Dennis Lille Book

[Dipper]

Anyone read this book?

It's just been released in England about a month or so ago so I wondered whether it was any good.

I would normally wait around for it to go paperback but there's a few hardbacks signed by the great man in a sports book shop in London & I'm tempted.

 

[wagstaff]

I've read two of his books he wrote during the latter stages of his career in the early 1980s. I suspect that a lot of the current autobiography will be contained in these two books.

The one he wrote after he retired "Lillee: Over and Out", is a very good book, because by today's standards its a very candid effort. Esepcially in his less then enthusiastic remarks about Kim Hughes as a captain, and his admittance that, being upset at not been given the new ball, procedded to tank it with the ball in a Test match in the mid-1970s!

 

[Dipper]

Originally posted by wagstaff
I've read two of his books he wrote during the latter stages of his career in the early 1980s. I suspect that a lot of the current autobiography will be contained in these two books.

The one he wrote after he retired "Lillee: Over and Out", is a very good book, because by today's standards its a very candid effort. Esepcially in his less then enthusiastic remarks about Kim Hughes as a captain, and his admittance that, being upset at not been given the new ball, procedded to tank it with the ball in a Test match in the mid-1970s!

Thanks for that mate, I guess though it would be pretty difficult for me to get hold of an old book like that over here.

Talking of him falling out with Kim Hughes reminds me of a documentary we had on TV over here in 2001 to commemorate 'Botham's Ashes' in 81, (as if we didn't used to commemorate it during every rain break when the cricket was still on BBC), in it Allan Border says how in the nets on I think the morning of one of the Tests Lillee was bowling to Hughes & REALLY let him have it, apparently it was brutal & invlolved lots of short stuff.
I think it was all down to some WA feud about Hughes getting the captaincy over Marsh, but Border was incredulous, he said if he was captain that he wouldn't have stood for it but he said that Hughes just took it like a man & didn't complain at all.

There always seemed to be something interesting happenign with Lillee about, whether it's kicking Miandad up the arse, coming out to bat with aluminium bats or trashing cricket pavillions with Beefy.

 

[wagstaff]

Originally posted by DIPPER


Talking of him falling out with Kim Hughes reminds me of a documentary we had on TV over here in 2001 to commemorate 'Botham's Ashes' in 81, (as if we didn't used to commemorate it during every rain break when the cricket was still on BBC), in it Allan Border says how in the nets on I think the morning of one of the Tests Lillee was bowling to Hughes & REALLY let him have it, apparently it was brutal & invlolved lots of short stuff.
I think it was all down to some WA feud about Hughes getting the captaincy over Marsh, but Border was incredulous, he said if he was captain that he wouldn't have stood for it but he said that Hughes just took it like a man & didn't complain at all.

There always seemed to be something interesting happenign with Lillee about, whether it's kicking Miandad up the arse, coming out to bat with aluminium bats or trashing cricket pavillions with Beefy.

The problem between Marsh/Lillee and Hughes stemmed from the WSC days, when Hughes was given the captaincy in what was seen as a reward for loyalty by the ACB because he hadn't gone over to join the Packer circus. While Hughes had virtually no experience as captain at state or even club level, he was made Greg Chappell deputy virtually after the truce was called.

This wasn't a particularly popular decision, as many in the Australian side felt Marsh or someone else was more qualified to lead the side then the brash Hughes, who was often an expert of stirring up controversy.

And Lillee was certainly a person who attracted controversy, but was also rather petulant and selfish. He didn't tour Pakistan in 1982 because of his lack of success on spin-friendly wickets in 1980 there; there was the time he flung his bat over the alminimum bat incident like a little kid throwing toys around, and the Minanadad and the 500/1 betting incidents amongst others.

 

[London Dave]

Originally posted by wagstaff
He didn't tour Pakistan in 1982 because of his lack of success on spin-friendly wickets in 1980 there;

I did hear that at each of the test grounds, there were two wickets prepared, one with a 'nice' covering of grass...one without a blade. According to the groundsman, one wicket was for 'if Lillee played', the other for if he didn't!

As for Hughes, I can only echo what others have said...he was selected as captain for 'political' reasons....WACA had a lot to do with it, there were up to 7 WA players in the test team, and they wanted a skipper.