Dennis Lillee Birthday Special: Five Impressive Stats From Legendary Australian Fast Bowler’s Career
Regarded as one of the great fast bowlers to have played the game, Dennis Lillee celebrates his 71st birthday today. The Australian great was born on July 18, 1949, Subiaco, Perth in Western Australia. Lillee during his career was hailed as "the complete bowler" by many and was known for his speed.
Regarded as one of the great fast bowlers to have played the game, Dennis Lillee celebrates his 71st birthday today. The Australian great was born on July 18, 1949, Subiaco, Perth in Western Australia. Lillee during his career was hailed as "the complete bowler" by many and was known for his speed. Though injuries in his career meant he had to give up bowling with extreme pace. The former Australia pacer made his debut in a Test match against England in 1971 and played his first One-Day International in 1972 against the same opposition.
The legendary pace bowler retired from cricket in 1984, and at that time he held the record of most wickets in Tests. In just 70 Tests, Lillee ended with 355 wickets. As the former Australian fast-bowler turns 71, we take a look at five impressive stats from his career.
Best Bowling Figures: Against West Indies in a Test in 1981, Lillee scalped 7/83 in second innings of the match. In 26.3 overs, Lillee bowled three maidens as he ran through Windies batting order. In ODIs, his best bowling figures are 5/34 which came against Pakistan in 1975.
Bowling Average in ODIs: In 63 ODIs, Lillee managed to pick 103 wickets at an impressive average of 20.82 with a strike rate of 34.8 and had an economy of 3.58.
Bowling Average in Tests: In 70 Tests, he picked 355 wickets at an average of 23.92 with a strike rate of 52.0 and had an economy 2.75. He picked 23 five-wicket hauls in the game's longest format.
100 wickets in 60 ODIs: Though Lillee played just 63 ODIs, he reached the milestone of 100 wickets in just 60 matches and was one of the fastest at that time. In fact, he is on the 15th spot of all-time fastest to 100 wickets in ODIs.
73 Batting at 10: Lillee achieved his highest Test score of 73 while batting at number ten. He scored unbeaten 73 against England in 1975. Lillee was second top-scorer in the innings as he slammed eight fours and three sixes.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 18, 2020 07:57 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).