Heroes: Dennis Lillee

 
As a Pom, we don't exactly have many living Australian heroes. There's Rolf Harris and...er not really anyone else.

Dennis Keith Lillee is an exception to that rule. It may be because we are a child of the 1970s and 80s and the sight of footage of Lillee tearing into the crease giving everything brings back some happy memories. It certainly reminds us of the Ashes series in 1981, which despite Lillee's best efforts, England won - see Botham's Ashes.

But there is more to our appreciation of Lillee than that. First, he was indisputably one of the all-time great fast bowlers and to us it doesn't matter which country's emblem someone wears on their chest if they are a legend of the game. Allied to this, Lillee had bags of character and real personality - something perhaps missing from the modern game.

Lillee had many other ingredients. He was blindingly honest and wasn't afraid to court controversy, such as in his famous spats with Javed Miandad and Mike Brearley. We particularly remember the latter, where Brearley sporting a beard that made him look like the Ayatollah, objected to Lillee's use of an aluminium bat - neither was prepared to give an inch and the memory of Lillee slinging said bat across the ground when the umpires sided with the England captain still makes us smile. We tried to emulate it in the garden, much to our father's chagrin.

Lillee played hard, both on and off the pitch and like most cricket followers was fond of a beer and a bet. Who can forget Lillee and Rod Marsh, in more innocent times, putting a stake on England at the infamous Headingley Test of 1981 when the home side's odds had slipped to 500/1. England miraculously won of course but no doubt could ever be placed against Lillee who strained every sinew in an effort to not collect his winnings.

Finally, Lillee is what we would expect from an Australian cricketer. Tough, ultra-competitive and full of 'advice' on the pitch, but one for a beer and camaraderie once he is off the field of combat.

DK Lillee, all-time great fast bowler with 355 wickets in only 70 tests and a rare Australian Reverse Sweep hero.

Where next?

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, if Lillee don't get you Thommo must

Seven reasons why the Poms love Shane Warne

See David Lloyd get castrated by Thommo

Comments

[Sid]

Lillee is truly a legend. As a West Aussie, I have no choice but to love him. To know that non Westies, indeed non Aussies, do as well is nice.

[The Reverse Sweep]

Sid, Lillee may have broke English hearts on many occasions, but like Warne there is just something about him that we English can't help but like!