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150 editions of the world’s famous sports book WisdenEXTRA No. 8, July 2013 in Divided by a common sport may be best remembered as the lateral- But we are not just concerned with recent . thinking Australian regained the in Rob Smyth’s imaginative précis of than 130 1897-98, when England were thrashed 4–1. But I prefer years of Ashes – summed up in ten deliveries the story told in ’s Game For Anything. – stretches all the way back to in 1882 (the Presented with a royal cigar by the Prince of Book of Genesis, as far as the urn is concerned). And during the 1896 tour of England, Trott was later our archive material includes ’s swing-happy puzzled to be asked what he had done with the destruction of England Lord’s 90 years later. memento. “I smoked it,” he said. We also have cameos from lyricist and cricket-lover We all repeated efforts to distil the essence of Tim Rice, and author and cricket-lover Tom Holland, the Ashes, but that act of lese-majesty does the job more who remembers his first (Headingley ’81, or some than adequately: the Poms as -blood patricians, such). Tyers and Beach shed crocodile tears for the upholders of the faith; the Aussies gloriously egalitarian, Aussies, and Benedict Bermange rummages into his unimpressed by the demands of decorum. menagerie of stats. Somehow the stereotype still passes muster, and the You can also details later in these pages of eighth edition of Wisden EXTRA leads with a lovely Wisden’s special World XI competition, in you piece from Alistair Gildard about the significance of one get to pick your best XI from the last 150 years – the of ’s last remaining five-Test series. lifespan of the Almanack. The selection that comes The Australians’ reputation for cutting to the closest to matching that of Wisden’s team of experts chase has been unwittingly buttressed in recent weeks wins £100 worth of Bloomsbury Sports titles, plus by the punch aimed at in a subscriptions to All Out Cricket magazine and The bar, and the astonishing decision – , our new quarterly home for long-form than a fortnight before the First Test at – cricket writing. For more details, please click here. to sack coach . And if quirky cricket-related music is more your Even before all that, people were wondering if this thing, there’s a chance to win one of ten copies of Sticky was the worst Australian side to visit England since , the new album from The Duckworth Lewis 1989. And Malcolm Conn, perhaps the most strident Method. of anti-English voices while they were losing eight Happy reading – or listening. Your comments, as Ashes series in a row leading up to 2005, examines the ever, are very welcome. comparison here. Some are now wondering whether they are the most distracted too. Lawrence Booth Eagar’s Eye p18 For , the doyen of cricket photographers, sport has no greater contest than the Ashes, which he has covered for well 40 years. In the following pages, he picks ten personal favourites from the many thousands of images he has taken while the battlelines were drawn on English soil.

© John Wisden & Company Limited 2013 Wisden is a trademark of John Wisden & Company Limited WisdenEXTRA • The Ashes in England 1 The Big Hit

Sibling rivalry rather than culture clash? Alistair Gildard peers inside the urn to investigate… Brothers at arms

Some you win, some you don’t: defeated Australians in the and team celebrate at , January 2011.

Pic: Hamish Blair, Getty Images

2 WisdenEXTRA • The Ashes in England It was David Warner who expressed it most International cricket can be a sociopolitical eloquently. No, really. tinderbox. From the apartheid-era South Africans With a booze-fuelled swing at England’s to the regional pride of the great West Indians, angelic starlet Joe Root, ’s ocker opener rare is the cricket contest that doesn’t find itself ripped the lid clean off any apparent embargo on encumbered with baggage from beyond the pre-Ashes repartee and got everyone buzzing about . In the past decade alone, England the greatest rivalry in sport. have conducted series against and Sri Admittedly it was an odd way to reignite Lanka that prompted debate at government level, Anglo–Australian passions. But rather than focus on while of all people was lauded as the violence, let’s instead marvel at how the incident “statesmanlike” after leading England back to resonated without too much vibration. in the wake of the bombings. may have high-handedly branded Warner’s actions It’s not all about broad themes either. One needs “despicable” but, with details emerging of fake beards only think of the toxic fallout of the Monkeygate and jaegerbombs, this was no ordinary Birmingham bar saga involving and Harbhajan brawl. Warner’s idiocy (and subsequent apology) misses Singh, or ’s -in with the point that most Englishmen were too busy laughing at Faisalabad, to recognise that all too often in cricket to take any real offence. a moment of indiscretion can, like the proverbial Leaving aside the horrified moralising from butterfly, lead to a series’ worth of earthquakes. And Down Under, this was Ashes banter in extremis, an that’s before we even consider the motherlode that extension of the of fisticuffs that have occurred is India v , the ultimate example of sport as down the years on the grass banks of and George Orwell would have understood it. without anyone seriously suggesting that In the midst of all that, the Ashes represent an the relationship between England and Australia is island paradise, a chance to breathe easy every two or anything other than exemplary. It’s the sort of stuff so years and soak in a cricket contest that really is all that, 20-odd years ago, inspired the Barmy Army about the on-field action. That fact was perhaps most to hit back with song rather than limb because, keenly felt when England travelled to Australia in the as clumsily reiterated in a recent autumn of 2010. The prospect of defending the urn in interview, Australians are too culturally illiterate to Australia for the first in 24 years was a rest cure cope with such a highbrow approach. And, whoops, compared to the poison that had seeped into England’s off we go again... home summer, courtesy of the spot-fixing scandal that The Warner incident even earned a special mention erupted in the final month of Pakistan’s visit. on Channel 4’s Friday night gameshow, The Million By contrast, 80 years have elapsed since , Pound Drop – one of the most prominent slots cricket the one truly diplomatic incident between England has occupied on TV since the 2005 Ashes. “What did and Australia. It is almost as though the prospect of Solihull Police tweet was on the loose this morning?” losing an empire over the small matter of a cricket was the question. “A boomerang”, “a wallaby” and match has dissuaded either team from getting quite so “Australian cricketer David Warner” were the three over-sensitive again. Which brings us, indirectly, back possible answers. to Gower’s recent point. It’s not that Australia lacks The contestant instantly piled her cash on to our culture as such, it is that England and Australia lack a Dave, correctly reasoning that (a) “he punched Joe clash of cultures. Theirs is a sibling rivalry, but it’s far Root” (honestly, what would have been the chances of from a blood feud. a member of the public knowing such details about, The context of the Ashes rivalry is one thing, but say, ?) and (b) “Solihull is in Birmingham”. it would mean nothing without the content. In an Unfortunately she was wrong and lost all her money era that is designed to rush past in a blur of instant (the answer was, in fact, the wallaby) but that does not updates, the opportunity to luxuriate in a contest that detract from her impressive grasp of the facts. Cricket stretches across 25 playing days is rare to the point is back on the public agenda. With favourable form of anachronism. And yet the world still stops for an and forecasts, the Ashes effect could keep it there until Ashes series precisely because it allows us enough time January next year. to slow down and take it all in. Unlike his occasional opening partner, Cowan, It is the dramatic pauses in Test cricket that make it Warner may not fully appreciate the power of the most engrossing sport in the world. Even in 2005, symbolism. “No offence, mate, but I want to knock the most storied Ashes series of all, fever pitch was your block off” is a sentiment that might as well have not reached until the ninth day of the campaign, the been snarled by every Aussie cricketer from Spofforth stage at which most modern-day Test series tend to be to Siddle. Like goading at winding towards a conclusion. Instead England’s two- the , you can picture Root doffing his run win at Edgbaston guaranteed that the remaining in response and getting on with his evening. In 15 – fifteen! – days would be worth tuning in for. a sport so often riven by cultural sensitivities, that is continued overleaf actually a deeply refreshing state of affairs.

WisdenEXTRA • The Ashes in England 3 Botham’s Ashes was even more of a slow burner, the MCC members in 1981, for instance, or Kevin taking until the rest day of the Third Test to spark into Pietersen’s insouciant six-smacking in an otherwise life. By modern standards, that series could have ended tame defeat at Lord’s that set the parameters for the up as memorable as England’s recent tour of New Oval onslaught to follow. Zealand, which required some hasty revision after Matt What’s more, in an Ashes summer, it’s best to start Prior’s final-day rearguard at Auckland enlivened an watching even before the title sequence appears. In otherwise humdrum tour. 2005, ’s vein-popping display in the Rose Unfortunately, three and out is the standard rule for Bowl was a hint of the lively fare in store, modern Test series. In the course of his 198-Test career, as was the character showed in his has played in just three five-match confrontation with in the Edgbaston rubbers, most recently in the in 2001-02, one-day international. and he has never made more than 500 runs in a series And who knows, by the end of August, David (though he has come mighty close, with 493 in four Warner’s indiscretion in the Walkabout may come to Tests in Australia in 2003-04). be viewed as the first sign of Aussie disintegration, or More’s the pity for such a box-office performer the first sign of a fighting spirit that is crying out to be because, like a beautifully woven film dialogue in corralled. Either way, the beauty is that there is so much which passing conversations hold the key to future time for all of this to matter. Even to the Friday night plot twists, little details crop up in the course of five- gameshow fraternity. Test series that only become fully apparent in the final act of the play – ’s frosty reception from Alistair Gildard is a freelance cricket writer

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4 WisdenEXTRA • The Ashes in England Even though the technology had been around for decades, this must have been one of the very first colour photographs of Test . That’s because the two leading photo agencies – Sport & General and Central Press – had the Tests sewn up between them. Occasionally a local paper such as the Post might wangle their own snapper into the ground, but essentially every photograph taken of international cricket was by those two agencies. Their clients were the dailies – and they wanted black and white only.

But in 1972, the exclusive agency agreement came to an end, and freelance photographers had a chance to see what they could do. And this Test at – the first of the 1972 Ashes – was only my second as an official photographer. (Jim Swanton had pulled a few to get me into Headingley back in 1965, but the agencies closed ranks to make sure it didn’t happen again.)

Colour took far longer to process than mono images, but as I was selling my wares to rather than the papers, it was a luxury I could afford. You can see there’s a bit of early-season greenness to the pitch, and maybe that’s done for – Dennis Lillee in both , though England did go on to win by 89 runs. I like the life in this one; in fact, it has a modern air to it, even though it’s more than 40 years old. Not bad, even by today’s standards! Shame I couldn’t have made it a bit looser and not had to lose some of Lillee. In those days, though, you were stuck with a fixed lens, so it was a question of getting all of the keeper or all of the bowler… Eagar’s Eye 1

WisdenEXTRA • The Ashes in England 5 Eagar’s Eye 2

I’m cheating here, as isn’t in a Test. But it’s an arresting shot of a towering Ashes figure. I’d been to Australia for the 1974-75 series, but never quite managed to crack that amazing Thommo action. Later, as I watched the review of the series, which included a slow- motion sequence of him bowling, I realised there was a second in his action that just summed up his raw speed and power. Thommo was over in England for the 1975 World Cup, and Australia had a warm-up game against . So I hopped off to Lord’s and devoted a roll of film to trying to capture that moment as a still. I didn’t quite manage it even then, as no matter where I was, the non-striker got in the way. This is the best I got, and it’s done me proud over the years. It appeared in The Sunday Times and on the front page of , and there’s even a copy in National Museum in Canberra.

6 WisdenEXTRA • The Ashes in England Wisden EXTRA • v England 6 From the Archive Wisden 2006

England, one down after the First Test at Lord’s, hung on for grim death to shade the closest of all Ashes Tests. Like everyone else, Steven Lynch was on the edge of his seat Edgbaston’s Ashes cracker

Scorecard: click here At Birmingham, August 4, 5, 6, 7, 2005. England won by two runs. : Australia.

If Australia had been rolled over in a couple of balls “It just got big quick, and I didn’t see too much of it.” on the fourth morning, which was wholly possible, Nor did Bowden. this would still be remembered as a great Test match: After umpteen TV replays, it was possible to it produced exciting, fluctuating, often brilliant cricket conclude that Kasprowicz’s left hand was off the bat at from day one. But the crowd that turned up and filled the moment of impact and, technically, he was . Edgbaston on the Sunday seemed to sense they would Bowden, however, would have needed superhuman be seeing something more worthwhile than three vision to see this, and an armed escort involving several minutes’ cricket and a victory singsong. regiments to escape the crowd had he actually refused They still got the win they desperately wanted and to give it out. It was also the right decision for cricket: expected, but in a manner that will never be forgotten. 2–0 to Australia would have been the signal for the When the Old Trafford Test began four days later, The football season to begin; 1–1 lit the blue touchpaper. Greatest Test DVD was on sale. And no one was arguing The Greatest Test became the Greatest Series, and the with the description. On that sunlit fourth morning, pyrotechnics illuminated the summer. The final margin England strode out on to the field with Australia 175 for was the closest in England–Australia Tests, edging the eight, chasing 282. The main batsmen were all gone, and three-run thrillers at Old Trafford 1902 and so was the swaggering confidence that had characterised 1982-83 – and neither of those could match this one in Australia’s Test performances for almost the whole of the its relentless unmissability. previous 16 years. The drama began before the toss, when McGrath trod But sometimes there is nothing quite as invigorating on a ball during practice and tore his ankle ligaments. as a hopeless situation. Warne started brightly, Lee Despite losing his leading fast bowler, Ponting jumped solidly behind the ball, collecting bruises as decided to field on a cloudy morning, influenced well as runs, and the target ticked down. Warne trod by some gloomy predictions about the pitch, which on his stumps with 62 wanted, but still it wasn’t over. had been under water less than a week beforehand The bowlers dug the ball in too short and too straight, after Birmingham was struck by a mini-tornado. But, aiming for catches off the splice rather than in the in keeping with Australia’s flawed backroom work well-stocked cordon. England’s confidence turned throughout the tour, Ponting’s decision ignored well- to concern to alarm to panic. And the last pair, Lee and informed local opinion on both the weather and the Kasprowicz – with plenty of from Extras – whittled tendency of Edgbaston wickets to deteriorate. the target down towards single figures. Vaughan could hardly believe his luck, and With 15 required, Kasprowicz flicked Flintoff Ponting rapidly got the sinking feeling of a captain uppishly to third man, where failed to hold who has made a very, very big mistake. Against a on to a difficult catch as he dived forward. England’s McGrathless attack, England shed their inhibitions last chance appeared to have gone. But finally, with and their vulnerability, and hurtled to 407 inside just three wanted, Harmison banged one into the left 80 overs – not the full 90 – the most conceded by glove of Kasprowicz, who hunched down horrified as Australia on the first day of any Test since 1938. the ball looped down the and Trescothick led the way with a blazing 90, as the plunged for the winning catch, the signal for tumultuous continued overleaf celebrations. A mournful Kasprowicz said afterwards:

WisdenEXTRA • The Ashes in England 7 bowlers obligingly served the ball into the perfect England to 31 for four – Vaughan’s off was sent groove for his crunching cover and off-drives. He flying by a 91mph nip-backer – Warne dominated the hit 15 fours and two sixes, but was out shortly after third day. He bowled unchanged from the City End, lunch, in sight of his first Ashes . Bell followed usually round the into the rough, often turning third ball, and Vaughan hooked straight to long leg, the ball unfeasible distances. Bell and Pietersen might but that set up a crucial stand of 103 between the big- have been unlucky to be given out caught behind, hitting pair of Pietersen and Flintoff. but Pietersen, whose 20 included two huge sixes Unsure at first against Warne, who wheeled away over midwicket off Warne, had survived a confident through 25.2 overs, Flintoff hit his way out of trouble, caught-behind appeal from Lee first ball. carting Warne into the stands and once swatting a Warne’s fifth wicket reduced England to 131 Lee over the rope despite taking his eye off for nine, 230 ahead, but Flintoff then loose, the ball and trying to withdraw the bat. Few innings slamming four more sixes to take his match total to of such power and importance have conveyed so little nine, an Ashes record, outbeefing Ian Botham’s six authority: Flintoff was feeling his way uncertainly into at in 1981. Now, this was Flintoff in full the series but, once he got there, he commandeered command of both his shots and the situation. One it. After 45 overs, the official halfway mark, England Kasprowicz over went for 20, despite a ring of fielders were already 236 for four, a day’s ration in the dour on the boundary, then Lee disappeared for 18, with 1950s and ’60s. one of two sixes being fished out of the TV cables Flintoff had carved five sixes and six fours when on the pavilion roof by . Flintoff was he became Gillespie’s 250th Test victim, just after tea. finally bowled for 73 – Warne’s tenth wicket of the But then Pietersen, who had intelligently held back match and 599th in Tests – but the last-gasp stand of while Flintoff flailed, took over to score his third half- 51 with Simon Jones had swelled the lead and given century in his first three Test innings, this time wafting England’s dressing-room the scent of victory. a forthright 71 with a six and ten fours, several from The frenetic pace continued in a three-and-a-half- a whipped forehand drive to midwicket reminiscent hour session on the third evening. Australia galloped of the tennis court, more Borg than . The tail to 47 in 12 overs before Flintoff, almost inevitably, joined in too: Simon Jones was the fifth man to hit a shook things up. Langer dragged his second six on a day which featured ten of them, as well as 54 into his stumps, and Ponting nicked the seventh (after fours, and the eventual rate was a breathless a no-ball), a leg-cutter, having kept out some searing 5.13 an over. Australia did manage to bowl England . Hayden grafted to 31 before being well out on the first day – but for 407. caught by the tumbling Trescothick at slip – Simon Rain prevented Australia from on the first Jones’s over-the- send-off cost him 20% of his evening, and they started badly next day when Hayden match fee – and three more went down before Flintoff, drove his first ball straight to cover, his first Test in his second , thudded a straight one into for 40 months and 68 innings. Langer dug in after Gillespie’s . being hit on the in Harmison’s first over – he With the score at 140 for seven, England claimed said his old coach always liked to see him get hit early the extra half-hour in a bid to polish the match off in on, as it sharpened him up. And he resisted for four three days. But Warne went on the offensive, lofting and a half hours, lasting long after Ponting had gone Giles for two sixes, and the only casualty of the extra for a pleasant 61. But the middle order misfired, and period was Clarke, bamboozled by Harmison’s rare Gilchrist was stranded on 49 when Flintoff struck after another easy-on-the-eye innings. That twice in two balls, leaving England with a handy lead turned out to be the final ball of the day. At the time, it of 99. That increased by another 25 on the second seemed slightly unfortunate that there would probably evening, for the loss of Strauss, who was fooled by be so little left for a full house on the fourth day. But Warne’s second ball, a huge turner which fizzed across for the crowd the simple prospect of beating Australia his body and crashed into the stumps. It made Warne was unmissable. Soon, their enthusiasm was to ripple the first overseas bowler to take 100 Test wickets in out across the whole country. England, and brought – for England – unnerving comparisons with the Gatting ball of 1993. Man of the Match: A. Flintoff. Attendance: 81,870. Indeed, after an initial burst from Lee reduced Receipts: £2,970,226.

8 WisdenEXTRA • The Ashes in England Eagar’s 3 Eye

Well, I can caption this pic of the 1975 Aussies pretty much in my … Nowadays, we’re used to the whole team bunching together to look at a replay on the giant screen, but back then you jumped at the chance to take an unposed image of so many players all looking your way. Well, I did, at least. I reckon from left to right it’s Rod Marsh, , , , , Rick McCosker, , , and Dennis Lillee. That means there’s one man missing – Jeff Thomson was probably catching his breath at third man after another spell of out-and-out pace. What a team! It was black and white as the light can’t have been up to much, but it gives it something of a Reservoir Dogs look. This was at Edgbaston, and they’re all congratulating Marsh after catching off Walker’s bowling.

WisdenEXTRA • The Ashes in England 9 It’s 24 years since ’s team arrived in England damned as the worst Australian side to visit these shores. Malcolm Conn compares that squad with the current crop

Déjà vu all over again?

How did it come to this? A team that was playing for or unrated when the First Test began at Headingley in the No. 1 Test ranking in December are now trying to early June. avoid the tag of laughing stock. The once-imposing had played just two Tests, Australians appear to be unravelling. eight (for an average of 18) and had been The process began in India earlier this year. indulged for 26 Tests while averaging 31. They did not Following hard on the heels of England’s impressive 2–1 have a Test century between them. victory there before Christmas, Australia were flogged The bowling appeared little better. Leg-spinner 4–0. And, amid the on-field carnage, four players – had six Test wickets at 47, including then vice-captain – were was more a bushranger than a bowler, and suspended from the Third Test, at Mohali, for failing to and seemed over the hill. do their homework. The rest, as they say, is history. Taylor, Waugh, Healy Watson went home for the birth of his first child, and Hughes all came of age, joining captain Allan then underwent the remarkable resurrection of Border, and Boon as part of a renaissance becoming Australia’s 44th Test captain when Michael which ultimately took Australia to the top of the world. Clarke was forced out of the final Test because of his Now, 24 years on, skipper Michael Clarke stands with persistent back condition. Border as the only established class player in the team, No sooner had Watson led Australia to defeat than and there are more centurions in this current squad he was forced to resign as vice-captain so that Brad than there were in 1989. Unfortunately for Australia, Haddin, who had initially lost his place as wicketkeeper Warner – one of the most exciting, if unreliable, among to , could return as Clarke’s deputy. them – could miss the start of the series because of his Then, to top it all, David Warner set what must suspension. surely be a world record for international cricket, twice For all his foibles, an improved Phil Hughes has three pleading guilty to separate charges of bringing the game Test hundreds amid his 21 first-class centuries. But if into disrepute in the space of three weeks. Australia are to have any chance of triumphing, then He was fined £3,500 for a Twitter rant against two Shane Watson must impose his vast talent as Waugh did. cricket writers, then £7,000 – plus a month’s suspension And Clarke, Wisden’s Leading Cricketer in the World for – for punching Joe Root in a Birmingham bar at 2.30am 2012, must continue to shine, if he can ever rid himself after Australia had lost to England in the Champions of his back problems. Trophy. Then came the sacking of Mickey Arthur. It is Australia’s where most hope and So, having been bundled out of that tournament excitement lingers. This current crop of pacemen has without winning a match, is this really the worst the chance to be something special – if they can stay on Australian team to tour England, as some UK the park. commentators have gleefully claimed? At his best, is the pick of a very Perhaps it is best to let history be the judge. The last good bunch, able to bowl 93mph with raw “worst Australian team ever” landed at Heathrow in aggression. is an exceptionally talented, if 1989 – and left four months later with a 4–0 victory. And unpredictable, left-armer, and a much better however much the errant Warner had to drink before he bowler than when he toured England four years ago. took that ill-judged swing at Root, it would not hold a keg Thankfully, they can all bat. to , who broke Rod Marsh’s Kangaroo Route The biggest surprise could be who, record by consuming 52 cans on the way over. with his outswing, persistent seam and exceptional That 1989 side contained a of Australia’s control at a lively pace, may yet prove a tall version of all-time greats, but most of them were either unknown Alderman. The 26-year-old Bird has 11 wickets in two

10 WisdenEXTRA • The Ashes in England Tests, winning the match award in his second, against The outlook may not be as depressing for Australia as at Sydney. And he arrived in England with 98 it seems. first-class wickets at just 19 apiece. Then there is – like Lawson, the old man Malcolm Conn is the chief cricket writer for News Group of the attack – who is the best outswing bowler in the Ltd in Australia (and, , he was one of the two cricket country when fitness prevails. writers involved in the Twitter spat with David Warner)

Eagar’s Eye 4

This isn’t an outstanding pic in its own right – but, goodness, it was an outstanding moment, a real statement. And as statements go, they don’t come much more emphatic. It was Trent Bridge 1989, at the end of the first day of the Fifth Test. Australia led 3–0 in a six-match series, so they had already retained the urn, but of course the Aussies never ease off. Allan Border won the toss and chose to bat. And bat they did. By the close, Mark Taylor was 141 not out, 125 not out – and Australia 301 for none. I think they doubled that before Border declared. It was Mike Atherton’s Test debut, and England lost by an innings and plenty.

WisdenEXTRA • The Ashes in England 11 For me, the summer of ’72 was a time of discovery. I was let loose on Test cricket, and could explore positions and angles the agency photographers had ignored. It wasn’t their fault: the papers wanted a traditional composition, so that’s what they got. This one – caught by off – was taken from the rugby ground at Headingley, where there was a sort of suspended sightscreen blocking the view. If you were careful, though, you could sneak a good shot. I was covering this Test for The Sunday Times as well as The Cricketer, which meant taking two cameras, one with a black and white film, the other with colour. That could be awkward, as my 600mm lens wasn’t really up to taking colour. I ordered another from Japan in May, giving me plenty of time – I thought – before the Ashes started. It turned up in September…

This photo must have been taken some time on the third afternoon, with the sort of packed close field that is every photographer’s dream. I’d spent months looking through the viewfinder at a batsman, a keeper and an expanse of grass, and all of a sudden there were three more fielders. This match came to be known as the “fusarium” Test because a fungus had attacked the pitch a few days before. Underwood took advantage of the grassless , ending with ten for 82; England won by nine wickets and so held on to the Ashes. Until a few weeks ago that was the last time Eagar’s a spinner of any nationality had taken ten in a Test at . But at the end of May, Eye flattened New Zealand – and without the aid of a fungus. 5

12 WisdenEXTRA • The Ashes in England No Test series offers more statistical gems than England v Australia. Benedict Bermange picks a few of the most appealing… Eight runs off one ball – and eight in a session

Only one man has played Test cricket for England on the third day of the Nottingham Test in 1938. The against Australia – and for Australia against England: fewest is eight, by England’s before lunch Billy Midwinter represented Australia in 1877, before on day four of the Test of 1958-59. switching allegiance for the next five years. Many players have been dismissed first ball, but normally remains in the Lord’s Museum, just two have suffered that misfortune in both regardless of which side hold it. Had it been allowed to innings: England’s William Attewell at Sydney in travel to the country of the winner, however, it would 1891-92, and Australia’s Ryan Harris at Adelaide in have clocked up 231,198 miles since 1882. And if 2010-11. Australia win this summer, it would – in this parallel universe – finish the year having travelled further than Only two teenagers have played for England in the from the earth to the moon. Ashes: in 1950-51, and Ben Hollioake in 1997. Australia have fielded 11 teenagers – the most The urn itself is only 11cm high, making it one of the recent being Doug Walters, in 1965-66. One player from smallest trophies in sport. is England’s tallest each country has played aged over 50: . G. Grace for Ashes cricketer, at 6ft 8in – the same height as Bruce England, Bert Ironmonger for Australia. Reid, Australia’s tallest. The shortest Ashes cricketer was England’s Alfred “Tich” Freeman, who played two Kevin Pietersen has faced 2,544 Ashes deliveries, hitting matches on the 1924-25 tour and stood at 5ft 2in. 17 of them for six. Mike Atherton managed one six from 4,974 – a hook off at Old Trafford Michael Clarke hit a seven at Adelaide in 2006-07, after in 1997. But Geoff Boycott faced 8,568 balls, without running three, then being gifted four overthrows. But ever clearing the ropes. the most runs from a single stroke is eight, thanks to two sets of overthrows. The beneficiary was England’s The most deliveries faced before getting off the mark , at Melbourne in March 1929. is 80, by England wicketkeeper John Murray, who was suffering from a shoulder injury at Sydney in 1962- There have been three centuries scored before lunch 63. He was almost pipped at the same venue 28 years on the first day of an Ashes Test – and all by Australians: later by , the Australia fast bowler: at Manchester in 1902, Charlie Rackemann needed 76. Macartney at Leeds in 1926 and , also at Leeds, in 1930. Two bowlers have taken five wickets The most fours hit by one batsman in an innings is 46, before lunch on the first day – Australia’s by Don Bradman during his 334 at Headingley in 1930. at Melbourne in 1878-79, and Tom Richardson, of The England record is held by – who England, at Lord’s in 1896. managed 38 while making his match-winning 207 at Edgbaston in 1997. The most runs in a full session by a single batsman is continued overleaf 127, by Australia’s Stan McCabe, between lunch and tea

WisdenEXTRA • The Ashes in England 13 Australian Bob Cowper’s innings of 307 at Melbourne in 1989 to reach 301 without loss. But the longest in 1965-66 contained 26 threes, because of very long Ashes took place at Adelaide in 1928-29: boundaries and an exceptionally slow outfield. and added 262 for England’s third wicket, and batted for 146.1 overs – or The longest spell came from Aussie off-spinner Tom 877 deliveries. Veivers, who at Old Trafford in 1964 bowled the last 51.1 of his 95.1 overs unchanged. This broke the Jason Gillespie once took five wickets in seven Ashes record, set at Sydney in 1894-95, when Australian deliveries – spread across two and a half years. At Perth keeper and captain had to leave the field in 1998-99, he claimed three wickets with the last four injured. took charge, put himself on to balls of his 15th over, and added another with the second bowl the very next over, and sent down 50 consecutive ball of his next, to finish off England’s second innings. overs until England were dismissed. On his next Ashes appearance, at Edgbaston in 2001, he dismissed with his first delivery. Australian openers Geoff Marsh and Mark Taylor batted throughout the first day of the Nottingham Test Benedict Bermange is the cricket statistician for

Eagar’s Eye 6

I so nearly failed to get this image. Along with everyone else, I was utterly wrapped up in the conclusion of the 2005 Trent Bridge Test. I really thought was going to win it for the Aussies, and that would have meant they retained the Ashes. I’d been following England for well over 30 years, and experience told me what was likely to happen. So when hit the winning runs in the tensest finish I’ve ever known, I was in danger of completely losing it. Everywhere, you can see the sense of relief – from Giles’s face to those in the crowd. At Nottingham, the backdrop can be messy if you’ve placed yourself too fine, but this one worked out well. (Now I look at the image again, it seems the Australians are in need of relief too, judging from the gestures of and .)

14 WisdenEXTRA • The Ashes in England

My First Test

It was 1981, and Tom Holland didn’t care much for cricket – until all hell broke loose at Headingley… And then came the king

Scorecard: click here

When Saul of Tarsus set off on the road to Damascus, But I was less despondent than my father. England he did so “breathing out threatenings and slaughter” might have been fouling things up – but Botham, the against the infant Church. Then a flash of light. The man whose fortunes I had signed up to prior to the risen Christ appeared. Saul promptly fell off his horse. match, actually seemed to be doing quite well. He had From that moment he was a changed man. The figure bagged six Australian wickets; he had scored a half- who had previously devoted his life to persecuting the century; he had even begun to smile. I found myself Church was now its biggest fan. Saul of Tarsus was on feeling relieved for him – and wondering how he would his way to becoming St Paul. do when he batted again. When England slumped in While I hesitate to compare myself to the great apostle, their second innings, it was my father who switched the I can certainly vouch for the possibility of Damascene television off and announced that we were going to the conversions. Once, back before my teens, I used to hate cinema. I had actually wanted to stay. I was keen to see cricket. Given half a chance, I would cheerfully have how Botham got on. breathed out threatenings and slaughter. Even compared The film we went to was called Excalibur. Men with to other sports, it seemed to me the absolute embodiment beards staggered around in fog getting murdered. It was of tedium and pointlessness. But then, in July 1981, I set just like the England first innings at Headingley. At the out on my own personal road to Damascus. end, though, as a blood-red sun set on King Arthur, and It was the school holidays. My mother was in hospital gore-smeared knights crawled across a corpse-littered having a routine operation, and my father was looking battlefield, there came a message of hope. “One day,” after me. He suggested, more in hope than expectation, Arthur told Sir Percival, “a king will come, and the that he me through the forthcoming Test match. sword will rise again.” A thought to cling to as we left the The context, he explained, was a dramatic one. England cinema, got in the car, and hurried back home to find were in a state of chronic disarray. With four Tests of out the score. I realised, as I settled myself down on the their series against Australia still to play, they were sofa, that I was actually feeling nervous. “It’s probably all already 1–0 down. Their captain, a man called Ian over,” my father said. He switched on the TV. Botham, had scored nought the two previous times he It wasn’t all over. England were perilously placed, had batted, and had just resigned. Two ducks in a row! and defeat remained a near certainty – but Botham, at This made Botham sound very much a sportsman in least, was still in. “What a triumph it would be for him,” my own mould. Since he was still in the England team, a commentator declared wistfully, “if he could still be albeit demoted to the ranks, I found myself – rather to batting at six o’clock this evening.” I hugged my knees. my surprise – moderately interested in how he would Yes, I thought – what a triumph indeed! I willed Botham cope. I told my father I would give the Test match a go. not to get out. I did so with a desperation I had not Things did not kick off well for England. Australia thought possible to feel. As I watched, every ball seemed ground their way to 401, and in reply the English batsmen a matter of life and death. For the very first time in my were all out for a paltry 174. This enabled me to learn life, I was gripped by watching sport. what the follow-on was. England, my father dolefully By the close of play I was not merely gripped – I informed me, were doomed. Only one team in the whole of was addicted. The rush of excitement that Botham had Test history had ever followed on and ended up winning. provided me with by lashing the Australian bowlers That was in 1894. We might as well stop watching now. to every corner of Headingley in a brilliant, unbeaten

16 WisdenEXTRA • The Ashes in England When else but Headingley ’81? What a moment in Ashes history as Ian Botham, unbeaten on 145, leaves the field in triumph on the fourth evening. Action shots are fun, and often more relevant, but for placing an event in its social and historical context, this pic just hits the spot, a real period piece. Never mind the fact that the crowd are jostling their hero; just look at what the policeman is doing in the background. Nothing! Like the lads here, I’d come on to the field too – that must be a practice pitch in the foreground – to get closer to the moment. That made life slightly more awkward for me, as I was moving towards Beefy, who was running Eagar’s towards me, and so getting the focus right wasn’t easy. This, though, does Eye seem quite sharp – just like the young chap in suit and shiny shoes! 7

145, by winning for England an improbable 125-run Soon afterwards, so too were Australia. Such relief – lead, was like nothing I had ever known. The thought such remarkable joy. Five days previously I would have of having to until the next morning to find out just laughed at the very idea, but Test cricket, it turned out, how many more he might score, and whether England could be the most exciting, intoxicating, heart-thumping might actually win, seemed intolerable. That night I thing in the world. could hardly sleep. My father, of course, was delighted I had come to In the event, Botham managed to smash one further this realisation – that I had seen the light at last. “Just boundary before he was left stranded on 149. Australia beware, though,” he admonished. “Not every Test match needed 130 to win. Clearly, then, England were going has endings that are this exciting.” to lose. I settled back mournfully to watch the last rites. I knew he was right – but I didn’t care. I was too busy But they proved thrillingly slow to arrive. A Test match looking forward to the next one. that had already served up so much now delivered its Roll on, Edgbaston, I thought. final, climactic twist. Australian wicket after wicket fell. Then a recovery. The walrus-moustachioed Rod Marsh. Tom Holland is author of Rubicon: The Triumph and To be so close, only to lose – agony! But no. Up the ball Tragedy of the Roman Republic, and penned a chapter went into the air, down into the hands of in The Authors XI: A Season of English Cricket from it fell – and Marsh was out. Hackney to Hambledon

WisdenEXTRA • The Ashes in England 17 Eagar’s Eye 8

I just had to include a pic or two from the summer of 2005. I reckon those five Tests formed the most exciting, cliff-hanging series ever played: even better than ’81, and that’s saying something. This is another image that’s been good to me over the years. I reckoned the story – it was the third day of the Fourth Test, at Trent Bridge – was likely to be wickets rather than runs, and I remember saying to David Ashdown of that it was ages since there’d been a good slip catch. I was using a long lens, and this was as as it would go, while David was using a wide lens, and he went in tight. It’s a case of swings and roundabouts, I suppose. Anyway, we’d done the right thing by positioning ourselves at third man, and were perfectly placed for Andrew Strauss’s amazing catch to dismiss Adam Gilchrist off Freddie’s bowling. Technically, it’s not an especially difficult shot. If I was being fussy, though, I’d say I should have focused on Strauss rather than Gilchrist, but there’s an advantage, since Freddie, Steve Bucknor and are all quite sharp.

18 WisdenEXTRA • The Ashes in England WisdenEXTRA • The Ashes in England 19 From to , Rob Smyth tells the story of 131 years of Ashes cricket – in ten balls

A brief history of time

Harry Boyle to Ted Peate, The Oval, 1882 Hollies to Don Bradman, The Oval, 1948 The match that gave birth to the Ashes is indelibly Four runs, three cheers, two balls and one associated with Frederick “The Demon” Spofforth, who unforgettable anticlimax. Sport may be box-office, raised hell and took a seven-for in both innings. Yet it was but it has always had a fascinating aversion to happy Harry Boyle who claimed the final wicket in Australia’s endings. For two decades Don Bradman lorded over surprise seven-run victory. Ted Peate had an appropriate the Ashes like a colossus, scoring 19 centuries in 37 surname for such an Ashes-themed occasion; Boyle, an matches and taking part in five series wins. In his final accurate medium-pacer who was the ice to Spofforth’s innings he needed four runs to finish his career with fire, bowled Peate to complete England’s collapse from a Test average of 100. But after receiving his cheers 51 for two to 77 all out. The Sporting Times published an from the England players, he was bowled second ball obituary of English cricket, and from a little urn grew the by a from . In a sense, the failure mightiest of cricket contests. immortalised Bradman. 99.94 is one of sport’s most evocative numbers – and a handy PIN for forgetful Len Braund to , Old Trafford, 1902 cricket fans. Of the 412 men with a single Test appearance, poor is probably the most notorious one-cap blunder. to , The Oval, 1953 described his appearance as “one of the Given sport’s crescendoing nature, it is a little surprising tragedies of the game”. With Australia 16 for three in the that the Ashes has more memorable first deliveries second innings, Tate dropped their captain Joe Darling than final ones. The exception is 1953, when Denis at square leg. Wisden reckoned that, had Darling gone, Compton pulled the part-time trundler Arthur Morris Australia would have been dismissed for 50 or 60. for four to give England their first Ashes triumph in 20 Instead he added 54 with to help set a years. The crowd charged on to the field and formed a target of 124. England lost by three runs – with Tate the human beard in front of the pavilion. The shot produced last man out, for four. Australia’s win gave them a fourth cricket’s “They think it’s all over” moment – even if successive Ashes triumph. ’s commentary is often misquoted as “It’s the Ashes!” Wisden, giddily hyperbolic as ever, said it to , Adelaide, 1932-33 was a “most welcome victory in Coronation year”. The moment the Bodyline series went nuclear actually occurred with a conventional field setting. When Jeff Thomson to , Perth, 1974-75 Harold Larwood felled Australia’s captain Bill Woodfull After a decade of Ashes series dominated by draws, by striking him near the heart, the England captain 1974-75 was cricket in the raw. England’s batsmen had Douglas Jardine loudly offered the loaded verdict: “Well unusual concerns. Their biggest fear was not so much bowled, Harold”. The gentleman was not for turning – getting out – it was getting out alive, as Dennis Lillee although he didn’t mind turning the screw. Before the and Jeff Thomson put the Poms to the slaughter. There next delivery, Jardine theatrically moved his field into were no helmets, and the boxes were on the gossamer full, leg-side Bodyline . Later that day, Woodfull side of flimsy. When David Lloyd was hit in the rejected an apology from the England manager Plum middle order by Thomson, he went down like a man Warner. “There are two teams out there,” he said. “One is who saw parenthood flashing before him, and had trying to play cricket and the other is not.” Not everyone to retire hurt. Lloyd called it “a crisis in the Balkans”. agreed. Wisden initially said Jardine captained “like a There was certainly a crisis Down Under: England genius”, before revising its opinion a year later. were thrashed 4–1.

20 WisdenEXTRA • The Ashes in England Craig McDermott to Ian Botham, Edgbaston, 1985 Shane Warne to Andrew Strauss, Edgbaston, 2005 Ian Botham’s Ashes trilogy of 1981 didn’t just define There were so many JFK deliveries in the 2005 Ashes his career: it defined the Ashes. Yet, in many ways, that they barely need revisiting. But there was one nothing summed up his superheroism and hold over seldom-discussed ball at Edgbaston which summed up Australia better than this delivery in 1985. Botham, England’s approach throughout a summer in which they wielding a dangerous willow and an even more almost always took the risky option. After England had dangerous mullet, came to the with England got off to a flyer, Shane Warne was brought on to restore 572 for four, and monstered his first ball down order. Andrew Strauss charged down the track to the the ground for six. His seven-ball 18 humiliated fourth ball and dumped it back over Warne’s head. It did Australia, who were left foaming with impotent rage. not affect Warne’s influence on the series, but it showed They lost five wickets that evening, and with it, in that – despite the wearyingly familiar embarrassment of effect, another Ashes series. Lord’s – England were no longer afraid of Australia.

Shane Warne to Mike Gatting, Old Trafford, 1993 Steve Harmison to , Brisbane, 2006-07 Shane Warne’s Ball of the Century is a reminder that You did not need a degree in Symbolism and Tone- you can often judge the brilliance of something by Setting Studies to spot the difference. In 2005, Steve the levels of incredulity and confusion it engenders. Harmison had given Justin Langer a second elbow on his Mike Gatting ooohed, thinking he had been beaten. right arm with the second ball of the series; 16 months On , said “Gatting later, he bowled the first delivery straight to Andrew is taken on the pa… he’s bowled!” Even Warne was Flintoff in the slips. A build-up of unprecedented surprised when he saw the video. Soon he would intensity had spanned the 437 days between the series, understand the parameters of his genius, and so which was coincidentally the number of sweat beads on would England. Warne is still the only man to take Harmison’s right palm. Australia were on top before a 100 Test wickets in a foreign country; many of that legal delivery had been bowled in the series, and went century owed a debt to the ball that got Gatting. With on to record the first Ashes whitewash for 86 years. one delivery, he set up camp in the subconscious of English cricket. Rob Smyth is a freelance writer based in

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WisdenEXTRA • The Ashes in England 21 Eagar’s Eye 9

Thank heavens for the motor drive! Without it, I’d have been stuck with a rather more explicit – and much less publishable – image of this incident. (In fact there is an indelicate photo from a moment earlier that hangs in the downstairs loos of a few friends…) But taking a sequence of images in rapid succession allowed me to get an image that could be seen by a wider public. We’re back in 1975, at Lord’s for the Second Ashes Test, and England are stodging their way to a draw. There wasn’t much entertainment on offer, and many had repaired to the Tavern. Someone promised £20 to this chap – his name was genuinely Michael Angelow – if he ran on to the pitch naked, and the was international cricket’s first streaker. Appropriately enough, Angelow was fined £20 at Marylebone Magistrates Court, but as his friends had a whip-round, he was quids in. I also had a remote control camera looking down the wicket, but in the excitement – and surprise – forgot to press the shutter. Alan Turner, Alan Knott and Tom Spencer see the funny side of it all.

22 WisdenEXTRA • The Ashes in England From the Archive Wisden 1973

Ray Illingworth’s England won the First Test of the 1972 Ashes, but Australia unleashed a secret weapon for the Second, as Wisden editor Norman Preston describes

Massie attack

Scorecard: click here At Lord’s, June 22, 23, 24, 26, 1972. Australia won by eight wickets.

Australia soon avenged their defeat at Manchester in a Anyhow, although this time his reward was confined contest which will be remembered as Massie’s match. to two wickets in each innings he looked a far better The 25-year-old fast bowler from bowler. He had tidied his long fast approach of 22 surpassed all Australian Test bowling records by taking strides, he was truly fast and he sent down far fewer 16 wickets for 137 runs; in all Tests only J. . Laker, 19 loose deliveries. Massie capitalised on the hostility of his for 90 for England against Australia in 1956, and S. F. partner. Barnes, 17 for 179 for England against in A light drizzle delayed the toss and the start for 25 1913-14, stand above him. Moreover, Massie performed minutes. Australia lost little time in taking the initiative, this wonderful feat on his Test debut, the previous best Boycott, Luckhurst and Edrich being removed for 28 by a bowler on his first appearance for his country being runs before any substantial resistance was offered. At as far back as 1890 when at The Oval, Frederick Martin, times Massie bowled round the wicket, but Smith and a left-arm slow/medium-pacer from Kent, took 12 for D’Oliveira raised the score to 54 for three at lunch. 102 for England against Australia on a pitch that had Afterwards, D’Oliveira struck three fine boundaries been saturated by rain. only to be leg-before to Massie’s slower ball, whereupon Not for the first time, particularly in recent years, Greig proceeded to hit his third successive fifty for his England were badly let down by their specialist batsmen, country. who failed lamentably in all respects. From the start they Greig and Knott enabled England to make allowed the Australian bowlers to take the initiative and a satisfactory recovery in their stand of 96, but their excessive caution met with fatal results. Illingworth immediately after tea, at 146, Knott spooned Gleeson won the toss for the seventh consecutive time, and one gently to midwicket where to everyone’s amazement must admit that the hard fast pitch – it remained true Francis dropped the catch. In the end both batsmen fell to the end – was ideal for men of pace. During the first to casual strokes, but Illingworth and Snow played well three days, too, the atmosphere was heavy and ideally so that at the close of a momentous and exciting first day suited to swing. Massie maintained excellent length England were 249 for seven. and direction and his late swing either way always Next morning the new ball was due after two overs troubled the England batsmen. The conditions would and Massie snatched the remaining three wickets and also have suited Arnold, but England’s best bowler at led his team back to the pavilion. Of the 36 bowlers Manchester was suffering from hamstring trouble and Wisden lists who have taken eight wickets in a Test on the morning of the match was replaced by Price, innings, only A. E. Trott, for Australia against England who proved rather disappointing. That was England’s at Adelaide in 1895, and A. L. Valentine, for West Indies only change, whereas Australia brought in Edwards and against England at Manchester in 1950, had previously Massie, who had recovered from a strain. Both were accomplished the performance on their Test debuts. making their Test debuts, and for the first time Western A superb century by Greg Chappell made the second Australia had four representatives in the Test XI. day memorable after Australia had received early shocks One must also stress the important part Lillee played in the loss of Francis and Stackpole for seven runs. in Australia’s victory. Perhaps he was inspired by his continued overleaf six for 66 in England’s second innings at Manchester.

WisdenEXTRA • The Ashes in England 23 Ian Chappell set a noble example as captain, leading efforts of Lillee and Massie. The England collapse – half the recovery with an aggressive display. He used his the side were out for 31 – began when a fast shortish favourite hook to some purpose while his brother ball from Lillee lifted and Boycott, instead of dodging, remained strictly defensive. Ian struck one six near preferred to let it strike his body while his bat was lifted Smith before he fell to a fine running-in catch that high. It bounced off his padded front left ribs over his Smith held rolling over near his ankles. shoulder and dropped behind him on to the off bail. Snow, if not so fast as Lillee, bowled splendidly and It was most unlucky for Boycott as well as England. soon induced a catch from Walters, but Greg Chappell, Obviously, the Australians, having captured so valuable in for three hours before he hit his first boundary, now a wicket so cheaply, now bowled and fielded like men took charge, excelling with the off-drive. Edwards gave inspired. Luckhurst had no positive answer to Lillee’s valuable support, but with the light murky Illingworth pace and soon went, to be followed by Edrich, who was brought on Gifford and then himself, tempting Edwards compelled to flick at a late that would have into indiscretion for Smith to bring off another fine taken his off stump. running catch on the leg side. Chappell duly completed Again, Smith, getting right behind the ball, kept up his hundred on the stroke of time and Australia wound his end, but the remainder were bemused by Massie’s up 71 behind with half their wickets intact. accuracy and late swing which meant that at the end of a On Saturday the gates were closed at 11.10 with miserable Saturday for England they stood only 50 runs 31,000 inside. Greg Chappell lasted another hour and ahead with nine wickets down. a half, batting altogether for six and a quarter hours, It remained only for the weather to stay fine on and in his splendid upright style hit 14 fours. Australia, Monday for Australia to gain their just reward. Gifford who did not wish to face a huge target in the fourth and Price put on 35 in the best stand of the innings, innings, went ahead through another gallant display of but Australia needed only 81 to win, and Stackpole saw powerful hitting by Marsh. He struck two sixes and six them comfortably home. fours in his 50, which came in 75 minutes, and Australia With 7,000 present on the last day, the match was gained a useful lead of 36. Snow, five for 57, alone of the watched by just over 100,000 (excluding television England bowlers excelled. viewers) and the receipts of £82,914 were considered to Only the most optimistic Australian could have be a world record for a cricket match with the possible anticipated the success which so soon attended the exception of India.

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24 WisdenEXTRA • The Ashes in England COMPETIONS COMPETIONS COMPETIONS COMPETIONS COMPETIONS COMPETIONS COMPETIONS Choose your Wisden XI To celebrate the 150th edition of the Almanack, cricket from the 1864 season onwards is eligible, so we invite you to pick the best XI from the last 150 you could choose Bannerman or Bradman, Grace or years. And if your selected side closely matches the Gooch, Hammond or Hadlee, Murali or Marshall, one chosen by the Wisden editorial team, you could Trumper or Tendulkar… Assemble your team in win one of three prizes – see below. , marking the captain and wicketkeeper, The guidelines are simple: anyone who played and email your entry to [email protected].

£100 worth of Bloomsbury Sport titles, a subscription to All Out Cricket magazine and a 1st prize subscription to Wisden’s new cricket quarterly – The Nightwatchman.

£75 worth of Bloomsbury Sport titles, a subscription 2nd prize to All Out Cricket and to The Nightwatchman.

Ten prizes of a subscription to All Out Cricket 3rd prize and to The Nightwatchman.

Closing date for entries is October 1, 2013. The decision of the Wisden editorial team is final. Win one of ten copies of “Sticky Wickets”

“Sticky Wickets” – the second album by the Novello Award-nominated cricket tragics otherwise known as The Duckworth Lewis Method – was released on July 1. (It takes as its cover artwork an event also witnessed by WisdenEXTRA regular Patrick Eagar, though from a different angle… ) From the blistering psychedelic rock of the album’s title track, through the delicate day-in-the-life portrait of “The Umpire”, to the top-notch 80s funk-pop of “”, “Sticky Wickets” is a definite all-rounder – and one brimming with quintessentially British/Irish charm. Also appearing in The Duckworth Lewis Method’s first team on the new recording are Henry Blofeld on “It’s Just Not Cricket”, David Lloyd on “Boom Boom Afridi”, Daniel Radcliffe on “Third Man” and Stephen Fry on “Judd’s Paradox”. For your chance to win one of ten copies of “Sticky Wickets”, send an email by July 31 (with “DLM competition” as the subject line) to [email protected], giving the answer to this question: who faced 80 deliveries before scoring his first run – a record for any player in Ashes history?

WisdenEXTRA • The Ashes in England 25 Eagar’s Eye 10

Ah, this is another from the Edgbaston Test of 1975. The Australians were wearing thick sweaters in that photo of the whole team except for Thommo, but it must have been wet as well as cold, as I took this during a rain break. I’d got to know the Aussies a bit in ’72, but the next year I went on tour with them to the West Indies – I think there were only two photographers in total – and we really got on. In those days there was no problem going in to the dressing-room and, as they knew me well, there’s a natural air to this one. Dougie Walters is closest to the camera. He had a job with Rothmans, and you can guarantee that in any shot of him he’ll have placed a pack somewhere – there it is just behind his right hand. In the background you can see , Rod Marsh and watching TV. Dougie is playing cards with Rick McCosker, cigarette in hand, and isn’t that a cribbage board on the table? Don’t suppose you see many of them in 21st-century dressing-rooms.

26 WisdenEXTRA • The Ashes in England When Tim Rice proposed the toast to 150 editions of Wisden at the Almanack’s launch dinner in April, he was taken back to 1954, – and his school curriculum

An all-round education

I am, of course, honoured to be invited to propose he could read of his new heroes, Len Hutton and his a toast to 150 editions of John Wisden’s Cricketers’ team. And there was Hutton in the 1954 Almanack’s Almanack. I am, of course, disturbed by the fact that first photograph, acknowledging the congratulations I have been alive for the publication of 69, nearly half of the crowd at The Oval with his left hand, cigarette – 46% – of these magnificent tomes. I am, of course, in the right. fortunate indeed that in 1973 I could afford to buy a In Wisden the boy improved his knowledge of complete set of Wisden for just £750. Even allowing at least four school subjects of great importance – for rampant inflation at various times since, and history, geography, mathematics and English. Cricket for the fact that a complete set then was a mere 110 might have been played in the reign of Edward I, volumes, it was still a snip. Holkar defeated Bengal in the Ranji Trophy Final, While I am without any hesitation paying tribute numbers lined up in beautiful and logical columns, to all 150 Almanacks, there is one edition that will wrote of . always hold a special place in my heart, because it Wisden has changed mightily in the six decades was the first one I owned, as a nine-year-old: the since that volume, much more so than in the six 1954 edition, covering the events of Coronation decades before 1954. The changes seem to have year, notably England’s long-awaited recapture accelerated in the 21st century, to the point where of the Ashes, in Aussie hands for 19 long years Wisden veterans such as myself have a little trouble since way before the Second World War. But Don finding our way around. New-fangled ideas such as Bradman had finally retired, and the tide slowly and colour photographs, appreciation of women’s cricket, enticingly turned. pages devoted to games of a mere 50 overs each, and Everything in that 1954 Almanack fascinated and even more pages devoted to an even shorter version obsessed the nine-year-old – he was even unaware of the game, played mainly in foreign parts – these that “I See The Moon” by the Stargazers, “Secret Love” concepts would amaze the young readers of the 1950s, by Doris Day and “Such a Night” by Johnny Ray were almost as much as they would have the readers of the fighting for the No. 1 spot in the hit parade, or that 1890s. And yet the Almanack is also unchanging – Julian Slade’s delightful Salad Days had scored a rare the 150th issue another magnificent brick in the British musical triumph in the West End. He did of the greatest game – as it has been, since 1864, an notice Roger Bannister’s four-minute mile in May, explanation of the triumphs and sometime follies of and the near-total of the sun, conveniently its practitioners, its followers, its commentators, a in a geography lesson on an unusually sunny day in record of its excitements, its routine, its romance, its June. (Incidentally, a song that is still heard today was greed, its literacy, its vulgarity, its life. top of the pops in 1864 – “Beautiful Dreamer” by the To misquote both Kipling and C. L. R. James: immortal American songwriter Stephen Foster.) “What do they know of England who only cricket Sunny days were rare in 1954: it was one of the know?” wettest and gloomiest summers for many years (no Well, quite a lot, actually, thanks to Wisden. one blamed climate change), but the nine-year-old The toast is 150 editions of Wisden. dived over and over again into the 999 pages of a whole new world, not too upset if yet another day This speech has been reproduced with the kind of the Pakistanis’ inaugural tour was washed out, if permission of lyricist and author Sir Tim Rice

WisdenEXTRA • The Ashes in England 27 The struggles of the national cricket team are viewed as nothing short of an emergency in sport-loving Australia. Government intervention was required, with the Ministry of Sport ordering a public inquiry that formed the basis of a Green and Gold Paper entitled Australian Cricket in Crisis: The Great Challenge of Our Age. As leaked to Tyers & Beach.

28 WisdenEXTRA • The Ashes in England