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Hear from the main protagonists from England's superb Ashes victory in Australia in 1986-87 under the captaincy of Mike Gatting.
England dominated Australia in the 80s with Sir Ian Botham to the fore.
In ‘Ashes in the 80s’ – which you can watch in full ON DEMAND now – we bring you the inside stories on the great Ashes tussles of the decade from the players right in the thick of the action.
Relive the drama, tension and excitement of the battle for the urn at a time when the country was in turmoil – from the unforgettable Ashes of 1981 to the tale of how Australia turned things around to the point where they would dominate through the 90s.
Episode Four – 1986/87 (watch in the video above)
It would rarely get as good as this for England in Australia as Mike Gatting’s team pulled off a ‘Grand Slam’ – a 2-1 win to retain the Ashes, plus two ODI trophies.
Charles Colvile recalls the 1986-87 tour, where England demolished their critics – and the Aussies – in style, winning the Melbourne Test by an innings inside three days to clinch the series with one to play.
Gatting and Micky Stewart, appointed as England’s first-ever cricket manager for the tour, reflect on the reasons behind their success and how they got the best out of talismanic all-rounder Ian Botham.
England opener Chris Broad looks back at the three centuries that relaunched his Test career, while Allan Lamb explains the key to his memorable last-over blitz of Bruce Reid that sealed a stunning ODI win.
From the Australian side, Merv Hughes and defeated skipper Allan Border add their recollections, including the case of mistaken identity at Sydney that began their eventual fightback.
Episode Three – 1985 (watch in the video below)
19:20 Captain David Gower had his greatest summer as England won back the urn with a 3-1 triumph on home soil.
Against the backdrop of the end of a year-long miners’ strike and a divided country under the government of Margaret Thatcher, England captain David Gower had his greatest summer as he became the nation’s darling.
Sir Ian Botham and Tim Robinson starred in the opening Test in Leeds, which England won by five wickets, before Allan Border inspired Australia to victory in the second at Lord’s.
Still, there remained fractions in the Australia squad, with some players feeling skipper Border was too friendly with the England side.
The series was level at 1-1 with two games to play following draws at Trent Bridge and Old Trafford, during which Gower, Mike Gatting and Border were in the runs.
But England eventually triumphed 3-1, and won back the urn, after innings victories at Birmingham and The Oval – Gower hit a majestic double century at Edgbaston, while seamer Richard Ellison picked up 17 wickets across the two games after being recalled.
Episode Two – 1982/83 (watch in the video below)
20:08 Crowd hooliganism, missed chances, poor umpiring and one of the most thrilling Test finishes of all time. The 1982/83 Ashes wasn’t for the faint-hearted.
Crowd hooliganism, missed chances, poor umpiring and one of the most thrilling Test finishes of all time. The 1982/83 Ashes wasn’t for the faint-hearted.
Captain Bob Willis headed to Australia with a squad missing the ‘rebel’ players who went on the unofficial tour to South Africa.
The defence of the Ashes began with a draw in Perth but it was shocking hooliganism that stole the headlines, Terry Alderman coming off worst after being struck on the back of the head.
A costly drop in the second Test at Brisbane, which allowed Kepler Wessels to score his maiden Test century on debut, would haunt England and a second defeat followed at Adelaide after Willis put Australia in on a flat wicket.
But the series sparked back into life with a thrilling finish in the fourth Test at Melbourne where a last-wicket stand between Jeff Thomson and Allan Border took Australia to the brink of an extraordinary win.
It meant that England travelled to Sydney needing to win to draw the series and retain the urn but their chances were undermined by terrible umpiring.
Episode One – 1981 (watch in the video below)
21:51 The story of 'Botham's Ashes' which also featured a star turn from Bob Willis as England beat Australia in 1981
Has there ever been an Ashes series that has had more of an impact?
Charles looks back on the 1981 Ashes, which produced one of England’s greatest sporting legends who would haunt Australia for years to come.
But it wasn’t all one-way traffic as England lost the first Test under captain Ian Botham.
Featuring the reflections of Bob Willis, Allan Border and Botham himself we chart how the return of Mike Brearley revived England’s fortunes in dramatic fashion.
The Headingley Test is the stuff of legend and set the tone for a decade of Ashes cricket – and things didn’t get much better than at Edgbaston as Botham produced one of the most memorable bowling spells of his career.
Watch every episode of ‘Ashes in the 80s’ ON DEMAND now or catch one episode per Test during our Ashes coverage.
Sourse: skysports.com
