Suneer S. Chowdhary
Arnold
Tash Jayasinghe
Dexter
CibbuanoDennis Lillee
November 29th 2007 00:25
Dennis Lillee - Pace, pizazz and personality
Lillee at work
Few have bowled faster or with more accuracy than the Australian Legend of Cricket, Dennis Lillee. Dominating the sport in the 70’s by the time he retired in 1984 he held the record for most test wickets.
A media phenomenon who’s public image drew in new fans for the sport and ignited a Cricketing frenzy. Aggressively hurling the ball down the pitch at his opponents he made his test debut in 1971 at the age of 21.
Dennis in full flight - easy to see why the back went
Immediately establishing his primal skills by annihilating his opposition and by the time of his first ashes in 1972 he was already considered one of the best players in the game.
Sadly by the end of that year the initial signs of back trauma revealed themselves and by the end of the season he was in debilitating agony from a stress fracture in the lower vertebrae.
In for the kill
Forced to improve his batting at the same time Lillee simultaneously underwent physiotherapy and began adapting his ball throwing to accommodate his new weakness.
Returning for the 1974 Ashes as a double threat with fast bowler Jeff Thomson, by the end of the series Dennis was truly back in the game.
Outspoken and passionate about the game, his boisterous personality was vocal about the lack of money in the game itself. Exploiting his high profile he battled for a new annual tournament that would give the players bonus payment, eventually becoming Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket.
By 1977 the spine was under duress due to an extra work load the previous year and forced Lillee to recuperate. Again he modified his style, this time to a more controlled less speedy delivery that proved successful.
Spending time in the Television Commentary box during down time, Lillee established a balance between his professional sports career and his health.
Past his peak by 1980 it was no surprise but still no less of a massive loss when he announced his retirement 4 years later. Today he is still revered and saluted as much for his contributions to the game as his talent on the pitch.
Here’s some cool retro footage of Lillee playing with that notorious "Aluminum bat" incident.
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