On the morning of December 11, 1971, a 22-year-old Dennis Lillee wrecked the star-studded Rest of the World batting to capture eight for 29. Arunabha Sengupta recounts the incredible session which ended with nine wickets to the fast bowler, including the scalp of Farokh Engineer twice.
Dennis Lillee wanted rest. He had got the emerging Indian sensation called Sunil Gavaskar with a snorter before the little man had scored. This was the third time he had dismissed the opening batsman in the ‘Test’ series, for scores of 22, seven and 0.
A couple of overs later he had made another ball rear up from the flint hard surface of the Perth wicket. Farokh Engineer, who was combining with Gavaskar to form an all-Indian opening pair for the Rest of the World, had swatted at it with a curious horizontal bat. The 22-year old Lillee had tumbled forward and held on to an acrobatic catch.
However, now, the young fast bowler felt tired. “I felt shocking when I got to the ground – some sort of virus was going around Perth at the time – and, after bowling a couple of overs for the wickets of Gavaskar and Engineer, I felt terribly tired and asked Ian Chappell (the captain) if I could possibly have a rest.”
At the other end the experienced Graham McKenzie was ensuring that the pressure was maintained on the Rest batting. He too got the feeling that Lillee was uneasy that second morning of the ‘Test’. “The first few overs he bowled weren’t at his best. He was hesitant to bowl and was breathing very heavy. I was bowling at the other end. Dennis was ready to go out of the attack. I was supposed to replace him from that end, with Doug Walters being brought on. But, Chappelli told me, ‘let’s give him (Lillee) another over. What to do you think?’ Ian and I went up to Dennis and convinced him to bowl another one. He was still a little hesitant but couldn’t say no to us.”
Suddenly, things began to happen. McKenzie dismissed Rohan Kanhai and Zaheer Abbas was run out. And Lillee discovered a new lease of life as six men crouched in the slips.
“It was the best hour of my career,” Lillee confessed later. True, the ‘Tests’ were deemed unofficial, but with Garry Sobers leading the cream of cricketing talent in a five match series against Australia – as a substitute for the cancelled South African visit – those involved, cricketers and spectators, were as serious as they could get.
Tony Greig slashed at a searing short delivery, and Keith Stackpole lunged to hold on to the furiously travelling ball.
In walked the great Garry Sobers and raised an eyebrow at the wicketkeeper and slips who stood nearly 22 yards away from the stumps.
“What are you guys doing back here?” Sobers asked.
Rod Marsh replied, “You’ll find out.”
In his heart Sobers knew there was very good reason. Lillee was virtually unknown. He had played just two Tests till then. However, in the drawn first ‘Test’ at Brisbane, he had bowled at frightening pace, although without much success. The great man knew that the kid would be a handful on the lightning quick Perth strip.
The third ball Sobers faced took his glove and flew to the ‘keeper – a peach of a delivery, virtually unplayable and one that the great left-hander will never forget.
Poor Richard Hutton found himself plainly unsuited for the sort of heat generated by Lillee at the WACA that day. He fended the first ball in the most ungainly manner and was superbly caught by McKenzie diving full length after running in from leg slip.
In response to 349 scored by Australia, the Rest of the World were suddenly 46 for seven.
Intikhab Alam was a decent enough batsman, but his brave attempt to turn one into the vacant on side resulted in a leading edge and the skier was held by Paul Sheahan in the covers. This was also Lillee’s 100th wicket in First-Class cricket.
Robert Cunis, the fast-medium bowler from New Zealand, did not fret for too long, edging the first ball he faced to Stackpole at second slip.
Clive Lloyd had battled gamely, and had managed a single off the last ball of the Doug Walters over to retain the strike – much to the relief of last man Bishan Bedi. But the very first ball of the next over was angled across him, and Lloyd could only snick it to Marsh. The Rest of the World had folded for 59 in just 14.1 overs. Lillee had figures of 7.1-3-29-8.Since asking his skipper for a break, he had picked up six wickets from nineteen balls.
The Rest followed on 290 runs behind, and Gavaskar and Engineer walked out to start the second innings. And with the score on nine, Lillee had the wicket-keeper caught – dismissing him for the second time in a single session.
Kanhai and Gavaskar managed to see through to lunch, and Lillee finished the first session with nine wickets.
Kanhai did go on to score a scintillating century, but Lillee and McKenzie took four wickets each and the Rest lost by an innings.
McKenzie later recalled, “I think that spell made him (Lillee) believe that he could get into the best of the best. After that summer, he went to England and destroyed them too.”
It made the world sit up and take notice of Dennis Lillee as a fast bowler of rare pedigree. And very few took their eyes off his exploits for the next dozen years.