Lillee out of second test

Press, 25 November 1982, Page 36

Lillee out of second test

NZPA Sydney Dennis Lillee is out of the Australian team to play England in the second test, which starts in Brisbane tomorrow, and the young Queensland fast bowler, Carl Rackemann, has been included in the squad of 12. Lillee had a medical examination of his right knee in Sydney yesterday morning. His surgeon has ordered him to rest for two weeks before continuing training. The West i Australian speedster twisted' the knee in the first test in Perth then aggravated the injury in a Sheffield Shield game against Tasmania last Sunday. The Australian pace attack has, in a little under two weeks, been denuded by the injury to Terry Aiderman after a scuffle with a spectator in the first test in Perth and now the sidelining of Lillee.

And the N.S.W. and test fast bowler, Geoff Lawson, is nursing a right shoulder injury from the game against England at the Sydney Cricket Ground which finished on Tuesday; but Lawson said he was confident of playing in Brisbane although he did not field or bowl in the England second innings.

Lillee’s replacement, Rackemann, has a history of back and shoulder troubles but has been in fine form this season.

But the big question over Lillee must now be whether his test career is over.

Lillee, aged 33, has been written off by the experts before and re-emerged to play in 64 tests and take a world record 332 wickets. His career has been dotted with painful episodes, starting with a spinal stress fracture in the West Indies in 1973.

He fought back from two shoulder injuries in the seasons to follow and went to World Series Cricket — thought to be the test graveyard of those who crossed over.

But he bounced back again in 1979 when peace was declared in cricket ranks. He was unavailable for Pakistan this year although his working partner in many a test, Jeff Thomson, decided he needed the tour.

Thomson was brought into the second test side in place of Aiderman, but the 32-year-old fast bowler has just recovered from a foot ailment and his lack of match practice since returning from Pakistan throws doubt on his ability to last the five days of a gruelling test.