By Seaxe Man
December 8 2012

Seaxe Man reports on Ashes Series 1981 – known as Botham’s Ashes with Captain Mike Brearley.  A comprehensive account on how Brearley was recalled to turn round the series.  

Background/Scenario

After the 1979/80 3 Test Series versus Australia, agreed by both Boards to be a non Ashes series as it was not of iconic status ie of 5 Test Match duration.

This series was incidentally won 3-0 by Australia and Aussie captain Greg Chappell was not best pleased when the Boards stuck to that stance.

At the conclusion of that series, Mike Brearley announced his retirement from Test cricket and resigned the England captaincy.

 He recommended Ian Botham as his successor. However, captaincy did’nt suit Botham well.

 Facing back to back series against the top side of that era, the West Indies, his record made unimpressive reading.

 His 12 match reign produced 4 defeats and 8 draws to equal England’s (then) longest sequence without a win (Leeds 1963 to Oval 1964)

 The upshot of that being, that after two matches of the 1981 Ashes series, Botham resigned at the conclusion of the Lord’s Test.

 The situation at that point of the 6 match series was, 1 down having lost at Trent Bridge and drawn at Lord’s.

 So the selectors were left with the same dilemma when Tony Greig left in 1977 for Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket. They needed a new captain and fast.

They settled on asking Mike Brearley to come out of retirement and lead the side. As before, he was reluctant to do so, but the selectors were persistent and he returned to lead England in the 3^rd Test at Leeds.

 1^st Test Trent Bridge 18,19,20,21 June

 Toss Australia: Australia won by 4 wickets..

Debuts Australia: T.M.Alderman T.M. Chappell

 Other Middlesex players involved in this series were M.W.Gatting, P.R.Downton, J.E.Emburey.

 Downton was one of three keepers in the series, the others being Bob Taylor and Alan Knott.

Downton played only the 1^st Test. Taylor took over for Tests 2,3 and 4. Finally Knott took over for Tests 5 and 6.

This was the first Test in England to have Sunday play and no rest day.

Australia

G.M.Wood

J.Dyson

G.N.Yallop

K.J.Hughes *

T.M.Chappell

A.R.Border

R.W.Marsh +

G.F.Lawson

D.K.Lillie

R.M.Hogg

T.M.Alderman.

England

G.A.Gooch

G.Boycott

R.A.Woolmer

D.I.Gower

M.W.Gatting

P.Willey

I.T.Botham *

P.R.Downton +

G.R.Dilley

R.G.D.Willis

M.Hendrick

England 1^st inn 185. Gatting 52  - Dilley 34.    2^nd inn 125 Botham 33, Gower 28  

Australia 1^st inn 179 Border 63  -   2^nd inn 132 for 6 Yallop 38.

Bowling

England best: Dilley 7 wickets in match. Australia best:  Alderman 9 wickets in match.

Match stats

Alderman opened his Test career with a spell of 24-7-68-4. After being stranded on 198 wickets for 11 months,. Willis became the 6^th bowler to take 200 wickets for England ( 4 in match). Marsh became the first wicketkeeper to take 100 wickets in this series when he caught Woolmer. He also passed Knott’s record with that  dismissal. The selection of Trevor Chappell provided the 1^st instance of three brothers representing Australia in Tests.

2^nd Test Lord’s 2.3.4,6,7 July.

Toss Australia: Result Match Drawn

England 1^st inn 311  Willey 82, Gatting 59.   2^nd inn 265 for 8 dec Gower 89, Boycott 60

Australia 1^st inn 345 Border 64.   2^nd inn 90 for 4 Wood 62

Bowling

Australia; best: Lawson 8 in match.   England: best: Dilley 5 in match.  

Team changes: England: Emburey and Bob Taylor replaced Hendrick and Downton. Australia: Ray Bright replaced Hogg.

Match stats

Boycott equalled Colin Cowdrey by making his 100^th Test appearance and also equalled his total of 60 50’s. England conceded 55 extras, the highest of the series. 

Hughes became the second captain after I.M.Chappell (1974/75) to elect to field first in successive Ashes Tests.

As mentioned previously, Botham resigned at the conclusion of the match, triggering a search for his replacement.

Woolmer had to retire with a bruised arm from a blow by Lawson. Score England 83 and returned at 284.

3^rd Test Leeds 16,17,18, 20, 21 July.

With Brearley now back on board as captain, England embarked on the crucial 3^rd Test at Headingley. They could ill afford to lose another game in the rubber. 2 up with three to play would leave the Aussies in pole position.

As it panned out England were on the brink of that.

Toss: Australia: Result: England won by 18 runs.

For England, Brearley  replaced Woolmer and batted at 3 and Chris Old replaced John Emburey. For Australia there were no changes.

Australia 1^st inn -  401 Dyson 102, Hughes 89, Yallop 58.

England 1^st inn – 174 – Botham 50 and following on 2^nd inn 356 – Botham 149no, Dilley 56.

Australia 2^nd inn – 111 – Dyson 34.

Bowling: Australia: Alderman took 9 match wickets ad Lillee 7.

England: Botham took 7 match wickets and Willis in their second innings had figures of 15.1 – 3 – 43 – 8.

England following by 227 runs owed their victory to the the 117 run 8^th wicket stand between Botham and Dilley augmented by a further 67 for the ninth between Botham and Old and a further 37 between Botham and Willis for the 10^th, Willis’s contribution being 2. Leaving Botham 149 not out.

This left the Aussies requiring 130 for victory. Willis’s 8 wicket spell put an end to that notion.

At one stage England’s odds were 500/1. It was mischievously said and never denied, that some of the oppo had a few quid on that.

Match stats

This was England’s first win since Bombay 1979/80. The margin of 18 runs being the narrowest in Ashes series since Adelaide 1928/29 where they won by 12 runs.

There has only been one previous instance of a side winning a Test after following on.

That was in 1894/95 where England won by 10 runs. Test number 42 played at the SCG and captained by Middlesex’s Andrew Stoddart. An omen here perhaps, as he won that series 3 – 2.

Brearley, recalled to captaincy, established an England record with his 9^th Ashes victory. One more than WG Grace. Botham was the second player to score  a century and take 5 wickets after JM Gregory in an Ashes Test.

Willis’s 8/43 was a  Test best for Headingley and his career best.

Both keepers set world records Marsh overtook Knott’s 263 dismissals when he caught Botham. Bob Taylor passed JT Murray’s total of 1270 catches in 1^st class matches when he caught Lawson for the second time.

Lillee when he dismissed Willey became the leading wicket-taker in the series and passed H.Trumble’s total of 141.   

PS: I was fortunate to watch the epic 117 run stand between Botham and Dilley on TV after taking a flex half day on the Friday afternoon. It will be long remembered by all those fortunate to be either at the ground, watching TV or listening on TMS

Brearley scored 10 and 14 on his recall. The series was now all square as the teams headed for Edgbaston.

4^th Test Edgbaston 30, 31, July and 1^st, 2^nd of August.

Toss: England: Result: England won by 29 runs

Debuts: M.F.Kent for Australia.

For England: Emburey replaced Dilley. Brearley partnered Boycott and Gooch went down to 4.

For Australia: Martin Kent replaced Trevor Chappell and Rodney Hogg replaced Lawson.

England 1^st inn 189 – Brearley 48  - 2^nd inn 219 – Gatting 39, Emburey 37 not out.

Australia 1^st inn 258 – Hughes 47, Kent 46 – 2^nd inn 121 Border 40.

Another  low scoring match with Australia chasing 161 2^nd up.

Bowling

Australia – Alderman  took 8 match wickets and Bright 7.

England – Botham and Emburey took 6 apiece.

Match stats

Needing 142 with 9 wickets in hand on Day 4 when play started at noon.

Australia added  96 (for 3), then lost their last 6 wickets for 16 runs in 47 minutes. Botham took 5 for 1 in 28 balls.

The rest of the wickets were shared around Willis, Old and Emburey.

Gower became the first Leicestershire batsman to score 2000 runs in Tests..

No batsman scored 50 on a rain affected wicket.

So, 2-1 up, and the captain’s ability to get the best out of Botham in particular, was working.

5^th Test Old Trafford 13,14,15,16,17 August.

 Toss: England: Result: England won by 103 runs.

 Debuts: England PJW Allott. Australia MR Whitney.

 For England, Gooch returned to opener, Brearley dropped to 5. Knott replaced Taylor behind the stumps. Allott replaced Old and Tavare replaced Willey.

 For Australia, Whitney replaced Hogg..

 England 1^st inn 231 – Tavare 69, Allott 52 not out – 2^nd innings 404 – Botham 118, Tavare 78.

 Australia 1^st inn 130 – Kent 52 – 2^nd inn 402 – Yallop 114, Border 123 not out.

 Bowling: Australia: Alderman had 9 match wickets, Lillie 6.

 England: Willis took 7 and Botham 5.

 Match stats

 England retained the Ashes and won their third rubber against Australia under Brearley; his eleventh victory in this series equalled Sir Don Bradman’s record. Boycott overtook Cowdrey’s England aggregate of 7,624 runs. Alderman eclipsed Lillie’s record of 31 wickets in a rubber in England when he dismissed Emburey. Willis picked up his 100^th wicket versus Australia. Knott became the 1^st wicketkeeper to take 100 dismissals against Australia when he caught Kent.

 6^th Test Oval 27,28,29, 31 August and 1 Sep.

 Toss: England Result: Match Drawn.

 Debuts: England PWG Parker  - Australia DM Wellham

 For England: Wayne Larkins replaced Gooch and opened with Boycott. Parker replaced Gower. For Australia: Wellham replaced Dyson and Kent moved up to open.

 Australia 1^st inn 352 Border 106no, Wood 66, Kent 54. 2^nd inn 344 Wellham 103, Border 84, Marsh 52.

 England 1^st inn 314 Boycott 137, Gatting 53.  2^nd inn 261 for 7 Gatting 56, Brearley 51.

 Bowling

 Australia: Lillie took 11 in the match. England: Botham took 10.

 Match stats.

 Australia’s 50^th century opening partnership. Brearley’s 50^th catch in 39 Tests. Yallop’s 2000 runs. Hughes 1000 runs against England. Border’s 2^nd consecutive undefeated ton, and and Willis took his 110^th Ashes wicket, passing the 109 by W.Rhodes. Knott took his 250^th catch and Marsh his 3000 runs. Botham took his 200^th wicket in record time. 4 yrs 34 days. Wellham became the 1^st Australian to score a debut century since H.Graham in 1893. Alderman’s 42 wickets an Ashes record in England for an Australian. Brearley retained his unbeaten record in 19 home Tests as captain.

Epilogue

 So, in the end, a 3-1 win in the 6 match series. Botham in the crucial  3^rd, 4^th and 5^th Tests was the difference. However, he had a good supporting cast, in particular, Willis’s 8 for 43 at Headingley.

 Brearley got less credit than he should have, in motivating the all-rounder from his mediocre form in his own 12 match reign..

The selectors could feel justified in recalling Brearley for his second stint of captaincy. Mike retired twice, so a touch of the Frank Sinatra’s.

As we know, Mike retired finally from 1^st class cricket after leading Middlesex to the 1982 County Championship. A fitting departure. Oddly, like Strauss 30 years later, his final home match was at Uxbridge.

I can recall his debut season at Lord’s in 1961, a former Cambridge University batsman with a mop of dark hair.

Few who were around in 1981 will forget the drama of that summer. Rightly called Botham’s Ashes.

Post script.

Brearley’s scores in the 1979/80 3 Test series were as follows:

WACA Perth. – 64 and 11 – SCG 7 and 19 – MCG 60no and 10.

So, he had the satisfaction, in both England retirements of a 50 in each of his last matches. So ended the Test career of Middlesex’s 4^th Ashes captain.

Next: MW Gatting