Which was the best decade of the twentieth century?

[wpdavid]

That 1972 Ashes looks to have been a fascinating series. Two evenly matched sides, the emergence of Lillee and Greig, nearly every total in the 250-300 bracket, a 2-2 draw.

It was the first Ashes series I saw, so I have fond memories of it. The other player who stepped up in that series was Greg Chappell, and it was pretty obvious after Lord's that he was a seriously class act. Although I enjoyed the games enormously, the abiding impression was that Aus, without being outstanding, were increasingly superior to an ageing England side. England's eventual retention of the urn was largely due to the bizarre conditions at Leeds where Underwood, who hadn't even been picked for the first 3 tests, was able to clean up. Even at my young age, it was obvious that England's success was not at all convincing and that a lot of the side were over the hill.

 

[Richard]

That 1972 Ashes looks to have been a fascinating series. Two evenly matched sides, the emergence of Lillee and Greig, nearly every total in the 250-300 bracket, a 2-2 draw.

I was nine years old and could have watched quite a bit of it on TV had I wanted to, but I had other things to do. What bugs me is that the BBC must have 100s of hours of archive footage from that period they could make available on DVD, but they don't seem keen to do so.

If I could name 10 series I'd love to have 1-hour-per-full-day-highlights DVDs made of, that one would be right up there. As elsewhere stated, you can (and I have) watch the interesting bits of 1981 in a matter of an hour or even less, and completely lance the rest. 1972, on the other hand, especially that last game, was probably the best Ashes of the TV era until 2005.

A few others would be 1976... 1980... and 1991. Everything from that last onwards, I remember with ever-increasing clarity.

 

[Richard]

Broadly agree, but there was that fascinating India vs WI series in 1974/75. It was Lloyd's first series in charge, and marked the debuts of Greenidge, Richards & Holding and the first full series of Roberts. All this against India's spin-kings in their own backyard. IIRC WI won 3-2. I wonder if SJS remembers it.

Nah, Holding's first (premature) foray was in Australia the following year.

Fascinating series indeed, but not sure how many people outside India would have any recollection of it, as it wouldn't have been televised back then and I don't know how well it'd have been reported Worldwide in the pre-internet-and-satellite days.

Would be great if SJS followed it.

Thereafter, as you say, things really looked up with the arrival of L&T, the great WI attack, Imran & others. Ultimately Packer, for all the good he may well have brought the game in the long term, ruined what was set to be an outstandingly good period for test cricket.

And given that I think the good Packer brought to the game at large (as opposed to the TV-coverage side of things) amounts to just a bit above nothing, I tend to resent his interference hugely.

 

[cover drive man]

I wonder what it must have been like playing the bodyline series in the thirties.

 

[Richard]

Vastly different depending on who you were.

Woodfull, McCabe, Bradman, Oldfield, Larwood\Voce, Allen, Wyatt, Jardine... all had such wildly different experiences.

 

[wpdavid]

Nah, Holding's first (premature) foray was in Australia the following year.

Fascinating series indeed, but not sure how many people outside India would have any recollection of it, as it wouldn't have been televised back then and I don't know how well it'd have been reported Worldwide in the pre-internet-and-satellite days.

Would be great if SJS followed it.

I don't remember reading about it all at the time. Admitedly all I read at the time was the Daily Express (I was young - blame my parents!), so other papers may have been better. tbf there was some coverage of series not involving England around that time - Aus vs WI was reported in depth, as was the WI vs India series, but only because some of the events were so spectacular. And they enjoyed reporting that Imran had given Aus some of their own medicine in 1976. But I almost completely unaware of India vs WI in 1974 until comparatively recently.

 

[Xuhaib]

I don't remember reading about it all at the time. Admitedly all I read at the time was the Daily Express (I was young - blame my parents!), so other papers may have been better. tbf there was some coverage of series not involving England around that time - Aus vs WI was reported in depth, as was the WI vs India series, but only because some of the events were so spectacular. And they enjoyed reporting that Imran had given Aus some of their own medicine in 1976. But I almost completely unaware of India vs WI in 1974 until comparatively recently.

The first cricket match ever to be televised in Pakistan.

 

[wpdavid]

The first cricket match ever to be televised in Pakistan.

It must have been popular viewing. Did you watch it, or was it before your time?

 

[Tapioca]

The first cricket match ever to be televised in Pakistan.

First match televised in Pakistan or the first *overseas* match to be televised in Pakistan ?

India started showing matches from late 60s (only in some cities initially). The India-Pak matches in Pakistan in 1978 were shown live in India, and the quality of pictures were miles ahead of what we had in India. I would be hugely surprised if cricket telecast in Pakistan was only two years old at the time.

 

[Tapioca]

I grew up following cricket in the 1980s and it is a big surprise that I did not give it up straightaway. Cricket, especially that in the subcontient, was as dull as anything could be. From what I have read, no era except the mid-50s to 1970s, could have been as bad as the 1980s.

 

[stumpski]

Vastly different depending on who you were.

Woodfull, McCabe, Bradman, Oldfield, Larwood\Voce, Allen, Wyatt, Jardine... all had such wildly different experiences.

There's a perception now that Bodyline was just devised to 'stop Bradman' but, perhaps to counter any such suggestion, it was bowled at most of the Aus line-up, and particularly at the right-handers, Ponsford, Woodfull and McCabe in particular as well as DGB (who missed the first Test and thus had a preview of what to expect). One of the left-handers in the side (O'Brien, maybe?) is supposed to have said from the non-striker's end, when he saw all the leg slips, "no, you've got it wrong - I'm the left-hander."

 

[bagapath]

finally made up my mind and voted for the 1970s. lillee, gavaskar, richards, imran, hadlee, botham, chappell, kapil, miandad, greenidge, border, garner, holding, rod marsh, roberts and marshall - all made their debuts in this decade. sobers, kanhai, walters, chandrasekar, bedi, boycott, knott, vishy and lloyd were still palying. the first two world cups were staged. india won back to back series in west indies and england. ian chappell unleashed his fast bowlers on west indies. west indies made england pay for it. kerry packer brought in a new brand of cricket. cricket was still played on uncovered wickets and without helmets. yeah, sure. i would choose 1970s over the other decades!

 

[pasag]

30s followed by the 70s for mine. Nice thread CDM.

 

[neville cardus]

A lot of people wouldnt be intrested probably.

I would!

 

[neville cardus]

There's a perception now that Bodyline was just devised to 'stop Bradman' but, perhaps to counter any such suggestion, it was bowled at most of the Aus line-up, and particularly at the right-handers, Ponsford, Woodfull and McCabe in particular as well as DGB (who missed the first Test and thus had a preview of what to expect). One of the left-handers in the side (O'Brien, maybe?) is supposed to have said from the non-striker's end, when he saw all the leg slips, "no, you've got it wrong - I'm the left-hander."

I loosely recollect reading about that little nugget, but it doesn't seem to be in Bodyline Autopsy. Thanks for posting it, though.

 

[Richard]

There's a perception now that Bodyline was just devised to 'stop Bradman' but, perhaps to counter any such suggestion, it was bowled at most of the Aus line-up, and particularly at the right-handers, Ponsford, Woodfull and McCabe in particular as well as DGB (who missed the first Test and thus had a preview of what to expect). One of the left-handers in the side (O'Brien, maybe?) is supposed to have said from the non-striker's end, when he saw all the leg slips, "no, you've got it wrong - I'm the left-hander."

They said that Jardine first thought he was on to something when Bradman looked uncomfortable against the tactic in a tour-game (captained by Wyatt). However, the fact that it was bowled in said First Test with Bradman absent suggests, indeed, that it was not solely aimed at him.

 

[neville cardus]

They said that Jardine first thought he was on to something when Bradman looked uncomfortable against the tactic in a tour-game (captained by Wyatt).

I heard that Jardine was watching some newsreel footage of the Don in the 1930 Oval Test Match. Seeing how scratchy Bradman was on that soggy wicket, Jardine suddenly cried out, "I've got it! He's yellow!"

 

[Richard]

Was that the one where he scored 232?

 

[neville cardus]

Was that the one where he scored 232?

It was indeed. I've just browsed through Bodyline Autospy, which confirms the story (told by Jardine's daughter, I think).

 

[andmark]

1970s
1980s
1990s