Cricinfo | Wisden Almanack
England arrived buoyed by a good summer against India and Pakistan, and blissfully ignorant about what awaited an old side which had already shown signs of unrest before leaving home. While there were rumours about Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson, the former was considered unlikely to play after a serious back injury and the latter dismissed as a beach bum. Within weeks it was clear that England's batting, already weakened by the self-imposed absence of Boycott, was not equal to the task. At Brisbane, Tony Greig made a classic hundred but Thomson announced his arrival with blistering pace and 6 for 46, as well as breaking the hands of Dennis Amiss and John Edrich, in a 166-run victory. England flew out the 42-year-old Cowdrey and threw him straight into action at Perth, but gutsy though he was, he could not prevent another rout and more injuries. The third Test was in complete contrast, a tense affair with all four innings within 10 runs of each other and Australia needing eight to win with two wickets in hand at the finish. The fourth Test made headlines before it started when Mike Denness, England's out-of-form captain, dropped himself and put Edrich in charge. The outcome was no different and Australia regained the Ashes with plenty to spare. England had Australia 84 for 5 in the fifth Test, but the tail wagged and then Lillee and Thomson (who missed the second innings) ran amok. The final Test gave England some consolation, although Thomson was absent and Lillee broke down early, and led by 188 from Denness, they won by an innings. The single ODI, played between the third and fourth Tests, was poorly attended with only 18,977 at the MCG.
Tests Australia 4 England 1 Drawn 1
ODI Australia 0 England 1
England arrived buoyed by a good summer against India and Pakistan, and blissfully ignorant about what awaited an old side which had already shown signs of unrest before leaving home. While there were rumours about Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson, the former was considered unlikely to play after a serious back injury and the latter dismissed as a beach bum. Within weeks it was clear that England's batting, already weakened by the self-imposed absence of Boycott, was not equal to the task. At Brisbane, Tony Greig made a classic hundred but Thomson announced his arrival with blistering pace and 6 for 46, as well as breaking the hands of Dennis Amiss and John Edrich, in a 166-run victory. England flew out the 42-year-old Cowdrey and threw him straight into action at Perth, but gutsy though he was, he could not prevent another rout and more injuries. The third Test was in complete contrast, a tense affair with all four innings within 10 runs of each other and Australia needing eight to win with two wickets in hand at the finish. The fourth Test made headlines before it started when Mike Denness, England's out-of-form captain, dropped himself and put Edrich in charge. The outcome was no different and Australia regained the Ashes with plenty to spare. England had Australia 84 for 5 in the fifth Test, but the tail wagged and then Lillee and Thomson (who missed the second innings) ran amok. The final Test gave England some consolation, although Thomson was absent and Lillee broke down early, and led by 188 from Denness, they won by an innings. The single ODI, played between the third and fourth Tests, was poorly attended with only 18,977 at the MCG.
Tests Australia 4 England 1 Drawn 1
ODI Australia 0 England 1