List_of_international_cricket_five-wicket_hauls_by_Dennis_Lillee
Dennis Lillee is a former Australian cricketer who took 24 five-wicket hauls during his career in international cricket. A five-wicket haul (also known as a "five–for" or "fifer")[1] refers to a bowler taking five or more wickets in a single innings. This is regarded as a notable achievement,[2] and fewer than 40 bowlers have taken more than 15 five-wicket hauls at international level in their cricketing careers.[3][4][N 1] A fast bowler who represented the Australian cricket team between 1971 and 1984, Lillee was described by one writer as "the heart of Australia['s] bowling attack for more than a decade" and was rated "the outstanding fast bowler of his generation" by the BBC.[5][6] He was the first bowler to capture 350 Test wickets and held the record for almost two years before Ian Botham surpassed the feat.[7][8][9] Lillee was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1973 and the South African Cricket (Annual) Cricketer of the Year three years later.[10][11] The International Cricket Council (ICC) inducted him into its Cricket Hall of Fame in 2009.[5]
Lillee made his Test debut during the sixth Test of the 1970–71 Ashes series where he claimed a five-wicket haul on debut.[12][13] He was subsequently selected for the 1972 tour of England and took a pair of five-wicket hauls for the first time in a single match during the final Test of the same series.[14] He ended the series with 31 wickets at an average of 17.67.[15] He went on to claim five-wicket hauls in both innings of a Test match on three more occasions.[16] Lillee's career-best figures for an innings were 7 wickets for 83 runs against the West Indies in 1981.[17] He was most successful against England with eleven five-wicket hauls against them, and was most effective at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where he took seven of his twenty three five-wicket hauls.[18] When Lillee retired from Test cricket in 1984, he had taken ten or more wickets in a match on seven occasions.[18]
Lillee's One Day International (ODI) debut came against England in 1972.[19] His sole five-wicket haul in ODIs came against Pakistan during the Prudential World Cup (1975) at Headingley.[20] As of 2012, Lillee's combined tally of 24 five-wicket hauls is eleventh in the all-time list, a record jointly held with Sydney Barnes, Imran Khan, Kapil Dev and Dale Steyn.[21][N 1]
This list includes only matches that are deemed official by the ICC. Lillee's performances in World Series Cricket and the World XI tour of Australia in 1971–72 are not included.