Don't agree that Dilley was over coached or he lost speed and definitely rose above being a prospect, He was my favorite English bowler as a kid and I spent many an hour trying to copy his elegant front on action - although others called it slightly ugly and said action was one of the reasons he struggled for consistency at times because it wasn't easily repeatable. No doubt had GD come along nowadays with Central Contacts and better medical etc he would have played far far more tests, as well as god knows how many one day games - where he was equally good at. Ateotd though imo GD's problems were his radar,loss of rhythm, confidence and most of all serious injuries - which he goes over in his book Swings and Roundabouts. Most remember him from, that 1981 Headingley Ashes but that was more for his batting, he bowled awful that series. As he said , "My bowling was dreadful, absolutely dreadful." Indeed, for all those heroically lusty lashes through the covers, he was dropped for Edgbaston. "Two weeks [later] I was bowling that badly, I was playing for Kent Second XI against The Army at Woolwich. I'd lost it totally. As I mention above fitness and confidence were not regular assets for GD. In 1984 a disc became trapped against his spinal cord; the surgeon decided to replace it with a piece of reshaped bone transplanted from his left hip, an extremely delicate and chancy procedure. Had anything gone awry, he was warned, "there was a real danger I could end up a cripple". Nor was there any guarantee that "feeling would return". It robbed him of an entire season just as he was beginning to make an unanswerable case to succeed Bob Willis as England's spearhead. Luckily he came back to action and to spearhead England As I said he didn't lose speed, not even after his back trouble in fact In a purple patch that extended from the start of the 1986 series against India until the end of June 1988, he was the world's leading wicket- taker in Tests, taking 82 at 25.84, at a strike rate of 53.7, including 6 five-fors. At the Gabba in the opening installment of the 1986-87 Ashes, where he was swinging the ball at serious pace & generating sharp bounce he took 5 for 68 in Australia's first innings, thinks it's on here. In that period he was without doubt the fastest most hostile bowler that didn't play for the WI. His last great outing for England was saved for the mighty WI at Lords in 1988 taking 9 for 128, alas in a losing cause, as was the norm in English cricket in the 80's Dilley's misfortune was that he came around when English bowling was at all time low. Willis was at the end of his career, Botham was the only other quality bowler but he had slowed down by 1983. With more & better support around him his decent average of 29 would have been world Class imo. Also don't forget his career came to an end when he signed on for Gatting's ill-fated "rebel" tour of South Africa in early 1990, he was still only 30 but injuries were catching up with him. Sorry about long post but GD deserved it ;)
@@BJJPaulos74 If you looked at Graham Dilley in say, 1979,against the Aussies, he looked to have a better action then he did in 1986, were he had an angled approach, which opened his chest on action more. Like Norman Cowans, he was poorly developed by England. Two potential world beaters Just viewed this again, Dilley has a good approach and looks a fine prospect,compare this to say Dilley in 86/87
