Oz media brand Ryan Harris as good as Dennis Lillee

Harris has assembled his exceptional record in an era when the Oz team has often been jogging on the spot or going backwards. 

SYDNEY: The Australian media has drawn comparisons between Test player Ryan Harris and the great Dennis Lillee, and mentioned that both had 67 wickets after their first 15 Tests.

According to an Australian website, Harris does not wear a headband and has no gold chain bobbling around his neck, but he has something quite special in common with the great Dennis Lillee, although the duo were at contrasting ages with Lillee at the start of his career and Harris near the end.

The report said that Harris is one of the most underrated players in the game as said by Ricky Ponting and willed his battered old body to ignore the pan and deliver for his side, with skills refined by a decade of first class toil.

Impressively, Harris has assembled his exceptional record in an era when the Australian team has often been jogging on the spot or going backwards, the report added.

He has played only three of the four Ashes Tests but his 20 wickets at 19.25 make him the second-highest wicket-taker in the series, the report further said.