A review of day five of the third Ashes Test of the 1981 series at Headingley, written from the perspective of an English cricket fan at the time.
Preview
Day one
Day two
Day three
Day four
Wednesday July 22
Australia 401/9d (Dyson 102, Hughes 89, Botham 6/95)
England 174 (Botham 50, Lillee 4/49)
England f/o 356 (Botham 149*, Dilley 56, Alderman 6/135)
Australia 111 (Dyson 34, Willis 8/43)
ENGLAND WIN BY 18 RUNS
Wow! Simply wow. Forget everything I said about this team. Delete those posts I wrote when in the depths of despair. Of course I never doubted Robert George Dylan Willis. England won the third Ashes Test at Headingley to level the Ashes series. What a way for Peter Willey to win his first Test in his 19th appearance. What a boost for the country. Never in doubt.
We only needed five more runs in the morning to set Australia an insurmountable target of 130. And although Beefy took the first wicket - obviously, naturally, inevitably - when Australia neared lunch on 56/1 it looked like normal service was about to be resumed.
It was a Brearley masterstroke that seemed to tilt the match towards England. Switching Willis to the Kirkstall Lane End, England's pace bowler steamed in down the hill. The lifting delivery to remove Trevor Chappell would have sent shudders through the Australian dressing room.
Still Australia were 56/2, only 74 runs away from victory. Yet the over before lunch provided England with the boost they needed. Botham brilliantly caught Hughes at slip, his restored confidence now stretching to his fielding too. And when Yallop was excellently snapped up by Gatting in at bad-pad, Willis had three wickets and Australia faced an awkward lunch period on 58/4.
I'm not sure what Willis was on at lunch but I would like some. The man looked possessed. Every time he took a wicket he promptly turned on his heels and walked back to his mark in the distance. Perhaps this is what bowling for your Test future looks like.
Chris Old may have only taken one wicket during this Test but what a crucial scalp it was. Bowling Border for a duck, Australia were halfway to their total and England the same fraction away from their goal. Willis then had Dyson caught down the leg side and astonishingly England were favourites as Australia crashed to 68/6.
When Dilley caught a steepling effort on the boundary to see the back of Marsh, Willis had taken five wickets and Australia at 74/7 were in heaps of trouble. Lawson then could not resist a flick at another Willis delivery, Taylor taking the catch. Australia 75/8, with England "on the brink of an absolutely sensational victory" to steal the words of Christopher Martin-Jenkins.
We all know the course of a beautiful Ashes win never runs smoothly. The streetwise Lillee, assisted by Bright, put on 35 for the ninth wicket. It felt more like 75 to me. Maybe we wouldn't get over the line. The nightmare that had turned into a dream was now turning back into reality. Please don't do this to me.
And then it happened. A Lillee flick towards mid-on off Willis hung in the air for an eternity. Gatting initially looked like he hadn't picked it up. But making his way to the ball he flung himself forwards to take a stunning catch, one that would have been good enough had it been taken in front of six men and their dogs at a county match at Uxbridge.
Willis looked spent, leaning on Gatting like a knackered boxer who had been hit relentlessly by Larry Holmes for 15 rounds. But there was still one wicket to take. England being England then reverted to type, with Old twice dropping Alderman off Beefy's bowling. Not even Beefy could write a script that saw him take the clinching wicket.
But Willis would not be denied. Tearing in for one final time, Willis clean bowled Bright to seal the unbelievable deal and end with figures of 8/43. "It's all over," declared Richie Benaud. "And it is one of the most fantastic victories ever known." England had won by 18 runs. And they say that 111 is a bad number for English cricketers.
Fans poured on to the pitch, running around amongst their heroes, unable to contain their delight. Up and down the country the cheers could be heard (or maybe that was just me). Apparently the Stock Exchange ground to a halt; sports fans gathered around shop windows to (ahem) browse the latest televisions on sale; news programmes led with the fairytale.
Man of the match Botham revealed that he had in fact checked out of his hotel on the Monday, but you could hardly blame him. The rest of us thought the race had been run. He also told us that his 149* was completed using one of Graham Gooch's bats. Obviously he had to answer questions about whether relinquishing the captaincy had resulted in his change of fortunes. His knowing grin summed up our feelings; we couldn't care less.
The Willis interview was entertaining. Unable to hide his distain for the press, England's fast bowler still looked like he was on a different planet. Criticising the standard of writing in this country, I do hope Bob doesn't read any of my previous efforts over the last few days. He was referring to journalists though, so that excludes me.
Kim Hughes looked as stunned as the rest of us. A glazed expression revealed that this loss may be one that Australia will find difficult to shake from their system. We can only hope. I'm not sure if momentum exists in sport, but if it does then the Ashes will be in Brearley's hands come August. If the rumours of Aussies betting against their own team are true then sit back and enjoy the ride.
You should be grateful (maybe). Writing this with the mother of all hangovers has not been easy. But winning, especially in the style of Headingley yesterday, has helped ease my banging head. I'm off for a hair of the dog. Admittedly it is only 10 in the morning, but England following-on and winning a Test Only happens every 87 years, so please excuse me.
What the papers said...
Paul Fitzpatrick, Guardian: "This third Cornhill Test will be remembered for many things - chiefly the soaring performances of Ian Botham, and the marvellous bowling yesterday of Bob Willis - but perhaps the thing that will give it an imperishable place in cricket history alongside the tied Test of Brisbane 1960 was the utter improbability of the victory."
Frank Taylor, Mirror: "Headingley, July 21, 1981, now joins Agincourt, Crecy, Waterloo, Dunkirk and Arnhem as one of the epic feats of British arms."
What they said...
Kim Hughes: "It's terribly disappointing to blow a match when you've played so well throughout - apart from two sessions. But there was nothing we could do about Ian Botham's batting yesterday or Bob Willis's bowling today."
Mike Brearley: "I honestly didn't know he [Willis] could still bowl like that. He surpassed himself. What an achievement for a man who had to be flown home from the West Indies last winter for an operation. No one thought he would play for England again."
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