Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Australian legend Dennis Lillee has been immortalised at the venue where he sparked the most fear in opposition batters.
The tearaway was unveiled on Thursday as one of three statues surrounding the redeveloped WACA precinct.
Lillee will stand alongside Zoe Goss and Joseph Nogolot, acknowledging the trio’s contribution to the game in Western Australia.
Lillee claimed 355 Test wickets at a miserly average of 23.92 across his 70 matches.
That wicket tally stood as the game’s highest until Sir Ian Botham passed it two years later.
“To be recognised with a statue at the WACA Ground is a tremendous honour,” Lillee said.
“I spent a lot of my career playing at this ground and have some great memories here, both playing for Western Australia and Australia.
“The WACA Ground has always been one of the great cricket grounds, so it’s pretty special to know I’ll be standing here for a long time to come.”
Lillee formed a terrifying combination with fellow speedster Jeff Thompson, earning the phrase: “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, if Lillee don’t get you, Thommo must.”
Goss was a pioneer in women’s cricket in both Western Australia and across the country, playing 65 One Day Internationals and 12 Test matches.
Nogolot was the first Nyoongar team captain, leading the 1879 Indigenous team in the first known match of Aboriginal cricket.
WACA chief executive John Stephenson said the careers of all three should be celebrated for generations to come.
“These statues recognise three remarkable people who each hold an important place in the story of cricket in Western Australia,” Stephenson said.
“Dennis, Zoe and Joseph represent different generations and different parts of our game, but each has made an enduring contribution to cricket in this state.
“As the WACA Ground begins a new chapter, it is fitting their stories will have a permanent place here for generations to come.”
