O’Reilly, Bill (1905-1992), known as Tiger Bill, was one of the finest bowlers in Australian cricket history. He was a slow to medium bowler who could bowl leg breaks and off breaks with great accuracy and pace. He frequently beat even the world’s best batsmen. He could also suddenly decrease his pace and bowl slow deliveries. O’Reilly took 774 wickets in first-class matches—144 of them in Test matches at an average of 22.59 runs each wicket. His best bowling performance was 7 wickets for 54 runs, against England at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, in 1934.
William Joseph O’Reilly was born on Dec. 20, 1905, in White Cliffs, New South Wales. He played for New South Wales from 1927 to 1946. He made his Test debut in 1932 against South Africa and made his final Test appearance in 1946 against New Zealand. O’Reilly was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1935. He died on Oct. 6, 1992.
