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  • 5/22/2025
Let’s rewind the clock to the golden era of cricket! In this video, we dive deep into one of Dennis Lillee’s most iconic Test performances—his devastating 9-wicket match haul against Pakistan during the 2nd Test at Brisbane, November 1981.

🇦🇺 In the first innings, Lillee thundered through the Pakistani batting lineup with a spell of 5 for 81 in 20 overs, including 3 maidens.
🇵🇰 Then, in the second innings, he returned even sharper, taking 4 for 51 in 19 overs, 4 of them maidens—sealing a 10-wicket win for Australia.

This wasn’t just another bowling effort. It was vintage Lillee—hostile, relentless, and precise.

We also walk through Dennis Lillee’s complete Test and first-class career stats, his bowling style, and his lasting legacy in Australian cricket.

🎬 Whether you’re a cricket historian, fast bowling enthusiast, or just a fan of classic Test matches—this one’s for you.

👉 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more rare cricket moments and legendary performances!

I hope you like the video of Dennis Lillee’s 9 for 132—A Fiery Spell That Shook Pakistan! Rare Cricket Footage & Stats.

#DennisLillee #AUSvsPAK #BrisbaneTest #CricketLegends #TestCricket #FastBowling #CricketHistory #VintageCricket #1981TestMatch #AustralianCricket #PakistanCricket #WACA #GabbaTest #CricketStats #RareCricketMoments

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Transcript
00:00Let's turn the pages back to the sun-backed summer of 1981, where at the Gabba in Brisbane,
00:06the great Dennis Lilley delivered a spellbinding exhibition of fast-balling, one that etched
00:12itself into the archives of cricketing folklore.
00:16It was the second test between Australia and Pakistan, played from November 27 to December
00:221, and Lilley was at his ferocious best, with the kookaburra seam dancing off the pitch
00:27and the Brisbane Heat licking the trough, Lilley steamed in with purpose.
00:31The first inning was a classical case of calculated destruction, charging in from his trademark
00:37angled run-up.
00:38Lilley struck early and often dismantling Pakistan top and middle order with unwavering precision.
00:44His spell 5 for 81 in 20 hours, including three medians, each delivered a lesson in rhythm,
00:50aggression and old-school fast-balling trough.
00:53But the maestro was not done yet, when Pakistan followed on looking to resist Australia's
00:58dominance.
00:59Lilley returned like a storm revisiting a coastal town.
01:02This time he was even more venomous, cutting through the defence with late movement and relentless
01:08accuracy.
01:09He snared 4 for 51 in 19 overs, four of them made in tight probing lines that squeezed every
01:15ounce of resistance out of the visitors.
01:18As we rewind time and stand in the shade of cricket's majestic past, this spell by Dennis
01:23Lilley remains a masterpiece.
01:25Ash not just on the scoreboard but in the soul of Test cricket.
01:29Bowling to Madassa.
01:30Going down the next side, a big appeal there, he's given him, yes, down the next side,
01:36caught behind.
01:37Madassa flicking at that one.
01:38There certainly was a noise, Madassa didn't go, and Marsh caught the catch, up by Johnson,
01:43gave him it.
01:44For the old combination, Marsh nearly, but this time one down the leg side.
01:49Madassa just looking to flick it away, gets a fine edge, Rodney Marsh was across there,
01:54had it well covered.
01:55That gives Dennis Lilley's 297 footers.
01:59Madassa on his way back, caught Marsh bowled Lilley for 36.
02:01And no trouble this time.
02:02And that, oh, I think, came from a magic pun, as he knew that he'd been drawn into the
02:15truck.
02:16Sometimes you look at a situation and wonder if there is a truck being set.
02:21Well, there was no doubt about this one.
02:23It was a beautiful piece of bowling.
02:25And Greg Chappell took it very neatly, indeed.
02:28It went quite fast, but it was a set up by Dennis Lilley and Greg Chappell.
02:343 for 105.
02:37Greg Chappell border and Alderman have slipped, Yardley gully, and a squarer one, Kim Hughes.
02:43And he's got him another way.
02:50Four down.
02:52Lilley forces Meehenda to play on.
02:55And I think some of the credit for that can go to the thinking of those two, Greg Chappell
03:02and Lilley.
03:03But getting into Javid Meehenda's mind that there might be something short on its way.
03:08Plays it down onto the stumps.
03:11Four down now for 111.
03:14And a good piece of thinking that by the two experienced Australian players.
03:20Install for Raja.
03:21It's a short one.
03:22It's in the air.
03:23And this might be out.
03:24Yes, it could well be out.
03:25He's out.
03:26Yes, taken down there.
03:27Once again, was him Raja.
03:28Going to a catch on the deep, fine leg boundary.
03:29And Lilley had his fine bowling by him.
03:31That's his 300th wicket.
03:32And he got Raja, who played that shot, which Lilley asked him to do.
03:33And what a tremendous performance by him.
03:34300th wicket.
03:35Smiling away.
03:36And there is his 300th.
03:37Straight into the fielder there.
03:38And there is his 300th.
03:39Straight into the fielder there.
03:40And he got Raja, going to a catch on the deep, fine leg boundary.
03:41And Lilley had his fine bowling by him.
03:44That's his 300th wicket.
03:46And he got Raja, who played that shot, which Lilley asked him to do.
03:53And what a tremendous performance by him.
03:58300th wicket.
03:59Smiling away.
04:00And there is his 300th.
04:03Straight into the fielder there.
04:07And it's all over for Raja.
04:09And there's Dennis Lilley.
04:11Triumphant, successful.
04:13Congratulations from everyone.
04:15And what a great bowling.
04:18I left the 236th.
04:21That made it five for 236.
04:26Dennis Lilley, the only Australian ever to reach 300.
04:32Because for 300 wickets, I reckon he's taken one every 49 deliveries.
04:38Certainly, he's quicker in test matches than anyone else.
04:4356 tests.
04:44And he's streets ahead.
04:46And of course, he's a fast bowler, which makes his achievement all the time.
04:50Achievement all the more remarkable.
04:52Because it's not only a feat of penetration, it's also a feat of endurance.
04:5611 years now in the test scene.
04:59300 wickets to his credit.
05:01Oh, and he's done in the same way as Javid Mijandad.
05:08But that one, I think, was a slice of luck.
05:11Javid Mijandad's dismissal was very good bowling.
05:14And excellent thinking.
05:15That one was just unfortunate, I'm afraid, for Zahir Abbas.
05:18Yes, I think it was the bounce of the Zahir Abbas.
05:21He was expecting that ball to bounce much higher.
05:23And he gave himself room to play square on the wicket.
05:27And the ball didn't bounce enough.
05:29It hit the underside edge and from there ricocheted sickeningly onto the offstand.
05:33And Dennis Lilley, very happy about that.
05:36The fall of the seventh wicket at 245.
05:45And Dennis Lilley in those bowling figures.
05:47Five wickets again for the 20th time for Australia.
05:50What a competitor.
05:51He's just come back from two matches suspension.
05:53And here he is chipping in again with five.
05:56Really top class piece of bowling that.
05:59A lot of bounce.
06:00And that was what surprised Mudassa.
06:02Mudassa unwisely taking his eye off the ball.
06:06And allowing it to strike him on the glove.
06:08Lilley is the man at short leg.
06:10A lot of bounce there.
06:12And a good catch.
06:15It was indeed a good catch with Lilley coming in very, very close to the batsman.
06:19You can see Mudassa flinching there, taking his eye off the ball.
06:22Surprised by the fact the ball cut back and bounced.
06:25And Lilley, wasn't he quick?
06:27That ball only travelled a matter of about three feet from the batsman.
06:30But Lilley was quick to come in.
06:32Though the first wicket has fallen was 72 runs on the board.
06:35And if he gets out, he'll only have himself to blame.
06:42Ooh, that's close.
06:43It's not caught.
06:49When I say it's not caught, I would have given him out over a W.
06:52But we just need to have a little look here.
06:56Yes, he certainly would have hit the stumps.
07:00And I don't think it came off the bottom edge of the bat.
07:05No, I'm fairly sure that you're right.
07:06I think that was LBW.
07:08We'll see you in a moment.
07:10Second wicket down now for 90.
07:12With Mosin out for 43.
07:14It was in fact a top edge.
07:17He's hitting across.
07:18It also flicked the trousers.
07:19Now Marsh didn't know.
07:20You just have a look at Marsh's reaction after he's taken the ball.
07:23There it is.
07:24And it's top edge.
07:26Then flicked the trousers.
07:27We'll come back to it in a moment.
07:28Here's the first point behind where Marsh is looking.
07:32And this is a very good shot.
07:35Indicating the method of dismissal.
07:36There's the top edge now.
07:37Now it flicks the back of the leg.
07:40So there are two deflections.
07:42And it goes through to Marsh.
07:43Marsh uncertain.
07:44Probably because there were two deflections in the back.
07:48That's even further.
07:50And then the runs that they score become double their worth.
07:56Oh, there's a big appeal there.
07:57That's out.
07:58He's given him LBW bowled Lilly.
08:00And the big question as far as that decision is concerned
08:03is whether or not he got outside the line.
08:04He certainly wasn't very far forward.
08:06That's fine bowling by Dennis Lilly.
08:08Meandad given out by crafter LBW.
08:11Pretty good delivery.
08:12Cutting back into Meandad from outside the off-dump.
08:15Meandad stumbling into his stroke.
08:17And that ball hitting him much slower than on the previous occasion.
08:20And that looked as though it was pretty plumb to me.
08:23But that did not appear too close to the ball.
08:26So Meandad's on his way back to the pavilion.
08:29Out for 38.
08:305 for 177.
08:34Dron Imran.
08:36Daly.
08:39Short's in the air.
08:40And just short.
08:42Lawson on the field there.
08:44In place of...
08:48Not too sure who's replaced out there.
08:51But that one went high down towards Lawson
08:53who came in initially very quickly.
08:55But couldn't quite make it.
08:56He's out there in place of Hughes.
08:59And that was a pretty brave shot for Imran to play
09:01whilst he was on those pair of ducks.
09:04And it was a rather hesitant stroke too.
09:07As you can see it was more of a shot that helped the ball on its way.
09:11And not only helped it on its way but also lofted it.
09:15And it just fell short of Lawson.
09:17It's a pretty good job he didn't hit it better than he did.
09:19What a beautiful ball that by Dennis Lilley.
09:21Rajah on his back foot trying to force.
09:22It was never there to force.
09:23He should have been pushing forward to it.
09:24And those stumps scattered all over the place.
09:26The writing's on the wall now.
09:27And Rajah I think looking Askins at the pitch.
09:28Because that ball cut back into him.
09:29And kept pretty low didn't it.
09:30It hit the stumps about a quarter of the way up.
09:32But it went between the gate.
09:33And Rajah was beaten.
09:34By the movements off the wicket.
09:35So, the end of Rajah's innings.
09:36With a total at 178 for the loss of six wickets.
10:01This spell was more than just a statistical try.
10:03It was an exhibition of Lilley's legacy.
10:06A reminder of the primal beauty of baseballing in its rarest form.
10:11It was cricket when the whites were truly white.
10:14The contests were fierce.
10:15And the game was ruled by men with the menace.
10:18Dennis Lilley's nine wicket match hall was not just about number.
10:22It was about character, control, and command.
10:25It was about an Australian legend rising on his home soil and showing why.
10:30In that golden era, he was the heartbeat of the Aussies attack.
10:34Dennis Lilley.
10:35Born on 18 July 1949 in Perth.
10:38He is celebrated as one of the most formidable fastballers in cricket history.
10:43His career spanning from 1971 to 1984.
10:47And actually marked by a remarkable achievement and relentless spirit that left an indelible mark on the game.
10:54Dennis Lilley test carrier is a testament to his prowess and resilience.
10:59Over 70 matches, he claimed 355 wickets at an impressive average of 23.92.
11:06His best bowling figure in an innings were 7 for 83.
11:10And he achieved his best match figure of 11 for 123.
11:14Throughout his test tenure, he secured 23 five wicket hauls and seven-ton wicket match hauls.
11:21His economy rate stood at 2.75, with a strike rate of 52, underscoring his efficiency and threat as a baller.
11:29Notably, he held the world record for the most test wicket at one point in his career.
11:34In the first-class cricket, Dennis Lilley dominance was equally pronounced.
11:39Across 198 matches, he amassed 882 wickets at an impressive average of 23.46.
11:47His best bowling in an innings was an astounding 8 for 29.
11:52He recorded 55 wicket hauls and 13 ten-wicket match hauls, with an economy rate of 2.77 and a strike rate of 50.8.
12:01Dennis Lilley's contribution extended beyond statistics.
12:05His fierce competitiveness and mastery of fast-balling technique made him a cornerstone of Australia's cricketing success.
12:13His legacy continues to inspire young fast-ballers worldwide.
12:18If you like this video, please comment, share and subscribe.
12:21Thanks for watching.

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