365 Days Cricket - Malcolm Marshall

In case Dennis Lillee was the best feared bowler of the 1970s then Malcolm Marshall took over that mantle in the 1980s. He was the best of a set of excellent West Indian fast bowlers. He was short for a fast bowler, but put to use this to his benefit by bowling the ball at a low flight at the batsman’s stumps.

Malcolm Marshall’s success as a bowler is shown by his test bowling average. In test matches a bowling average under 30 is known as excellent: Below 25 and you’re speaking all-time great; Malcolm Marshall’s average was under 21.

Malcolm Marshall’s story has a tragic postscript. In 1999, he died of cancer aged only 41. He may happen to be scary by players but Marshall was also extremely popular.

365 Days Cricket - Dennis Lillee

Everyone lucky enough to see Dennis Lillee bowl won't forget the view. He was the embodiment of the ideal fast bowler. His exact, smooth run-up to the wicket, perfect balance when delivering the cricket ball and control over where the ball landed on the wicket were all A1. The truth is when he first burst on the scene in early 1970s batsmen didn’t find out how to play him.

Nevertheless, Dennis Lillee had serious injury issues and was kept out of test cricket for the greatest part of two years with a stress fracture of the back. When he came back to trounce England in 1974, he was back to his best. Between 1974 and 1976 Dennis Lillee and other Australian fast bowler Jeff Thomson laid waste to batsmen over the world. For a short period of time Australia had become the greatest team on the planet, mostly because of this fiery pair of fast bowlers.

Jeff Thomson never reached such Olympian heights again but Dennis Lillee stayed the world’s number 1 fast bowler for the rest of the 1970s. When his career ended in 1983 he had taken a then world record 355 test wickets in only 70 test matches.

365 Days Cricket