| 
Posts and words
Loading ...
dennis-lillee
My top Ashes ten
By Will 2 years ago, at the end of October, 2 Comments »
I offered my top ten Ashes heroes for Patrick Kidd’s excellent series, which you can find below. It’s by far from definitive: basically my favourites, the ones I’ve most enjoyed in action or having read about. Nevertheless: cuss me in the comments if you wish.
Our guest blogger this week, to go with the continuing series on Ashes Heroes, is Will Luke, bright young thing of the Cricinfo stable, tabloid fodder and something of a grandfather in the blogging world as he began his Corridor blog way back in 2004, rather than surfing the post-Ashes euphoria like the rest of us. Here’s who he has picked as his ten Ashes heroes:
Richie Benaud The consummate allrounder on the pitch (a fine Ashes captain in the 50s too) and the voice for a generation (or two) in the commentary box. His MCC Masterclass (circa early 1990s) on leg spin is a hidden gem for young, aspiring leggies.
Douglas Jardine A rare Englishman whose name makes Australians flinch. And he didn’t care if they were made to flinch by his tactics, either.
Steve Waugh Embittered, determined, mostly ugly but wonderfully free-flowing if needed. Never, ever defeated and nearly always rose to the biggest of occasions time and again. Unflinchingly stubborn and the first Australian I begrudgingly had to admit to myself that, yes, he was probably a hero.
Shane Warne If perhaps not the single biggest factor in Australia’s Ashes dominance in the 1990s, then certainly the most entertaining cricketer and character in a generation. Love rat extrordinaire.
Dennis Lillee A menacing, angry figure. Unbelievably skilful. The Ashes footage I watched (sadly on video) of him bowl will always stick in my mind.
Darren Gough The heart of ten lions and gave hope that anything was possible when clearly it wasn’t. You’d want him in a war trench just for his optimism.
Ian Botham Everything was possible. 1981, yadda yadda.
Andrew Flintoff Everything is possible. I don’t think any Englishman had struck an Australian for bigger sixes than those sky-scraping missiles he whacked in 2005. His over to Ponting was gold-dust.
Glenn McGrath He always seemed to gain a yard in pace against England. That was my/our feeble excuse. Bastardly metronomic yet a wonderfully unhinged interviewee. In fact, he was just wonderfully unhinged.
Adam Gilchrist It wasn’t enough that Australia had McGrath, Warne and the Waughs. No. They had to produce this dynamo of uninhibited savagery and, worst of all, he was unfailingly honest and polite to boot. An all-round git of an entertainer who created the new breed of batsman-wicketkeeper.
Australia v England, Twenty20 Legends
By Will 4 years ago, mid-December, 4 Comments »
England beat Australia tonight in the Legends Twenty20 encounter at the WACA. Geoffrey Dean has posted a report to Patrick Kidd’s Line and Length:
4 Comments »The only disappointment for Gatting was that he made a second-ball duck, nicking an outswinger in the first over from who else but Dennis Lillee. Graham Thorpe then joined Robin Smith, however, to put on a match-winning 119 in 13 overs for the second wicket. Smith rolled back the years with a hard-hit 32-ball fifty while Thorpe, hitting the ball into gaps with all his old skill, finished with 72 off 49 deliveries. Nineteen were wanted off the last two overs, but then Ian Healy came on and Adam Hollioake settled the issue with three massive sixes.
Fogies at the WACA
By Will 4 years ago, mid-December, 3 Comments »
Where did that word, fogies, go? It’s hardly ever in use these days. Anyway. A bunch of them are playing in a Legends Twenty20 match at Perth today, including Angus Fraser, Devon Malcolm, Dennis Lillee and a frightening looking Merv Hughes.
Those links are to the photos at Cricinfo.
3 Comments »Chappell on Lillee and Thomson
By Will 4 years ago, mid-August, 2 Comments »
Thursday is Archive day on Cricinfo, and we’ve dug out a piece from Wisden Cricket Monthly of Ian Chappell on captaining the two terror twins, Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson. Check it out.
2 Comments »Lee the main main for Australia – Lillee
By Scott 5 years ago, mid-December, No Comments; be the first!
Dennis Lillee thinks that Brett Lee is now the main spearhead for the Australian attack.
While Lillee praised Warne for breaking his record of 85 wickets in a calendar year, he was just as excited about Lee’s performance.
“Brett’s steadily improved over many years,” Lillee said.
“He has learnt to bowl now a more consistent line and length. He uses the yorker and bouncer sparingly and it probably has more effect.
“He is pretty much a complete fast bowler.”
Asked whether Lee was now Australia’s pace spearhead, Lillee said: “Absolutely. I would dare say McGrath would certainly be happy to take the pressure off himself for a start. It doesn’t mean McGrath is any lesser (of a) bowler, (but) certainly Brett seems to have taken the mantle of leading the attack.”
Ahem. I would like to see a lot more consistency by Lee before I put too much trust in him. Especially against England.
No Comments »New Zealand vs Australia, Game 3
By Scott 5 years ago, mid-December, No Comments; be the first!
The Chappell-Hadlee Trophy is decided, but there’s two things to look out for in this game. First, the debut of Mitchell Johnson, who was anoited as a ‘once in a lifetime’ bowler at the age of 17 by Dennis Lillee. He’s a very quick left-arm pace bowler from Queensland.
The second thing is the makeup of the New Zealand team; Stephen Fleming returns, but Daniel Vettori remains in charge. Is there a ‘changing of the guard’ ahead in New Zealand cricket?
I think New Zealand might get over the line in this one- they’ve only won one of the last fifteen meetings, so they are overdue to get a win.
No Comments »Lillee’s found a new employer
By Will 6 years ago, at the start of December, No Comments; be the first!
Rumours will be flying around the next few days (weeks?). Please let it be the Windies, somehow, make it happen. He would do WONDERS, not only for their bowlers, but for their general backroom management (which needs serious fixing):
No Comments »Dennis Lillee, who last month walked away from his coaching position at Australia’s academy, has been offered a job by another Test-playing nation, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
“I don’t want to say who it’s from, because it’s too premature to say,” Lillee told the newspaper. “But it’s there and it’s interesting.”
Lillee, 55, had been involved with developing and coaching players for Australia for 15 years before leaving, and at the time, Rod Marsh, a former team-mate of his for both Western Australia and Australia, described him as “the best fast bowling coach in the world.” According to The Sydney Morning Herald, India, South Africa and Sri Lanka had expressed an interest in employing Lillee.
Lillee quitting Cricket Australia (and “Pace Australia”)
By Will 6 years ago, at the end of November, No Comments; be the first!
Forgot to post this last night. Lillee is probably the foremost authority on pace bowling – and, importantly, in pace-bowling coaching – but he’s not being paid enough, apparently, and is stepping away from Cricket Australia. More hereand here
Great shame for Australia, and I wonder who will get him? Not England – no money, and we already have Lillee’s understudy Troy Cooley [see previous blog]. I think he’d be most tempted with India or Pakistan – but West Indies is where he should go! Start to find some new Ambroses, Marshalls, Garners & Holdings…put West Indies cricket back on the map with some terrifying fast bowlers (oh – and ban Basketball whilst you’re at it, Dennis…)
No Comments »