Graham Dilley - Life and Career - Injury and Recovery

Injury and Recovery

Despite being in and out of the side for the next couple of years, Dilley's future as a Test player seemed reasonably bright by 1983 as he played a full part in England's World Cup campaign. Following the tournament, a neck injury forced him out of the game for a year, and although he returned to county cricket in 1985, there was some doubt as to his long-term prospects. A decent performance that winter for Natal helped in his rehabilitation and, by 1986, Dilley took 63 first-class wickets and earned a recall to the England side.

Between 1986 and 1988, Dilley took 83 Test wickets at an average of 26.43, and was generally regarded as England's foremost strike bowler. He developed significant pace and outswing from a long, wide run up, approaching the wicket at an angle almost 45 degrees. Perhaps his most significant success came in 1986/87 when he took 5-68 in the first innings of the first Test at Brisbane to help his team to a victory that set them on their way to an Ashes win, and he also took 20 wickets at 15.85 in ODIs. In the drawn series against New Zealand the following winter he produced his career-best bowling figures, ripping through the Kiwi line-up with 6-38 (including the first five wickets to fall) at Lancaster Park, Christchurch. He was fined £250 in the same match for swearing at the umpire, comments which were clearly picked up by the stump microphone. He took a further 5-60 in Auckland, and finished the series with fifteen wickets at an average of 14.