Dennis Lillee reveals how Rod Marsh goaded him into infamous Ashes aluminium bat incident

Dennis Lillee has lifted the lid on the secret role a former teammate and Australian cricket legend played in his infamous Ashes aluminium bat throw.

Dennis Lillee's infamous bat throw

Dennis Lillee has lifted the lid on the secret role the late Rod Marsh played in one of the most notorious incidents in Australian cricket.

Speaking as the special guest of the Chappell Foundation raising money for youth homelessness at a packed SCG members’ room on Wednesday night, Lillee relived the dramatic scenes against England at the WACA in 1979 when he took an aluminum bat out to the middle.

Lillee confidently predicted his world record for “longest aluminum bat throw” will never be beaten, after hurtling it across the outfield when told he could no longer use it, but captain Greg Chappell revealed the episode would never have reached its dramatic conclusion without the hilarious behind-the-scenes intervention of the great Marsh.

Chappell had ordered 12th man Rodney Hogg to go out to the middle with a willow replacement for the bat that incited England and raised the ire of umpires, only for Lillee to suddenly reappear in the dressing room where Marsh was lurking in the corner ready to play devil’s advocate.

Dennis Lillee argues with umpires Max O'Connell and Don Weser over his aluminium bat.

“I went up to Hoggy and I said, ‘mate, Dennis is going to take this thing out to bat today. I’m going to let him go and take it out, but there’s only three balls to go. At the end of this over, you must take out his willow bat and bring that bloody thing back,” Chappell said to a room of 550 in Sydney, while holding one of the aluminum bats from the time in his hands on stage.

“… I looked around (a short time later) and there’s Hoggy still in the dressing room and I said, something along the lines of, ‘Jesus, Hoggy, what are you still doing here?’

“He said, ‘mate, I couldn’t go out there. All I could imagine was he was going to hit me over the head with this bat in front of all these people and millions on television.

“I said, ‘you weak, p***k, at the end of the next over, you’re going to go out there and bring that bloody thing back because that’s going to cost us runs’.

“To his credit, with a bit of assistance he went out the next over with Dennis’s willow bat and Dennis said … ‘that’s the wrong one’.

Dennis Lillee walks off the WACA ground carrying two wooden bats followed by teammate Rodney Hogg carrying his new aluminium bat.

“He couldn’t use one properly, but apparently he’s got two willow bats, so rather than try and explain to Hoggy where he might find the other willow bat, Dennis came off and came into the dressing room.

“He walked up the back corner where his kit was, picked up the other willow bat and he was ready to go back on the ground when Rodney William Marsh who was sitting just near him in the corner said to him, ‘you’re not going to let the umpires tell you what to do are you?’

“And with that, Dennis turned around, you can see his eyes light up, he put his willow bat down and picked this bloody thing up and went out the door.

“I said to Rodney William, ‘thank you very much. That was very helpful’.”

Rod Marsh knew how to push Dennis Lillee’s buttons.

And the rest was history.

England captain Mike Brearley, Lillee and the umpires engaged in a prolonged on-field stand-off with umpires telling the Australian superstar he had to change his bat because of England’s complaints it was damaging the ball.

Lillee refused and assumed his position to face the next ball.

Ultimately Chappell strode out to the middle and himself ordered Lillee to use the willow bat, prompting his fiery fast bowler to hurl the aluminum ComBat as far as he could across the WACA turf.

Dennis Lillee’s assumes the position for his world record aluminium bat throw.

A few months later the laws of cricket were changed to ban aluminum bats.

Lillee hinted to the audience he might have some regrets about how the incident played out, but stands by the fact the bat was legal at the time.

“So why wouldn’t I use it,” Lillee said.

“What do other bat manufacturers do when they’ve got a new bat with holes in the back or a scoop … they use it on television so that it can be exposed and so they can sell some.

“… But there it is. It wasn’t very nice the end result, but I was within my rights so I thought. Would I do it again now? No because I’m 75.”

The Chappell Foundation raised in excess of $400,000 for youth homelessness on Wednesday night alone, and since its inception eight years ago has raised over six million dollars.

Lillee’s rare public appearance was a roaring success as one of the most iconic names in the history of Australian sport shared his tales from the golden era of cricket.

Originally published as Dennis Lillee reveals how Rod Marsh goaded him into infamous Ashes aluminium bat incident