Tall, blond and seriously quick, Graham Dilley was plucked from Kent as a 20-year-old and taken to Australia in 1979-80 with the hope that he would become the next strike bowler for England. But though he played 41 Tests and in several of them lived up to his billing, his career meandered through loss of rhythm - his action was always a bit ugly and chest-on - and some thoroughly nasty injuries. He reached his peak in 1986 and 1987 when he was undisputed as England's spearhead, but it was his fate to be remembered more for supporting Ian Botham as a batter at Headingley in 1981, though he averaged under 20 with the ball in that series. Early in 1988 he took eight wickets against New Zealand in Christchurch and followed it with seven in Auckland; both games were drawn. And a few months on, he took career-best match figures of 9 for 128 against West Indies at Lord's, but England lost the match. After retirement, Dilley endured a period of well-publicised poverty, caused partly by his impulsive mid-career move from Kent to Worcestershire, which meant he never got a benefit. He returned to the cricket fold with a spell as bowling coach of the England Women's team, and was appointed assistant coach of the men's side for the tour of India in 2001-02. He died aged just 52 in 2011 following a short illness.
