Like so many other people this is the match that got me into cricket. They call it Botham's Ashes but without this unbelievable spell of bowling by Bob Willis all of Ian's heroics would have been for nothing. Bob Willis passed away today so I just want to say thanks for everything Bob and may you rest in peace big feller.
Aussie fan here. Those three deliveries by Bob Willis to Trevor Chappell, Kim Hughes and Graham Yallop are some of the fastest and most vicious deliveries I've ever seen. RIP Bob Willis, you were a true Ashes warrior.
What I really respected about Richie Benaud was his complete impartiality. He loved cricket and commentated accordingly. Not saying he didn’t love Australia; he did. But he was never partisan.
Simply the greatest Test match. Willis, Botham and Unsung hero Graham Dilley. Couldn’t believe when I saw he had passed away so young. As for Richie Benaud..my all time favourite commentator without a hint of partisanship in his commentary..truly the voice of cricket.
@@philiprice7875that changed the odds on all future competitions. Even now you will see a football team 2-0 up with a minute to go but the odds won’t be 500/1.
Can you imagine Bob Willis hugging & laughing with the opposition? No, he didn’t even talk to his teammates. The man was intense. Focussed on what mattered most in that moment. RIP
When I see Ray Bright's middle stump smashed out of the ground, and hear the most iconic piece of cricket commentary of all time from the great Richie Benaud, I cry. This was my youth, and I can never get it back. RGD Willis 8-43. The greatest test match bowling spell of all time. From the bottom of my heart, thank you Bob.
Watched it with my late dad as well. I was 19 at the time. We both couldn't believe England had snatched this. They seemed totally lost before the inputs of Botham and Willis.
Hi david evans I had exactly the same experience. I watched it with my Father, amazing game! One of the best memories I have with my Dad. I miss him too! Great to have these wonderful moments!
RIP Sir Bob Willis you is,was and will always remain one of the all time greatest fast bowler in the history of cricket.Will never forget this incredible spell of aggressive and hostile fast bowling against Australia in Ashes 1981.Tributes to you from India.🙏
I watched this game live on my parent’s black and white in Perth WA as a schoolboy. I’m an Aussie supporter but the Botham innings and the Bob Willis bowling performance will live with me for the rest of my life.
RIP Bob. I cycled back 11 miles from a fishing trip as a kid to watch this devastating spell of test cricket. Great commentator also and fellow Dylan fan.
Will never ever be repeated, the circumstances, the 500/1,the booking out of the hotel,the tunnel vision by Bob,the empty ground ending up full,sporting drama at its best I remember been 8 yrs old and watching it & even then I just couldn't believe what was happening, absolutely brilliant and so was the commentary Ritchie benaud at his imperial best ,what a win England
Benaud was impartial.Remember one of his comment on lbw decision negated by umpire in favour of Australia.He quipped, ball would have missed the leg stump and perhaps the off stump.But I have no doubt in my mind what it would have done to the middle stump!! Sorely missed.
Never have I seen a sportsman so focused. Bob was completely "zoned out" and on a different planet. Planet Destruction. I believe that he re-entered the Earth's atmosphere around three days later 🧡
My dad drove back from Cornwall like a madman so we could watch this live. I always loved Bob because he was a Dylan fan. Thanks for posting this - I never tire of reliving that incredible summer.
RIP Bob: A world class fast bowler. A cricketing expert. And a true gentleman. My memories of this test match will never die - my kids know the folklore.
RIP the great Bob Willis! His wit, humour and his legendary commentary will be greatly missed. "Well Charles". He will be missed in the debate and the verdict on Sky. Thanks for the memories big Bob!
This was the match that got me into cricket. I was born in Essex but growing up in Ireland, 12 years old and listening to it live on the radio. You couldn't write the script...a century by beefy, then Big Bob steaming in from that marathon run up, the crowd cheering and the wickets tumbling, the final one a beautiful full ball taking middle stump...Boys Own stuff...Magic.
I would have been eleven back then and in my last year at junior school, so a year younger than you. The panda is very relevant to me, as I had three toy pandas when growing up!
I had just started a new job up in Newcastle, maybe the second or third week. The secretary had a TV on her desk and started walking through the office keeping us updated as the wickets fell, by the end of the afternoon, everybody had stopped working and were crowded around her TV, including all the management. Great memories.
This was also a great example of top quality captaincy. If you watch Willis' reaction after each wicket he was clearly in the zone, knew exactly what he was doing, and wasn't getting carried away. The rest of the players were - understandably - getting more and more animated. Mike Brearley did a great job of sensing Willis' mood, managing the situation appropriately and keeping everything together. Willis and Botham were the stars but great work by Brearley.
Watched this with my mum ,vowed that day never to leave England. Now I live on a Greek island,so I broke my promise but England was a very different country then. Together with Botham and Dilley,s heroics the previous evening it is one of my favourite sporting memories
As of today, sadly, the great Bob Willis is no longer with us. But his spell on that summer day in 1981 will live forever. I watched it as a 15 year old kid and I dont think I have seen such a remarkable comeback since.
As a Warwickshire lad, Bob Willis was, and still is my sporting hero. Fantastic sight seeing this fella steaming in for club and country. A legend in the purest sense.
@@billrowell2919 I was 19 then. Well I thought, Australia will win. Went to do some bodywork on my Ford Capri. Came back and they were nine wickets down, and missed all the drama!
Amazing - thank you for sharing - RIP the great Bob Willis - I will always remember being a teenager picking strawberries in a field in Kent to earn some pocket money listening to the coverage of that test - I was really rooting for Bob Willis and every time he took a wicket I screamed and shouted across the field - one of the greatest fast bowlers this country has ever produced
I'm here because of the BBC - still brilliant all these years on - and great coverage the late great Richie Benaud, CMJ, Tom Graveney, Ted Dexter and earlier Gentleman Jim Laker. Happy days.
Dear Sparlings Farm. I am so sorry that his soul was sapped. He was my Surrey hero. Many times, I had seen him perform live for my London county and England country.
I watched this on telly as a cricket-mad nipper of 11, but it's the first time I've watched it in its entirety since then. I knew Bob was a fast bowler, but this is PROPER quick, seriously hostile bowling. Brilliant stuff.
I had just started a job as a salesman visiting firms all over Liverpool when this Test was on. On the final day, I just sat in my car and listened to the cricket on the radio. I couldn't tear myself away from it I didn't last long in that job.
Love how Bob was so in the zone and just turned round and got his jumper or went back to his mark after each wicket. He was a man in a mission that day RIP Bob
Had to come back and watch this after the sad news about RGD today. Watched this as a 10 year old, even now hard to believe how good he was and how special this was. RIP Bob
At 8.00, the man who is bowling, the man who was batting and the man who took the catch are all gone from this world. Rest in peace Bob Willis, Rod Marsh and Graham Dilley.......
I sat watching this with my late Dad and it still makes me nervous watching it now. Bob Willis delivering probably the most destructive and devastating fast bowling I've ever seen. Thank you for that.
I remember watching that live - one of the most amazing matches I have ever witnessed. This film brought back so many memories of that great England team. Nostalgia is a wonderful thing !
I couldn't take my eyes off it at the time. Phenomenal team work, and Bob at his best. Makes you realise what a waste of time "the hundred" and T20 is.
This remarkable bowling spell is the magnificent salient feature of late Bob Willis .While I was young of 25, l had listened to this event on radio.what a beautiful run up& bowling action he had! Hats off.
Me too. I was 25 yrs old in Wales sunbathing in a pub camp site next to my Triumph Spitfire, DAR 485K, the driver's door open so my mate and I could listen to TMS. I remember leaping up at the point of victory from lying down and receiving the corner of said door in my head. Happy days.
Agreed. Saying that the Aussies faced a "daunting task" at lunch (72 to win with six wickets standing, Dyson and Border at the crease and Marsh still to bat) are the words of a man who already knows the match result, though. At that point I'd have still put my money on Australia if I'd been old enough to go into a betting shop.
A bit biased at times though. So sick of hearing him go on about Warne and Healy when he made a good catch, we all knew how good they were during the 'bad old days' , Taylor/Marsh 350 + for 0 on Day 1. I'll always remember that.
The best cricket commentator was Alan McGilvray. John Arlott may have been more 'poetic', but Alan was the most unbiased most knowledgeable commentator since I began listening to cricket in the 1960s.
remember bob willis growing up , his unique run up and fast pace made him special . after he retired his commentary was always good and unbiased too , top man . rip bob willis
Let’s also pay tribute to the great voice of Christopher Martin-Jenkins who I found out passed away in 2013. A wonderful voice to listen to on radio and TV.
I used to play cricket with him in Jim Swanson’s team, the Arabs (because we had no home ground of our own) and we were therefore nomads . CMJ, whom we all knew as ‘the Colonel was an accomplished club player, very elegant to watch, and a champion of a dying breed, a gentleman cricketer. I last saw him in India, on the day of the CWC FINAL in Mumbai in 2011.He told me then that he had cancer. He was quite matter of fact about it. He was an outstanding man. RIP Colonel.
Classic. Great England team, full of characters and they raised one anothers game. Bob Willis. Legend. It was a long hot summer, even in Scotland that year.
Thank you SO MUCH for posting this video. That was one of the best days of my life! I used to work for the BBC and I had been on duty in vision (matching the cameras) at Headingly the day before when Botham had his prodigious knock, but I went home rather depressed because, despite a creditable innings it was obvious Australia would win with such a low target and so many class batsmen. The following morning I sat down in front of the telly (sound off, Test Match Special up on the radio!!!) because I had nothing much I fancied doing on my day off. AND WHAT A DAY OFF it turned out to be! I remember a flurry of wickets and then with hardly anyone left the Aussies dug in and the depression returned… then that final wicket! Woot woot!!!
I remember watching this spell. I have never seen anyone bowl "in the zone" like that before or since. Scarily determined. Willis carried the England pace attack for years. RIP RGD Willis.
He looked like he hated everybody, including his own team. Probably not as much as he hated Fred Trueman for not mentioning him in his speech after the match. Absolutely devastating spell of violent bowling. RIP, big man.
I heard radio running commentary. This was an awesome test match - Botham 149 was unbelievable. Then Willis ripped thru Aussies 80s cricket was competitive and fierce.. ashes at its best. Can't ask for more 👍👍👍
I was at home by myself on a study leave. Took a break to watch the cricket expecting Australia to win. Then Bob took a wicket so I thought I’d watch a bit more and eventually ended up watching to the end. Apparently traders in the City stopped trading shares and started watching the cricket as the day progressed and you will see the near empty ground filling up as the day went on. Amazing moment. Good old Bob. Great character and sportsman.
I would be younger than you, as I was eleven and leaving junior school at the time. Willis' demise I remember hearing about - he was 70 and so twenty one years older than me. Makes me feel old; forty one years ago and my childhood. I am now fifty two!
My late father was a member of Warwickshire County Cricket Club from 1947 to 2002 when he died. I was taken to every home game from the age of 5 to the age of around 30. When I left school in 1981 my dad and I were at Edgbaston for the 4th test July/August 81 I got loads of autographs of the cricketers of the 50’s 🏴🏴🏴🏴
A great victory for England to be sure. What a show by Bob Willis. I recall listening to these moments being broadcast on ABC radio. Caught up with replays on television. But all these years later, whilst enjoying the replay on RU-vid, what I'm enjoying the most are the mellow sounds of Richie Benaud's commentary. Unbiased and accurate in every detail. Cricket and Richie...how good is that?
Bob Willis. Fantastic for what you did. As a fast bowler. Whether we-are Australian, New Zealand,Jamaican, English, Indian, or Shri Lankan. One of the best fast bowler of all time.
Wonderful memories of a time when everyone (not just cricket fans) were talking about cricket. The likes of Bob Willis and Ian Botham gave us something to be proud of. RIP Bob. You will be missed.
I remember listening to this on the car radio whilst driving from Leeds to Sheffield. Note the number of pullovers they were wearing - a typical inclement British summer? RIP Bob Willis, one of the best fast bowlers of his time.
As a 15 year-old Aussie, I remember watching this on the old B&W TV at 3AM in Australia, torturing myself with ever-fading hopes that our team would scrape through and avoid such a monumental embarrassment. I did not enjoy watching this at the time, but now is a different story. Considering the almost 20-year domination Australia enjoyed a little later under the respective captainships of Border, Taylor, Waugh and Ponting, I am really glad this happened and actually enjoyed seeing England have this wonderful victory. A win like this goes beyond different allegiances to different nations and should be savoured by all as a special moment in the history of the game. I felt a vicarious "pride" as though I had changed allegiances and become Pommie just for a moment. A magnificent performance to be always remembered. A cheque for 1750 pounds to the winning team! They could almost buy a round of drinks for the Aussies with prizemoney like that!! ....although considering Lillee and Marsh bet against their own team at 500/1 they probably didn't need it ;)
Well said. I was only 1 year old in 1981 so i obviously didn't watch this test match live but my old man used to talk about this test when he would play cricket in our garden with me and my brother when we were kids. I finally watched it on video cassette (showing my age a bit here!) years later when I was a teenager and I was transfixed to the screen; it was so entertaining. I was ecstatic for England of course but to this day I'm still totally astounded by the Australian collapse; just how the hell did they lose this test?! Also you are right about the subsequent Australian dominance; as a teenager in the 90s I never looked forward to the ashes. The gulf in class was astronomical; I had to endure relentless humiliating test defeats by your lot. And it wasn't even close, we never put up a fight because Australia were far superior to England in those days. We had some good players but the selectors kept changing the team all the time so therefore we never gelled as a unit (actually I think your 2nd XI would have beaten us) and that Australian cricket team is probably the best I have ever seen. However; things levelled off in the 2005 ashes series which an exciting spectacle (glad we won but even if we didn't I was happy because at least we put up a fight, the test matches weren't so embarrassingly one sided!) and since then the ashes have been back and forth between England and Australia. I love the ashes!
Yeah, I must have blocked that out ;) ...I guess I was thinking more in general about the team's dominance for most of his captaincy in world cricket overall, notwithstanding his poor record in the Ashes. Obviously they were on the downward slope after a long period at the top....I wish you hadn't reminded me of that :(
Bouwe Bear I'm afraid I had to as an Englishman. I remember the 90's too well. Ponting was still a good captain but you guys had lost some very good players whereas we had dragged ourselves up to become the best team in the world at least for a short time before things started falling apart again.
Cometh the hour, cometh the man! When the BBC's licence fee was value for money; cricket was pure theatre, without crass props and high fiving; the commentary was beautifully understated; and the West Indies remained the greatest team of the 80s. And yet still, like many observers, after the revelation of Marsh's and Lillee's betting, a degree of doubt over the legitimacy of the result ultimately robbed those of us who were captivated and enthralled in real time by this remarkable sporting achievement, of the unadulterated pleasure it so richly deserved. Shame on you, may your wattle forever droop!
Still remember that match today ,Willis was on fire that day ,I certainly wouldn’t of wanted to face a ball from him that day! Best fast bowler of his day for sure!
I think CMJ was an excellent commentator. His "what a triumph it would be for him if he is still there at 6 o'clock this evening" when Botham began his second innings is legendary.
Watched the whole test live on the BBC and I loved bothams innings and was willing dilley to stay with him just to avoid the follow on, but what a final days bowling by big bob and you could see he was fired up by nearly ignoring his team mates when he took a wicket
To this day they still call it Bothams Ashes which I think is a bit unfair on what Bob Willis did that day. A devastating piece of bowling. One of the greatest England test wins ever.
Sat glued to the TV watching the wickets fall and running into the kitchen telling my parents everytime one fell. Amazing match. Was it 37 years ago!!!
During the afternoon session, I was in a bizarre lesson at school called Citizenship, which was taken by a Games teacher called Mr Cottrell. He brought in a transistor radio and we were all on the edge of our seats - including all of the girls. Great memories and a great lesson from Mr C. :D
Deffo was Bobs finest hour a very underated bowler who had he bowled on the bone hard surfaces of Australia or the Caribean would have a much improved test record as his style was made for it
Back when we could watch it free to air! Was it 2005 the last time that happened? Wonderful stuff. I watched all the tussles with the Aussies through the 80s and it was truly brilliant seeing all these images again.
That's when cricket shot itself in the foot selling it's sould to Sky. Kids don't get to see cricket these days and most working class kids only have a vague idea what cricket even is......
I would have been eleven back then and in my last year at junior school, so grew up watching cricket on the BBC. Remember 2005 series, aged 35. Glenn McGrath is just four months older than me!!!
