Philip Lee (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
Philip Keith Lee was an Australia
n cricket
er who played in 2 Tests
from 1931 to 1933.
During the early 1920s he was a leading Australian rules football
er in the South Australian Football League
and played at interstate level for South Australia. He was a member of the Norwood Football Club
's 1923 premiership team.
As a cricketer, Lee was a hard-hitting right-handed batsman and a right-arm bowler of off break
s. He played several matches for South Australia from 1925-26, originally batting in middle order and bowling infrequently. From 1930, his off-break bowling developed and he was called into the Australian Test side
for the second match of the rather one-sided series with South Africa
at Sydney in 1931-32. With Clarrie Grimmett
and Bert Ironmonger
in the side, Lee had limited bowling and took only one wicket.
The emergence of Bill O'Reilly
as a Test-class spin bowler later in the same series seemed likely to limit Lee's prospects for further Test caps, but the following season, 1932-33, he was recalled for the fifth match in the Bodyline
series against England
after Grimmett had lost form. In Australia's first innings, batting at No 8, he hit 42 out of a stand of 57 in 35 minutes with Bert Oldfield
, and in England's first innings, though brought on to bowl after O'Reilly and Ironmonger, he was Australia's most successful bowler with four wickets for 111 runs. In the second innings, he was last out for 15 as Australia collapsed to Hedley Verity
, and he failed to take a wicket as England won by eight wickets.
Though playing in two Test trial matches, Lee had a poor bowling season in 1933-34, and with Grimmett's return to form he was not picked for the tour of England in 1934. He played one further season for South Australia and then retired.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er who played in 2 Tests
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
from 1931 to 1933.
During the early 1920s he was a leading Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er in the South Australian Football League
South Australian National Football League
The South Australian National Football League is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the governing body for the sport of Australian rules football in South Australia....
and played at interstate level for South Australia. He was a member of the Norwood Football Club
Norwood Football Club
Norwood Football Club, nicknamed, Redlegs, is an Australian rules football club belonging to the South Australian National Football League in the state of South Australia...
's 1923 premiership team.
As a cricketer, Lee was a hard-hitting right-handed batsman and a right-arm bowler of off break
Off break
Off break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is the attacking delivery of an off spin bowler. Off breaks are known as off spinners....
s. He played several matches for South Australia from 1925-26, originally batting in middle order and bowling infrequently. From 1930, his off-break bowling developed and he was called into the Australian Test side
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
for the second match of the rather one-sided series with South Africa
South African cricket team
The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status...
at Sydney in 1931-32. With Clarrie Grimmett
Clarrie Grimmett
Clarence Victor "Clarrie" Grimmett was a cricketer; although born in New Zealand, he played most of his cricket in Australia. He is thought by many to be one of the finest early spin bowlers, and usually credited as the developer of the flipper.Grimmett was born in Caversham a suburb of Dunedin,...
and Bert Ironmonger
Bert Ironmonger
Herbert Ironmonger was a Victorian and Australian cricketer....
in the side, Lee had limited bowling and took only one wicket.
The emergence of Bill O'Reilly
Bill O'Reilly (cricketer)
William Joseph "Bill" O'Reilly , often known as Tiger O'Reilly, was an Australian cricketer, rated as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. Following his retirement from playing, he became a well-respected cricket writer and broadcaster.O'Reilly was one of the best spin bowlers to...
as a Test-class spin bowler later in the same series seemed likely to limit Lee's prospects for further Test caps, but the following season, 1932-33, he was recalled for the fifth match in the Bodyline
Bodyline
Bodyline, also known as fast leg theory bowling, was a cricketing tactic devised by the English cricket team for their 1932–33 Ashes tour of Australia, specifically to combat the extraordinary batting skill of Australia's Don Bradman...
series against England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
after Grimmett had lost form. In Australia's first innings, batting at No 8, he hit 42 out of a stand of 57 in 35 minutes with Bert Oldfield
Bert Oldfield
William Albert Stanley "Bert" Oldfield was an Australian cricket player. He played for New South Wales and the Australian cricket team as wicket-keeper....
, and in England's first innings, though brought on to bowl after O'Reilly and Ironmonger, he was Australia's most successful bowler with four wickets for 111 runs. In the second innings, he was last out for 15 as Australia collapsed to Hedley Verity
Hedley Verity
Hedley Verity was a professional cricketer who played first-class cricket for Yorkshire and England between 1930 and 1939. A slow left arm orthodox bowler, he took 1,956 wickets in first-class cricket at an average of 14.90 and in 40 Tests he took 144 wickets at an average of 24.37...
, and he failed to take a wicket as England won by eight wickets.
Though playing in two Test trial matches, Lee had a poor bowling season in 1933-34, and with Grimmett's return to form he was not picked for the tour of England in 1934. He played one further season for South Australia and then retired.