1972 English cricket season
The 1972 English cricket season saw an increase in limited overs cricket with the introduction of the Benson & Hedges Cup, which was part mini-league and part knockout along the lines of soccer's World Cup competition. This caused another reduction in County Championship matches and the B&H (as it was often called) was never popular among cricket's traditional followers. The tournament lasted until 2002, after which it was effectively replaced by Twenty20.
The County Championship was won by Warwickshire for only the third time in their history.
Australia toured England to compete for the Ashes. It was the 51st test series between the two sides which was drawn 2-2.
A very entertaining England v Australia series resulted in a 2-2 draw, which meant that England retained the Ashes. There was an outstanding individual performance by Australian seamer Bob Massie who, assisted by heavy atmospheric conditions that enabled him to "swing" the ball prodigiously, took 16 wickets in the Lord's Test.
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