. Both players ended their careers with 355 Test dismissals, but Marsh took 343 yards and had 12 stumpings, according to coincidence. The Western Australian Cricket Association honoured the two players by naming a new grandstand at the Lillee-Marsh Stand in 1988.

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