Fifty years ago this week, an English cricket side touched down in Sydney for the MCC’s 1974/75 tour of Australia. It was eagerly anticipated, given that the visitors held the Ashes at the time.
Additionally, during the three preceding summers Australia had hosted a mere six official Tests, and no ODIs.
Test cricket was different back then. Helmets, arm guards and chest guards didn’t exist. Bats were toothpicks, sightscreens were small, boundaries were fences, and umpires counted to eight.
The SCG had the Hill, Perth the WACA, and the ‘Gabba a dog track – and Australia’s players were part-timers.
Matches were followed on the ABC, via either AM radio, or television broadcast in black-and-white from a single camera at one end. A keen fan filled in the ABC Cricket Book’s blank scoresheets by hand.
The Hosts
Under Ian Chappell’s leadership, Australia had won three series and drawn two others. He, his brother Greg, Ian Redpath, Ross Edwards and Doug Walters were scoring runs.
Rod Marsh had made redundant the wicketkeeper’s traditional non-batting role.
However, his side’s bowling was a work in progress. A pair of spin bowlers had played in each of its preceding ten matches.
Max Walker had established himself as the side’s workhorse. Dennis Lillee had suffered a broken back, and Jeff Thomson had been ignored, since debuting two years earlier for a return of 0/110 from 17 overs.
The Tourists
Mike Denness’s hardened professionals boasted a total of 441 caps. They had already enjoyed success in 1974 against the West Indies, India and Pakistan.
But crucially, in hindsight, fiery paceman John Snow did not receive an invitation, while Geoff Boycott withdrew four weeks after the side was named because he “couldn’t do justice to himself”.
The tour lasted almost five months. It featured six Tests in Australia, and two in New Zealand, plus 23 other widely-flung games.
The first Test was preceded by nine matches including ones in Port Lincoln, Warrnambool, Nambour and Southport.
The Series
While England was undefeated before the first Test, it had been lulled into a false sense of security. Lillee, returning from injury, had bowled at a reduced pace for Western Australia. A fully-fit Thomson had done likewise for Queensland.
The pair affected England’s batsmen just as Mitchell Johnson would in 2013/14, but from both ends. What Lillee might have lost in pace, he more than made up in guile.
Thomson was unpredictable, with a javelin thrower’s action generating extreme pace and lift. Don Bradman said they were “probably, as a pair, the fastest and most lethal opening pair in Australia’s history”.
The home side was well placed to inflict a 5-0 series defeat on England until first Thomson and then Lillee were injured mid-match. Even so, Thomson took 33 wickets at 17.93, and Lillee 25 at 23.84.
The duo was well supported by lively pitches, superb catching, and 23 wickets from Walker. Greg Chappell led his team’s batsmen with 608 runs at 55.27, while every other one except Wally Edwards also prospered.
Parochial crowds flocked to watch. The series attracted 777,333 spectators, including 250,750 at the MCG’s first match, and a then-record 178,027 in Sydney.
After the tour, Denness wrote: “As the plane left Australia for New Zealand, some of the lads said they were glad to get out alive. That was difficult to take. I was upset I hadn’t picked up on it earlier. They were thinking about their livelihoods, and whether they were going to get hit on the head”.
First Test, the ‘Gabba
Pre-match, Thomson stated “I enjoy hitting a batsman more than getting him out. I like to see blood on the pitch.” Lillee, meanwhile, had released a book in which he wrote about aiming to hit batsmen.
The visitors were ambushed on a pitch that was underprepared following heavy rain. Clem Jones, the Lord Mayor of Brisbane, had sacked the curator and taken on the job himself.
Australia batted first and a 100-run partnership between Ian Chappell (90) and brother Greg (58) enabled it to tally 309. Five batsmen were dismissed hooking.
Bob Willis, Peter Lever and Tony Greig also bounced Australia’s tailenders, possibly as part of a ‘retaliate first’ strategy.
Greig dismissed Lillee with a bumper and followed it up with a send-off. The Australian stormed off the ground and furiously told his teammates “Just remember who started this: those bastards. But we’ll finish it”.
Tony Greig (Photo by John Williams/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
When England batted, Lillee began his run-up near the sightscreen, while Thomson shared the new ball with him.
Ian Chappell later said, “For the next few overs, I looked on in awe”.
When Marsh leapt to reel in a Thomson bouncer, he wrung his hand in pain and told his captain “Hell, that hurt, but I love it”.
Greig (110) counter-attacked to guide his side from 4/57 to 265 while antagonising the Australians by flamboyantly signalling his own boundaries. Lillee, Thomson and Walker shared nine wickets.
Edwards (53), Walters (62no) and Greg Chappell (71) then took Australia to 5(dec)/288 and a 332-run lead. England slipped to 6/94 before being dismissed for 166. Thomson (3/59 and 6/46) claimed match figures of 9/105.
Test legend Keith Miller wrote of Thomson: “He frightened me, and I was sitting 200 yards away”. Edrich had a hand broken by Lillee, and Amiss a thumb by Thomson.
Denness, upon being dismissed, took off his shirt and discovered that a bouncer had embedded his St Christopher medallion in his chest.
Greig’s brief second innings was ended by a sandshoe-crusher from Thomson.
Second Test, the WACA
England was invited to bat, and five Australian bowlers shared the wickets in a total of 209. Denness later recalled “It was the quickest pitch I’d seen. Two or three bouncers went so high over Marshy’s head, he didn’t even bother moving. We were never going to dominate – we just had to wait until Walker or Mallett came on, and you had the chance of getting some runs.”
Emergency replacement Colin Cowdrey, aged 41, played three days after a 47-hour journey from wintry England. Twenty years earlier, at the MCG in his debut series, he had scored a match-winning 102 against Ray Lindwall, Keith Miller, Bill Johnston and Richie Benaud.
Cowdrey contributed 22 runs from 101 deliveries at number three, then 41 as an opener, earning plaudits for twice batting beyond two hours.
When he first arrived at the crease, Ashes debutant David Lloyd told him “You stay up that end against Walker because it’s all going off down this end.” Cowdrey later described it as “the most generous act I ever knew in cricket”.
The home side then replied with 481. Walters (103) joined Edwards (115) at 4/192, and they added 170 runs in even time.
In an iconic Ashes moment, Walters brought up three figures from the second day’s final delivery.
He later recalled:
“[Bob] Willis dropped short all right and I was already in position to pull the ball. How sweet the feel and sound of my bat striking that short Willis delivery. It was one of those times when the bat hits the ball at precisely the right moment. I hit it right in the screws. The ball sailed away, nearly bisecting the two guys at backward square, and thudded over the boundary line. Six! You bloody beauty.”
The visitors struggled to 293 in their second innings, as Thomson (5/93) backed up his earlier 2/45. Fred Titmus (61) resisted bravely for three hours. Australia reached its 21-run target for the loss of Wally Edwards.
Lloyd was forced to retire hurt during his second innings, after a blow to the groin from Thomson.
He later said “We wore little pink plastic boxes which were totally unsuitable. It cracked open and what I had inside fired through before the box snapped shut again like a guillotine coming down. I lose my voice just thinking about it. There’s retired hurt and then there’s retired hurt”.
Denness noted Lloyd’s reaction on returning to the dressing room: “Within seconds his body was quivering. His neck and the top half of his body in particular were shaking. He was shell-shocked”.
Third Test, the MCG
Each side settled for a draw. The first two team totals of 242 and 241 were amassed at a funereal pace, and the largest individual innings were those of Redpath (55) and Knott (52). Thomson (4/72) and Willis (5/61) enjoyed most success with the ball.
Dennis Amiss (90) anchored the visitors’ second innings of 244, supported by Greig (60). Thomson (4/71) extended his tally to 24 wickets from three games, with Mallett (4/60) supporting him.
Australia required 246 for victory. Unfortunately, only Greg Chappell (61) could master the conditions. Needing 55 runs when the game’s last hour commenced, it then scored seven runs from the next seven overs.
When stumps were drawn its score was 8/238, and the teams were separated by seven runs and two wickets.
Fourth Test, the SCG
Australia regained the Ashes with two games in hand. Denness dropped himself after amassing just 65 runs from six innings.
Stand-in skipper John Edrich had two ribs broken, while Keith Fletcher deflected a bouncer into his forehead. A packed Hill chanted “Lill…lee, Lill…lee” as he ran to the crease.
The home side scored 405 thanks to debutant Rick McCosker (80), Ian Chappell (53) and Greg Chappell (84), despite Geoff Arnold (5/86) and Greig (4/104). The visitors replied with 295, only Edrich (50) and Knott (82) defying Thomson (4/74).
Australia then rammed home its advantage, Redpath (105) and Greg Chappell (144) enabling a score of 4(dec)/289 and a 400-run target. England capitulated for 228 with only Greig (54) resisting, and Ashley Mallett (4/21) delivered victory with 35 balls left to be bowled.
Rod Marsh. (Photo by Adrian Murrell/Getty Images)
Fifth Test, Adelaide Oval
Another game, another comprehensive defeat for the visitors. Australia recovered from 5/84 to 304 thanks to Walters (55) and Terry Jenner (74), in spite of Derek Underwood (7/113). The reinstated Denness (51) top-scored in the visitors’ reply of 172, with Lillee (4/49), Thomson (3/58) and Mallett (3/14) starring.
Australia again set an insurmountable target. Redpath (52), Walters (71no) and Marsh (55) enabled a score of 5(dec)/272 and a lead of 404, despite the efforts of Underwood (4/102).
The visitors slumped to 5/76, before recovering to 241 thanks to Knott (106no) and Fletcher (63). With Thomson now out of the series after injuring a shoulder playing tennis on the game’s rest day, Lillee (4/69) and Walker (3/89) filled the void.
Sixth Test, the MCG
The visitors recovered some lost pride against a home side missing the injured Thomson. Lever (6/38) and Chris Old (3/50) triggered Australia’s collapse to 4/23, from which Ian Chappell (65) hauled it to 152.
Lillee broke down after six overs. Denness (188), Fletcher (146), Greig (89) and Edrich (70) took England to 4/507 and an eventual 529.
They combined for three century stands after the first five games had produced one in total. Walker (8/143 from 42.2 eight-ball overs) was rewarded for his toil.
When the home side batted again Redpath (83), McCosker (76), Ian Chappell (50) and brother Greg (102) helped it reach 373 yet still lost by an innings. Greig (4/84), Lever (3/65) and Arnold (3/83) shared the spoils.
The Legacy
The Australian side would draw comparisons with its 1902, 1921 and 1948 predecessors. Ross Edwards was the only member to retire immediately, while Ian Chappell handed the reins to brother Greg.
It contested the inaugural World Cup’s final, won the Centenary Test, and won three series while drawing a fourth.
England’s veterans paid the price for a disastrous tour. Cowdrey, Lloyd, Titmus and Brian Luckhurst didn’t play another Test, while Denness was sacked after one more. Snow was recalled but only briefly, while Boycott would remain unavailable for another two years.
The summer’s success precipitated revolutionary changes in Australian cricket. Despite its commercial potential becoming readily apparent, the Australian Cricket Board continued to underpay players and resisted the overtures of Channel 9’s Kerry Packer.
Two years later he recruited almost every Australian player, as well as England’s best, for what he termed ‘World Series Cricket’.