The first Ashes series I remember with any clarity took place forty years ago. The early part of the 1975 summer was memorable for the inaugural World Cup, about which I have waxed lyrical more than once. The previous winter had introduced England to the twin pace threat of Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson. Now they were bringing their brand of cricket to these shores to thrill teenagers like me, just developing my enthusiasm for cricket.
Australia defeated England in the World Cup semi-finals (through the unfamiliar swing of Gary Gilmour) and gave the West Indies a cracking contest in the final. There followed a four-Test series for the little red urn which would give the home nation a chance for revenge.
England were thumped 4-1 Down Under but at last did end the series on a high, thanks to an innings victory at Melbourne. Even without a sulking Geoff Boycott and John Snow, the tourists turned the tables thanks to a captain’s innings by Mike Denness and Peter Lever’s 6-38. Nevertheless, the Aussie squad staying on from the one-day showpiece was pretty formidable.
Rick McCosker was a very useful opener, Ian Chappell a combative skipper and brother Greg one of the best batsmen in the world. Doug Walters was an old-school, smoker, drinker and gambler yet he ended with a Test average of 48, extremely high back in the Seventies. Rod Marsh was another character, whose wicketkeeping was just as strong. And then there was the bowling. Apart from ‘Lilian Thomson’, Max Walker was a fine exponent of swing and Ashley Mallett offered skilful off-spin.
That’s not to say England were weak. We had world-class players such as Alan Knott, Derek Underwood, Snow, opener Dennis Amiss and all-rounder Tony Greig, so a useful series was in the offing. However. from their standpoint, it didn’t get off to a promising start.
At Edgbaston, Denness won the toss and fielded. Australia notched 359, then on day two, Lillee and Walker ripped England apart. Following on, it was Thomson’s turn to claim a five-for and it was all over by the fourth morning. The match was also memorable for Graham Gooch’s debut. After some great performances for Essex, the 21 year-old was thrust into the Test side – and bagged a pair!
Gooch was retained at Lord’s but there were changes elsewhere. Barry Wood opened, Amiss dropped down to four, while debuts were handed to the grey-haired bespectacled David Steele and Kent all-rounder (as he was then) Bob Woolmer. More significantly, Mike Denness made way for new captain Tony Greig. The result was an honourable draw. Edrich, Greig and Knott nullified the threat of Chappell’s seam attack, and even Gooch scored 6 and 37.
At Headingley, left-arm spinner Phil Edmonds played his first Test, and there were recalls for Yorkshire pair John Hampshire (for Gooch) and Chris Old. England were on top at stumps on day four but were denied the chance to level the series by the infamous pitch vandalism by supporters of imprisoned East End villain George Davis. He may have been, as the ubiquitous graffiti proclaimed ‘innocent, OK’ but cricket fans were horrified that someone could ruin an excellent Test match by digging holes on a length making the pitch unplayable.
I’m not sure whether it was the result of the lost day at Leeds but the fourth Test at The Oval was allocated six days. As such it became the longest first-class game in England. A second-wicket partnership of 277 between McCosker and Ian Chappell took the visitors beyond 500, then the pacemen left Greig’s men to follow on 341 behind. Things looked as grim as the late August weather. However, second time around, England took control. Woolmer, promoted to five, responded with 149, four others passed fifty, and they left the Aussies no time to reach their target.
The series ended 1-0 to Australia, but England had regained some confidence. Gooch’s time would come again and David Steele’s quiet determination and resilience struck a chord with the British public, earning him the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award! Australia would destroy the West Indies the following winter, a result which in turn would lead to Clive Lloyd’s all-pace strategy and a new world order in the sport for years to come.
I doubt whether 2015 will create another watershed in world cricket but hopefully there’ll be plenty of drama and excitement for me and all those teenagers out there looking for new sporting heroes, whatever the nationality.
Showing posts with label Jeff Thomson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jeff Thomson. Show all posts
Monday, 6 July 2015
Monday, 9 April 2012
West Indies v Australia - Classic Encounters 1
There's something about a Test series involving the Aussies and Windies that gets my heart pounding. Probably only a child of the '70s and '80s could feel that way. After all, the past decade has not been kind to the men from the Caribbean, and their recent record has been pretty ordinary, slumping to seventh in the ICC rankings, perched a few points above New Zealand.
Since beating India in 2002, their only series triumphs over anyone other than Zimbabwe or Bangladesh have come against Sri Lanka in 2003 and England three years ago. They even lost both Tests at home to Bangladesh in 2009 and have scraped together just eleven match wins in the past ten years, losing fifty in the same period. Ouch! Australia, too, have lost their near-invincibility of the '90s and early '00s. However, they are once again looking up. Probably best to forget the Warnes, McGraths, Waughs and Gilchrists, just as the current bunch of Caribbean stars wish to avoid comparison with the giants of the '70s and '80s. However, I'm quite happy to relive some of the great encounters between the nations were better matched.
Much has been said about the significance of the 1975-6 series. After the bruising defeat, Clive Lloyd launched the search for a ruthless battery of pace bowlers with which to gain revenge. Dennis Lillee was already a brilliant fast bowler, all bristling moustache and flowing dark locks, attracting shouts of 'Kill, kill!' from fans in time with his forty-pace run-up. What batsmen wouldn't quake in their boots in such a hostile atmosphere. Chuck in the equally fast but wild Jeff Thomson, and Australia really got under the West Indians' skin. However, when you look at the scorecards alone, it was the left-armer Gary Gilmour who actually took most of the wickets. Maybe it was Tommo who softened 'em up while the more innocuous Gilmour could get the edges, but it certainly did the trick as the Aussies racked up a 5-1 series massacre.
They won the First Test at Brisbane by 8 wickets but the tourists bounced back in style at Perth. Fredericks and Lloyd scored centuries, then Michael Holding claimed 7-54 to win by an innings. It was all downhill from there on in. Both Gilmour (omitted in favour of Max Walker) and Holding (unfit) were absent but Greg Chappell's side had the better with bat and ball, and Rod Marsh's eight catches told its own story, as the cavalier batsmen were too keen to go for their strokes rather than play a patient game. At Sydney, Lillee was out but this was the game which really turned nasty. Thomson's brutal lifters sent Lloyd, Julien and Holding off the pitch with injuries and took nine wickets in all. Greg Chappell's unbeaten 182 earned him the Man of the Match award. At Adelaide, Australia triumphed by 190 runs despite some bold attacking innings from Viv Richards and Keith Boyce who dented Lillee's figures somewhat.
Dennis the Menace and Gilmour each took five in the first innings at the MCG and they never had a prayer in the bid to reach the declaration target of 492. Only Lloyd and Richards again had the skill and brio to face up to the attack but it was the spin of Ashley Mallett which mopped up the tail.
Two years later, an Aussie side shorn of many stars by the defection to World Series Cricket faced a Windies team gunning for retaliation. In Trinidad, Andy Roberts was as menacing as ever, joined by Colin Croft and Joel Garner. Australia had resorted to recalling 40-something Bobby Simpson as captain but he was powerless in the face of the Windies trio. Debutant Desmond Haynes, Kallicharran and Lloyd made light work of the Aussie bowling, Jeff Thomson less threatening this time.
Tommo took 6-77 at Bridgetown but his batsmen were blown away. However, controversy struck before the Guyana match. Windies players who had become contracted to the WSC were omitted by the selectors, Lloyd resigned as captain and a hastily-assembled bunch of reserves, led by Kallicharran, were narrowly defeated. It did give Sylvester Clarke a debut, one of the great quicks not to become an international superstar. At Port of Spain, the first three innings produced almost identical totals before spinner (yes, spinner!) Derick Parry took 5-15 to win the match and the series.
There was much controversy at Jamaica where, with the Windies on the verge of defeat with a wicket and six overs remaining, a crowd disturbance halted play. While the boards agreed to go into an unprecedented sixth day, the umpires refused to stand and so the match was officially abandoned as a draw!
The West Indies had exacted the revenge on Australia and, although World Series Cricket left both sides bereft of their top players in official cricket encounters, they had some meaty meetings in the Kerry Packer 'Circus' in the late '70s. When the new world order emerged blinking into the 1980s, the West Indies had developed steel to accompany the 'calypso cricket' and didn't look back for fifteen years or so. Australia had to rebuild under Allan Border but there were more great encounters to come....
Since beating India in 2002, their only series triumphs over anyone other than Zimbabwe or Bangladesh have come against Sri Lanka in 2003 and England three years ago. They even lost both Tests at home to Bangladesh in 2009 and have scraped together just eleven match wins in the past ten years, losing fifty in the same period. Ouch! Australia, too, have lost their near-invincibility of the '90s and early '00s. However, they are once again looking up. Probably best to forget the Warnes, McGraths, Waughs and Gilchrists, just as the current bunch of Caribbean stars wish to avoid comparison with the giants of the '70s and '80s. However, I'm quite happy to relive some of the great encounters between the nations were better matched.
Much has been said about the significance of the 1975-6 series. After the bruising defeat, Clive Lloyd launched the search for a ruthless battery of pace bowlers with which to gain revenge. Dennis Lillee was already a brilliant fast bowler, all bristling moustache and flowing dark locks, attracting shouts of 'Kill, kill!' from fans in time with his forty-pace run-up. What batsmen wouldn't quake in their boots in such a hostile atmosphere. Chuck in the equally fast but wild Jeff Thomson, and Australia really got under the West Indians' skin. However, when you look at the scorecards alone, it was the left-armer Gary Gilmour who actually took most of the wickets. Maybe it was Tommo who softened 'em up while the more innocuous Gilmour could get the edges, but it certainly did the trick as the Aussies racked up a 5-1 series massacre.
They won the First Test at Brisbane by 8 wickets but the tourists bounced back in style at Perth. Fredericks and Lloyd scored centuries, then Michael Holding claimed 7-54 to win by an innings. It was all downhill from there on in. Both Gilmour (omitted in favour of Max Walker) and Holding (unfit) were absent but Greg Chappell's side had the better with bat and ball, and Rod Marsh's eight catches told its own story, as the cavalier batsmen were too keen to go for their strokes rather than play a patient game. At Sydney, Lillee was out but this was the game which really turned nasty. Thomson's brutal lifters sent Lloyd, Julien and Holding off the pitch with injuries and took nine wickets in all. Greg Chappell's unbeaten 182 earned him the Man of the Match award. At Adelaide, Australia triumphed by 190 runs despite some bold attacking innings from Viv Richards and Keith Boyce who dented Lillee's figures somewhat.
Dennis the Menace and Gilmour each took five in the first innings at the MCG and they never had a prayer in the bid to reach the declaration target of 492. Only Lloyd and Richards again had the skill and brio to face up to the attack but it was the spin of Ashley Mallett which mopped up the tail.
Two years later, an Aussie side shorn of many stars by the defection to World Series Cricket faced a Windies team gunning for retaliation. In Trinidad, Andy Roberts was as menacing as ever, joined by Colin Croft and Joel Garner. Australia had resorted to recalling 40-something Bobby Simpson as captain but he was powerless in the face of the Windies trio. Debutant Desmond Haynes, Kallicharran and Lloyd made light work of the Aussie bowling, Jeff Thomson less threatening this time.
Tommo took 6-77 at Bridgetown but his batsmen were blown away. However, controversy struck before the Guyana match. Windies players who had become contracted to the WSC were omitted by the selectors, Lloyd resigned as captain and a hastily-assembled bunch of reserves, led by Kallicharran, were narrowly defeated. It did give Sylvester Clarke a debut, one of the great quicks not to become an international superstar. At Port of Spain, the first three innings produced almost identical totals before spinner (yes, spinner!) Derick Parry took 5-15 to win the match and the series.
There was much controversy at Jamaica where, with the Windies on the verge of defeat with a wicket and six overs remaining, a crowd disturbance halted play. While the boards agreed to go into an unprecedented sixth day, the umpires refused to stand and so the match was officially abandoned as a draw!
The West Indies had exacted the revenge on Australia and, although World Series Cricket left both sides bereft of their top players in official cricket encounters, they had some meaty meetings in the Kerry Packer 'Circus' in the late '70s. When the new world order emerged blinking into the 1980s, the West Indies had developed steel to accompany the 'calypso cricket' and didn't look back for fifteen years or so. Australia had to rebuild under Allan Border but there were more great encounters to come....
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