109 Facts About Bob Willis

Bob Willis is England's fourth-highest wicket-taker as of 2019, behind James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Ian Botham.

Bob Willis took 899 first-class wickets overall, although from 1975 onwards he bowled with constant pain, having had surgery on both knees.

Bob Willis nevertheless continued to find success, taking a Test career-best eight wickets for 43 runs in the 1981 Ashes series against Australia, one of the all-time best Test bowling performances.

Bob Willis was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year for 1978.

Bob Willis captained the England team in 18 Tests and 28 ODI matches between June 1982 and March 1984.

Bob Willis formed a noted commentary partnership with Botham; however, Willis' relatively low-key style, in contrast to Botham's ebullience, meant that from 2006 onwards Willis tended to be used as a second-string commentator.

Bob Willis remained an often-heard broadcaster, a published writer and an occasional critic of the modern game.

The Bob Willis Trophy was established in the 2020 English cricket season in his honour.

Bob Willis was born in Sunderland, County Durham, on 30 May 1949, and grew up in the Surrey village of Stoke d'Abernon near Cobham, having moved there at the age of six.

Bob Willis's father was an employee of the BBC; Willis had an elder brother named David, with whom he played cricket in the garden, and an elder sister.

In 1965, Willis added his third name "Dylan" by deed poll in honour of American musician Bob Dylan, of whom he was a fan.

Bob Willis was an avid schoolboy footballer, but was not a natural athlete and loathed rugby, which was the school's dominant sport.

In 1968, Bob Willis accepted an invitation to join Middlesex and Surrey Young Cricketers on tour in Pakistan, and used this opportunity to further hone his skills.

Bob Willis played several further Second XI matches during May and June 1969, before his first-class debut on 6 August.

Bob Willis took three wickets for 13 runs from 13 overs in his first innings, and two for 37 in his second, to help Surrey to victory by an innings and 97 runs.

Bob Willis went on to take 22 first-class wickets that season at 17.22 from six matches, placing him 15th in the national averages for that season's County Championship.

Bob Willis played two List-A games, but took only one wicket at 52.00.

Bob Willis had thus earned a second season at Surrey, and in 1970 played 14 Championship matches, taking 40 first-class wickets at 28.37, and 31 one day wickets at 14.65.

Bob Willis achieved a noteworthy performance in the Gillette Cup quarter-final against Middlesex.

Bob Willis prepared to spend the winter employed at the Crystal Palace Recreation Centre while playing as a goalkeeper for local football club Cobham.

Bob Willis, who knew that Illingworth and Cowdrey had little knowledge of his bowling, later credited his call-up to the influence of senior member of the touring party John Edrich, Bob Willis' long-term friend, mentor and Surrey teammate.

Bob Willis finished his first Test series with 12 wickets at 27.41, and had taken several "crucial catches".

Bob Willis returned in early 1971 to help Surrey win the County Championship title that year.

Bob Willis took two wickets in his final match for Surrey against Hampshire on 11 September 1971.

Bob Willis was not selected for the 1972 Ashes series in England, and travelled to South Africa as part of Derrick Robins' invitation XI in January.

Bob Willis spent part of the 1973 season injured with one of what would become several recurring complaints.

Bob Willis nevertheless managed 43 wickets in the Championship at 18.95, though his injury barred him from all but one Test against the West Indies cricket team.

Bob Willis went wicketless and conceded 5.5 runs per over in the second, which the West Indies won by eight wickets.

Bob Willis then travelled to the Caribbean as part of England's winter tour, in what Wisden described as an "automatic selection"; however, he was to struggle against the top Test side.

Bob Willis was to struggle against the West Indies throughout his career.

Bob Willis then returned to England, to face India and Pakistan, playing in one Test against each.

Bob Willis played one ODI where he took one wicket caught and bowled as Pakistan achieved a seven wicket victory.

At this point, Bob Willis was suffering from a recurring back injury.

Bob Willis played 13 Championship games for Warwickshire during the 1974 season, taking 44 wickets at 21.56 including one five-wicket haul.

Bob Willis was playing with growing injury concerns which required several painkilling injections.

Bob Willis returned to England in January 1975 with a recurring knee injury which had caused him to collapse at a county game early that season, and underwent several operations to correct it.

Bob Willis had surgery on both knees, and suffered a post-operative blood clot.

Bob Willis was forced to use crutches for most of the season, and reflected in 1978 that it was "similar to a 50,000-mile service".

Bob Willis's recovery was particularly tortuous, requiring daily runs around the cricket field and an intensive gym program under the supervision of Dr Arthur Jackson, an advocate of slow running therapy to build stamina.

Bob Willis played no part in the international arena in 1975, and managed only four first-class appearances, though these returned a healthy 18 wickets at 18.77.

Bob Willis was not to return to the Test game until 1976, where he faced the West Indies in two matches in July and August.

Bob Willis had scored a career best 43 with the bat.

Bob Willis took three wickets for 71 runs and then a five-wicket haul in the second innings.

Bob Willis took 32 wickets for 15.09 across the entire tour, 20 of those in the Test matches for 16.75.

Bob Willis went wicketless in England's innings victory in the fourth Test, however he took another five-for in the final match, including both Australian openers.

Bob Willis's 27 wickets across the series was a record for an England fast bowler facing Australia in England, and his final wicket of the series was his 100th.

Around these Test matches, Bob Willis made 10 County Championship appearances, netting 29 wickets at 19.41.

Bob Willis dismissed seven Pakistani batsmen for 27.14 runs each, though did not appear in any of the ODI matches.

Bob Willis made 10 Championship appearances in the 1978 season, taking 37 wickets at 18.27.

Bob Willis was third in the national averages for the Benson and Hedges Cup that year, with 16 wickets at 6.75, including four wickets for four runs in one innings.

Bob Willis was however involved with a controversy regarding the growing practice of short-pitched bowling at tailend batsman after Iqbal Qasim was forced to retire hurt after being hit by one of his deliveries in the first Test at Birmingham.

Bob Willis then bowled 1,123 deliveries during the Test series, taking 20 wickets at 23.05.

Bob Willis "struck early and decisive blows" through the series, although struggled for rhythm between the second and fifth Tests, whereupon he "suddenly regained his fire and rhythm".

Bob Willis had left the field before the end of the match with a recurrence of his knee injury and was ruled out of the final, which England lost to the West Indies.

Bob Willis followed his recuperation from injury by playing the first, third and fourth Test matches against India, taking 10 wickets at 29.80.

Bob Willis partook in all seven of England's matches for the World Series Cup, however he struggled with six wickets at 41.00.

Two ODI matches back in England commenced the West Indies tour, with Bob Willis being included only in the team for the second match, here he took two wickets and two catches in a three-wicket England victory.

The second Test was a draw, though Bob Willis collected three wickets.

Bob Willis had marked his improved form with 14 wickets at 29.07, and had fared better in the County Championship that year, taking 27 wickets at 31.70.

Bob Willis had taken 23 one day wickets that season at 25.95, and had the satisfaction in his first season as captain of leading his county to victory in the John Player League, only a year after they had finished at the foot of the table in the same tournament.

Bob Willis, who was selected to play in all six Test matches, came into the series on a run of good county form.

Only Mike Gatting passed fifty, and Bob Willis was dismissed for a first-ball duck.

Bob Willis combined with Dilley, Hendrick and Botham to reduce Australia to 179 all out, with three wickets for Bob Willis.

Dilley took four wickets and Bob Willis snatched Graeme Wood for eight to reach 200 Test wickets, however the tourists won the match with four wickets to spare.

Between the first and second Tests, Bob Willis went back to Warwickshire to face Gloucestershire in a County Championship match, grabbing three wickets.

Bob Willis, who was struggling for fitness and had a chest infection, was dropped from the side.

Bob Willis sat out a Warwickshire county match and after speaking to Alec Bedser was given back his place in the team on the condition that he played in a 40-over match, played a Second XI game, and bowled 12 overs in the nets.

Bob Willis succeeded in these tasks, and was tentatively let back into the squad over a spinner.

Bob Willis bowled 30 wicketless overs in Australia's first innings, and made one run.

Bob Willis then returned to bowl with Australia requiring 130 runs.

Again batting first, Alderman's five-for took England to 189 all out, with Bob Willis making 13 runs.

Bob Willis then bowled a wicketless but "stormy" 19 overs "as if the devil were at his heels" and, after England had set Australia a final target of 151 runs, took two wickets which along with Botham's five-wicket haul dismissed the Australians for 121 and handed England a 29-run victory and a series lead.

Bob Willis played for his county against Middlesex between the fourth and fifth Tests, taking one wicket.

Bob Willis then rejoined his team for the fifth Test at Old Trafford.

Bob Willis continued to enjoy some form with the bat with 33* against Nottinghamshire in the interval between the fifth and final Tests, though he went wicketless.

The tourists reached 352 thanks to a century from Border, while Bob Willis took four wickets and Botham six.

Bob Willis meanwhile, travelled to India with England in November 1981 for a six Test series against India and one against Sri Lanka.

Bob Willis took 12 wickets at 31.75 against India, and three more Test and two wickets ODI against Sri Lanka.

Between these international fixtures, Bob Willis had secured 13 County Championship wickets at 28.55, though Warwickshire came bottom of the table.

Bob Willis began the 1982 county season with five County Championship fixtures, featuring his first half-century with the bat, a career-best 72, while leading Warwickshire against the touring Indian side on 9 May He took two wickets.

Bob Willis, though seen as an unlikely candidate and ambivalent towards the role, was awarded the captaincy.

Bob Willis took two further wickets in the second Test; however, centuries from Botham and Sandeep Patil, who hit Bob Willis for 24 runs in an over, ensured large innings scores that pushed the match to a draw.

Bob Willis thus completed his first Test series in victorious fashion, with 15 Test wickets of his own at 22.00.

Bob Willis was absent for the second Test, which England lost, before returning for the tense third Test.

Bob Willis was available for only three more first-class games that season, and finished it with a total of 24 wickets at 35.08.

In 1982 Bob Willis captained Warwickshire to the final of the NatWest Trophy, although they lost the final heavily to his former county Surrey.

Bob Willis took two three-wicket hauls in two warm-up first-class matches; however, he was absent from two others and Botham took over the captaincy.

Derek Randall's century in England's second innings took them to 358, and Australia reached 73 at the close of play on the final day for the loss of two wickets, both of which were taken by Bob Willis, leaving the match drawn.

England achieved what was then the narrowest Ashes victory margin of three runs in the fourth Test at Melbourne, with Bob Willis taking three wickets.

Bob Willis returned to Warwickshire for the 1983 season, struggling in the county season with 21 wickets at 36.76 in the County Championship, though finding more success in the one day arena with a career-best 45 wickets at 16.24.

Bob Willis captained England in the 1983 Cricket World Cup where England reached the semi-finals where they were defeated by eventual winners India.

Bob Willis led England in a four Test series against New Zealand, finding greater success with 20 wickets at 13.65 including a five-wicket haul.

Bob Willis, with increasing physical and mental weariness and now using hypnotherapy to reduce stress and focus his game, took three wickets in the following ODI series, in which England beat New Zealand 2:1.

England played a three-Test series against Pakistan in early 1984, however Bob Willis was unable to contribute more than two wickets in the first match due to injury.

Bob Willis made only five County Championship appearances, taking only nine wickets at 42.22.

Bob Willis played in the next Test series against the West Indies, taking two wickets in the first two matches.

Bob Willis conceded 40 more runs from eight overs in the second innings, which Wisden referred to as "the death throes" of his career.

Bob Willis finished his career with 325 Test wickets, at the time second only to Dennis Lillee, and 899 wickets in all first-class matches.

Bob Willis retains the world record for most Test wickets without a single 10-wicket haul.

Bob Willis appeared on BBC Television's cricket coverage between 1985 and 1987 as a summariser before joining Sky Sports in 1990.

When Botham joined the Sky commentary team, Bob Willis was often in partnership with him in the commentary box.

Bob Willis appeared on David Tomlinson's This Is Your Life in 1991, A Question of Sport in 2004 and 20 to 1 in 2005.

Bob Willis worked for Sky Sports, largely commentating in the county game, where he was vocal on the need for changes in English cricket, particularly through a group of former players known as the Cricket Reform Group.

Bob Willis was critical of Mike Atherton during the England tour of Zimbabwe in 1997.

In later years, after he was sidelined as a front-line commentator, Bob Willis appeared on Sky's The Verdict with Charles Colville and was still working for Sky until a few months before his death.

Bob Willis married his second wife, Lauren Clark, in 2014.

Bob Willis died on 4 December 2019, aged 70, "after a long illness".

Bob Willis had been diagnosed with prostate cancer three years previously.

The Bob Willis Fund raises awareness of prostate cancer and money for research into the detection and diagnosis of it; Bob Dylan is an honorary patron.