All text content on this website is the copyright of Channel 4 unless stated or indicated. All photographs are reproduced courtesy of Getty Images UK Ltd unless otherwise stated.

CRICKET ROADSHOWS

Week 16 Review - 23 Aug, Headingley Headingley reviewed

Headingley has been the scene of some of England's most heroic performances in the past two decades but for former Australia captain Richie Benaud it was the venue of nightmares.

In three Tests there the doyen of the commentary box managed just 38 runs in five innings – including a pair on his last appearance there in 1961 – and his bowling return wasn't much better either with five wickets at 47.00.

"I don't have any good memories about Headingley at all as a player," admitted Benaud on Saturday's Cricket Roadshow. "We were thrashed here all the time, or we had various problems, but I do have an intriguing situation for you.

"In 1961 against Australia Fred Trueman got 5-0 in 24 balls, 11-88 in the match and England won and squared the series. We went to Old Trafford and Australia won to retain the Ashes and Fred,… well they gave poor Fred the axe," he added.

Co-commentator and former Kiwi keeper Ian Smith had different recollections, confirming he had "only fond memories" of the Leeds ground.

"In 1983 New Zealand had never won a Test match on English soil but we got here and took on Botham and Willis and Gower and Co, a very strong England side. But we won and the odd thing about it was that Richard Hadlee never took a wicket, proof to us that we were a cricket team and we could do it without him, and we really made that old dressing rock that night with a big New Zealand party," said Smith.

Michael Atherton was also able to recall a personal high point as he reflected on his Headingley highlight. "Two years ago here England beat the West Indies to take a 2-1 lead in the series and Andrew Caddick took four wickets in an over and the West Indies' psychological dominance over England was finally over," he recalled.

Mark Nicholas preferred the achievements of others for his favourite moments – "Botham and Willis had their great days and none greater than 1981 against the Australians, that would have to be one if Graham Gooch's amazing hundred in 1991 wasn't the ultimate batting performance" – but it was current England No 3 Mark Butcher who spoke most passionately about the ground.

The Surrey and England star smashed a match-winning 173no against the Aussies at Headingley last year, an innings he admitted proved a turning point in his international career.

"Confidence wise it had a huge effect, proving to myself more than anybody else what can be achieved and whether or not I was a good enough player for this level. I already thought I was but not in such a dominating fashion, so it changed a lot of things in my outlook towards batting and run-scoring in Test cricket," said Butcher.

But he admitted the enormity of his achievement took some time to sink in such was the emotion of the last-day victory.

"I was so focused on getting to the finishing target that I wasn't really too aware of what was going on but afterwards judging the reaction of my team-mates, the Australian side and the crowd, I thought 'Hang-on, I've probably done something out of the ordinary'."

When asked what it was about Headingley that appeared to inspire England teams of the past he mused: "Without being rude about Yorkshire it's a very different place and I think perhaps the opposition find it a little more difficult here than they do at The Oval or Lord's.

"Sometimes the weather's not that great, it's typically English, and sometimes the crowd are very parochial, which is untypical English."

Reflecting back on Butcher's breakthrough innings – since when he has averaged more than 50 in Test cricket – Atherton recalled how the Surrey batsman had been so short of form just months before that he couldn't even get into the Surrey second team.

"There were a couple of low points for him. Firstly in South Africa in 1999 when he couldn't get a run opening the batting and then I saw him the next summer when he couldn't get in the Surrey team I saw him playing for Surrey II's at Disbury CC (which was down the road from where I lived) and he got a first baller bowled by Glenn Chapple," recalled Athers.

"Then he went away with his father and worked on his game and cleared his mind, then the injuries in the England team got him his opportunity against Australia last summer and he's never looked back since."

And the former England captain likened Butcher's breakthrough to an innings he played himself against the fearsome West Indies attack of the mid-1990s.

"It was only a brief innings but it was in Jamaica in 1994 against Courtney Walsh when he bowled for an hour and a half, an extremely quick spell in front of a pretty frenzied home crowd at Sabina Park.

"I only got 28 but I had been targeted for the first time by a West Indies opening bowler and I felt I stood up and stood my ground and I was much more confident after that. I got 144 in the next Test in Guyana and really that for me was a turning point, much in the same way as it was for Butcher."

Elsewhere on the Roadshow Sybil Ruscoe investigated batting reaction times while Adam Darke spoke to Essex's Richard Clinton about the chore of 12th man duties.

"You watch everyone else play and you sit around frankly being bored out of your brains and running after everyone, getting them drinks, papers, bacon baps. You name it we get it," said Clinton.

"It's a sense of power really. They're playing and you're not and you're their personal slave for the day," he added.

And he found an ally in England spinner Ashley Giles, who fulfilled the same role in the 2nd Test at Trent Bridge. "It's a tough job. You're on the go all day really. The guys have you running around and you're disappointed you're not playing so it's pretty hard and mentally tiring more than physically."

Mail the Cricket Show team at cricketshow@cricket4.com

Click to return to C4 cricket shows