14 Facts about Graham Dilley: A sea of grief

When Graham Dilley was in his pomp, England was perhaps the most competitive side in the world. They weren’t necessarily the best, but they certainly had the personnel that could compete on the big stage. While Dilley’s career got off to a massively impressive start, injuries and major life-changing decisions ensured that he died a broken man. In a nutshell, Graham Dilley was somewhat of a talent that waned away with time.

1. Birth:

Graham Roy Dilley was born on the 18^th of May 1959 at Dartford in Kent.

2. Nickname:

Graham Dilley was popularly known as ‘Dill’ or ‘Picca’ by his friends and colleagues in the England cricket team.

3. The Diamond Cutter:

Before making his name in cricket, Dilley was employed as a diamond cutter and was an apprentice to be one as well. He was training to be diamond cutter at Hatton Garden before being called up in 1977 to play for Kent.

4. Family of cricket:

Former first-class cricketer Graham Johnson is Dilley’s brother-in-law. In addition, Graham Dilley’s son Jonathan Dilley currently plays for Gloucestershire.

5. A fiery Perth story:

Dilley’s debut Test match could not have come at a better time. His first taste of Ashes cricket came when he joined the England side on its tour to Australia in 1978-79. He made his debut in the first Test in Perth. He ended up on the losing side as the Aussies secured a 138-run win. He picked up two wickets and smashed an impressive and unbeaten knock of 38 in his quest to save the Test match. However, the Brits went on to win the Ashes as Mike Brearley became the only England skipper after Douglas Jardine to win the Ashes on Australian soil.

6. A mop of Blonde hair:

Graham Dilley wasn’t your regular archetypical cricketer. He was a player who took advantage of the 70’s ‘Hippie culture’. He had thick and a mop of blonde hair, something that separated him from the others in the team such as Ian Botham and David Gower. In addition, he bowled with such tantalizingly quick pace, that it seemed unlikely for someone of his stature.

7. A fancy Willey scorecard:

He acquitted himself reasonably well, taking three wickets and scoring a handy unbeaten 38 in the first innings. The game featured a memorable item on the second-innings scorecard: Lillee c Willey b Dilley 19

8. A Million Dollar bowling action:

Graham Dilley’s bowling style has often been compared to the likes of Jeff Thomson, whom he had initially molded his bowling action upon. However, injuries saw him change his action and reduce his pace quite considerably. Geoffrey Boycott commented, “Remember what happened to Graham Dilley, who started out as a genuinely quick bowler. They started stuffing line and length in his ear and now he has Dennis Lillee’s action with Denis Thatcher’s pace” Chris Cairns, the former New Zealand all-rounder used a similar action.

9. Botham’s perfect match:

The 1981 Ashes series will forever be known as Botham’s Ashes. While

10. Injuries Galore:

Mike Selvey, a prominent cricket writer once said: “Nothing that he had done before, from the moment he made his Test debut as the youngest Englishman for 30 years, until the day he retired from competitive cricket – not even the five for 68 he took in Brisbane in the winter of 1986-87 that catalysed a victory in match and Ashes series – would ever topple Headingley from the pinnacle of his achievements. It remains one of the most celebrated passages in the history of British sport.”

11. One of the good guys:

Allan Border has described Graham Dilley as “one of the good guys” and a forgotten hero of England’s 1981 Ashes triumph at Headingley. While Beefy slammed his way to 149, many do not realize the man who helped him get there. Graham Dilley fended off the ferocious pace attack consisting of Dennis Lillee and Terry Alderman. He smashed 56 off just 75 deliveries as the Brits scampered to a mammoth win in terms of pride.

12. Coaching Career:

Following the conclusion of his cricketing career, Dilley took to coaching as a full-time position. He has coached Zimbabwe and Scotland in the past. He has also mentored the likes of Rob Taylor, Monty Panesar, and James Adams.

13. The game changer:

The illustrious career of Graham Dilley was cut short when he chose to go on the rebel tour of South Africa under the leadership of Mike Gatting. After retirement, he endured a period of well-publicised poverty, caused partly by his impulsive mid-career move from Kent to Worcestershire, which meant he never got a benefit.

14. Death:

Cricket lost one of its older gems when Graham Dilley passed away on the 5^th of October 2011 at the age of 52 in Leicester England. Reports suggested that he passed away shortly after contracting oesophageal cancer.