History of The England Cricket Team From 1945 - 1970s

1970s

The cancellation of the proposed South Africa tour in 1970 led to the arrangement of a 5 test series against a powerful 'The Rest of the World' team. The matches were awarded Test status at the time but this was controversially revoked.

Spearheaded by fast bowler John Snow England regained the Ashes with 2 victories in Sydney under the canny captaincy of Ray Illingworth in a seven test series. A 1 - 0 series victory at home against Pakistan was followed by a surprise defeat against India but, after a rare winter off, the Ashes were again retained at home 2 - 2 in 1972. England toured India under Tony Lewis in 1972-73 and lost the series 2 -1, with the Indian spin bowlers at their peak, before grinding out 3 draws in Pakistan.

After defeating New Zealand 2 - 0 in the first test series of the summer a powerful West Indies side, featuring Garry Sobers on his last tour, defeated England 2 - 0. England claimed an honourable 1 - 1 draw in the tour of the West Indies which followed in 1973-74 and beat India in all three tests at home in 1974 before drawing three tests against a flamboyant Pakistan team in the latter half of the summer.

The Ashes were lost in a calamitous tour in 1974-75 under Mike Denness as England, without the self exiled Geoff Boycott, were destroyed 4 - 1 by the pace of Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson. England reached the semi final of the first World Cup in 1975 before losing to Australia and lost the following four test Ashes series 1 - 0. Another winter without a tour was followed by a heavy defeat under Tony Greig against a rampant West Indies. Clive Lloyd's men began their 15 year dominance of world cricket thanks to a battering pace attack led by Andy Roberts, Michael Holding and Wayne Daniel and the magnificent batting of Viv Richards stirred by Greig's unfortunate 'grovel' gaffe.

England recovered to post a famous 3 - 1 win over India, thanks to their own fast bowlers, in 1976-77 and fought bravely in the Centenary Test of 1977, thanks to Derek Randall's superb 174, before losing by 45 runs, the same result as the first test played one hundred years before. The breaking news of the Packer schism led to Grieg's removal as captain and the appointment of Mike Brearley as captain for the 1977 Ashes. A divided Australian team were defeated 3 - 1 in a series famous for Geoff Boycott's return and 100th century at Headingley and Ian Botham's debut.

Draws against New Zealand and Pakistan on tour in 1977-78 were followed by the destruction of New Zealand and a Pakistan team shorn of its Packer stars in 1978. With David Gower making his debut, Ian Botham and Bob Willis at their peak with the ball and Geoff Boycott and Graham Gooch opening the batting England were a formidable outfit. A 5 - 1 victory against a weak Australian team in 1978-79, thanks to the determined batting of Derek Randall and a strong bowling side, was followed by a 1 - 0 victory at home over India and a World Cup final appearance against the West Indies. Viv Richards and Collis King thumped the English attack around Lord's before Joel Garner blew the England middle order away. With the Packer rift healed England agreed to a three test series in Australia, which they lost, but retained the Ashes as they had only agreed to the tour if they were not for stake.