Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
during the 1982–83 season, playing a five- Test series for The Ashes and a number of tour matches against Australian domestic teams before competing in a One-Day International (ODI) series against New Zealand for the Rothmans Cup. In between those competitions, England also participated in the Benson & Hedges World Series Cricket triangular ODI series against Australia and New Zealand.
Background
The 1982/83 series, sponsored by Benson & Hedges and celebrating the centenary of the Ashes, was the first to be held in Australia following the rapprochement between the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) and
Kerry Packer
Kerry Francis Bullmore Packer (17 December 1937 – 26 December 2005) was an Australian media tycoon, and was considered one of Australia's most powerful media proprietors of the twentieth century. The Packer family company owned a controlling ...
's World Series Cricket franchise. There had been a test series organized between Australia and England during the 1979–80 season, but this was part of a "triangular" test series that also involved the West Indies, and so the Ashes were not being contested.
It had also been 18 months since the memorable
1981 Ashes series
The tour by the Australian cricket team in England in 1981 included the 51st Ashes series of Test matches between Australia and England. Despite having been 1–0 down after two Tests, England won the next three to finish 3–1 victors ( ...
, which England had won 3–1 thanks to the heroics of several players, chief among them
Ian Botham
Ian Terence Botham, Baron Botham, (born 24 November 1955) is an English cricket commentator, member of the House of Lords, a former cricketer who has been chairman of Durham County Cricket Club since 2017 and charity fundraiser.
Hailed as one ...
. In the lead-up to the 1982/83 series, the
Nine Network
The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...
, which had won exclusive rights to broadcast cricket on Australia television for ten years following World Series Cricket, ran an advertising campaign drawing on national stereotypes and aimed to inspire patriotism and an appetite for revenge.
England squad
The England selectors announced their squad on 11 September which flew out to Australia on 13 October.
was appointed Tour Manager, with Norman Gifford as his assistant, while Warwickshire physiotherapist Bernard Thomas joined the squad for his eleventh successive tour. Veteran pace bowler Bob Willis was appointed captain. The squad was weakened by the absence of a number of players from the previous Ashes series who had become ineligible for selection; Graham Gooch, Geoff Boycott, John Emburey,
Mike Hendrick
Michael Hendrick (22 October 1948 – 26 July 2021) was an English cricketer, who played in thirty Tests and twenty-two One Day Internationals for England from 1973 to 1981. He played for Derbyshire from 1969 to 1981, and for Nottinghamshire f ...
Peter Willey
Peter Willey (born 6 December 1949) is a former English cricketer, who played as a right-handed batsman and right-arm offbreak bowler. In and out of the England team, he interrupted his international career for three years by taking part in the ...
and Bob Woolmer were serving three-year bans from international cricket due to their participation in the rebel tour to South Africa. Somewhat more controversial was the omission of available players like Mike Gatting,
Trevor Jesty
Trevor Edward Jesty (born 2 June 1948 at ESPN CricInfo) is an English former ,
Graham Dilley
Graham Roy Dilley (18 May 1959 – 5 October 2011) was an English international cricketer, whose main role was as a fast bowler. He played first-class cricket for Kent County Cricket Club and Worcestershire County Cricket Clubs, and appeared in ...
and Phil Edmonds; Gatting and Edmonds had played pivotal roles in Middlesex' county championship success, Gatting scoring over 1600 runs at an average of nearly 59, as well as contributing 21 wickets, and Edmonds taking 80 wickets. With three off-spinners selected in the squad (Hemmings, Marks and Miller), his left-arm orthodox spin would have provided much-needed variety. To bolster their pace stocks, the selectors sprang a surprise by including 21-year-old Jamaican-born Norman Cowans.
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Ian Botham
Ian Terence Botham, Baron Botham, (born 24 November 1955) is an English cricket commentator, member of the House of Lords, a former cricketer who has been chairman of Durham County Cricket Club since 2017 and charity fundraiser.
Hailed as one ...
Graeme Fowler
Graeme "Foxy" Fowler (born 20 April 1957) is an English former professional cricketer and cricket coach, who played for Lancashire County Cricket Club, England, and later for Durham. He appeared in 21 Test matches and 26 One Day Internationa ...
Sussex
Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...
Leicestershire
Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...
Robin Jackman
Robin David Jackman (13 August 1945 – 25 December 2020) was an English cricketer, who played in four Test matches and 15 One Day Internationals for the England cricket team between 1974 and 1983. He was a seam bowler and useful tail-end bats ...
(
Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
)
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Allan Lamb
Allan Joseph Lamb (born 20 June 1954) is a South African-born former English cricketer, who played for the first-class teams of Western Province and Northamptonshire. Making his Test debut in 1982, he was a fixture in the Test and One-Day Intern ...
(Northamptonshire)
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Vic Marks
Victor James Marks (born 25 June 1955) is an English sports journalist and former professional cricketer.
An off spin bowler, Marks played in six Test matches and thirty four One Day Internationals for England. His entire county cricket car ...
Derek Pringle
Derek Raymond Pringle (born 18 September 1958) is an English former Test and One Day International cricketer for England, and is now a cricket journalist.
Life and career
Pringle was born in Nairobi, Kenya. His father Donald Pringle, who had ...
Derek Randall
Derek William Randall (born 24 February 1951) is an English former cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Nottinghamshire, and Tests and ODIs for England in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Known to cricketing colleagues and fans as "A ...
(Nottinghamshire)
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Chris Tavaré
Christopher James Tavaré (;), (born 27 October 1954) is a retired English international cricketer who played in 31 Test matches and 29 One Day Internationals between 1980 and 1989. His style of play was characterised by long periods at the cr ...
In hot and dry conditions (Perth was in the middle of a heatwave),Greg Chappell won the toss and elected to field, meaning that in all five Ashes tests played at the WACA to date, the toss-winning captain had sent the opposition in to bat first. The Australians made an early breakthrough when Dennis Lillee dismissed Geoff Cook for 1 with a short ball the Northamptonshire opener fended off his ribs to John Dyson at forward short leg with England's score on 14. Vice-captain David Gower was next in and ensured with
Chris Tavaré
Christopher James Tavaré (;), (born 27 October 1954) is a retired English international cricketer who played in 31 Test matches and 29 One Day Internationals between 1980 and 1989. His style of play was characterised by long periods at the cr ...
that no further wickets were lost, going into lunch with the score on 66.
In the middle session, Gower began to find his rhythm while Tavaré, who survived two dropped catches, continued to frustrate the Australians with dour defence. Lillee, whose cantankerous nature had in recent years become more difficult to control, had already been involved in a number of concerning incidents. After a leg-before appeal against Gower was rejected, he beat a fist into the ground, then following the next delivery which Gower played back up the pitch, Lillee kicked the ball angrily towards the slips. The second-wicket partnership had yielded 95 runs when Gower, shortly after hitting his ninth four, was caught superbly off Terry Alderman by Dyson at backward square leg; Gower's innings of 72 in only 143 minutes was considered the highlight of the day's play.
Allan Lamb
Allan Joseph Lamb (born 20 June 1954) is a South African-born former English cricketer, who played for the first-class teams of Western Province and Northamptonshire. Making his Test debut in 1982, he was a fixture in the Test and One-Day Intern ...
struggled early and was lucky to survive after nearly playing a delivery from
Bruce Yardley
Bruce Yardley (5 September 1947 – 27 March 2019) was an Australian cricketer who played in 33 Test matches and seven One Day Internationals between 1978 and 1983, taking 126 Test wickets.
Known to his teammates as 'Roo', Yardley was an off-sp ...
onto his leg stump. When tea was called, England were 140 for two from 57 overs.
There was tension and controversy in the final session, beginning when Lillee was again denied a wicket, appealing for a caught behind against Lamb. After some angry looks and muttering, Lillee snatched his sun hat from umpire Tony Crafter at the end of the over; this same umpire had come between Lillee and Pakistani batsman Javed Miandad in an incident during the previous year's Perth test. Tavaré again let his partner take the initiative to push the score along, with Lamb now striking some hefty blows. The pair added 80 for the third wicket before Lamb, having just hit Yardley for a straight six against the sightscreen, edged a ball in the same over onto his thigh and wicketkeeper Rod Marsh was able to dive forward and take the rebound. Lamb had scored 46 in 109 minutes which included five fours in addition to the aforementioned six.
Ian Botham
Ian Terence Botham, Baron Botham, (born 24 November 1955) is an English cricket commentator, member of the House of Lords, a former cricketer who has been chairman of Durham County Cricket Club since 2017 and charity fundraiser.
Hailed as one ...
, Australia's nemesis from the previous series, strode to the crease and attacked from the outset, scoring 12 off six balls when, in the last ball of a Geoff Lawson over, Botham played forward and appeared beaten by an in-swinger. As wicketkeeper Marsh came forward to take a low catch, Lawson appealed to umpire Crafter for a catch but was rejected. After Lawson had collected his sun hat at the end of the over, he appealed to square leg umpire Mel Johnson, who confirmed to his colleague that the ball had carried. Crafter reversed his decision and gave Botham out. Botham, to his credit, walked immediately even though he had indicated to the umpires that the ball had struck his pad rather than the edge of the bat, and television replays suggested this was the case. it was now
Derek Randall
Derek William Randall (born 24 February 1951) is an English former cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Nottinghamshire, and Tests and ODIs for England in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Known to cricketing colleagues and fans as "A ...
's turn to join Tavaré in the middle for the final hour of play, and struggled to settle, playing and missing outside his off stump. Lillee took the second new ball with 15 minutes remaining, but was unable to break through. At stumps England were 242 for four, with Tavaré on 66 and Randall on 32. Remarkably, Tavaré had not added to his score in the last 71 minutes of the day's play.
Day two
The second day's play was marred by spiteful clashes between Australian and English fans, which spilled onto the field and claimed Terry Alderman as an unfortunate victim.