Dene Fleetwood Hills (born 27 August 1970) is an Australian former first-class cricketer who played for the Tasmanian Tigers. He was a left-handed top order batsman, who spent much of his career opening the batting alongside Jamie Cox. He is regarded by some peers and opponents as one of the better players never to have played test cricket. He currently works as a performance analyst for the Australia national cricket team. Early life Dene Hills grew up in Wynyard, Tasmania, where he soon showed the talent that would lead him on to represent his state in first-class cricket. First-class career By the time he had finished school, Hills had already given indication of the talent he possessed. A gifted batsman with a strong defence, he showed a natural preference for off-side play, and could cut and drive elegantly. After attending the Australian Cricket Academy in 1989, Dene Hills made his debut for Tasmania against Western Australia at Hobart in the summer of 1991–92. Hills had limited success in List A cricket, but truly shone as a batsman in the Sheffield Shield. He quickly established himself at the top of the order at a time when Tasmania was re-organising itself into a competitive side. He soon formed a strong friendship with fellow opener Jamie Cox, and the pair blossomed into one of Tasmania's best opening partnerships of all time. The pair formed one of the most consistent domestic partnerships of the 1990s, and Hills defensive strength was the perfect foil for Cox's more attacking flair. He brought up the first of his 21 first-class centuries with a mature-looking 106 against a vastly experienced Queensland side in his debut season, and the following year, 1992–93, he added four more tons at a season average of 50.16. He topped Tasmania's run charts for the 1993–94 season, and his 1,068 runs at 48.54 helped to guide the Tigers into their first-ever Shield final. Their inexperienced side were unable to win on that occasion, but the strong team-ethos of that period helped to build the platform that would lead to later success. Hills had quickly settled into his role as the mainstay at the top order, and as he matured as a player, he learned to build ever larger innings. In the 1995–96 season he scored his first double-century against a Queensland bowling attack that featured the international veterans, Carl Rackemann, Michael Kasprowicz and Craig