Fourth Test, Edgbaston
Get this: after the astonishing victory at Headingley in 1981, England dropped a player and rejigged the batting order – as they have done again this week. Graham Dilley was the Chris Woakes figure, dropped to make way for John Emburey. Graham Gooch was the Jason Roy, moving from opener to No 4. Mike Brearley and David Gower shuffled up one.
But England could manage only scores of 189 and 219, meaning Australia needed 151 to win. England plugged away on the fourth day and when Emburey dismissed Allan Border for 40, Australia were 46 runs shy of the target. “At that point the score was 105 for five,” Brearley later wrote. “I had been uncertain who to bowl at the other end from Emburey. Botham was strangely diffident. He felt that others should bowl before him; the ball was not swinging or bouncing – he wondered how he would get anyone out on this pitch.”
Brearley brought him on anyway. He conceded one run from his 30 deliveries – and cleaned up the remaining five Australia wickets in 28 remarkable balls. Rodney Marsh swung across the line and lost his middle stump. “The crowd has gone noisily berserk,” said the BBC’s Richie Benaud. Botham trapped Bright lbw and had Dennis Lillee caught behind by a juggling Bob Taylor. Martin Kent was bowled off his pads attempting a hoick to leg and Alderman played and missed at three balls, the last of which saw him castled. Botham’s figures for the spell read 5-4-1-5, Australia had crumbed from 105 for four to 121 all out and England won by 29 runs.
Fifth Test, Old Trafford
On to Manchester where (shock horror) Botham was out for a first‑ball duck – caught by Bright off the bowling of Lillee – in England’s first-innings of 231. He claimed three wickets for 28 as Australia were hustled out for 130 but England’s grip on the Test loosened when they slipped to 104 for five, a lead of 205. Then the helmetless Botham strode out to join Chris Tavaré.
Brearley later wrote: “Here Botham played possibly his best ever innings, hitting cleanly and powerfully, hooking Lillee for three big sixes (one could swear he was not even looking at the ball) and driving with crisp power. At the other end, Tavaré played one of his most stubborn, almost static, most invaluable innings.” In all Botham smote 118 from 102 balls, with six sixes. “Its ferocious power and dazzling cleanness of stroke can surely never have been bettered in a Test match even by the legendary [Gilbert] Jessop,” said Wisden.
England won by 103 runs to retain the Ashes with a 3-1 series lead. The sixth Test at the Oval was drawn – and Botham crowned his momentous summer with a 10-wicket haul.
