Sir Ian Botham produced a knock for the ages in the 1981 Ashes Test in Leeds as England came back from behind to win the Test and bounce back in the remainder of the series.
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Odds of 500-1. This means that the bet you placed is a very tough one. This was the bet placed on England winning the Ashes Test against Australia in 1981 in Leeds. The bet reflected the mood of the public at that time. England had lost the ODI series against Australia and was trailing 0-1 heading into the third Test. The first Test in Trent Bridge was won by Australia while the Lord’s Test was drawn. The crisis was such that England had to appoint a new captain. Their talisman, Ian Botham was plagued by poor form with the bat and ball.
The Leeds Ashes Test did not begin well for England. Australia racked up 401/9 declared, with John Dyson hitting a century. Kim Hughes and Graham Yallop hit fifties. Ian Botham took 6/95 to show some form. With the bat, he hit 50 but Dennis Lillee’s four wickets and three wickets from Terry Alderman and Geoff Lawson bowled England out for 174.
The follow-on was enforced. England were 135/7 in the second innings and Australia’s win was a mere formality. But then, the match changed. The Ashes changed and world cricket also changed. It was all due to one man.
Great man theory is a 19th-century idea according to which history can be largely explained by the impact of great men, or heroes. Sir Ian Botham was going to redefine the great man theory in a big way. Ian Botham came on and changed the entire complexion of the game in a dramatic way. Botham took a toll on both Alderman and Lillee, two of Australia’s best bowlers. He smashed boundaries at will. Some were proper strokes, some fortuitous.
Botham grew in confidence as he smashed the ball to all parts of the ground. The edges flew over the slips as the England team erased the deficit. Graham Dilley was giving Botham great support. The 117-run partnership saw Dilley reach 56 but he was bowled by Alderman. That gave Botham the license to go all out.
He reached his century and hooked Lillee for a couple of sixes. This was done without wearing a helmet. Botham’s audacity saw him stitch a stand of 67 with Chris Old and a stand of 37 with Bob Willis. The last three wickets contributed 221 runs. Botham ended on 149. England had set Australia a target of 130 runs.
Defending 130, Australia were still expected to win. But, Bob Willis bowled an inspired spell unchanged from one end. Australia had reached 56/1 but Willis’ spell resulted in a catastrophic collapse. Australia lost seven wickets for 19 runs. Lillee and Bright tried to stop the bleeding, but Willis was in the groove. When Lillee and Ray Bright were bowled by Willis, England had done the unthinkable.
Willis’ 8/43 gave England a brilliant 18-run win. They had become the first team to come back from following on. The series was level 1-1. Botham was not done. The miracle of Headingley soon transformed into ‘Botham’s Ashes’.
In the fourth Test, Botham took 5/11 as Australia lost seven wickets for 34 runs to fall 29 runs short in their chase of 150. In the fifth Test, Botham smashed 118 and England won the Ashes contest 3-1. Botham made 399 runs at an average of 36 but a strike-rate of 93. In six Tests, he took 34 wickets with one 10-wicket haul and three five-wicket hauls. The 34 wickets came at an average of 20.58.
The all-round exploits of Botham was simply magnificent. Miracles were made possible due to the England all-rounder. This would be the first of many instances in which Botham would hurt Australia in a big way in the 80s.
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