OTD| Former England bowler, Graham Dilley, who was on the winning side in only two of his 41 Tests, was born in 1959

In this article, we will discuss the On This Day Former England bowler, Graham Dilley, who was on the winning side in only two of his 41 Tests, was born in 1959. One of the quickest bowlers of his generation, former English cricketer Graham Dilley was born on this day (May 18) in 1959. Tall and good-looking blonde, Dilley, in his prime, was considered among the toughest players to face by many. The right-arm pacer played 41 Test matches and 36 ODIs for the England cricket team.

Dilley made his international debut on 24 November 1979 at the age of 20 in an ODI against West Indies in Sydney during the 1979/80 Australian Tri-Series. He was the opening bowler for the visiting team and got off to a great start by picking up his maiden wicket in his third over. A couple of weeks later, Dilley made his Test debut and rewarded captain Mike Brearley for his faith in him by taking two wickets.

Although the Dartford cricketer established his name as a lethal fast bowler, he is also remembered for his batting heroics that helped England win the memorable Ashes in 1981. Dilley made a strong start to the series by taking 12 wickets in the first two Tests against Australia. Those impressive numbers helped him retain his place in the squad for the third Test at Headingley.

Botham Dilley’s eighth-wicket partnership put Australia on the back foot

Thanks to the fighting knocks from Ian Botham and Bob Willis, and a fine contribution from Dilley with the bat, England pulled off a sensational victory after following on. The home side was reduced to 135/7 in the second innings. Dilley joined Botham at the crease and the two men put on a 117-run partnership to help England take a lead of 130.

Dilley registered his highest international score of 56 runs from 75 balls before getting bowled by Terry Alderman. In reply, England went on to dismiss Australia for 111 and recorded an epic 18-run victory. Apart from his contributions at Headingley, Dilley also played a key role in the first Test of the 1986-87 Ashes win in Brisbane, where his first innings figures of 5/68 propelled Australia to the follow-on. 

Dilley, who has played for Kent County Cricket Club and Worcestershire County Cricket Club, has claimed 648 wickets in his overall career. However, in his 41 Test matches, the Englishman finished on the winning side in just two of those as the Three Lions had only limited success during his era. Dilley died on October 5, 2011, aged 52, just one week after being diagnosed with oesophageal cancer.