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Widgets | Top Performer | Philips Moments | Photos | Airtel mChek |  |
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1956 Grounds of appeal July 22, 2006
Over four often soggy days, Laker exploited conditions which the Australians claim to this day were tailor-made for him. The pitch was certainly dusty, and with the series level at 1-1, a win for England was enough for them to retain the Ashes they had won three years earlier. It wasn't as if the Australians didn't know what to expect. Two-and-a-half months earlier Laker had taken all ten in Australia's second innings in their match against Surrey at The Oval. By the end of the Manchester Test, they were as openly critical of the surface as they were to be 16 years later at Headingley. And yet the day before the start, the newspapers were predicting a "true and lasting" pitch suited to fast bowling. England's selectors were unsure who to leave out, but in the end Fred Trueman was omitted, partially because of doubts about the weather and also because Australia had been all at sea against spin at the end of the previous Test, slumping to 35 for 8 in their second innings. Despite this, the general feeling was that the game would be a draw - no Ashes Test at Old Trafford had produced a result since 1905. It only emerged years later that on the eve of the match Bert Flack, the groundsman, had been instructed by Gubby Allen, the chairman of England's selectors, to shave the pitch. "That's stupid," Flack replied. "The match won't last three days. The surface is not that well knit." After pondering for a few minutes, Flack did as he had been ordered and immediately covered the pitch to prevent the press from seeing what he had done. England ended the first day on 307 for 3, but on the Friday Australia fought back well to bowl them out for 459. Australia started their innings with few alarms, and Laker and Lock began with little sign of what was to follow. But Peter May switched them around, and from 48 for 0 they crashed to 84 all out. Laker finished with 9 for 37, with Lock taking the other wicket. Laker's last nine overs produced figures of 9 for 16, and his seven wickets after tea came at a rate of one every three balls.
The quiet murmurings of discontent in the Australian camp spilled over into the press. It was, the argument went, unacceptable that the pitch was taking considerable turn as early as the second afternoon and was far too dry. One reporter, however, noted that while the pitch was poor, had Australia possessed bowlers of the calibre of Clarrie Grimmett or Bill O'Reilly then their protest might have been more muted. It was the forthright O'Reilly, writing for the Australian press, who cut to the quick. "This pitch is a disgrace," he fumed. "What lies in store for Test cricket if groundsmen are allowed to play the fool like this?" Flack was forced to take the cricticism in silence. Ian Craig, meanwhile, admitted that they had already started thinking themselves out of the game. "We were all pissed off," he said. "We felt we'd been dudded, and we dropped our bundle a little bit.'' When Australia followed-on, Flack asked Johnson, Australia's captain, which roller he wanted. "Please your effing self," was the terse response. Laker took the one wicket to fall before the close "with the worst delivery I bowled in the season," he later admitted. It was a slow full-toss on leg stump which Neil Harvey pushed tamely to Colin Cowdrey on the leg side. The famous photo shows Harvey flinging his bat in the air in frustration, and Laker sympathised with his reaction at picking up a four-ball pair within two hours.
The dire weather continued all weekend, with the ground lashed by gales and storms, and only an hour was possible on the fourth day. "It was as if Laker and Lock had had their teeth drawn," noted The Times. Australia were poised, it seemed, to get out of jail. On the final day it only stopped raining at 5am, and although play started on time, the pitch was too wet for it to be of any help to the spinners. What was needed was sunshine to dry it. Colin McDonald and Craig batted through the first session with few alarms. McDonald showed what could be done with application - he was the top scorer in all four innings of the matches where Laker took all ten. During the break, the sun came out and the wind got up - titanium bails were needed as the wooden ones kept blowing off - ushering rain clouds which had been gathering safely towards the Pennines. The dismissal of Craig after lunch triggered a collapse in which Laker took four wickets in 26 balls. The Australian middle order perished, it was noted, playing back when they should have gone forward. But Richie Benaud and McDonald stooped the rot, Benaud adopting tactics which would attract far more comment these days. "He took guard every over, and slowly and deliberately took a botanical interest in the pitch after every ball," observed The Times, adding that the small crowd were less than impressed. Benaud later admitted that his actions were a deliberate protest at the state of the surface.
In his wake trailed a bewildered Lock. He had bowled one over more than Laker and finished with match figures of 1 for 106. The consensus was that he had bowled too fast. "He lacked the power or the patience," noted John Arlott. "Nobody felt more humiliated than he did," Cowdrey recalled. While Laker was the headline news, some, especially in Australia, continued to gripe about the pitch. Not so Johnson. "When the controversies and side issues of this match are forgotten," he generously explained, "Laker's wonderful bowling will remain." "There was no such euphoria in Australia where our performance was regarded as being on the poor side of mediocre," reflected Benaud, adding: "and that of the groundsman possibly more so." Trevor Bailey was to the point. "I don't think they had a price from the word go," he said. "We played on a beach and it became muddy as well because the rain came down. We were well equipped for a beach because we had two great spin bowlers. They had two reasonable spinners but certainly not bowlers who were likely to be really difficult on this type of wicket." Laker was besieged by press and well-wishers, and he did not leave Old Trafford until 8pm. On the way home he stopped in at a packed pub near Litchfield where the TV was replaying his feats. As he sat with his pint and sandwich, not one of the patrons recognised him.
As for Flack, his infamy was short-lived as much more serious things were happening elsewhere. "Thank God Nasser had taken over the Suez Canal," he reflected. "Otherwise, I'd have been plastered over every front page like Marilyn Monroe." Is there an incident from the past you would like to know more about? E-mail us with your comments and suggestions.
Bibliography © Cricinfo
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