Australian great Dennis Lillee savages ‘dangerous’ Perth wicket

Test great including Sachin Tendulkar heaped praise on it — but one Aussie great has made the stunning claim a batsman last week’s Perth surface was so dangerous that the lives of batsmen were in jeopardy.

Australian captain Tim Paine ducks a bouncer on day four of the second Test match between Australia and India at Perth Stadium in Perth, Monday, December 17, 2018. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY, IMAGES TO BE USED FOR NEWS REPORTING PURPOSES ONLY, NO COMMERCIAL USE WHATSOEVER, NO USE IN BOOKS WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT FROM AAP

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With Melbourne Cricket Ground staff under siege over the flat pitch embarrassment, Test legend Dennis Lillee has made the sensational claim a batsman could have died in Perth last week.

Several Test greats including Sachin Tendulkar and current Australian captain Tim Paine have publicly questioned the decision by ICC match officials to rank the Perth deck as “average” following a pulsating second Test.

However, the ICC has found a powerful ally in Lillee who told Bruce McAvaney in an interview on Channel 7 that the Perth surface was so dangerous that the lives of batsmen were put in jeopardy.

Australia’s Pat Cummins is hit by a bouncer — both tails were peppered with short stuff. Picture: AFP

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Arguably the greatest fast bowler in the history of the game said Perth officials should be the ones under fire for producing an unsafe wicket that could have resulted in tragedy.

“Variable bounce like that, and if you’re playing for your (career) as about four batsmen were in that match, I’m not sure I’d want to play on a wicket like that, that is up and down,” Lillee said on 7.

“If you look at it and really analyse it, someone could have been killed on that pitch.

“Because it was very much that some were taking off, the odd one keeping low, but the odd one that just took off a length. I don’t think that’s good for cricket.”

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Lillee has had a strained relationship with the WACA which facilitated the move to the new Perth Stadium and questioned whether the multimillion-dollar ground was suitable for cricket.

“It’s a great arena. It’s just amazing and so up to date,” Lillee said.

“It’s fantastic, certainly for people watching the game, as it should be.

“It’s a great football arena, not sure how great as a cricket arena and certainly they want to improve very quickly on the wicket they served up.”

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Originally published as Australian great Dennis Lillee savages ‘dangerous’ Perth wicket