A preview of the Ashes Test at Headingley in 1981, written from the perspective of an English cricket fan at the time.
Day one
Day two
Day three
Day four
Day five
Thursday July 16
Say what you want about English cricket, but it is never dull. After losing at Trent Bridge, England arrived at Lord's 1-0 down in the series. They left HQ with a draw and without a captain. Understandably, Ian Terrence Botham decided enough was enough.
As Botham said on the Lord's balcony, the match-by-match captaincy tenure was not helping him or the team. Undoubtedly the key player in our XI, his loss of form has been hugely damaging. Botham the captain needed Botham the player to perform. That never seemed likely.
The selectors and Alec Bedser in particular have not covered themselves in glory. Back him or sack him was the obvious choice at the start of the series. Giving Botham a game at a time did neither. And to rub salt in the wounds, Bedser then unhelpfully announced that they would have sacked Botham anyway, just after Beefy had done the honourable deed.
The appointment of Mike Brearley brings some hope. On the plus side he is obviously an outstanding captain, and always brings out the best in Botham. Yet the elephant in the room remains; is Brearley good enough as a batsman to deserve a place in England's Test team? Possibly not, but Brearley replacing Bob Woolmer at No. 3 - 30 runs in four Test innings this series - hardly suggests the batting will be weakened too much.
There seem to be more questions than answers with this England team at the moment. Can any of the batsmen make a telling contribution, turning a good start into a century? Will the change in captaincy work? Will we see the real Botham now he has returned to the ranks? Is Bob Willis past it? Should we select an all seam attack at Headingley?
At least we're back at our happy hunting ground. We won the Ashes here in 1977, and have only lost once at Leeds since 1967. From early reports it sounds like this is a result pitch, which sets up the exciting prospect of us levelling the series. Sadly the thought of going 2-0 down also floods the brain.
The country could certainly do with a boost. Riots in Brixton, possible rail strikes, unemployment continuing to rise, wage increases the lowest in three years and still below the cost of living. These are tough times for us all. English cricket fans do not need any more misery piled on top of this manure heap.
The frustrating thing is that I'm not convinced this is a great Australian team. Their batting seems fragile, missing the presence of Greg Chappell, but are we good enough to exploit this? Dennis Lillee remains their main bowling threat, and new boy Terry Alderman looks dangerous. But now is the time for the likes of Boycott, Gooch, Gower and Gatting to stamp their authority on the series.
With Chris Old recalled, personally I would drop Willis from the XI, assuming that Emburey is included as a spin option. Unfortunately it looks as if old father time has caught up on Willis. His no ball issues in the series, and his general lack of fitness and zip suggest to me that he really is drinking at the last chance saloon if he is selected.
Australia look like they will be unchanged, highlighting their strong position in the series. Yet the hope remains that with Botham burden free and Brearley steering the ship that England can get back into the Ashes. Win at Headingley and it sets up the summer. Losing is not an option. No pressure, lads.
My prediction? The heart always says England at Headingley, whereas the head is full of doubts. A lot, as ever, relies on Botham. If Brearley can get a tune out of him then Australians beware. If not, then would the last English fan leaving the room please turn the lights out on our summer.
My England XI for Headingley:
Gooch, Boycott, Brearley*, Gower, Gatting, Willey, Botham, Emburey, Taylor†, Old, Dilley
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