Almost Invincible

Martin Chandler | 8:37am BST 26 May 2024

Published: 2024
Pages: 288
Author: Sydenham, Richard
Publisher: Pitch
Rating: 4 stars

England beat the 1984 West Indies in an ODI at Trent Bridge, but lost that series 2-1 and, much more famously, then slumped to a 5-0 defeat in the Test series that followed. It is that seldom remembered and unspectacular success at Trent Bridge that is the reason for the appearance of the word ‘almost’ in the title of this one, Richard Sydenham’s second book of 2024.

Many of the protagonists of that ‘blackwash’ summer forty years ago have gone into print, some more than once, but no account of the tour has ever been published, so this book is long overdue.

To those of us who were around at the time the series is certainly one that lingers in the memory. The first Test at Edgbaston was the West Indies’ by an innings, and was marked by the injury that ended Andy Lloyd’s international career, fine batting by Larry Gomes and Viv Richards and, more surprisingly, Eldine Baptiste and Michael Holding.

The second Test at Lord’s was looking better for England as David Gower declared to set a target of 342 in what amounted to 78 overs. There was a glimmer of expectation, quickly snuffed out as Gomes, again, and much more famously Gordon Greenidge made light of the task.

From there it was on to Headingley, and a second series century for Allan Lamb was a boost for England, but Gomes again was the glue that held West Indies together in a victory best remembered for Malcolm Marshall coming out to bat with a broken thumb, before taking 7-53 as England’s second innings subsided and another young English batsman, Paul Terry, saw a broken arm end his Test career.

At Old Trafford Allan Lamb completed his third century of the series, but that was insufficient to make a match of a game marked by Greenidge’s second double century of the summer and a century by Jeff Dujon followed by a match winning 6-57 from Roger Harper as England’s batsmen showed they could struggle against spin as well against pace.

Could England salvage something from the final Test? Reducing West Indies to 70-6 suggested that they might, and even with Clive Lloyd inspiring a partial recovery to 190 England were still in the game. It was never going to be however as, for the only time in the series, Desi Haynes woke up followed by business as usual from the old firm, Messrs Marshall, Holding and Garner.

New skipper Gower had a difficult start to his tenure, and the most gifted English batsman of his generation averaged a mere 19. The series saw the end of the careers of other Englishmen in addition to Terry and Lloyd, Derek Randall, former skipper Bob Willis and Geoff Miller all playing their final Tests during the series.

So the raw material that Sydenham had to work with was excellent, and with the benefit of four decades of hindsight and sober reflection always had the potential to produce a decent read. That Sydenham would succeed in that aim I never doubted, but Almost Invincible even managed to exceed my expectations.

The book begins with a look at the state of English, and indeed West Indian, cricket at the time. Both sets of selectors had their choices restricted by rebel tours of South Africa, although realistically only Graham Gooch’s absence was one that might have had a significant bearing on how the series unfolded.

Having looked briefly at the three ODIs the bulk of Almost Invincible is then taken up with the five Test matches. Rather than, in the traditional manner of a tour book, set out a detailed description of the play as it unfolds, Sydenham begins each of the five chapters with a relatively short summary of the match. After that the main part of the match accounts comprise the thoughts of those who were involved.

And that is the book’s strength. Sydenham might just have spoken to a handful of the combatants, but in fact he interviewed at least 22 of the men who took part in the series, and whilst Marshall is sadly no longer with us he left plenty of food for thought on the 1984 series in his autobiography, Marshall Arts.

The reflective chapters that conclude the book are of much interest as well. Worse than Bodyline? asks an obvious question, and there are clear parallels between the way Lloyd led his side and the way that Douglas Jardine led his. In reality though those who criticised Lloyd did so from afar. None of the English players question the legitimacy of the West Indian tactics.

A particularly interesting chapter of the book, probably the more so for those of us who watched Test cricket through the late 1980s, is the one that looks at Tim Robinson and Chris Broad. Opening partners for Nottinghamshire both men enjoyed successful Test careers but almost never together, Broad having been seen as a man to face the quicks, and Robinson the spinners. It is a selectorial conundrum I had forgotten about long ago, and with the benefit of the views of both men was a subject well worth revisiting.

Less convincing is the examination of the comparative merits of Lloyd’s men, of Bradman’s actual Invincibles, and Steve Waugh’s Australian side of 2001. It is an excellent question, but the debate is inevitably skewed when most of those whose views are set out were in the thick of the 1984 series.

Could Sydenham resist ending Almost Invincible with a look at the subsequent decline of West Indian cricket? Of course he couldn’t, but he wisely decides to deal with that through the views of others and, entirely appropriately in my opinion, finishes the book by returning the the era of West Indian invincibility and quoting the gracious views of Tim Robinson (72 runs at 9.00 in four Tests) on the 1985/86 series in the Caribbean, which of course ended up with a similar scoreline.

Almost Invincible is an outstanding book and one it is difficult to find fault with, although if it is to run to a second edition I would suggest the addition of the series averages, and correcting the only error I spotted by giving Roy Gilchrist his correct christian name.