Amazing match. Two batting collapses. Two hits on the head. Wicket keeper scoring a century. Calling back a batsman after being given out. Quirky character scoring 174. A final session that was winnable for both sides. And ending by the same margin as the first game a century earlier. Magic.
Don't forget the courage of McCosker coming back to bat lower down in the 2nd innings with a fearful injury. I knew it was Hookes' test debut, now I know it was Randall's too.
Mate, you have to treat this vid carefully. Not only is it riveting sport and a great bit of cricket nostalgia, it is history. What a different world we live in now, and this 'slice of life' is a valuable record. Keep it safe....and thanks so much for the upload.
31:48 This match was played almost 45 years after the Bodyline series and Larwood was 73 years old. A sobering thought for those like me who watched it live to realize that this match was also played 45 years ago and most of the players are now the same age as Larwood was then. And 6 are no longer with us. Time hurries on.
Wonderful game. Wonderful memories of listening to it overnight on the radio, tucked up in bed, as a young lad. Innocent days. Amazing that it ended the same way as the very first game.
Randall had a very similar test career to Tom Graveney. Both came into the team as exciting stroke players, both were excellent fielders, both became household names early in their test careers due to an outstanding innings of 170 plus, both were frustratingly inconsistent with high peaks and low troughs, both failed to cement a permanent place in the test team and both were discarded from test matches after eight years. However this is where the similarities stop as Graveney was recalled three years letter and established himself as a regular in the team with 7 centuries in the next six years. Unfortunately Randall was never recalled.
Got to hand it to Rodney Marsh when he told the umpire to call Randall back when the ball was grounded. Competitive teams, the rivalry was respectful; look how Greg Chappell pats Randall on the back when he gets the Man of the match award. Dougie Walters, the Aussie version of Harry Pilling!
Very enjoyable nostalgia. I remember waking up as a kid and listening on the radio, with wonder imagining what it’s like to have 70k watching at a cricket match (when prob only Lords had more than 20k in UK). Great little interview snippets of legendary players attending - wish they were longer. Lots to enjoy from the actual match - Even Video review ,in a way, of the era - Marsh recalling England’s best batsman Derek Randall at a crucial stage after umpire gave him out, by expressing doubt he caught it and apparently double checking with his slip fielders. Also Randall’s cap doffing somersault. Dennis Lillee asking the Queen for her autograph in the presentation line-up. That line up ... done at crucial stage with England batsmen rolling toward possible victory - not a normal tea interval to rest and gather themselves to concentrate on the final assault - no - it was get your blazers on and line up in the Melbourne heat ! Then Lillee again getting the best “colonial” bowler award !!! (as one was presented in 1877). Randall as man of the match thanking Dennis for the bump on the head. Finally the greatest player of all time summing up. Excellent. Thank you
@@michaelparadisis4076 Debatable though Greg was brilliant he never proves his class on turners against quality spinners like Indian spin quaret or even against Qadir, Qasim etc. He only played in Pakistan in 1980 on asbolute featherbeds wheee even Sarfarz Nawaz smashed a 91 !! But even Ponting couldnt prove his authority by that way on turning pitches even in Australia.. I put Greg as second best of his era after I.V.A Richards..Also Doug Walters and Kim Hughes are among greatest ever from Aus..
I'm from India now in the US. Just saw this. What great event, so beautifully done. Great celebration and a reasonable tussle, until the end. Seeing the Queen was a special bonus. And of course the great Sir Don Bradman. ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Wow.I never thought i would relive my memories of this game.Thanks so much for putting this on RU-vid,you have no idea how many great memories this evoked.
Marvellous viewing...it seems a different sport to the current Ashes scene, especially the character of the players. I'm not sure if they'll ever be another like Derek Randall- playing the game with total joy!
Despite the final margin, this was a cracking match to watch. Highly entertaining. Both sides have some true firebrands. Amazing field curating too - like a bowling green!
Terrific game. Thanks for posting. So many good things. David Hookes hits 5 five fours in a row. McCosker hit by Willis and comes back to bat with a broken jaw in the second innings. Rod Marsh scores his first test ton. Randall scores 174 and almost wins the game. But the key was Dennis Lillee as always who wrapped up the game for aussies. And in addition I liked also the former captains for both teams. Ian Chappell walks out in his safari suit.
Derek Randall fantastic! Yes,I watched him play in my school days at Cuttack(Barabati Stadium) smashing all bowlers in a tour match! He was a very good fielder also!👍💐
You can't tell me that that first wicket of Ian Davis being given out LBW to John Lever was a good decision. The ball pitched outside the leg stump by about 20cm at least!
not sure it was 20cm but as it hit him in front of leg coming in on the angle, it had to have pitched outside leg - commentator said it was an easy decision for the umpire to make. I agree, he just got it wrong...
Yes was there to witness one of the great test matches. So many match ebbs and flows and so many individual highlights. Lillee's bowling on a flat wicket probably took the cake and won it for Australia.
Only been watching cricket about 52 years so wouldnt compare anyone pf any previous era but most former test cricketers of an earlier era certainly believe he was one of THE very best
@@dlamiss what he did was invent modern fas tbowling.. there was fast bowling pre and post Lillee.. that’s why he’s the GOAT.. love Marshall McGrath Akram Ambrose Hadlee.. even the modern greats Anderson Steyn and maybe Cummings in a few years.. Lille inventing the way they go about it and was the best match winner of all time.. facts S
What fantastic memories I watched this great game as much as possible and even though we lost i can smell the cut grass and for 30mins be back in 77 thanks 😮 xx.
In the days when to score a boundary four you had to hit it to the fence not like nowadays with the boundary markers brought in 10 yards. To hit it to the fence at the MCG it had to be well hit.
How good was the introduction, meeting all the places on the plane etc. Never seen that before. So many memories. Jack Ryder died not long after the match, Greg Chappell recalling Derek Randall when he was threatening to win the game on his own. Ironically Chappell received a letter from Richard Hadlees dad saying it was the greatest piece of sportsmanship he ever saw. Wonder what he made of the underarm 4 years later at the same ground.
I managed to attend the second day's play at this match and saw Lillee and Walker dismiss the English for less than 100. When Australia came out to bat Willis was bowling and the crowd in the Southern Stand gave him the real raspberry with the phrase 'Willis, weak as p_ _s'. I thought it was mildly amusing but also didn't think too much of it being said. Willis did pause in his bowling stint - briefly - when it was uttered but then got back to the job of bowling. Lillee, Walker, Marsh, Randall and Knott all had good games. The most disappointing aspect I found was when Alan McGilvray, one of the selectors for Man of the Match honours, recounted the events of this selection. He advised that he was called to the selection table BEFORE the match was actually finished and the three (?) selectors agreed, at that time, that it was Randall. However, McGilvray said that if the selection had been made after the match had finished (as was the normal case) then he would have nominated Lillee because his performance was the best overall (Lillee took 10 wickets for the match). Whatever the case, the match took place under excellent weather conditions, excellent crowds, excellent cricket (despite the apparent lack of batting expertise shown by both sides in their respective first innings), excellent sportsmanship, excellent organisation (all living players who had ever taken part in an Ashes test series were invited to attend) and finally and perhaps most excellently - a fitting result with victory to Australia by 45 runs - the same result as in the very first test of 100 years before. Special praise had to be directed to the MCG Committee for the organisation of this event which was, in a word, brilliant.
Thanks for the video. I watched this hoping to see Rick McCosker walk out to the middle with a broken jaw after getting it broken in the first innings. Unfortunately they didn't show it, but Hugh Jackman recalls the crowd gave him a standing ovation and were so loud as he came about at 10 and helped Marsh to 100 and increase the team's score.
Getting the distinct impression the spectators at headingly went wholly to enjoy the cricket; as opposed to hoping to be spotted by a t.v. camera wearing a fancy dress outfit!
Wonderful! I feel very much delighted to see all these great cricket legends.I am really inspired by this occasion. I pray to God to grant me a bit of talent&good manners of each of them! Great sight!Alive& Blessed 🙌 to watch this video! Thank you sir for this gem of a memorable video!❤ 🏏 👍
Hadn't seen this before, although I do remember hearing about the centenary test back then...the names present back then...utter legends of the game ! Thanks for posting 👍
This match is the first that I clearly remember, I was seven. Rod Marsh was batting with my hero (every kid in Australia wanted to be Dennis Lillee), nearing a hundred but running out of partners. Batting wasn't "FOT"s strong suit and with only bunny Tangles Walker left in the shed it appeared likely that "Bacchus" would end up short. Dennis got out, but instead of the hirsute Tasmanian ruckman, Marsh was joined in the middle by ... a mummy. Rick "balls of steel" McCosker, head swathed in bandages with wires sticking out holding his shattered jaw together, had signed himself out of hospital and tottered out at the fall of the eighth wicket. He made 25, saw Marsh to the first century by an Australian regular keeper in a Test against England (it wasn't the first by a keeper in a Test, Marsh himself had done it twice but not against the "old enemy" - his hundreds had been against Pakistan and New Zealand), shared in a partnership of 54 and Australia won the match by less than that. Had McCosker not batted with that broken jaw, Australia wouldn't have won the game.
Voce and Larwood reunited I bet the aussies had a few thoughts about that ! Remember seeing the highlights in the spring of 1977 on tv and really enjoyed the game. Although it didnt stand up to being much apart from light entertainment for me and a trip down memory for many great cricketers who were there. I wonder how Rick Mccosker looks back on this game, a lot of pride I imagine.
This was during the 'wilderness' period when he refused to play for England simply because he wasn't chosen as England captain. he was hardly likely to pass up any opportunity to criticise the selectors.
I followed this Centenary Test Match on Radio Commentary. I was twenty one years. This match was won by Australia with the same margin of 45 runs in 1877 and again in 1977.
An absolute joy to watch this again. I remember it well first time around. You can add 10-20 to Derek Randall's test batting average through the runs he saved. No-one took quick singles to him and I can't recall him dropping a catch, though I am sure he must have done.
This was the last test before the Kerry Packer World Series flare up and some of the people involved in this commentators and interviewees went on to work at Channel 9
A completely justified result and both awards well made. England played the hand that they were given to the max. The Colonials were ,just, all round better. Thank-you! Marvellous!
A lot of New South Wales players in the 1977 Centenary Test. Probably about half the side. Even though New South Wales were doing basically nothing in the Sheffield Shield. The two opening bats, and Walters, and O'Keefe, and Gary Gilmour, whom was a full-on all-rounder equally with the bat or ball. But, however it was and whatever was the go with things, they walked off the field and into cricket history, particularly given that it was the same exact result as 100 years previous down to the last run.
@@jamescorlett5272 Amiss was one of the best, two double centuries against the West Indies, can't beat that. Unfortunately the selection panel didn't do him any favours.
I was listening to the match on radio and the score line difference had just reached that magical '45' mark. One of the radio commentators at the time said something of the form, '....well that's the same victory margin as a hundred years ago. Wouldn't it be weird/strange/wonderful/marvellous if the result in this match was the same?' The very next ball demonstrated how accurate/prophetic that remark was. I'm not sure the English were that pleased but the Australians looked upon it as being 'a natural result.'
@@timcampbell1540 questionable but not the worst LBW decision going around. Glad it was given out though , 45 run victory to Australia as 100 years prior is a fitting touch for the occasion.
They never did back then. In the very next E V A test Lever had C Serjeant plumb lbw and not given by the umpire. All the commentator said was 'Ohh, that must be close, no it's not given' and they moved on.
Packer was aware that the people collecting rubbish at the ground got paid more than the players in this match. Definitely time for the Packer revolution in cricket.
England continued to wear MCC colours on overseas tours until about 1996 I believe. The first time they toured Australia wearing England caps & sweaters, as opposed to MCC colours was 1998/99, I think.
This had to be widely publicised test match. O' Keef, Underwood, Greg Chappel and fantastic 174 by Randall were remembered by cricket fans. Wha was doing Channel Nine at that time? In1979 World Cup among them who participated?
Davis is clearly not out, umpire went with his gut instincts the ball pitched outside leg stump heading down as well, might just clip the leg stump. That's why DRS is very important these days. Its not 100% correct, but much better than giving howlers.
Ah Tony Greig. One of the game’s biggest personalities and imho England’s second finest all rounder (after you know who). I wouldn’t rate Stokes any higher although I will if he continues to make a success of the captaincy and wins the Ashes next summer (say). What a great match this one was too!
I was in the crowd (Bay 13) on the second day when Paul Sheahan (I think) introduced Bert Voce and Harold Larwood to the crowd during one of the breaks in play (lunch? Tea?). Both men received a standing ovation as they walked onto ground. There was even a moment of humour as Bert Voce went and measured his run-up. the sight of these two men, the crowd standing and the echoing of the applause around the ground was something to remember.
@@kunalsingh3121 He refused to apologise for following his captain's instructions. He was never selected for England again! It WAS the only way to stop Bradman.
