The West Indian Team in Australia 1975-6<\/p>\n
Clive Lloyd\u2019s team encountered its first major test, facing the champions on their soil in 1975. Australia were feared for their excellent fast bowlers. They desecrated everyone, at home and abroad.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One of the greatest fast bowlers in cricket history, the West Indies\u2019 Michael Holding, remembers the confrontation all too well.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In an exclusive interview with the Sports Gazette, he said: \u201cThe most important thing was to not get hurt. Those Australian pitchers were the quickest in the world at the time. I don\u2019t think anything has surpassed them now, anyway.<\/p>\n
\u201cJeff Thompson, in particular, was extremely fast. He was the one that was frightening. They had some outstanding fast bowlers, but Jeff Thompson was the one who was bowling at 100mph. He could hurt you, and he did hurt a few of the West Indies batsmen.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Australian players were menacing, but the crowd was relentless.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019re playing in someone\u2019s home town, you expect the crowd to be hostile. You expect that they\u2019ll be cheering for their home team.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was a little bit surprising to me, in particular, was some of the abuse that I heard. Some of the things that I heard. People have said and did say at the time that some of it they don\u2019t really mean it. But whatever it was, I just brushed it aside.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of six games against the Australians, the West Indies lost five.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n The Transformation Of West Indies Cricket<\/p>\n The West Indies side returned home feeling the full weight of their defeat, but Clive Lloyd was no quitter. Determined to repair its reputation and to shed the frivolous label of \u201ccalypso cricketers,\u201d Lloyd set about transforming his team.\u00a0<\/p>\n No stranger to the success of Jeff Thompson and Dennis Lille, the West Indies team committed to the practice of fast bowling. Most teams had two, sometimes three, proficient fast bowlers. The West Indies had four.\u00a0<\/p>\n With the introduction of a young, hungry Michael Holding into the folds and the presence of Andy Roberts, Vanburn Holder and Wayne Daniel, Lloyd reimagined the West Indian game to one rooted in pace, precision and power.<\/p>\n Intent on proving themselves capable opponents, the team debuted this new technique against India in 1976.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was important that we beat India at home because we were then heading to England. The three series were pretty close to each other, and we didn\u2019t really want to be losing two series and heading up to England on the back of that.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, it was important that we won that series.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The Windies won the series two to one after India opted to withdraw their final batsmen in protest of their opponent\u2019s newfound bowling style. Lloyd\u2019s team had little time to dwell on the outcome of the series. England was next.\u00a0<\/p>\n Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n Tony Greig Resolves to Make The West Indies \u201cGrovel\u201d<\/p>\n On the eve of the first test, England captain Tony Greig was interviewed for the BBC\u2019s Sportsnight programme. Rattled by the coverage highlighting the strength of the West Indies, he responded that he intended to make his opposition \u201cgrovel.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The comment was provocative for several reasons and, coming from a white South African during Apartheid, was latched onto for its racist implications.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI remember watching it live and seeing the BBC cameras interview Tony Greig down at Sussex,\u201d Holding said. \u201cI\u2019ll never forget the image of when he made that comment about these West Indians, and when they\u2019re on top, they\u2019re a great team, but then he said something about when we get on top of them\u2026no he didn\u2019t say we\u2026I, with the help of Closey and a few others, intend to make them grovel.\u201d<\/p>\n Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n He ran back to inform the rest of the West Indies team of Greig\u2019s promise.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cImmediately, everyone was there saying oh? Okay. Not out loud of course, but in your mind, in your head everyone is saying oh you\u2019re going to make us grovel? Let\u2019s see about that.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd every time he came into the crease, the fast bowlers just found an extra little pace from somewhere to bowl a little bit quicker at him. We didn\u2019t like the idea that he used that particular term. Tony Greig being a white South African born playing for England because South Africa had been banned for Apartheid, using that term just did not go down well with us.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Despite its racial implications, pre-series braggadocio was not unheard of. Greig apologised after it became clear that the Caribbean population had not appreciated his comments. But the damage was done. All left was for the England captain to honour his words on the pitch.<\/p>\n The Final Test: Holding Meets Grieg at the Oval<\/p>\n Despite draws at Lord\u2019s and Trent Bridge, the West Indies began dominating the series, and England\u2019s hopes dwindled.<\/p>\n When the final test at The Oval came around, England had launched a recovery. But Michael Holding had other plans. As Grieg came out to bat on Saturday evening, all it took was a couple of cover drives off the West Indies fast bowler, and the England captain was bowled off his pads.<\/p>\n The crowd were jubilant. At once, several hundred spectators, many of West Indian descent, ran onto the pitch and beelined for Greig, taunting him.<\/p>\n Holding did not share the same feeling of euphoria at bowling out Greig as some of the fans.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a satisfying test match, yes,\u201d he said. \u201cBut the entire series was satisfying because we pretty much beat England comprehensively. To bowl Tony Greig out, yes, but if you look at that Test match, nothing was bouncing above the stumps, the pitch was so flat that you either got batsmen out bowled or LBW [Leg Before Wicket]. Very few were caught behind because the ball wasn\u2019t carrying that far.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201c[Bowling] Tony Greig out that Test was just standard for that particular game.\u201d<\/p>\n Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n Who\u2019s Grovelling Now?<\/p>\n On Monday, Greig strolled towards the open stands situated on the Harleyford Road side of the ground. Defeated, he fell to his knees, grovelling to the crowd who roared in appreciation.<\/p>\n Grovel. Who\u2019s grovelling now?\u00a0<\/p>\n The following morning, Holding\u2019s 6 for 57 in the second innings earned him 14 wickets in the match.\u00a0<\/p>\n On the record, Holding is modest in his achievement: \u201cI was 22 years old. I just kept running in and bowling fast and kept on taking wickets. As I\u2019ve said to so many people, yes, 14 wickets is not something that you do every day, I never repeated it, of course, and not too many bowlers get 14 wickets in a test match. But I will never be able to walk around and boast.<\/p>\n \u201cI was just young, quick and whether, in my opinion, was fantastic. Everybody was saying it was hot, if you go back and look at the pictures, you wouldn\u2019t see any sweat on my sweater, so it wasn\u2019t hot for me coming from the Caribbean.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt was just a fantastic time for me. I was running, everything was clicking, and I just kept on taking wickets. I just kept on bowling.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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