Tony Greig by David Tossell

Author:David Tossell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pitch Publishing
Published: 2011-05-15T00:00:00+00:00

The summer of 1975 had, some years earlier, been earmarked for a tour by South Africa. The World Cup had conveniently filled some of the void and the Australian Cricket Board had accepted an invitation to contest a four-match Ashes series, even though they had only just hosted the MCC and would be back in England two years later. The TCCB had found the ACB easier to deal with than the BBC, with whom it took months of negotiation before a deal was reached for the broadcast of the games. Having initially offered £95,000 for the four matches, the BBC was eventually driven up to £120,000, agreeing at the same time a fee of £150,000 for the following summer’s five West Indies contests. When The Radio Times celebrated the start of the Ashes series by featuring it as their cover story, it was Greig’s image that appeared in full colour.

He also graced the front of that May’s issue of Sportsworld magazine, promoting an article written by the Daily Mail’s Ian Wooldridge in which his ascension to the England captaincy was assumed to be only a matter of time. The writer made his case by describing Greig as ‘strikingly handsome, articulate though not voluble, fiercely competitive on-field and refreshingly unhypocritical off it, capable of expiating hot-headed indiscretions by great personal charm’. Greig’s own response was to comment, ‘I am not going to get myself in a tizz about [the captaincy]. If it happens it happens. I have no preconceived ideas about how the job should be tackled.’

It was Denness who was still leading the England team, even though his appointment had been confirmed only for the first Test at Edgbaston. With heavy rain said to be on its way to Birmingham, Denness consulted his senior players after winning the toss and then took a gamble by inviting Australia to bat. ‘I remember him talking to Dennis Amiss for a long, long time about what to do,’ Derek Underwood recalls. ‘Dennis said that if the wicket had got anything in it, then it was going to be first thing on the first morning. Then, of course, it rained.’ Greig felt that if there was any doubt in Denness’s mind, then he should bat. While the insertion of the opposition delayed the largely-unchanged batting line-up’s return appointment with Lillee and Thomson, it put England at risk of being caught on a wet track later in the game. These were the days of uncovered wickets, when the onset of rain after the start of a day’s play meant that the playing surface remained exposed to the elements. If Australia could make the most of what was likely to be a dry first day, England could at some point find themselves in deep trouble. It was exactly what happened.

Boosted by some big hits from the lower order, Australia reached 359 before being dismissed on the second day. Arnold, who took three wickets in what would be his final Test, says, ‘I think they wanted Denness to fail just to get someone new in.

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