Portal:Australia/Featured article/Week 22, 2007

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bill O'Reilly, often known as Tiger O'Reilly, (20 December 1905 – 6 October 1992), was an Australian cricketer, rated as one of the greatest bowlers of all time. Following his retirement from playing, he became a well-respected cricket writer and broadcaster. O'Reilly was one of the best spin bowlers ever to play cricket. He delivered the ball from a two-fingered grip at close to medium pace with great accuracy, and could produce leg breaks, googlies, and top spinners, with no discernible change in his action. A tall man for his day (around 188 cm, 6 ft 2 in), he whirled his arms to an unusual extent and had a low point of delivery that meant it was very difficult for the batsman to read the flight of the ball out of his hand. As well as his skill, O'Reilly was also known for his competitiveness, and bowled with the aggression of a paceman.