Published: Jun 20, 2015, 09:00 AM (IST)
Edited: Jul 04, 2016, 08:34 PM (IST)
Tea sessions on Saturdays during Lord’s Tests usually involve the cricketers, especially the touring side, meeting the Royalty. Abhishek Mukherjee looks at July 4, 1981, a day when Rodney Hogg made one of the most unexpected of passes at Queen Elizabeth II.
Tests in England typically started on Thursdays. The tea interval of the third day of the Lord’s Test was invariably reserved for a rendezvous between the British royalty and the teams, especially the tourists. It was not supposed to be any different in 1981 when Kim Hughes’ Australians toured England.
Thanks to Dennis Lillee (8 for 80) and Terry Alderman (9 for 130), Australia had managed a 4-wicket victory at Trent Bridge in a Test where the highest team total was 185. Hughes put England in at Lord’s, and England were bowled out for 311 just before stumps on Friday. The top seven batsmen all reached double-figures, but none of them scored more than 82.
Ian Botham, the new English captain, was trapped leg-before by Geoff Lawson for a four-ball duck. Lawson finished with 7 for 81. Graeme Wood and John Dyson added 62 for the opening stand, but a quick collapse reduced Australia to 89 for 4.
Hughes and Allan Border then dug in. The sky was overcast, but the pair batted through the second session. It seemed Australia had seen the demons off.
Hogg at his best
Queen Elizabeth II, a cricket follower (if not an ardent one), walked out to the ground. The Australians, reserves included, stood in a file to greet her. The Queen approached the Australians, and, as was norm, Hughes introduced his teammates to her, one by one.
She walked past Dennis Lillee, who had once addressed her with an outrageous “G’day Queen!” and had asked for her autograph. This time, thankfully, it was eventless. Then came the turn Rodney Hogg, who was ruled out of the Test with a back injury.
Hogg was certainly not the most docile of characters. When he visited England during World Cup 1979, the Australian team went to meet The Queen at Buckingham Palace. When manager David Richards insisted nobody in the team swore inside the palace, Hogg’s response was spontaneous: “Does that mean we can’t say ‘f*ck’ in front of the Queen?”
Things looked better this time. When The Queen exchanged pleasantries, Hogg responded courteously, and she moved on to the next man. For once it seemed Hogg had let the moment pass without a lot of activity. Hughes had probably breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, as The Queen passed by, Hogg blurted out “nice legs for an old Sheila!” with The Queen certainly within earshot.
What followed?
– Australia reached 345 after being 268 for 8. Botham fell for a golden duck before setting 232 in 170 minutes. They were reduced to 17 for 3, but finished safely on 90 for 4. Botham was replaced by Mike Brearley as captain; this led to an incredible return to form for Botham and a 3-1 victory for Australia.
– The Queen, meanwhile, had other matters to attend to. The month-long wedding between Prince Charles and Diana took place from July 29 to Day Two of the final Test.
Brief scores:
England 311 (Mike Gatting 59, Peter Willey 82; Geoff Lawson 7 for 81) and 265 for 8 decl. (Geoff Boycott 60, David Gower 89) drew with Australia 345 (Allan Border 64) and 90 for 4 (Graeme Wood 62*).
Man of the Match: Geoff Lawson.
(Abhishek Mukherjee is the Chief Editor and Cricket Historian at CricketCountry. He blogs here and can be followed on Twitter here.)
