Wasim Akram vs Dennis Lillee

[PlayerComparisons]

Who and why

 

[Anil]

why

 

[Zinzan]

Lillee overall, although Wasim was the better left-armer of the two.

 

[Pap Finn Keighl]

Akram Greatest Bowler of Alltime
Lillee Greatest Australian Bowler of Alltime

Both underrated in CW

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

Who and why

What was like the genesis of you coming up with this "comparison"?

There's gotta be some kind of thought process involved. Where does your bias take you?

 

[PlayerComparisons]

What was like the genesis of you coming up with this "comparison"?

There's gotta be some kind of thought process involved. Where does your bias take you?

Just two bowlers who I thought were pretty close so was just curious what others on here thought lol

 

[a massive zebra]

Dennis Lillee easily for me.

• Lillee was a better matchwinner. He took 6 tenfors in 31 wins vs Wasim's 2 tenfors in 41 wins.
• Lillee more impactful. He took a lot more big hauls, including significantly more 10 fors and almost the same number of 5 fors in 34 less matches.
• Lillee took far more wickets per match - over 5 wpm vs under 4 wpm is a big difference over a long career. If Lillee had maintained his wickets per match over the same number of matches as Wasim, he would have ended up with well over 100 more wickets.
• Lillee took a far higher proportion of top order wickets. Wasim very rarely ran through a top order and his proportion of lower order wickets is among the highest of the great fast bowlers.
• Lillee led his attack for almost his whole career. Wasim had Waqar who was statistically a better bowler for the first half of their careers.

 

[Coronis]

• Lillee led his attack for almost his whole career. Wasim had Waqar who was statistically a better bowler for the first half of their careers.

Not necessarily disagreeing with your conclusion or the rest of your post but you have to admit this had a fair bit to do with Lillee being more impactful and taking more wickets per match.

 

[subshakerz]

Akram from his peak 90-97 was better than Lillee at any time in his career. But overall career wise its Lillee..

 

[grecian]

Voted for Akram, wasn't the epitome of an Australian.

 

[Jack1]

Lillee because of his monster wickets per game in Test cricket.

 

[Red]

Lillee is a fkn king

 

[Kirkut]

Akram. Lillee was a hit the deck seam bowler and had his limitations while bowling on roads, Akram could conjure up a match winning spell out of nowhere in any situation.

 

[Migara]

Dennis Lillee easily for me.

• Lillee was a better matchwinner. He took 6 tenfors in 31 wins vs Wasim's 2 tenfors in 41 wins.
• Lillee more impactful. He took a lot more big hauls, including significantly more 10 fors and almost the same number of 5 fors in 34 less matches.
• Lillee took far more wickets per match - over 5 wpm vs under 4 wpm is a big difference over a long career. If Lillee had maintained his wickets per match over the same number of matches as Wasim, he would have ended up with well over 100 more wickets.
• Lillee took a far higher proportion of top order wickets. Wasim very rarely ran through a top order and his proportion of lower order wickets is among the highest of the great fast bowlers.
• Lillee led his attack for almost his whole career. Wasim had Waqar who was statistically a better bowler for the first half of their careers.

I am interested using the same metrics in McGrath vs Hadlee comparison

 

[TheJediBrah]

Don't know much about Lillee but Akram is one of the most overrated bowlers ever. What a massive zebra said is correct re. cleaning up the tail. It's a useful skill but not if it comes at the cost of getting proper batsmen out as often as the best. People often put Akram in their top 10 but that's very generous, that's before we even get into the potential impact of (and reliance on) ball-tampering

 

[stephen]

Lillee to lead the attack if I had to pick one. Akram to bowl first change in my ATG side behind Marshall and McGrath.

 

[Pap Finn Keighl]

Don't know much about Lillee but Akram is one of the most overrated bowlers ever. What a massive zebra said is correct re. cleaning up the tail. It's a useful skill but not if it comes at the cost of getting proper batsmen out as often as the best. People often put Akram in their top 10 but that's very generous, that's before we even get into the potential impact of (and reliance on) ball-tampering

Thats mainly due to two reasons
1. Long career
2. Lack of support from fielders

His low WPM is the result of extra long career. Otherwise he had very good ratio of WPM and good share of top order wickets. Percentage is not a good metric.

Major share of his wickets came by LBWs and Bowled wickets. For example,
Mcgrath's wicket tally consists of 375 caught or caught behind wickets ie, 66.5% a massive 20% more than Akram's.

Akram is the most underrated bowler in CW.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Thats mainly due to two reasons
1. Long career
2. Lack of support from fielders

His low WPM is the result of extra long career. Otherwise he had very good ratio of WPM and good share of top order wickets. Percentage is not a good metric.

Major share of his wickets came by LBWs and Bowled wickets. For example,
Mcgrath's wicket tally consists of 375 caught or caught behind wickets ie, 66.5% a massive 20% more than Akram's.

Akram is the most underrated bowler in CW.

Heh not sucking me in today brother

 

[h_hurricane]

Heh not sucking me in today brother

I suppose International men's day is the reason.

 

[Burgey]

Lillee was a hit the deck seam bowler and had his limitations while bowling on roads

U wot? Lillee spent the first part of his career bowling outswing at about 90mph. He also bowled some brilliant spells on the MCG wicket in the early 80s which was as flat as any deck could get.