Dennis Lillee - Interesting Facts, Trivia, And Records

Dennis Lillee, who celebrates his birthday on 18th July, was one of the deadliest fast bowlers the world cricket has ever seen. His bowling partnership with Jeff Thompson was a treat to watch for any cricket lover. 

Let's take a look at some interesting facts, trivia, and records about Dennis Lillee: 

1) In 1973, he suffered a spinal stress fracture which almost threatened to finish his bowling career. Lillee not only made sure he recovered from it, but also made his way back into the Australian team.

2) Lillee was the first bowler to take 350 Test wickets and 100 ODI wickets. 

3) During a test in 1979, Lillee walked in with an aluminum bat since there were no rules regarding it. England's captain Mike Brearly complained to the umpires that the ball was getting damaged. On being asked to change the bat, frustrated Lillee threw the bat 40 yards away. 

4) Post his retirement, Dennis Lillee groomed Indian fast bowlers in the MRF Pace foundation. Zaheer Khan, Irfan Pathan, and Ishant Sharma have all passed through his guidance and counseling. 

5) In the late 1980s, Lillee rejected a short heightened Indian fast bowler, his name was Sachin Tendulkar. 

6) Dennis was very outspoken off the field, especially regarding the low money in cricket. He suggested that a made-for-television exhibition series could be played each season with profits given to the players. After getting into conflict with the administrators, Lillee's manager took this idea to Kerry Packer, and the rest is history. 

7) The great Australian fast bowler has even featured in two songs -  No Restrictions by Men at Work and Blue Guitar by Iain Campbell Smith. 

8) From 2004 till 2015, Lillee was the president of the Western Australian Cricket Association. 

9) In 2009, Dennis Lillee was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. 

10) Dennis Lillee finished with 355 test wickets in 70 matches he played. In 63 ODIs, the fast bowler picked up 103 wickets. He has 882 first-class wickets to his name in 198 matches he played.