The Ashes Legends – 1981: Ian Botham’s Ashes – Headingley Test

On the final day of the Test, the English could add only 5 more runs to their total, ending on 356, with Botham having played an innings of a lifetime – an unbeaten 149, hitting 27 fours and a famous six that Richie Benaud described as ” going straight into the confectionery stall and out again”. Using a bat borrowed from Gooch, Botham’s innings was a mixture of orthodox and innovative shots, with each shot being hit with brute power. As Willis later said, “He just went out there and slogged”. The knock was rated by Wisden as the fourth-best innings of all time.

However, despite Botham’s heroics, Australia needed a meagre 130 runs to win the Test, and seemed to be cruising towards victory with the score reading 56-1. It was then that Bob Willis, who went wicket-less in the first innings, turned things around with an inspired spell of bowling. Willis had a discussion with skipper Brearley who told him to focus on bowling fast and straight, and was given to bowl down the slope.

Willis ended with bowling figures of 8-43 and helped dismiss the Aussies for 111, giving England a famous victory. It was just the second instance of a team following-on and winning the match. It was a day when the trading at the city stock exchange was halted to enable everyone witness the scenes at the match.

LEEDS – JULY 21: The Headingley crowd at the end of the match, 3rd Test England v Australia at Headingley 1981

The win turned the tide in England’s favour, and they went on to win the next two Tests and draw the last game, taking the Ashes 3-1. Botham starred again with both bat and ball, taking 5-11 in the second innings at Edgbaston & 6-125 in the first innings at the Oval, and scored a brilliant 118 at Old Trafford. He finished the Ashes with a total of 399 runs and 34 wickets, and was unsurprisingly named the Man of the Series.

Headingley has been a ground which has seen many magical innings from Don Bradman. He scored 334 in 1930, and followed it up with 304 in 1934. But since the day of Monday, 20th July 1981, Headingley will be remembered for Botham’s swashbuckling innings which turned the game, and the series, and made him a national hero and an Ashes legend. It was a turnaround so impossible that it’s still hard to believe; a spectacular resurrection in the career of Botham, and the fortunes of the English team.