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Tony Dell

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Tony Dell
Personal information
Full name
Anthony Ross Dell
Born (1945-08-06) 6 August 1945 (age 79)
New Milton, Hampshire, England
BattingRight-handed
BowlingLeft-arm fast-medium
International information
National side
Test debut (cap 255)12 February 1971 v England
Last Test29 December 1973 v New Zealand
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1970–1975Queensland[1]
Career statistics
Competition Test First-class
Matches 2 41
Runs scored 6 169
Batting average – 5.63
100s/50s 0/0 0/0
Top score 3* 13*
Balls bowled 559 8,549
Wickets 6 137
Bowling average 26.66 26.70
5 wickets in innings 0 6
10 wickets in match 0 1
Best bowling 3/65 6/17
Catches/stumpings 0/– 18/–
Source: Cricinfo, 19 November 2022

Anthony Ross Dell (born 6 August 1945) is a former Australian cricketer who played in two Test matches in the 1970s.

Cricket career

Dell was a fast-medium seam bowler who played for Queensland[1] and made his debut against England for the vital Seventh Test at Sydney in the 1970–71 Ashes series. With Australia needing to win he opened the bowling with Dennis Lillee and took 2–32 in the first innings – John Edrich caught by Greg Chappell for 30 and Basil d'Oliveira bowled for 1 – as England collapsed to 98–5 and 184 all out. In the second innings he was the best bowler with 3–65, but England made 302 and 223 was too much for Australia to make for victory. Dell batted last and made 3 not out in each innings and so was present at the crease when The Ashes were lost. His five wickets (19.40) put him ahead of Dennis Lillee (8 wickets at 24.87) at the top of the series averages, if you exclude Ian Chappell's one wicket for 10.00. His only other test was the First test against New Zealand at Melbourne in 1973–74 where he did not bat, but took 1–54 and 0–9 in Australia's innings victory.[2]

Life

Anthony H Ross Dell was born on 6 Aug 1945 in New Milton, Hampshire, England. He lived for some of his childhood in Wales, where he attended Howardian High School in Penylan, Cardiff.[3][better source needed] He migrated to Australia at the age of 14 when his father was transferred to Queensland,[4] where he attended the Anglican Church Grammar School in Brisbane.[5]

Dell's second initial 'H' stood for the middle name "Hiroshima", although only the 'H' was recorded on his birth certificate. His parents gave him the name to commemorate the bombing of Hiroshima, which occurred on the day of his birth. Dell officially had 'H' omitted from his name while at school.[3][better source needed][6][better source needed] [7][8]

Dell's year of birth was officially listed as 1947 throughout his career and long into his retirement; he revealed in 2021 that he had lied about his age to improve his chances of selection for test matches.[9][better source needed][10]

Dell served in the Vietnam War as a national serviceman in the 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment from May 1967 until March 1968.[11] He took part in several battles around the Australian base at Nui Dat.[4]

He worked in an advertising agency in Brisbane until the 1990s, when the company collapsed.[4]

As a result of his military service, Dell had posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), undiagnosed until 2008. He founded the PTSD support group Stand Tall for PTS.[1][12] Stand Tall For PTS was the official charity partner of the Prime Minister's XI match at Manuka Oval on 14 January 2015 versus the English cricket team.[1]

Dell is the subject of the biography And Bring the Darkness Home written with the journalist Greg Milam and published by Pitch Publishing in 2021.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Coverdale, Brydon. "Tony Dell still standing tall". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  2. ^ "Australia v New Zealand – New Zealand in Australia 1973/74 (1st Test)". Cricket Archive. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.
  3. ^ a b "Tony Dell – Howardian pupil who played in the Ashes – for Australia". Roath Local History Society. 16 January 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  4. ^ a b c Greg Growden, Cricketers at War, ABC Books, Sydney, 2019, pp. 293–303.
  5. ^ Mason, James (2011). Churchie: The Centenary Register. Brisbane, Australia: The Anglican Church Grammar School. ISBN 978-0-646-55807-3.
  6. ^ "Ric Finlay". 30 August 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  7. ^ https://stats.acscricket.com/Archive/Players/1/1370/1370.html
  8. ^ https://www.cricketbooks.com.au/the-man-who-put-back-his-age/
  9. ^ "Ric Finlay". 27 August 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  10. ^ https://www.cricketbooks.com.au/the-man-who-put-back-his-age/
  11. ^ "DVA's Nominal Rolls".
  12. ^ Kieza, Grantlee (25 November 2013). "Tony Dell, the Test fast bowler who went from Vietnam killing fields to war with the English in Ashes". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  13. ^ "Tony Dell: The Ashes cricketer who fought in Vietnam - and struggled for decades with the horrors of war".
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