Case study 3: Australia versus England at Brisbane in 1950

At this juncture, England captain Freddie Brown declared, the aim being to expose Australia to the adverse conditions. The ploy worked to the extent that England took the first seven Australian wickets for 32. Then Lindsey Hassett, the Australian captain, made an even bolder decision: he declared at 32 for 7! With the pitch still damp, but the prospect of it drying out the next day, he decided his best hope was to send England in again. The target was just 193 to win. England was bowled out for 122.


Verdict

This was a match in which not one, but two, bold (but probably correct) declarations were made.

Bold declarations are rare in Test cricket but the above example shows the possibilities (although the absence of sticky wickets these days – because pitches are covered up during rain - makes pitch declarations less likely).

The penalty for a bad declaration by the captain, however, can be immense. At Port-of-Spain in 1968, to cite the most notorious example, Garfield Sobers, the West Indies captain, declared thus setting England 215 in 165 minutes, reasoning that it was better to take a risk in pursuit of victory than allow the series to stagnate. The home spinners had caused havoc in England's first innings but were unable to do so a second time. The result: only the fourth instance in history of a side winning a Test after being set a target following a declaration. It decided the outcome of the series, ruining forever (however unfairly) Sobers' reputation as a captain.


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