1981 English cricket season
In the 1981 English cricket season a change of sponsorship ended the Gillette Cup's 18-year tenure as a household name and the knockout competition was renamed the NatWest Trophy, which lasted for twenty years.
Australia toured England to compete for the Ashes. It was the 59th test series between the two sides which England won 3-1.
Nottinghamshire won a close struggle for the County Championship title defeating Sussex by two points.
The second tour of England by the Sri Lankan team took place in 1981. Sri Lanka had not yet achieved Test status. The team played 13 first-class matches and 11 of these were drawn. In their other two games, the Sri Lankans won one and lost one.
...
Wikipedia