Australian cricket team in England in 1975 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date | 10 July 1975 – 3 September 1975 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Location | England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Result | Australia won the 4-Test series 1–0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Teams | |||
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England | Australia | ||
Captains | |||
MH Denness (1st Test) AW Greig (2nd, 3rd, 4th Tests) |
IM Chappell | ||
Most runs | |||
JH Edrich (428 @ 53.50) DS Steele (365 @ 60.83) |
IM Chappell (429 @ 71.50) RB McCosker (414 @ 82.80) |
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Most wickets | |||
JA Snow (11 @ 32.27) AW Greig (8 @ 40.25) |
DK Lillee (21 @ 21.90) JR Thomson (16 @ 28.56) |
Following the 1975 Cricket World Cup, the Australian cricket team remained in England in the 1975 season to play a four-match Test series against England.
For England, the principal resistance came from veteran opening batsman John Edrich and David Steele, who received a maiden international cap after a decade of county cricket for Northants and whose silver-haired, bespectacled appearance led the press to dub him "the bank clerk who went to war". Steele went on to be named the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 1975, the first cricketer to win the accolade since Jim Laker in 1956. Nonetheless, in the absence of Geoffrey Boycott, the batting was again broadly unable to withstand the pace-bowling partnership of Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson, with swing bowler Max Walker providing admirable support; the trio shared 51 wickets in the four Tests. The tour was Ian Chappell's last as captain; he met with considerable success with the bat, compiling Australia's highest aggregate, but announced his retirement from the captaincy following the final Test.
Australia won the series 1–0 with three matches drawn. Australia therefore retained The Ashes.
In overcast conditions, England captain Mike Denness asked Australia to bat; Rick McCosker (59) and debutant Alan Turner (37) added 80 for the first wicket, and further contributions from Ian Chappell (52), Ross Edwards (56), Rod Marsh (61) and Jeff Thomson (49) enabled Australia to total 359. Shortly after the commencement of England's reply, a thunderstorm produced treacherous batting conditions; devastating spells from Dennis Lillee and Max Walker reduced England to 83/7 at the end of the second day and 101 all out the following morning, John Edrich (34) providing the only resistance. The pace of Jeff Thomson accounted for England's second innings demise, bowled out for 173 to hand Australia an innings victory, Keith Fletcher (51) top-scoring for England. Graham Gooch, on Test debut, scored a pair. England captain Denness scored 3 and 8, and was dropped from the side before the second Test, to be replaced as captain by Tony Greig.