Test Match Special - England vs West Indies Classics: Lord's 1984

Episode Date: June 5, 2020

Jonathan Agnew presents a special podcast remembering the classic England vs West Indies Test played at Lord's in 1984. Look out for some iconic TMS commentary memories.

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. The Dakar Rally is the ultimate off-road challenge. Perfect for the ultimate defender. The high-performance Defender Octa, 626 horsepower twin turbo V8 engine and intelligent 6D dynamics air suspension. Learn more at landrover.ca. Marshall in, he bowls, Foster goes forward, and he's out, caught there by Harper at third step. Here is Walsh on the way now, and Gouche pulls down towards backwards to the leg, that's going to do his hundred.

Hooper has hit on the pad, there's an appeal towards Up Armist. He's giving it out to W. Cork has taken a hatchet. There's a big IBW appeal for him, he's out, ABW. West End he's all out for 54. Hello, I'm Jonathan Agnew. Welcome to the Test Match Special podcast. Well, at this point in the year, we'd normally be enjoying the early stages

of the international summer, but of course, this year is not a year like any other. We'll bring you full coverage of the rescheduled England against the West India series in July. But in the meantime, across BBC Sport, we're looking back at classic matches, play between these two famous adversaries.

On BBC 2 and on the eye player, Isaguer, is presenting four programs, reliving some fabulous matches of yesteryear. And on the BBC Sport website, there'll be a host of features looking back on the rivalry. Well, over the next month here on the TMS podcast, we too are going to be dissecting these four memorable games, all of which are played in England, that tell the story of West Indies's dominance and then decline through the 1980s and 1990s. Look out of some of the great TMS voices, too. Tony Cozier, Brian Johnston, Chris Martin Jenkins, and there are some lovely memories that we all hear. The four fixtures in question played in 1984, 1991, 1995 and 2000 are real landmarks in the story of cricket both in the Caribbean and England, and it's the earliest of these games that we're going to start with.

Part of the Blackwash Tour of 1984, the second test at Lords saw England threaten victory only to be blown away in the fourth innings by one of Test Cricket's great innings from Gordon Greenwich. The West Indies chased down a remarkable 342 inside 67 overs for the loss of just one wicket with Greenwich unbeaten on 214 not out. Now, joining me to go through all this, I'm joined by the West Indies commentator Fazia Muhammad from his home in Trinidad and the test match special stats guru, Andrew Saltzman, somewhere hunkered down in Streatham. It's great to have you both to have you both with us. There's a rather strange way of meeting up, but we shall meet again. very soon. It'll be great to have you with us. So let's start then where both sides were coming into in that series in 1984. The West Indies had won three matches coming into the series.

England failed to win any of their six matches in 1984 up to then. Their last win coming in August in 1983. The West Indies, of course, are unbeaten. Throughout 82 and 83 and Fasier, as a proud West Indian, pretty much the heyday, wasn't it for West Indies at this stage? Oh, for those glory days, agas But yeah And I think when we look at that

Lord's test match That was almost a year to the day From that shock loss to India In the World Cup final of 1983 And if you look at what happened subsequently You got a sense that the West Indies We're about to Really to show the world

Who's really the boss of world cricket Because they had gone to India Won that test series 3-0 They had beaten Australia 3-0 In the Caribbean without losing a second innings wicket over five test matches and then of course won by an innings in Birmingham. So they were really up for it coming to laws

and clearly they were on a track which suggested that they had a point to prove. Just looking at the rundown of their team actually, Greenwich Haynes, Gomes, Richards, Lloyd of course, Captain Dojohn Marshall, Baptiste, Harper, Garner and Small, Milton Small was playing in that test match. So Michael Holding would have been missing for that one then. Yeah, and that was an interesting 11 because you look at that now

and you'd say, well, okay, what a Baptiste and small doing in a West Indies team that is considered probably the greatest of all time? No disrespect to either of these two gentlemen. But you'll have to remember as well that that was in the aftermath of the rebel tours of South Africa. There was no Colin Croft anymore available. Sylvester Clark was out of the running. Ezra Mosley out of the running.

Hartley Alleyne, who was sort of like a fringe player, would have been out of the running as well. So if you've got Michael Holding injured, and as we saw later on in this Black Horse series, Winston Davis would have been drafted in to feature which just underscores the depth of the West Indies fast bowlers. But yeah, I mean, you wouldn't think automatically of Milton Small and Eldine Baptiste figuring into West Indies four fast bowlers. No. Goal and Andy, in terms of what this team was doing to everybody. people always talk about the 1980s West Indians versus the 1990s Australians

it's interesting comparison but what were the West Indies up to well having lost a controversial series in New Zealand early in the decade they'd then won six of their next seven series they'd lost only one out of 32 test matches in that time coming into the 1984 series and they had a throughout the 1980s West Indies had a win loss record, 43

wins, eight losses in test cricket, which is the highest win-loss ratio for a decade of any team in test history that's played at least 20 matches. The 2,000's Australians are second behind them. So if you want a comparison between the Great West Indians and the great Australians, I know decades

are a bit vague as a time measure. But it shows they are probably the two greatest teams that have played test cricket. And in terms of the individuals, the world rankings have been sort of backdated throughout international history and the West Indies at the time

three of the top six batsmen in the world Clive Lloyd, Viv Richards and Gordon Greenwich plus Haynes, Dujon and Larry Gomes in the top 20. England only had two players in the top 20 that time Gower and Botham and in bowling Marshall and Garner who did play the Lord's Test second and third in the world holding absent for that game.

Fifth, England had Bob Willis nearing the end of his career, still in the top ten and Ian Botham just outside it. So there was a vast difference in terms of the quality of teams coming into that. That said, although England had a poor winter in 83, 84 losing in Pakistan and New Zealand, they had been pretty strong at home in previous summers. They'd won eight of their previous nine series, the exception being the West Indies previous tour in 1980. So although we sort of tend to look back on.

this period of English cricket from behind whatever sofa we choose to locate ourselves they had been pretty reliable at home until this summer but as Fas said they'd been absolutely thrashed in the first test of the series so there were some ominous signs

coming into this game at Lords yeah they were thrashed as you said at Edgebaston by innings and 180 runs up comes Garner builds this one and Willis, oh, he plays it up and outside the off-stamp. He's given out, caught. He stands there, looks at Umpa of Barry Mare.

It looks a bit wet off the inside edge, and I think he probably got a nick there, out, caught by Dujon, off Garner, to give Garner his five wickets and the innings. As it is, the West Indies of 1 by 1 innings, and 180 runs, which is a pretty big target. So, hammering at Edgebaston, it's worth, therefore, running through the team

that England put out for this second test match. Fowler, and Chris Broad, a debut for him, Why was he there playing in this test match? Only the second match in a series. Well, how about this for poor old Andy Lloyd? Oh, dear me. I didn't like the look of that at all. Just got him on the side of the head, I would think,

where that protective plastic or perspex comes down. But that did look very nasty. So a horrible blow for Andy Lloyd in his first test match. Of course, I still remember seeing that as a sickening blow. So Broad comes in to make his debut, made 50 actually in the first innings, Gower the captain, Lamb, Gatting back in the side as well, both them, Downton, Miller, Pringle, Foster and Willis being the England team. And I don't know, Andy, but in terms of debuts,

perhaps as an opening bat, sort of in particular, I mean, up against the attack, okay, we've established it was actually missing holding. but for Broad actually to come out and make 50 in his first test things against that attack is a pretty good effort. Baptiste in a game from the nursery end. Bowles and whips it away off his toes and that's 50 in the first test to be played by Chris Broad his first season with knots after moving from Gloucestershire

and a very warm round of appreciation from the crowd here. The England total goes up to 96 without loss. This is the 34th over Chris Broad, 50 knot out and Graham Fowler 30. in other. Yeah, superb. As a partnership of 101, one of England's two century stands of the entire series of five tests, and the other came in the second innings of this same game

between Ian Botham and Alan Lamb. It was one of only three opening stands of 100 against West Indies in the six years from 1984 to 1989 inclusive, and in fact, Broad was involved in two of them, the second one in 1988, so of course England then dropped

in one match after that, such as selection at the time. And Graham Fowler's century in that first innings at Lords, in a 10-year period from mid-April 1981 to mid-April 1991, there were only eight centuries by Openers against West Indies in 75 tests. Openers averaged 24 against the West Indies, against all other teams combined 37. So for Fowler and Braw to bat as well as they did on that first morning,

albeit without Michael Holding there, that was a true hero. effort of batsmanship. Fowler goes back, square cuts, four runs, there's his hundred, there's his hundred, a hundred and three, and that was a splendid stroke. It wasn't all that short, he made room, he cut it guilty, uh, fine

of Baptiste at backward point. It went into the crowd in front of the grandstand, and there is Fowler's second test hundred. I must say, I played in the last match of this series, with Fowler and broad still there, and they were pretty shot. So someone,

So I went boo loudly in the background. They really had. They'd weathered, weather some ferocious storms. Well played to Graham Fowler. 55 to Broad, as I mentioned. Lamb 23, both from 30, Downton 23. The tail, as usual, swept away. England wore out for 286.

Malcolm Marshall, taking six for 85. And I wonder, Fasier, we talk about this great West Indies side. And the way that it did evolve, for me, I think this was Marshall's absolute peak. I mean, you could say that probably without being unkind, Michael Holding had had his best. He actually balk a lot of this series off his short run. Joel Garner, again, perhaps just going over the hill, but this was Marshall in his very best. Absolutely. And I don't think, Michael, even Mikey himself would disagree with that assessment.

Because, again, because there was that uncertain period immediately post those rebel tours of South Africa. And the West Indies and West Indies fans, and I'm sure Captain Clal, Lloyd would have been looking to see if someone like a Malcolm Marshall who actually started his test career in the absence of those who had gone to Kerry Packer in 1979 when he went to India with a depleted West Indies team and he really stepped it up Malcolm Marshall and I agree with you 100%. He clearly made it his intent from 1983 taking on India in the Caribbean and subsequently even with the disappointments of the World Cup. He recognized West Indians recognize that Malcolm Marshall was the genuine spearhead of this West Indies attack.

Marshall turns now in, he bowls, and Foster goes forward, and he's out, caught there by Harper at third step. A very quick catch. It went low to him. Harper, got it beautifully in both hands, threw it aloft. And Marshall has got his fifth wicket of the innings. He's just so skillful, wasn't he? I mean, he wasn't, I mean, he could bowl extremely fast, and he wasn't a big man. at all. In fact, quite a short man, really, in terms of height, but a beautiful athlete. And then not pace, okay, he'll give it away a bit, and then he'll just swing it, and he'll pitch the ball up and seam it. I mean, he really was multi-talented. He wasn't just a straight-out fast bowler. Indeed, he was. And I think that was the danger with facing up to a Malcolm

Marshall for the first time, because he didn't have that great height of a Joe Elgarner or some of the other guys. Even Michael Holding was lethal, but a bit taller. And it was difficult to get away, and maybe that's why you see so many batsmen being hit. Nice man, though. You always said sorry when he hit me. I don't know if he did for anybody else, but I was always very fond of Malcolm for that. Here he is, then, taking his sixth wicket, as Ingram were bowled out for 286. Marshall, a few little stuttering steps before breaking into his quick run-up to Willis, and Willis is bowled. That's the end of the innings.

England all out for 286. Willis bowled by Marshall for two. Marshall gets his six wicket in the innings. Downton is 23 not out. England all out for 286. Well, I love it to hear Tony Cozier commentating on the end there. Poor old Bob Willis. 286 all out. That's not necessarily a dreadful score for England to make against West Indies in those days, Andy.

Not too catastrophic. One of their best first inning scores against West Indies of the decade. In fact, in the second innings they made 300, and that was the only time in five series against. the West Indies, that England topped 250 in both innings of a test, that lost test of 84. In fact, to give an idea of the long-term strength of West Indies, no other team scored over 250 in both innings of a test against them until four years after this game, 30 test

matches, until Pakistan did so in 1988. Looking a bit at Malcolm Marshall statistically, obviously, he was a glorious bowler to watch in terms of his craft and athleticism. That series in 1984 was one of a string of seven series in a row in which he took over 20 wickets at an average under 24. And five of them, he averaged under 20. And from 1983, he only became established in the West Indies side through to the end of the decade. He took 292 wickets average 19. So he was unquestionably one of the greatest bowlers of all time.

Yeah, no doubt about that. 286 all out. Well, at West Indies, bowled out then for 240. Viv Richards made 72, Clive Lloyd 39, Malcolm Marshall, 29, 44 from Eldine Baptiste, is popping up there, obviously very useful runs, but still a handy lead for England, and who got the wickets? Of course, it was Ian Boathom. Comes in now to Richards and wraps him on the pad. He's out leg before. Amparmeier has given Richards leg before wicket to Botham. West Indies 138 for 4 with Richard's leg before wicket to botham for 72. 47.4 over six maidens,

eight four, one hundred and three. Garland just plays up and outside. He's nicked it. He's caught again well in front of first slip by Downton. A good falling catch. Garner caught Downton. Bill Botham for six. West Indies are all out for 245,

and that means that Botham has got his eight wickets, and now needs five to take 300 wickets. England lead by 41. and the interesting thing is the Broad, who only fielded it for a short time today, has been resting, will come in and bat in spite of his groin trouble. 245 all out, Ian Botham, eight wickets, including his old mate Viv Richards, LBW for 72. There's something about West Indies, and Ian Botham and Viv Richards. It did spark Ian up, and this was a bit of a, I don't know, a reappearance, I think, of Ian Botham at his best.

It just lost it a little bit. I mean, the late 70s when he started swing, proper swing and pace, and this was back to his very best again. Remember this stint? Well, I think I was probably at school, but it's certainly true, as you say, both of them had declined from his early career, Pomp, up to the end of that legendary 1981 Ashes series,

202 wickets average 21. But from then, until the start of this Lord's test, in another 27 test, 85 wickets average 37. So it had been a quite a significant decline in Botham's performance. I think you probably know better than me, but I think he had some back trouble. It was his first six-wicket innings since the Ashes test at the Oval, the sixth test of the 1981 series. And he was only to have one more six-wicket innings in his career,

which was the final test of the summer against Sri Lanka back at Lord. So it was something of a return to form, but didn't. And he had a pretty strong series, statistically, in this series, but didn't signal that he was necessarily back to his, his absolute peak. But it did seem, I guess that certainly the duel between the two Somerset teammates,

Botham and Richards, it was clearly something that brought either the best or the worst of because I recall both of him as captain. Remember, he was made the England captain for a tour of the West Indies in 1981. And before that, and then subsequently, of course,

gave up the captaincy and so on. But he was challenged by Richards who came on to bowl on the final day of the test match in Trinidad and Botham just couldn't resist the temptation of taking on Richards with Jeffrey Boycott batting at the other end and he was caught at mid-off by Mikey Holing

so there were the best and the worst of each other because they just seemed whenever they confronted each other something was bound to happen that you'd remember. Great mates and fierce competitors, I must say. I remember again the last test of the series both of actually borrowing properly fast he got Jeff Dujon out which is 300th test wicket

and I was at mid-on I remember it was as quick a ball as I can remember so both them really was back to his best in this series Ingo England then a lead of 41 we've heard there about Chris Broad's groin strain well he was out for a duck

to Joel Garner's bowling and pretty quickly England were 88 for 4 this is Marshall's 8thover naught for 15 so far up he comes Bowles this one, outside the Ulsterthum. He's padded up again, and he's LBW again playing no stroke, and I simply do not understand it.

88 for 4, England, and Gatting LBW Bell Marshall for 29. Oh, and I do remember that so clearly, and it's extraordinary, isn't it? I mean, no one would have known the Lord's float better than Mike Gatting, and therefore the second time. Malcolm Marshall has just nipped that ball back at him, and he's playing no shot, but again, Fasio, it just demonstrates the skill of Malcolm Marshall? And it was one of his party tricks.

You'd see him do it four years again when the Western News were back in England in 1988. Graham Bruch was then back in the England team. And he'd do that over and over again. And even then, and certainly in 1984, he was perfecting the art of the swing, away swinger, away swinger, away swing, and then the batsman gets lulled into complacency.

Then comes to that beautiful in-swinger and he a trap plumb in front. He really was someone at that stage, not just with that lethal pace but developing all the other tricks of the master craftsman as a fast bowler. Yeah, indeed. But anyway, 88 for four.

Runs scored though. Alan Lamb 110. Ian Botham, 81. And runs actually came in quite straightforward fashion. Here now is Marshall again from the nursery end. Up to the wiki to Bowtham. Botham drives four runs. He hit that on the up.

It went away like a guided missile. It hit the fencing there in front of the mound stand, bounced about five yards back, and honestly no one had moved before it had hit the fencing. What a straight fellow. Lamb on 99, waiting here as Marshall comes up, bills to him, and he's cut that one. That's it. He's cut that for four down to backward point, and Lamb has made 100, a very welcome one to him, back in the runs in test cricket, and he is 103 not out,

and England are 273 for 6, and one or two people, I'm afraid, running on to congratulate. And what a splendid innings by Alan Lamb. So Alan Lamb going really well, the company of Ian Botham as well. Then a couple of wickets fell. And then this extraordinary situation where the fourth evening, England have a lead of 328. Alan Lamb's still there. There's three wickets still in hand.

And off they come for bad light with nearly an hour to go. And I again, I remember the booing and what people were thinking of howls of of derision from the Lord's crowd in fact we can hear it they must go on please but if they come off a bad line the batsman they'll be I mean they're simply mad

Lamb is looking at the Emperor he's longing for them to offer it to them Pringle is out there I don't know whether they've looked up at David Gar for instructions now David Evans is having one they're coming off would you believe it and the Lord's crowd

are appalled at that and with good reason because England have got a chance of winning this game and they appear now to be throwing it away because time is of the essence if they're going to bowl the West Indies out. They've got three good wickets left. They've got a lead of at this moment

328 runs and here they are with an hour's play left, just under an hour's play left and they're going to waste the chance of getting runs on the board. Well it's... recognizance at all. Good old Trevor putting things into perspective there. But it did seem a very strange decision to make, didn't it? With certainly lamb set and the West Indies have been out there in the field for some time and runs to be scored and one nil down in the series and a victory

to be had, Fazier. Well, we didn't mind at all from a West Indies perspective because if you're going to take the bad light when you're in such an advantageous place, I mean, everything else there after, and I mean, we saw what happened on the last day and how it unfolded, and we could always speculate as to what could have been. But maybe it might have just been that siege mentality, that, you know, things have been going so wrong so often against the West Indies, and you don't realize it doesn't click in that, look, you're on top now, put the boot in, take advantage of the situation while you can and really be on top on the last day. But Westingans were delighted that they went off the field. It's almost as if England didn't believe that they could win the game. And they'd have looked down that batting line up. They'd gone, cool, there's Viv Richards in there.

There's Gordon Gwynnitch in there. There's Clive Lloyd in there. Crikey, we've got to be careful. Can you get yourself into that sort of frame of mind? Oh, yes, it was an absolutely mighty batting line. I mean, as we were talking about England's recent form over the previous winter have been very poor. So, yeah, they were a team low on confidence.

Alan Lamb's century was the first of four he made in that summer of 1984, three in successive games against West Indies, then a century in the one-off test against Sri Lanka. He hadn't made a 50 in his previous seven tests, so a significant return to form for him. But he went on a four-year century drought after that. Ian Botham's 81 was his highest score in the 20 tests he played against West Indies. So they did come off, and they'll remember there was a right old stink in the press,

the next day and England actually declared the next morning nine down, and added only the 14 runs with Alan Lamb himself out for 110. So West Indies set 342 to win in 78 overs on a fifth day pitch. Gordon Greenwich and anyone who played county cricket or indeed international cricket against Greenwich

at the time knew if he walked out to bat limping you were in trouble. were in trouble. And sure enough, out he came, because he would just stand there and play shots. And was that something that the West Indies also talked about, Fuzziere? Because, again, on the county circuit, I mean, you just pampered Gordon, and he just looked after him, made sure a nice comfy chair. He just did not want to see him limping. Was that something the West Indies were aware of as well? Well, he was a real enigma, Gordon Greenwich, as everyone knows only too well, during his playing days and even after, probably more so as well. But that type of personality,

He never really said much, didn't speak a lot to it, to fans or media or anything. But the fans always knew that Gordon Greenwich, together with Desmond Hines, of course, that durable, successful batting partnership. But yeah, from the moment you saw him limping, and it wasn't just limping when he would have walked out to bat at the start of the inning.

If you saw him limping, when the ninth cricket had fallen and the 10th cricket was for, sorry for him. You knew he was getting himself in the zone. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it happened far too often for it to be purely coincidental. and it's almost as if he was willing himself to play a certain way and part of that was limping along. Well, his hundred came from just a hundred and thirty-five balls.

Willis makes his way back. He's running in now, down the track, his feet in exactly the same places. He comes up now. Bowls to Greenwich on 99. Greenwich cuts this one, and this is going to be it. It goes to fire up, but he's deeper this time. Greenwich gets his hundred, his hands up in the air, the bat in the air, he takes his cap off.

No one, thank goodness, has run on to congratulate him, but we all applaud him from here, and so do the crowd. A very fine hundred. West Indies is 149 for one. Yes, so no question of West Indies simply playing for a draw. Gordon Greenwich, Andy, what can you tell us about him statistically? Well, he was a superb opener over almost two decades for West Indies, ending up with over 7,500 runs, average 44.

But this mid-80s period was probably his peak. He'd had a little bit of a lull in the middle of his career, but from 1983 to 1985 in 30 tests over three years, averaged 59 with seven centuries, including two double centuries in this 1984 series. And the mid-80s was very much his peak over a three-year period, from 1983 to 85. He averaged 59 in 30 tests with seven centuries,

including two doubles in this series. He was one of the most destructive batsmen of that time, that is for sure. And inevitably, how did he bring up his 200? Well, that's an extraordinary stroke. Just as he played it, had the feeling that he hadn't quite middled it. In fact, he did, and he's hit it for six and gone past the 200 mark, to become only the ninth cricketer in the history of the game to make a double century at Lords. Amazing. He'd only actually scored 144 from eight innings in England before that.

But anything to note from that innings, Andy? Well, 232 balls to reach his double hundred. And our balls face weren't recorded for all innings. But at that point, it was the second fastest double hundred in terms of balls faced. Ian Botham reached 200 off 220 balls against India a couple of summers before. And it remains the only double century. in Test cricket in a successful fourth innings chase and one of only five fourth innings double hundreds

ever made in tests so it was truly an extraordinary innings. What about at the other end then? Larry Goames. Middlesex fans will remember Larry? Seemingly, I didn't know very well, but a very quiet fellow left-handed, just got about his game in a very, very quiet, uncomplicated way. Fazir, tell us about Larry Goames. He made 92 not out at the other end.

Well, every Trinney, you know the rivalry in the Caribbean territories. Western Indies win, West Indies lose, Caribbean fans are quarreling or cussing one another, as we would say, over different issues. And many people were of the view in Trinidad and Tobago. Gordon Greenwich, you're going to get your double hundred. Why not allow Larry to get that hundred? The rarity of a Trinidad and Tobago batsman getting a hundred in a test match at Lord. Because the first would have been Charlie Davis, someone many people may not. recall, 1969. He averaged over 50 in just 15 test matches, but fell out of the game because

there was no money in it at the time. Bernard Julian, the presumed successor to the great cigar field sobers, got 100 at loads in 1973. And there's Larry poised on the 90s, waiting for the chance to get 100, not getting any of the strike, and Greenwich blazes away. But Larry was the sort of individual. More of a fan of horse racing than cricket. In fact, you probably had to drag him out of the racing pool to get him to a game of cricket, even in his prime. But here I'm sure you would have treasured the idea of scoring a test match, 100 at the loss,

but Gwynid was on his own path. It's such a typical, classical, West Indian debate that, isn't it? Only West Indians can have a go at Gordon Greenwich, scoring 200. Absolutely, because in the West Indies, when you win, you lose, when you lose, you definitely lose. There's no turning back. Oh, it is brilliant. 92, not out, he said of 140 balls

and he was known as the more defensive player in that lineup. This, in fact, was his fastest test innings in terms of runs per 100 ball of any time he scored over 35 in his test career. He had a fine series in 1984 and was a very good batsman away from home made four centuries in Australia for West Indies. Well, the game was up. Both of them had dropped Greenwich

actually when he had about 110 from memory and he's bowling off spin near the end as the crowd are ready to come on the pitch. Ian Botham off two or three paces. He's both from the Pavilion end. And he comes in now to Gomes. And Gomes goes back and hits the winning run through the offside for four.

The West Indies have won this match by nine wickets. 344 for one, having been set 342 to win. Gordon Greenwich finishes 240 not out. Larry Gomes is 92 not out. The West Indies go 2-0 up in the series with one of the most remarkable victories in the history of test cricket. The crowd is swarming onto the ground

and the West Indies have won the match with, in fact, 11 overs to go. Amazing result. 11 overs to spare. What a run chase there. Nine wickets in hand as well. There was, I remember, David, of course, David Gow was my Leicestershire captain at the time and he, of course, came back to play for us immediately after this game.

I just remember the criticism that there was for him, and particularly that bad, like decision, which I suspect will probably haunt him forever because I don't think anybody, I know that obviously Trevor was quite outspoken there and that little bit of commentary, but it's a pretty hard one to justify, not actually batting on that day with a man on 100.

And would he have changed anything? Who knows? With 11 overs to spare and Gordon in that mood? Maybe not, but that was certainly one of the main talking points of the game. Indeed it was. And many, many, when you look at that, there'll always be that talking about, I mean, just a few years ago, 2017, when Joe Root had that declaration at Headingley, leaving the West Indies with 330 odd. And actually, because of the batting of Shea Hope and Craig Brathwood, they were able to pull it off. You're always going to have that. It really depends on the feeling at the time. And certainly, when you look back to 1984 at that time on that fourth evening, it certainly felt that it was the wrong decision by David Gower then to, to have the team go off for bad light, especially for that rare situation where you've got the West Indies on the back foot and the chance really to put yourself in a very safe position. Yeah. And Andy, last thought from your on this to put that all into context. I mean,

it just confirmed what we all knew. This was the best team in the world winning from even difficult situations like that. Yeah, it was the fifth highest successful run chase in the history of tests. It's still 13th in that list now after. another 1,300 odd test matches. And it was the ease and speed with which they did it, as you said, almost 12 overs left out of the 78 overs that they were given. I guess England did well to keep Clive Lloyd and Viv Richards quiet on a growl that they'd had success before. And they scored it over five and over, and it was only the second time in the history of test

that a team had made over 300 at more than five and over. and it remains one of only two occasions in which a team scored 300 plus at 5 and over or more in the fourth innings of a test. Pakistan did so against Sri Lanka and Sharjah in 2014. So in the context of the way cricket was played at the time, this was statistically extraordinary innings as well as the cricketing drama of it.

Lovely. Thanks to Andy and Fazir. And of course, yes, I was lucky enough to make my debut on the last match of that series, a joyous occasion. against a team that you just knew was invincible, frankly. Hope you enjoy that too. BBC 2 is showing several programs on the matches that we're focusing on in this Test Match special podcast series. Look out for them on BBC IPlayer, Saturday at 6, 45, starting on Saturday, June the 6th.

Next time on this podcast, we're heading to Headingley in 1991, and one of Graham Gooch's finest hours. Do join us for that. Alan Shearer and Ian Wright are in my kitchen. What's going on here? The all-new Match of the Day Top Ten podcast, answering a huge football question every week. This has not been easy, hasn't it?

Like the Top Ten Premier League strikers. Personally, I think it's really hard to have Shearer anywhere near the top ten. The Match of the Day Top Ten podcast. Only available on BBC Sounds. BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts.