'Graham Dilley, a fine talent and a decent man'
Angus Fraser pays tribute to former England fast bowler Graham Dilley, who died at the age of 52 on Wednesday, in the Independent .
Siddhartha Talya
25-Feb-2013
Angus Fraser pays tribute to former England fast bowler Graham Dilley, who died at the age of 52 on Wednesday, in the Independent.
But my strongest memories of Graham came on England's 1986-87 tour of Australia. Being able to watch England play in the middle of the night was a new experience back then and it was a great way for an aspiring young cricketer to pass a winter. Along with Botham, it was Chris Broad who grabbed most of the headlines on that Ashes-winning tour, but it was Dilley who helped set it up. It was Dilley who took five quality wickets in Australia's first innings at The Gabba after Botham had struck a punishing 138. Dilley backed that up with four top-order wickets in the second Test in Perth. These were bowling displays that set the tone for the remainder of the series.
A ferocious bowler and inspirational coach whose Headingley heroics will always live in the memory, writes Stephen Brenkley of Dilley in the same newspaper.
Dilley's heroic role in the miracle of Headingley will never be forgotten, says Scyld Berry, who was at the venue in 1981, in the Daily Telegraph.
Lawrence Booth, in the Daily Mail, looks back on Dilley's career. Mike Selvey pays tribute in the Guardian.
On The Old Batsman blog, a tribute to Dilley says he had lived his life in the game but in his diffident way he was out of the spotlight and so, perversely, he remained trapped by his brief moments in it. Ted Corbett, on Englandcricket.net, describes Dilley as the 'nicest fast bowler'.
Siddhartha Talya is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo