Graham Dilley

Infobox Cricketer


nationality = English
country = England
country abbrev = ENG
name = Graham Dilley
picture = Cricket_no_pic.pngbatting style = Left-handed batsman (LHB)
bowling style = Right-arm fast (RF)
tests = 41
test runs = 521
test bat avg = 13.35
test 100s/50s = 0/2
test top score = 56
test overs = 1635.2
test wickets = 138
test bowl avg = 29.76
test 5s = 6
test 10s = 0
test best bowling = 6/38
test catches/stumpings = 10/0
ODIs = 36
ODI runs = 114
ODI bat avg = 11.40
ODI 100s/50s = 0/0
ODI top score = 31*
ODI overs = 340.3
ODI wickets = 48
ODI bowl avg = 26.89
ODI 5s = 0
ODI best bowling = 4/23
ODI catches/stumpings = 4/0
date = 5 June
year = 2005
source = http://content.cricinfo.com/england/content/player/11893.html

Graham Roy Dilley (born 18 May 1959 in Dartford, Kent) is a former English cricketer whose main role was as a fast bowler.

Early career

Graham was born and raised in Dartford, Kent and attended Dartford West Boys' School, prior to joining Kent for county cricket.

Dilley made an immediate impact in county cricket when he made his debut in the 1977 season. He was a surprise inclusion for the 1979/80 England touring team to Australia, making him the youngest cricketer to play for England in 30 years when he entered the field during the Perth Test.

Dilley made his first class debut for Kent at the age of 18 in 1977 against Cambridge University, but did not take a wicket and had to wait until the next season for another chance. His next game, in June 1978, was against the touring Pakistanis, but again he went wicketless. It was only in his third first-class match, against Middlesex, that he made his presence felt, taking seven wickets in the match to help his team to a six-wicket win.

Dilley played two more first-class matches that season but took only one wicket, and perhaps more significant was his selection for England Young Cricketers against their West Indian counterparts for two of the three "Tests" and the single one-day game. Real progress in county cricket, however, would have to wait for 1979, when Dilley played 31 senior games for Kent, including a useful effort of 4-41 in the World Cup warm-up match against the New Zealanders. He finished with 49 first-class wickets at an average of 23.48 that season, and already his express pace was attracting attention.

England selection

The England selectors, looking for a young fast bowler to take on that winter's tour of Australia, took the bold decision of including the 20-year-old Dilley in the squad, and he made his international debut in an ODI against West Indies, played as part of the triangular tournament featuring those two teams and Australia themselves. A fortnight later Dilley appeared in his first Test match, and acquitted himself reasonably well, taking three wickets and scoring a handy unbeaten 38 in the first innings. The game is perhaps better remembered, however, for a chance occurrence on the second-innings scorecard, as follows:

D.K. Lillee - c. Willey, b. Dilley 19.

On a more serious note, England lost the match by 138 runs, and although Dilley also played in the second Test, which was also lost, he was replaced by John Lever for the third and final game. The Australians triumphed in this match as well to win the rubber 3-0, although the Ashes were not at stake and were retained by England on the basis of their 5-1 victory in the six-game series that had been played a year earlier.

In 1980, Dilley was overlooked for the first two Tests against West Indies, not helped by the rain that ruined Kent's game against the tourists a few days before the first Test, but was called up for the third game, at Old Trafford. Rain again intervened, as it was to do in the fourth and fifth Tests as well, and all were drawn, but Dilley's 11 wickets in the three innings he was able to make use of made sure of his place on the plane to face the same opponents in the Caribbean that winter. England were outplayed in the Tests and lost the four-match series 2-0 (the Guyana Test having been cancelled over the Robin Jackman affair) and both ODIs, but Dilley's ten wickets were enough for him to retain his place for the 1981 Ashes series.

Dilley began that series strongly, taking 12 wickets in the first two Tests and was thus retained for the third Test at Headingley. This game is best remembered for England's sensational victory after following on, and for the heroics of Ian Botham and Bob Willis, but Dilley played his part as well, albeit in the unfamiliar role of batsman. At the crease with Botham, the two men put on 117 in just 80 minutes before Dilley was bowled by Terry Alderman. He then held a fine boundary catch to dismiss Rod Marsh. Despite his part in the win, however, Dilley did not play in the Fourth Test, nor in the two that followed, being replaced variously by John Emburey, Paul Allott and Mike Hendrick.

Injury and recovery

Despite being in and out of the side for the next couple of years, Dilley's future as a Test player seemed reasonably bright by 1983 as he played a full part in England's World Cup campaign. Following the tournament, a dreadful neck injury forced him out of the game altogether for a full year, and though he returned to county cricket in 1985 there was some doubt as to his long-term prospects. A decent performance that winter for Natal (16 wickets at a shade under 20 apiece) helped in his rehabilitation, and by 1986 Dilley was once again a bowler to be feared, taking 63 first-class wickets and winning a recall to the England side.

Between 1986 and 1988 Dilley took 83 Test wickets at an average of 26.43, and was generally regarded as England's foremost strike bowler. Perhaps his most significant success came in 1986/87 when he took 5-68 in the first innings of the first Test at Brisbane to help his team to a victory that set them on their way to Ashes glory, and when he took 20 wickets at 15.85 in ODIs. In the drawn series against New Zealand the following winter he produced his career-best bowling figures, ripping through the Kiwi line-up with 6-38 (including the first five wickets to fall) at Christchurch. He was almost unplayable at times in this series and finished with 15 wickets at an average of just 14.

Bowling Style

During the 80s Dilley was widely regarded as the fastest bowler England had ever produced. Once in rhythm he could be almost unplayable at times. His bowling style often fascinated many, with his unusual run-up a constant topic of discussion in the cricketing world. It's also believed that he tried to adopt the Jeff Thomson bowling style and later Dilley's style was used by Chris Cairns in New Zealand.

First Test

Dilley made Test debut on 14th December, 1979 during the WACA Test in Perth against Australia. English captain Mike Brearley showed great confidence in Dilley and gave him the new ball to start not only the Australian inning but the whole Ashes Series as well. Dilley did well during his initial bowling spell but had to wait until Australia lost their 5th wicket on 127 runs to claim his first ever Test Wicket. The batsman was Peter Toohey whose individual score was 19 when he was caught by Derek Underwood.

Dilley then claimed his second wicket when Rod Marsh was caught behind by the wicket keeper Bob Taylor. Marsh had scored 42 runs and Australia were 7 down for 219 runs at that point. Australia were later all out for 244 and Dilley took figures of 18-1-47-2 with an economy rate of 2.61 in his first international appearance. However his debut bowling performance was over-shadowed by Ian Botham taking 6 for 78.

244 wasn't considered a good score for Australia but England didn't do well in return and they were all out for 228 giving a lead of 16 runs to Australia. Dilley scored unbeaten 38 and stayed at the wicket for 206 minutes, facing 57 balls. His 38 was the second highest score in the innings after captain Mike Brearley who scored 64 runs before losing his wicket to Dennis Lillee. Dilley's performance as left-handed batsman got him a lots of praise in the English and Australian newspapers as the media and public immediately started to recognize him as the next big all rounder in the English team.

Dilley again took the new ball in Australia's second innings but couldn't get a wicket until Dennis Lillee gave a catch to Peter Willey at gully. Lillee scored 19 runs and Australia managed 337 runs altogether, giving a target of 354 runs for England to win.

England struggled in their battle to save the test and it was only Geoff Boycott who showed some resistance with an unbeaten 99. Dilley made a partnership of 19 runs with Boycott for 8th wicket. It was interesting to note that Dilley couldn't stop himself from playing aggressive shots and he scored 16 runs from that 19 run partnership.

England were all out for 215 runs and Australia won the WACA Test by 138 runs on the 5th day of match. However, Dilley was able to make notable headlines in the newspapers and his fearsome bowling speed was talk of the town for the whole week. He went above 90 miles/hour during several occasions and was quickly recognized as the next speed gun.

First ODI Match

Dilley played his first One Day International match on the 24th of November, 1979 against West Indies at the Sydney Cricket Ground during the 1979/80 Benson & Hedges World Series Cup. The match was won by England by just 2 runs after a dramatic fight between the two teams.

England scored 211 runs in 50 overs and Dilley was last man to go, off the last ball. He scored 1 run off 2 balls before getting run out.

Dilley was given the new ball to start with and he struck in his 3rd over when he claimed the wicket of Desmond Haynes. Haynes struggled against Dilley from the first over and was able to score just 4 runs off 24 balls. Dilley bowled his off stump and celebrated his first ever ODI wicket.

Rain forced the match to have a revised target and the West Indies needed to score 198 runs in 47 overs to win the match. They fell 2 runs short and lost the match in end by losing all wickets. Ian Botham bowled the last over and dismissed Colin Croft by bowling his middle stump.

Dilley finished with an impressive performance of 6-2-21-1 with an economy rate of 3.50 runs per over. Peter Willey was named man of the match for an innings of 58.

Later career and retirement

For the 1987 season, Dilley had moved to Worcestershire, and though a rather sudden move it proved a shrewd one as his new county were about to begin the most successful period in their history, winning four trophies in the next three years. Despite further injury problems, he proved a vital cog in the wheel as Worcestershire won the 1987 and 1988 County Championships; it was during this period that he wrote, with team-mate Graeme Hick, an account of one of the title-winning seasons, somewhat painfully entitled "Hick'n'Dilley Circus".

Dilley's Test career was beginning to wind down by this time with the strains on his body beginning to tell. His final match for England was at Edgbaston in the one-sided 1989 Ashes series. He made certain that he would not be picked again by accompanying Mike Gatting on the South African rebel tours that winter, though he continued to play for his county for a couple more years. Dilley appeared in three of Worcestershire's matches in April 1992, but by then it was becoming increasingly obvious that his body was no longer up to the demands of professional cricket and, despite a couple of appearances in the Second XI in the summer, he called it a day at the end of the season.

Dilley was short of money in his early retirement, in part because his move from Kent to Worcestershire had cost him the chance of a benefit season, but after a while he found employment again as a coach, first to the England women's team and then accompanying the men's side on the tour to India in 2001/02. He has also worked in a coaching capacity for Zimbabwe and Scotland, and for several county sides, as well as his current position as Head Coach to Loughborough UCCE.

Teams

International

*England

English county

*Kent
*Worcestershire

Other first-class

* England B
*MCC
* Natal

Career highlights

=Tests=

*Test debut: vs Australia, Perth, 1979/80
*Last Test: vs Australia, Birmingham, 1989
**Highest score: 56 vs Australia, Leeds, 1981
**Best bowling: 6-38 vs New Zealand, Christchurch, 1987/88

One Day International

*ODI debut: vs West Indies, Sydney, 1979/80
*Last ODI: vs West Indies, Leeds, 1988
**Highest score: 31* vs New Zealand, The Oval, 1983
**Best bowling: 4-23 vs West Indies, Brisbane, 1986/87

=First-class=

*First-class debut: Kent vs Cambridge University, Canterbury, 1977
*Last first-class match: Worcestershire vs Northamptonshire, Worcester, 1992
**Highest score: 81 for Kent vs Northamptonshire, Northampton, 1979
**Best bowling: 7-63 for Natal vs Transvaal, Johannesburg, 1985/86

List A Limited Overs

*List A debut: Kent vs Surrey, The Oval, 1978
*Last List A match: Worcestershire vs Derbyshire, Worcester, 1992
**Highest score: 37* for Kent vs Hampshire, Canterbury, 1983
**Best bowling: 5-29 (twice):
***for Kent vs Scotland, Edinburgh, 1986
***for Worcestershire vs Middlesex, Lord's, 1988 (NatWest Trophy final)

Personal life

Graham Dilley is the father of Worcester Rugby star Chris Pennell