Dennis Lillee: 8-29 against World 11

[39koala]

what an attacking field

[ATC1810]

One of the most complete fast bowlers of all time!

[straty01]

these wickets should have been included in his test total, bowling against the best in the world is far superior than facing teams like Bangladesh

[TheFreeForever]

Why is dennis regraded as a legend?

Yes, he was great at home, Nz and Eng but he hardly played in the sub-continent and Windies!

He played 3 matches in Pak and averaged a whopping 101.00, 1 in SL with an average of 35.66 and just 1 in the Windies where he bowled 32 overs for 132 runs, no wkts taken.

Macgrath without a doubt is Aus best fast bowler of all time and at least he had the guts to go to the Sub-continent and the Windies!

[pramodkrish]

@TheFreeForever I tend to agree...the pitches I think were more suited to him

[TheFreeForever]

@pramodkrish Yeah, it's like how Murli is obviously great in the sub-continent but doesn't tour other countries because they have green pitches, tailor made for fast bowlers.

Would he still be regarded as a legend of the game?

I doubt it but yet this guy is being comapred to the likes of Wasim, Marshall, Hadlee, Holding etc.

His name doesn't even deserve to be mentioned with those guys!

[pramodkrish]

@TheFreeForever But Murali chucks :)

[TheFreeForever]

@pramodkrish Actually he has an hyper extension arm which means he can bend his arm more then an average person and due to the camera angle it looks like his chucking but in fact from a different angle it looks like a clean action.

Something like this: /watch?v=Z8y8QCDSTCo&feature=r­elated

[bannedspencer]

@TheFreeForever You should see if Holding, Hadlee ETC believe Lillee should be talked about in the same breathe as them?

[bannedspencer]

@TheFreeForever Dennis was injured or in WSC for a fair amount of time. He struggled through a few years with serious back injuries which meant he missed some series. Whilst I agree that mcgrath is the best Aussie bowler of all time, Lillies statistics stand up well for scrutiny in anyones language.

[TheFreeForever]

@bannedspencer Yes, he was injured but when he recovered, he never toured the sub-continent or Windies after his dismal performance in those pitches!

Lillee was injured in the 1973 season but came back in the 1974 season and retired in the year 1984.

Aus have played 12 matches in the sub-continent and 10 matches in the Windies between 1975-1984 but Lillee wasn't there, why?

After injure he could have taken part but didn't and that just shows he was afraid!

[bannedspencer]

@TheFreeForever Some of those tests happened whilst he was employed as a WSC player. The Australian board wouldn't pick those players under Packer contracts. (Windies 78-79 and India 79 and Pakistan 79) He played a test in Sri Lanka but had injuries curtail his ability to tour. Pull your head out of your arsehole for a second dickwit, Lillie was never a man to back down from a challenge and because of him, players now can play proffesionally all year round ( it was his initial idea for WSC).

[TheFreeForever]

@bannedspencer We can have a discussion as men rather then animals but if you want to act like an animal then goodbye!

On to the topic, yes he did participate in the kerry pecker series but then after that, Aus toured Pak and he averaged a miserly 101.00 in the 3 matches played there which, suggests he couldn't handle sub-continent pitches like Wasim, Marshall, Hadlee, Garner, Khan, McGrath, Donald etc.

[bannedspencer]

@TheFreeForever Ok so now you're argument moves from Dennis being "too scared" to tour these places and now reverts back to criticising his 75 match career based on 4 tests. Now seeing that you want to bring the Pakistan series into the debate, Lillies average in that series was better than Safraz who averaged 120 per wicket. Looking at the series 90% of all wickets fallen were taken by spinners, both sides, it was just one of those series I guess but not enough for you to come on here and..

[bannedspencer]

@bannedspencer cont... and question the mans fortitude. Before you make these stupid comments, take some time to do some research. Face facts, the man was a great fast bowler and someone all countries look to, to teach their young quicks the secrets to the art of fast bowling.

[TheFreeForever]

@bannedspencer The what about when he toured the Windies and got NO wkts at all plus, he went Srilanka and averaged a miserly 35.00!

[bannedspencer]

@TheFreeForever When he toured the West Indies...and got his back injury but bowled in that test, is that the one you mean? Sri Lanka test 15 of 20 wickets taken by spinners, Lillee took 3 wickets. Seriously, are you basing your predjudice on his whole career based on a test he injured his back in and a one off spinners delight pitch? You should just give up, or maybe become educated because you are beginning to look stupid now. Face it, he was a great fast bowler.

[TheFreeForever]

@bannedspencer Hmm.......

Then tell me why Ian Chappell who captained Lille said "He was a great bowler but not adaptable"?

[dosh225]

@TheFreeForever Who's better seriously don't talk shit now???? look at all the stats!! thats why they are all there, and don't forget he played on for years after back problems...

[TheFreeForever]

@dosh225 LOL

Compare his record in the Sub-continent and the Windies to other legendary bowlers!

[eusebium7]

@TheFreeForever Rubbish you have no idea what you are talking about. Those Pakistan pitches were prepared specifically to make the Australian pacemen ineffective. They were complete roads. Most of the wickets Pakistani pacemen took in their own country, in any case, were achieved through their own ball tampering methods.

[TheFreeForever]

@eusebium7 LOL

You make me laugh really hard!

Not only did he fail in Pak but also, Windies and SL. Don't believe me then go check out his averages on cricinfo stat sguru.

[thebrooksy011]

@TheFreeForever so according to you shane warne is average also cos he struggled on sub continent.and murali would be avg cos he struggled to take wickets against australia in australia.and brian lara is not that good cos he avg less than his test avg against australia.wake up you idiot and look at the stats as a whole over a career.

[TheFreeForever]

@thebrooksy011 I have looked at the stats but those guys had bad tours in 1 or 2 countries.

But in Lille's case, he toured the Windies and the sub-continent once but never played there again to save his average. He was gutless and didn't have the courage to go there again.

So.......I think your the only idiot around here!

[GRALISTAIR]

no question - whatever one's nationality, Lillee is one of the greatest bowlers ever

[negooog]

Sobers..left handed...respect

[Ivanhoe2]

I was imnpressed by the humour and pleasantness of Sir Gary Sobers.

[Imrankniazi]

I have two specific questions about this series.

1) Why wasn't Boycott there as the opener and Hylton Ackerman there?

2) Was Richard Hutton really among the 11 best players of the world then to deserve a spot in the team? He was not Sir Len, for God's sake..

[frogmonster12]

Back in those days 'The Rest Of The World' did not neccessarily mean the best of the world, this series was organised very hastily, South Africa had been scheduled to tour but it was cancelled due to the apartheid controversy, there were a few of the best players who were unavailable to tour due to having other commitments, Richard Hutton was picked only because he was available when others were not.

[yorkienoel]

Boycott and Barry Richards had made alt plans so couldn't sign up for the series unfortunately. As did quite a few other players. This World XI was much weaker the the Rest of World Team in 1970

[Imrankniazi]

I see.. Come to think of it, even Gavaskar shouldn't have been selected purely on the basis of his brilliant debut series in WI.

But I get your point. Thanks!

[HaggisPowah]

haha 4 slips - can see why :)

[SuperFreddyKruger1]

lillie was the greatest bowler ever

[USMANchampNO1]

@Imrankniazi Boy cott was new he did not have that much experiance in 71 72 season

[Parrock1]

@USMANchampNO1 sorry but you are wrong, Boycs had been around for a long time before that, making his England debut in 1964 against the Aussies.

[USMANchampNO1]

@Parrock1 Ya but back in the days not as much cricket was being played

I wonder now many matches he had played in those 6 yrs

may be 20

[Parrock1]

@USMANchampNO1 they still played five or six tests per English summer weather permitting, plus 5 on tour, so 10 or eleven tests per year. I haven't got the time to check on Cricket Archive, but I'd have thought Boycs had a minimum of 20 and possibly as many as 27 or 28 tests under his belt. Experience or not, facing Lillee and Thompson was never a comfortable exercise for any batsman!

[maxlogica]

fantastic old footage with some amazing players

[marsvltor2]

A great cricketer is great, whether he be from England, Aussie, SA, India, Pakistan, Windies or wherever. Why can't we just enjoy watching the very best in the business, whererever they may hail from?

[rsyme]

The greatest ever....look at the batsmen he got out in this game...

[Richo755]

That's BRILLIANT!

Lilliee you legend!

[dabble778]

Look how young and skinny Clive Lloyd is :-) My dad saw one of Lillee's first state matches at the Gabba and everyone laughed at his name, sounding like a flower. They didn't laugh at his name for long though, as he soon showed what a demon bowler he was. A true champion.

[negooog]

LOL. 8-29 off 7.1 overs economy rate not great but strike rate..wow.

[jamjar06]

8 ball overs

[mathewdeering]

Nah. 6 ball overs. It's the 70's dude, not the 40's.

[windigo44]

In the 70s in Australia, 8-ball overs were the standard.

Super-quick bowling will always see lots of fours over slips -- which is why economy sometimes suffers.

This was one of the best performances of fast bowling ever. Look at whom he dismissed that day.

[grezzbop]

12 weetbix?!?! lol!

[Imrankniazi]

He was lightning fast and also people tend to forget that Perth wicket then was so much quicker than the one in which 2 4th Inns. centuries were scored last week (by SA batsmen Smith and DeVilliers).

However, I believe in the next 'test' of the series, Sobers made 254 where he tore apart Lillee among other bowlers.

[chipzipzap]

2:43 comentator says he has 5-29 that means he took 3 wickets wihout giving away a run o.O

[mpulsv]

i noticed all the balls are shoulder length height. why dont any of the batsman play pool shots here? instead of just blocking/nicking it to slips.

[ChamindaVaas1]

you try playing a pull shot to a ball that is coming at your face at OVER 100mph. And yes Dennis Lillee bowled over 100 mph its just the equiepment to judge the speed of the ball during his prime was not available.

[chipzipzap]

haha pool shot what they gonna do poke it with the bat toe

[MAXIMILIANAIRE]

onya FOT!

[bublubhuyan]

Sir Garfield Sobers is considered by many as the greatest cricketer, leaving aside Bradman. Greater cricketer of all the other greats like Tendulkar, Lara, Warne, etc. Note, not the better batsman or the better bowler, but the greatest cricketer.

[newchap1234]

Garry Sobers is the greatest cricketer period!!!....Bradman is the best batsman ....but the overall package puts Sobers on top.

[bublubhuyan]

True.

[adam872]

Sobers is most certainly one of the two three or four cricketers in the history of the game for me. An absolute legend.

[SATULAL]

I love the music playing behind for this clip. I wish I saw Dennis Lillee play but I wasnt even born by the time I was born! What a magnificent bowler...just look at his stats 70 matches 355 wickets at an average of 23.90...what a legend!

[thecrucifer]

does anyone have kanhai's century in the second innings..a century which gavaskar rated, at the time, the bet century he has ever seen...that would be awesome to see...

[azkatro]

Gee he was deadly quick before he wrecked his back. Incredibly how much he had to develop as a bowler to come back and be the best all over again.

[luckyman195]

does anyone have kanhai's second inning century of this match?..gavaskar said that this was the best century inning he had seen...

[bunyip2005]

wasim, macgrath, dennis lille... all of them are great fast bowlers.

[ludocrat]

Looked suspiciously like Bodyline to Hutton! Guess it was a bit of payback...

Awesome.

[inmuc]

It's a joke that these matches were never given official status.

[Oldmetalfan]

Holding not even the greatest among WI bowlers...Marshall and Ambrose is ahead with Griffith may be. WI have so many similarly great bowlers.

[Oldmetalfan]

Holding not even the greatest among WI bowlers...Marshall and Ambrose is ahead with Griffith may be. WI have so many similarly great bowlers.

[Oldmetalfan]

Holding not even the greatest among WI bowlers...Marshall and Ambrose is ahead with Griffith may be. WI have so many similarly great bowlers.

[aslon05]

The West Indian greats including Malcolm Marshall and Clive Lloyd universally acknowledged Lillee to be the greatest fast bowler of all time.

[SnoopDicketyDawg]

horse shit. Dennis Lillee is not the greatest fast bowler of all time. What a joke? Wasim Akram is the greatest bowler of all time.

[intelligentdesigner]

You must be joking.

[SnoopDicketyDawg]

I didn't say your mother was the best bowler of all time. I said Wasim Akram is. What is so funny about that? And lillee was his ass. Brian Lara said Akram is the best bowler he has ever faced.

[poltome]

You seem to work tremendously hard at being a dumb cunt. Akram isn't fit to serve Lillee's drinks. Although given most Paki's over here are servants, he's probably done it a few times when here. :-)

[SnoopDicketyDawg]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.... Now thats funny. AKRAM is not fit to HOLD LiLLEE Liver's drinks??? AND I AM THE DUMB CUNT? :D :D :D The Pakistanis in Australia might be servants (although I doubt that you fucking convict) but the ones in Pakistan could nuke your ass back to the stone age. Now fuck off and clean up your cell. Nobody cares what convicts think :D

[ludocrat]

You are such world class idiot. If there was a world XI of idiots, you'd be the team captain. Even Wasim thinks Lillee was the greatest. So what is your point? I'll tell you: "all Pakistan cricketers are the best ever. Everyone else, no matter who they are, are shit". Mate, sort yourself out. You do your (former) country no credit whatsoever.

[adam872]

Now I rate Wasim as one of the best ever, but no way is he in the same rarified air as Lillee, Marshall and Hadlee. DK is the greatest I've ever seen and I saw plenty of him playing for WA and Australia over many years.

[SnoopDicketyDawg]

Well you are entitled to your opinion but I disagree with you because Lara said Akram is the best he has ever faced. Also the vast number of his wickets were LBW or bowled with a lot of wasted chances due to Pakistan's poor fielding. Last but not least he had Waqar at the other end who he was competing with for wickets. With Australia's fielding he would have crossed 700 in both forms of the game.

[adam872]

Lara never faced Lillee, just like the other WI batsmen never faced Wasim. Let's not forget that at various times Lillee had no help and heaps of it. So I think that evens out. Your fielding point is well made though. I'd have thought Lara had even more trouble against McGrath.

[SnoopDicketyDawg]

Thank you, as was your point about Lara never facing Lillee.

[pbosustow]

ask viv richards who he thought the best bowler he faced was. DK

[thecrucifer]

Why is it that whenever someone posts a comment that supports the Pakistanis there is always some sort of vulgarity involved? It's the same when the topic is movies or songs? Your comments are intelligent and they respect mine and I respect yours. This is why I am directing this to you. When Indians and Pakistanis are going back and forth with their comments, some of the stuff is so vulgar and thrashy. Any thoughts? I am with a West Indian background and fairly open minded. I live in the US.

[adam872]

I find it irritating that so much trash is spoken. I think it's some sort of persecution complex myself. I am happy to appreciate the deeds of players from all countries. I find the whole country bashing to be tiresome.

[thecrucifer]

Not sure, but DK's record on pitches that were unhelpful to him was not that good. Hence, his dismal record in the sub continent. And he never bowled in Test Matches in the West Indies. Not sure if these thoughts mean anything. I do agree that he was a great bowler, though. Perhaps not as good as you think he is.

[adam872]

He had a broken back in his one and only official tour of WI in 73, but took a shedload of wickets during WSC (79 in 12 super tests I believe) and that included games in WI. He also only toured the sub-continent once, as tours over there by OZ were very infrequent back then. I reckon he was at his best on unhelpful wickets, such as Adelaide and for a long time Melbourne.

[thecrucifer]

Obviously, you are a great fan on DKL. As I am. But I thought he liked the wicket swinging. Andy Roberts and Malcolm Marshall were great successes on the unhelpful wickets of India and Pakistan. I suppose Lillee did not play enough tests in the subcontinent to judge him on this. I loved his classical action. Curious: Where do you rank Ambrose. I thought he was just about the best during his time. He does not get too much publicity (wonder why). He was a magnificent bowler.

[malaclap]

I am a great fan of DKL. I will always believe he is the greatest.

However people should realize that DKL had many phases to his career. He was blindingly fast, then he had his back issues and he came back as true bowler. He was occasionally fast and sometimes really fast.

Then later in his career he was bowling everything, including the off cutters.

Lillee never quit, always played hard, and never complained.

The Thompson Lillee era was a great time in Cricket.

[thecrucifer]

He certainly is a great choice for being the greatest ever. I only wish he had proven himself on the placid wickets of India or Pakistan, as did Marshall, Ambrose, Hadlee, Mcgrath, and other great bowlers. I still believe he liked the seaming wickets of England and his own Australian wickets more than other parts of the world, unless you count the 'bunnies' of NZ. I do love his classical action. The best I have seen. We all have favorites. He is a favorite of mine. I don't think he was the best.

[malaclap]

He was my greatest ever.

Cricket has changed. I remember when a player took 6 months leave from his job. Some of them retired so they could get on with their home life.

Lillee will always be my favorite. I think he would have been a different bowler again in this environment.

Back when he had his back injury, very few bowlers came back. Let alone those who came back to his level.

I still go for the complete picture. His bowling and what he overcame.

And I knew him personally.

[thecrucifer]

I respect your opionion. Australia had a fast bowler name Ray Lindwall who was also a first rate bowler. I like the oldtimers a lot too: I think F. Trueman was an original great. Alan Davidson, Hall, Griffith (though I suspect Aussies tend to think that he was a chucker). Cheers.

[vkellman]

Sorry Krapal...but have you ever heard of Michael Holding ??????

[SnoopDicketyDawg]

I think he's a lot nicer since Miandad hit him with the cricket bat. Fucking convict.

[sckma]

gotta love sobers, so nice! also thanks for this clip, its rare to see lillee bowling. the ball to gavaskar was amazing!

[Krapal]

Best bowler eva.