Dennis Lillee facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Dennis Lillee
AM MBE

Lillee at the Sony Foundation's Youth Cancer campaign
Personal information
Full name	Dennis Keith Lillee
Born	(1949-07-18) 18 July 1949 (age 75) Subiaco, Western Australia
Nickname	FOT
Height	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm fast
Role	Bowler
International information
National side	Australia
Test debut (cap 254)	29 January 1971 v England
Last Test	2 January 1984 v Pakistan
ODI debut (cap 13)	24 August 1972 v England
Last ODI	18 June 1983 v West Indies
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1969/70–1983/84	Western Australia
1987/88	Tasmania
1988	Northamptonshire
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA Matches 70 63 198 102 Runs scored 905 240 2,337 382 Batting average 13.71 9.23 13.90 8.68 100s/50s 0/1 0/0 0/2 0/0 Top score 73* 42* 73* 42* Balls bowled 18,467 3,593 44,806 5,678 Wickets 355 103 882 165 Bowling average 23.92 20.82 23.46 19.75 5 wickets in innings 23 1 50 1 10 wickets in match 7 0 13 0 Best bowling 7/83 5/34 8/29 5/34 Catches/stumpings 23/– 67/– 67/– 17/–
Medal record Men's Cricket Representing  Australia ICC Cricket World Cup Runner-up 1975 England
Source: CricketArchive, 14 January 2009

Dennis Keith Lillee (born 18 July 1949) is a famous retired Australian cricketer. Many people think he was the best fast bowler of his time. He and Jeff Thomson formed one of the greatest bowling teams ever.

Early in his career, Lillee bowled extremely fast. But he got serious back injuries called stress fractures. These injuries almost ended his career. He worked very hard to get fit again and returned to playing cricket. When he retired in 1984, he held the world record for the most wickets in Test cricket. He took 355 wickets in total. Dennis Lillee became one of Australia's most famous sports stars. He was also part of the Australian team that came second in the 1975 Cricket World Cup.

In 2017, fans voted him into Australia's best Ashes team of the last 40 years. On 17 December 2009, Lillee was added to the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

Cricket Career: How Dennis Lillee Became a Star

Dennis Lillee started his first-class career for Western Australia in 1969–70 when he was 20. He quickly impressed everyone with his super-fast bowling. In his first season, he took 32 wickets, becoming Western Australia's top wicket-taker. After that, he toured New Zealand with an Australian second team and took 18 wickets.

Starting Strong: Lillee's Early Days

Lillee made his Test debut in 1971 during the Ashes series against England. He took 5 wickets for 84 runs in his first Test match. His first Test wicket was John Edrich. Later, John Hampshire became the first batsman to be "caught Marsh, bowled Lillee." This phrase became very famous.

In 1971–72, Lillee played against the Rest of the World XI. At his home ground in Perth, he bowled amazingly. He took 8 wickets for only 29 runs in just 7 overs. This was his best bowling performance ever in an innings. Even famous cricketer Garry Sobers said it was the fastest bowling he had ever faced. Lillee then took 4 more wickets in the second innings.

In 1972, Lillee had a great Ashes tour of England. He took 31 wickets and was the best bowler for both teams. Because of his excellent performance, he was named one of Wisden's five Cricketers of the Year for 1973.

Overcoming Injury: The Back Story

During a Test match against Pakistan in 1972–73, Lillee felt a sharp pain in his back. He kept playing, but later, on a tour of the West Indies, he broke down. Doctors found he had stress fractures in his lower back. This meant he had to stop playing cricket.

He spent six weeks in a full-body plaster cast. Many thought his bowling career was over. But Lillee didn't give up. He worked hard with a sports scientist named Frank Pyke. He also changed his bowling style. In 1974–75, he returned to Test cricket for the Ashes series. He teamed up with Jeff Thomson, another fast bowler. They became one of the most powerful bowling pairs in Test cricket history. Their amazing bowling helped Australia win the series 4–1. In 1975, his bowling speed was measured at 154.8 kilometers per hour.

Lillee and Thomson: A Dynamic Duo

The Lillee/Thomson bowling attack was so strong that a Sydney newspaper wrote a famous line about them:

Ashes to Ashes, dust to dust, if Thomson don't get ya, Lillee must.

Lillee toured England again in 1975. In the first-ever World Cup, he took 8 wickets in 5 matches. This included taking 5 wickets for 34 runs against Pakistan. This was the first time a bowler took 5 wickets in a One Day International (ODI) match. In the Test series against England, Lillee took 21 wickets. He also scored 73 runs not out in one match, helping Australia out of trouble.

He took another 27 wickets against the West Indies in 1975–76. At this time, Lillee was very popular in Australia. But he was not happy with how little money cricketers earned. He suggested that a special TV series could be played to earn more money for players. His manager, John Cornell, took this idea to Kerry Packer. This led to the creation of World Series Cricket (WSC).

World Series Cricket: A New Era

Lillee at Headingley Stadium in 1981.

Lillee joined World Series Cricket in May 1977. His image and personality were a big part of WSC's marketing. He worked on his bowling style and fitness. In 1978–79, he took 46 wickets in nine "Supertests" (special WSC matches). His best was 7 wickets for 23 runs against the West Indies XI.

When he returned to official cricket, Lillee bowled with less pace and a shorter run-up. He focused on making the ball move off the seam. He took 35 Test wickets in six matches against the West Indies and England. In the World Series Cup, he took 20 wickets in eight ODIs. However, a tour of Pakistan was tough for him because the pitches were very flat.

Breaking Records: Australian and World Best

Statue of Lillee at the Melbourne Cricket Ground

In 1980–81, Lillee took 37 wickets in six Tests against New Zealand and India. He also led the World Series Cup in wickets for the second year in a row. He helped Australia win the competition for the first time. He broke Richie Benaud's Australian Test record of 248 wickets.

In 1981, he toured England and took 39 Test wickets, his best for a series. He was named man of the match in two Tests. He worked well with Terry Alderman, who took an Australian record of 41 wickets. Even though Australia had a strong bowling attack, they lost the series. However, Lillee's efforts made him the number 1 Test bowler in the world in 1981.

In 1981–82, Lillee had an incident with Javed Miandad in a Test match. He was suspended for two ODI matches. But he kept taking wickets: 15 in three Tests against Pakistan and 16 in three Tests against the West Indies. In one match, his 7 wickets for 83 runs helped him pass Lance Gibbs' world record for the most Test wickets.

Saying Goodbye to Cricket

Lillee had a quieter tour of New Zealand in 1982. Then, he got a serious knee injury in an Ashes Test match in November 1982. This made him miss the rest of the series. He returned for the World Series Cup and helped Australia win the tournament.

His ability to take wickets was slowly decreasing. In 1983, his ODI career ended during the 1983 Cricket World Cup in England. He was dropped from the team because he wasn't fully fit.

In 1983–84, he took only one wicket in the first two Tests against Pakistan. It looked like he might be dropped from the Test team. But another player got injured, so Lillee played the rest of the series. He took 20 wickets in those matches. Along with Greg Chappell, he announced his retirement during the final Test in Sydney. He took 8 wickets in that match, including a wicket with his very last ball.

The Famous "Caught Marsh Bowled Lillee"

The Lillee-Marsh Stand at the WACA Ground

Dennis Lillee was famous for his partnership with wicket-keeper Rod Marsh. Whenever Marsh caught a ball that Lillee bowled, the scorecard would say 'c Marsh b Lillee'. This happened 95 times in Test matches! This is a record for a wicket-keeper and bowler working together, and it still hasn't been broken.

Both players ended their careers with 355 Test dismissals. Marsh took 343 catches and had 12 stumpings. In 1988, the Western Australian Cricket Association honored them. They named a new grandstand at the WACA Ground the Lillee-Marsh Stand.

Statistics correct at 26 February 2015. Source:

Life After Cricket: Coaching and Leadership

After retiring from international cricket, Lillee played a short time for Tasmania in 1987–88. He even took a wicket with his very first ball! In 1988, he played for an English county team, Northamptonshire, but then got an ankle injury.

Since retiring, Lillee has spent his time helping and coaching young bowlers. Some famous bowlers he has mentored include Brett Lee, Shaun Tait, and Mitchell Johnson. He also worked with the MRF Pace Foundation in India, which trains fast bowlers. Lillee kept playing in special matches until 1999. In his last match, he played alongside his son, Adam.

From 2004 until 2015, Dennis Lillee was the president of the Western Australian Cricket Association.

Dennis Lillee's Amazing Legacy

• He was one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1973.
• He received an award called the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1981 for his contributions to cricket.
• In 1996, he was one of the first ten people to be inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame.
• He was chosen for the official Australian Cricket Board Team of the Century.
• He received the Australian Sports Medal in 2000.
• He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2010.
• Lillee was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985.
• He is mentioned in the Men at Work song "No Restrictions" (1983).
• He is also mentioned in the Iain Campbell Smith song "Blue Guitar."
• He was named as a bowler in Australia's "greatest ever ODI team."
• In 2021, he was named an Australia Post Legend of Cricket.
• He was made the 43rd Legend in the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2021.