Published: Aug 10, 2013, 01:40 PM (IST)
Edited: Aug 10, 2016, 02:56 PM (IST)
August 10, 1991. The maverick Phil Tufnell picked up 6 for 25 to wreck the West Indies at The Oval in the last Test of Viv Richards, Malcolm Marshall, and Jeff Dujon. Abhishek Mukherjee looks back at a spell that went on to pull off a major upset against the indomitables.
When Viv Richards brought his side to England for the 1991 Wisden Trophy, they had every reason to be optimistic: the last time England had beaten them in a series was in 1969; since then they had beaten West Indies in two Tests out of 41 and had lost 25. Richards was probably sure at heart that he would quit Test cricket on a high in the country where he had been most prolific with the bat and had never lost a Test as captain.
The first shock came at Headingley where Graham Gooch played a once-in-a-lifetime innings of 154 not out before the English seamers led the hosts to an upset victory by a 115-run margin. The hosts still had a chance after the rain-affected second Test at Lord’s petered out to a draw, but it was then that the West Indies decided to show them why they were the best side in the world.
Curtly Ambrose, Malcolm Marshall, and Courtney Walsh had helped West Indies pull off a nine-wicket victory at Trent Bridge, and Patrick Patterson joined in the fun for the 7-wicket rout at Edgbaston. The tourists were in the lead again as a strong sense of déjà vu had started to creep inside the English hearts.
It was Richards’s 50th Test as captain; it would also be his last. Since Gus Logie had to pull out due to a knee injury, Richards had to bring in Clayton Lambert for his debut. Gooch’s England, on the other hand, dropped Graeme Hick, Allan Lamb, Jack Russell, and Richard Illingworth, and brought in Robin Smith, Ian Botham, Alec Stewart, and Phil Tufnell. The choice of the better batsman (Stewart) over the better wicketkeeper (Russell) attracted a lot of criticism, but Gooch stuck to his decision.
Just before the match, Derek Pringle was also ruled out due to tonsillitis and England had to bring in David Lawrence. Gooch won the toss and decided to bat first on what looked like a decent pitch.
Day One: English batsmen finally in control
Gooch opened with the Glamorgan southpaw Hugh Morris and the duo went to lunch at 82 without loss; the bouncer barrage from the menacing four-pronged West Indies attack often went overboard but the umpires could not prevent them since they were not exactly breaking any law. “The spirit of the game was sorely tested at times,” wrote Wisden.
After lunch, Ambrose broke the chin-strap of Morris’s helmet with a lethal bouncer; the shaken Morris fended one to Lambert soon afterwards. Michael Atherton lasted four balls before edging Walsh to Carl Hooper, and when Gooch was trapped leg-before by Ambrose for 60 England had suddenly been reduced to 120 for 3 from 112 without loss.
Smith, back after a finger injury, defied the fast bowlers, and Mark Ramprakash hung around grimly; the two batted for 104 minutes before Hooper broke the partnership with his harmless off-breaks. At stumps England were on a reasonably comfortable 231 for 4 with Smith on 54 and Stewart on 19.
Day Two: Smith’s moment of glory
Earlier in the series Smith had scored a gutsy 148 not out at Lord’s to lift his side from 84 from five to 354. He seemed to be batting with the same authority: he lost Stewart after a 75-run partnership, but Botham (who eventually got out hit-wicket as he hit the stumps with his thigh trying to hook Ambrose) helped him add 73 more with uncharacteristic grimness.
After Smith fell leg-before to Marshall, England were bowled out for 419 with Chris Lewis hitting a few blows to score 47 not out of the 83 scored during his stay at the wicket. All five West Indian bowlers got wickets, with Ambrose and Walsh snaring two apiece.
Lawrence, playing in his third Test, bowled with aggression and found Phil Simmons’s pads after the opening stand had put up 52. Desmond Haynes and Richie Richardson then played out time — having survived a chance each — returning with 46 and 20 respectively and the team score on 90.
Day Three: Tufnell runs through
Botham, playing in his 98th Test, struck the much-required early blow as Richardson edged one off him to Stewart. Hooper also snicked one off Phil DeFreitas, but the debutant Lambert provided Haynes with the support he needed. They went on to add 70 in 77 minutes when things seemed to be in control at 158 for 3.
It was then that Gooch brought on Tufnell for the first time in the day: Lambert played a horrendous stroke off Tufnell’s first ball of the day, holing out to Ramprakash for a high catch at cover. Due to a headache, Richards kept himself back and sent in Jeff Dujon.
Dujon was trapped leg-before for a duck by Lawrence; Richards held himself back further, now sending in Marshall. Marshall scored a duck as well, trying to cut the ball hard but edging it to Botham in the slips.
Richards looked uncomfortable from the very beginning. Eventually, Tufnell ended his stay at the stumps as he edged one to Stewart; two balls later Ambrose’s irresponsible stroke flew to Botham at slip; and two more balls later Walsh hit straight to Gooch. None of them managed a run. Tufnell had picked up his second five-for.
Four runs later, Patterson edged one and Botham dived to pull off his third catch of the innings. From 158 for 3 West Indies were bowled out for 176. The tail, instead of providing support to Haynes, committed hara-kiri by playing one irresponsible stroke after another.
Tufnell finished with 6 for 25 — his career-best figures till then. He had stuck to the basics, maintaining an accurate line and length, and tossing the odd one up to lure the batsmen to play expansive strokes. The plan had come good.
On the other hand, Haynes had scored 75 in 198 balls with eight fours and had batted for 286 minutes. It was the second occasion on which he had done so after his 88 out of 211 against Pakistan. He would do it for a record third time and become the only one to do so. It is to be noted that he is also the only opener to be dismissed last in the innings twice in the same Test.
Gooch asked the West Indies to bat again. They began well, Simmons and Haynes adding 53 before the former was claimed by Botham; Lambert was promoted to three but he fell to Botham as well; and Haynes’s resilience ended after 171 minutes when he was given out leg-before off Lawrence. It would be for the first time that he would leave the ground in the Test.
West Indies finished Day Three at 152 for 3 with Richardson on 39 and Hooper on 11. They were still 81 runs behind.
Day Four: West Indies fight back
Richardson and Hooper (54) took the score to 208 before Tufnell came back to remove the latter for 54. Richards, walking out amidst a standing ovation, scored a brisk 60 and Richardson hung around. When he passed 20 a batting average of 50 was ensured, and the crowd at The Oval acknowledged the milestone with another round of applause. The innings-defeat was saved, and though Richards and Dujon fell in quick succession, Marshall hung around to provide Richardson with some company.
Stumps were called at 356 for 6; Richardson was on 108 and Marshall on 17; West Indies were now 113 runs ahead.
Day Five: England survive hiccups
DeFreitas ended West Indies’ hopes early on the last day by uprooting Marshall’s middle-stump with the second ball of Day Five and trapping Ambrose leg-before two balls later. Both Walsh and Patterson supported Richardson, who was eventually last out, giving Lawrence his five-for.
West Indies had been bowled out for 385. Lawrence had picked up 5 for 106. England needed 143 to win.
Disaster struck early when Patterson found Morris’s edge early in the innings. Gooch scored a few runs, adding 37 with Atherton and 40 with Smith, and England seemed to be cruising at 80 for 2. It was then that Gooch was leg-before to Marshall, and almost immediately Smith fell to Walsh.
England had been scoring fast (almost at 5 an over) but their aggression cost them wickets. However, Stewart lifted the pressure with some composed strokeplay, and once again Ramprakash played the perfect foil. The 100 came up, then 125… and Richards eventually decided to give the ball to Lambert with victory in sight.
Lambert removed Ramprakash with the third ball of his Test career with two runs left to be scored. Botham walked out and hit a boundary to finish things off in style. England had won the Test by 5 wickets with less than two hours remaining. In doing so they had managed to draw the series 2-2.
And amidst all the cheering, Richards, Marshall, and Dujon bid international cricket farewell for good, amidst tumultuous applause.
Brief scores:
England 419 (Graham Gooch 60, Hugh Morris 44, Robin Smith 109, Chris Lewis 47*; Curtly Ambrose 3 for 83, Courtney Walsh 3 for 91) and 146 for 5 beat West Indies 176 (Desmond Haynes 75*; Phil Tufnell 6 for 25) and 385 (Desmond Haynes 43, Richie Richardson 121, Carl Hooper 54, Viv Richards 60; David Lawrence 5 for 106) by 5 wickets.
(Abhishek Mukherjee is a cricket historian and Senior Cricket Writer at CricketCountry. He generally looks upon life as a journey involving two components – cricket and literature – though not as disjoint elements. A passionate follower of the history of the sport with an insatiable appetite for trivia and anecdotes, he has also a steady love affair with the incredible assortment of numbers that cricket has to offer. He also thinks he can bowl decent leg-breaks in street cricket, and blogs at http://ovshake.blogspot.in. He can be followed on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ovshake and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ovshake42.)
