Richie Benaud was a fixture in our living room throughout my teenage years. His analysis and informative viewpoint were outstanding. There will never be another Richie!
And completely transforming the match. It looked like Australia was giving themselves a chance of winning, but in one session Botham took that away from them.
I was a 12 year old kid on holiday at Walton on the Naze. I remember my grandad calling me into the caravan, to watch Botham on the telly hit this great century. I was so lucky to live through the 81 ashes series...... brilliant
I was 27 and listening to this on the radio at work...but like you I remember it so well and feel privileged to have lived through the 1981 Test Series...
The Headingley test was the one that changed me from barely interested in cricket and couldn't play at age 11, to obsessed with it and getting to the latter stages of trails for Warwickshire 3 years later......
Jeff, you are therefore a year older than me as I was eleven and moving from junior to senior school. Botham inspired my fascination for the game ever since - 42 years later and 53 in four months' time!
I know a lot of people won't rate him quite as highly as I do, but for me Botham was the most exciting crickter of the lot for me. He made something so magical that it's still so for me at 47. Same for Richards, Gilchrist, Warne and Lara. But it was Botham that opened my eyes to it all first. Thanks Both!
I fully agree with you. A lot of younger viewers would find it hard to believe, but Botham, in my opinion, didn't fulfill his potential and ought to have achieved more, so great was his talent. It was a different age then, few if any sport scientists, career planners and the like around, and distractions, such as injuries, adulation and those in his private life got in the way and took their toll. He was a genuinely great sportsman. On a slightly different note, that 80s Ashes team from Australia was a very good one, better than most and Botham gave them some punishment.
Botham was my hero when I was growing up (here aged eleven and moving from junior to senior school). I rated him as a player and my interest in the game grew over the years. Now aged 52, this footage is 40+ years ago and shows a cricket match from childhood days!
He still looks like a young bloke here, but if you look at highlights from 1985, he looks like he's pushing forty and carrying way too much timber. He was 29 in 1985 and although still a good player, was already on a downward trajectory that became more precipitous as he got into his early 30s. I wonder if modern training and pastoral care would have got the best out of him or would he still have drifted away once the great gifts started fading?
@@axisfolate4300I think he would have been able to keep the weight off, etc. with the pastoral care players have today. Once he'd got his back injury, it was difficult to come back from then. I thought he was courageous to carry on, really.
I was there that day (near the front down by the scoreboard at the Warwick Street end). It'll stay with me forever. Magnificent! Loved going to Old Trafford back then. I look at it now and it could be anywhere. It looks soulless.
In the summer of '81 I went to London from York to take part in a National Union of Students protest march against the Thatcher Govt. One of the banners being waved during the march read : "THATCHER OUT! (LBW bowled Alderman)" This will always sum up the summer of '81 for me!
I was eleven and left junior school that summer, moving to senior school in the autumn. Botham was my hero during my formative years. Takes me back to childhood memories!
Also helped the likes of John Emburey and the rest of the tail to get up to 400. Lillee said afterwards that the bowlers were 'knackered' by the end of the England 2nd innings.
It was a great all round team effort, but the need for a hero and a talisman brought out the best in Botham. I went to the Oval in 85 and just remember the aura of anticipation around the ground as Botham came out, such was the presence of the player. Both those Ashes series were fantastic entertainment
Me and my mate were fidgety 13 year olds at Old Trafford that day. We couldn't watch Tavare and the struggling Gatting so we got on a train to Rochdale to watch Blackburn Rovers in a pre season friendly. The rest, as they say, is history.
Incredible to watch. I've just watched all that. If ever there was a sportsman who could lift a nation and light an arena it was Botham. (And the BBC said Andy Murray was arguably Britain's greatest sportsman the other week....I beg to differ) Great to see Tavare and Knott. And the sound that pull shot made when Botham pulled Alderman...wow! Echoed round the ground.
I stopped watching cricket when Ian Botham stopped playing, then suddenly a video showed up on youtube I dont know why I didn't look for anything cricket based but I had to watch it. Without a doubt the finest cricketer in my lifetime and probably one of the greatest sportsmen England ever produced and an all roungd good guy. Thanks for the memories!
Likewise I was 13 and had been interested in the game since 1978 but had just started playing. It took me 30 years to stop playing 🤣 Botham was one of my first heroes.
Simple TV coverage with class commentary - not many cameras and no overblown SKY analysis . Let the story unfold naturally. This was when l watched cricket.
If you gave the British public one chance to see Botham or Andy Murray in their prime now ,1million would choose Murray and 50 million would walk across broken glass to see beefy..
Don't we all. So many iconic commentary moments. His velvet tones were the soundtrack to my youth. "In the air. And six!" "In the air. And again!" He should have lived forever that man.
I am from pakistan but instead of imran khan , ian botham was my ideal. I was a teenager. what a player. I miss him. he brought so much excitement to cricket. cricket is not the same with botham gone.
I remember watching this days play back in 1981 and the BBC constantly going to and from the cricket to horse racing!! The BBC cut to horse racing when England were about 114-5 and I was greatly surprised (and delighted!!) that England had put on almost 30 runs by the time they returned 15 minutes later!!
Yes,Botham had actually overtaken Tavare's score by the time we returned from the racing,going from about 28 to 64 in rapid time!😊 But it was important for Botham to have someone solid at the other end-- he couldn't have batted the way he did if wickets had been tumbling.😊
They would cut to the horse racing for ten minutes of horses walking round in a circle, a race that lasted two minutes then nearly ten minutes of looking at the race again and the horses walking around again.
@@paulmillen7331 Not just me then! In addition to the cricket, it would also be shown during Grandstand. Would regularly switch over to World of Sport when came on!
This series was when my cricketing induction began a 9 year old completed enthralled by the game, for me Headingley remains the greatest test match of all time.
@@davidbrooks187 Agreed,he was great coming in at 6 or 7 and often dug England out of a hole.But he always had his bowling to fall back on should his batting fail so his place in the side was secure for many years.And his Test average of around 32 or 33 from 102 Tests is not world class.His defensive flaws were exposed by the West Indies quicks against whom he made a few fifties but not much else. But,hey,who cares?What a great all-rounder and entertainer!🙂
@@andrewkennaugh1065 yes his overall average did not reflect what such a great world-class batsmen he was. In the first six years of his career his average was comparable to openers however in the last part of his career the average slipped this was partly due to him coming in at six or seven and either running out of partners or not playing himself in tactically because he knew he wouldn’t have long at the crease anyway. But averages do not tell the full story. Botham did it time and time again when it was mostly needed either with the Bat or the ball even in his latter years He was able to create something magic and turn the game around at crucial moments. He what an absolute genius & all-time great all-round cricketer .
@distantvoices This innings is very reminiscent of his last test century too. coming in with England having lost quick wickets and absolutely destroying a young Merv Hughes.
Agreed, Botham came in at number six and many times he was chasing a total for the day & tried to hit as many boundaries as possible and or remained not out as he run out of tail end batsmen. For the first six years of his career he had an amazing average that rivalled the openers.
@@vijayiyer8518 bothams batting average was incredible in the first six years of his England career & comparable with opening batsmen. In the latter half of his peak England career 1983 to 1987 Botham used to come in to bat at number seven at the end of the innings and many times the damage had already been done / runs had been achieved by the previous England batsmen and a declaration was impending and he either retained his bat or would know that England was declaring. at the end of the day, so he would not bat conservatively and would make 20 or 30 runs & get out entertaining the crowd which affected his overall batting average.After the back operation in 1998 he was unable to bat or bowl to the previous Heights and standards he achieved. He was still a great player but it was between the years of 1976 and 1987, that botham was unsurpassed as an all rounder.
Beefy used to have the whole Aussie team over for bbq,s when they were over here and they played hard but remain friends too this day..Ian Chappel excluded..great cricket memories of the 70s and 80s
Cricket in the 80s was definetly better and more exciting than it is today. We might have flintoff and James Anderson in this modern era but you still cant beat the 80s with team spirit, legendary batting and field play even crowd participation.
Ahhh..... the myths of the good old days. There was plenty if drab and poor Test cricket in 1980s. Three runs an over was considered a good run rate in a day.
If Tavare hadn't looked like batting for the rest of eternity!! then I very much doubt you'd have seen the innings from Botham at the other end. If wickets were falling regularly at the other end Brearley may have ordered Botham to reign in his natural game.
England and Australia might argue over who had the best cricket team over the years, but even as an Englishman I have to said there's no doubt Australia produce the best TV commentator. And a bloody good cricketer too.
Strange to think that watching Ian Botham hooking Dennis Lillee for those sixes, misses the fact that in that series and the calendar year that the latter was in the bowling form of his career, taking 85 wickets in the 13 Tests that he and Australia played that year, including 39 in the 1981 series, and Terry Alderman took 42 wickets in the series as well.
I was there. Botham was hooking the best fast bowler of all time into the crowd without a helmet. Greatest all rounder of all time. No one in the crowd took their eyes off him for a moment. We were worried we'd get a cricket ball in the head. I saw all the greats of that period. No one could win games equally with bat, ball and fielding like he could.
@@darrensmith4279 stats mean nothing. No other cricketer in history could win a game like Botham with bat or ball in his prime. Far better bowler than Sobers by any measure
@@mrkimble2618 ru off ur rocker of course stats mean something..so why do they say the leading wicket taker the leading runmaker stats??botham i agree was brill..but not the best
@@darrensmith4279 Botham batted 5 or 6, when England were either trying to chase a game or shore up an innings. So stats can't be compared to say an opener or a number 11. It's comparing apples and oranges. Let me explain sport further. If the best goalkeeper in the world plays for a non league side, he might let in 5 goals a game. Yet he is still the best in the world. But his stats say he's terrible.
@@mrkimble2618 ur off ur rocker..so why have a wisdom book in cricket for one example..grandprix racing how does the lineup start stats?one car is faster then the other
That was the era when 4 great All-rounders Botham, Kapil Dev, Richard Hadley & Imran Khan were playing ..Ian Botham I thought was more dangerous bcoz he could damage the opposition with both bat or ball frequently. But that era was dominated by West Indies pace battery... Michael Holding, Malcom Marshal, Joel Garner, Andy Roberts, Collin Craft.. West Indies dominated that era & were almost invincible.
I was eleven and had left junior school the previous month, starting senior school the following month. Alas, I don't remember watching the actual footage but read about the Aussie tourists in the Radio Times.
In my 56 years on this planet i can genuinely say it was the best 2 hours entertainment ive ever seen on a cricket field thanks to the legend that is I T Botham
The British High Commission in New Delhi would show the highlights reel (literally a spool of film loaded onto a projector) in the community hall a couple of days after each days play had ended. Somewhere in the Bowels of the BBC there was a production line producing these highlights for the benefit of Foreign office staff in far flung posts. Would still love to know how this was organised. Despite everyone having listened to TMS late into the night and having read the news reports, the hall was still packed out for Bothams Ashes. Wonderful memories.
Did Botham plant the seed for bazball? A lovely combination this video, the brute strength of Botham in full flow, and the comforting tones of Benaud in the commentary box.
Sadly I missed his innings because I was busy and didn't come home until during the tea interval. By then Australia were sinking fast after the beating they had received from Botham. Any fight from their attack was pretty well spent. I heard the TMS commentary and their tone was odd as if they had experienced something that they were still recovering from. It was only watching the highlights that gave you some impression of how the australians had come apart in this session.
“Mustn’t give him room outside the off-stump” “mustn’t give him room outside the off-stump” “have they not learned anything from Headingly they mustn’t give him room outside off-stump” “ahhh they’re just not learning at all the Australian bowlers” 😡 “they’re just not learning they mustn’t give him room outside off-stump” 🤬 Love Ritchie ❤️
Love the editing fault here,presumably by the bbc....we were told England had only lost one wicket at the start of this day's play....we saw a couple of shots,no wickets....then at 1:12 the scoreboard said 79 for 2!!! We saw that wrongly BEFORE Boycott was didmissed by Alderman! 🤦♂️
I think I am right in saying that the following day was the first Sunday ever that Test match cricket was played. Playing myself on the Sunday we had to gather around the radio to keep track of Botham's epic bowling feats on Day 4 of this match.
I would not want to be in line to catch anything of the middle of Beefy’s bat. Robin Smith had a ferocious square cut but all of Beefy’s middles shots were like rockets.
One of the great test innings (I 'm talking about Botham not Tavare!). So many great shots - my favourite being his pull in front of square over mid-wicket off Alderman. The crack of the ball on the bat is such a magnificent sound. Interesting to note, Tavare was 49 when Botham came in and he was 69 when Botham got out. In between, of course, Botham scored 118!!!
@@stepheng8779 Tavare's was a supporting innings. Botham's was a match-winning innings. That's the difference. OK, you can't have won without the other but, Tavare's innings was a contribution, a footnote in history whereas Botham's was one of the greatest test innings ever seen
How many would Botham have got if Tavare had got out? Listen to Richie Benaud summarise... class knew class. Watched Chris mascerate bowling attacks all round the St Lawrence forty years ago... and a jolly nice bloke too. Bored of people not born then trying to comment on stuff they never saw.
Watched this whole test live on the beeb back in the days they could afford to buy rights to sport broadcasting. I was on my summer hols from school and stayed indoors to watch this rather than be out and about with my mates. Got Bothams Ashes on vhs somewhere. Poor old Bob Willis never really got as much credit as he deserved for this match in particular, but between the two of them the Aussies got dismantled!!
Yes, quite right. Both with the bat (added over 50 with Allott for the last wicket in the 1st innings and got England past 400 in the 2nd) he also took 7 vital wickets throughout the Australian's 2 innings including Marsh, Bright and the wicket which won the Ashes (Whitney).
40 years ago tomorrow as I type this... one of the great cricketing summers, if something of a curate's egg for England fans. Anyone else spot the BBC's editing error about a minute in?
What a great innings from Ian but what on earth were they thinking of in the first session? 9 runs in the first hour, 20 in the second, 1 boundary scored (by Gatting) and 3 needless wickets!! It would have been better if ESPN Classic had interviewed Mike Brearley and one or two other cricketers and asked what the tactics had been ahead of the day's play, how these tactics had changed for the afternoon session and again for the evening session. I can't believe the tactics were 'Bat as if you're trying to save the game'!
@@andrew7440 It was quite obvious England wanted to bat to lunch on the 4th day no matter what - just by the way Emburey, Willis and Allott batted after Knott fell early that day (Allott had more or less blocked for over an hour then suddenly unleashed an attempted straight drive just before lunch!!) Englnd would have set Australia 550+ by scoring at 3 RPO during the morning of the 3rd day's play.
Wait, in one highlight the commentator mentions that they're just about to take lunch, and in the next one Tavaré scores his eleventh run of the day? He was in over night! God, he was slow.
If you look closely at the outfits worn by the crowd, most are v.plain, a lot of the clothes in those days came from catalogues, I didn't see one mid-life crises.
I remember Lillee bowling very fast at Botham that day and Botham swatting sixes off his eyebrows then Lillee ducking from a shot by Botham that would've took his head off
@@ozking842 He may have been boring but it enabled Botham to play the way he did knowing that Tavare was playing 'Risk free' cricket at the other end. It was also intentional that Tavare played that way. In County Championship cricket he could actually be a very good strokemaker
