The Independent Archive: Dexter needs to escape from the dark ages

30 August 1989

England end the Ashes series as they began, under the weather and mesmerised by a swing bowler supreme. Martin Johnson reports from The Oval

AND SO, appropriately enough, one of the darker periods in English cricket ended with a dicky reading from umpire Bird's light meter. "I am not," said Ted Dexter last night, "aware of any errors that I've made" - which just goes to show that we are all in need of a long lie-down.

Australia required another five wickets from 125 deliveries for a unique 5-0 victory in this country when the weather closed in, and now, said Dexter, the chairman of selectors, "we are only concerned with looking forward". That begins this morning with the search for a captain for the West Indies, which will probably be conducted under the sponsorship of Paracetamol.

For those interested in a punt, one bookmaker is offering the following odds. 11-10 Gower; 4-1 Gooch; 7-1 Botham, Roebuck; 10-1 Gatting, Greig; 12-1 Willey, Nicholas; 14-1 Neale; 16-1 Parker; 25-1 Cowdrey (does not say which one) and Lamb. Prices on Hutton and Compton presumably available on request. The name will be announced (ahead of the various tour parties) early next week, and the build-up promises to be of Oscar-night proportions. "And the loser is . . ."

Betting on the mode of England's first dismissal had long since been suspended when they began their second innings with the inevitable lbw Alderman, but a certain amount of gratitude was in order for the length of time they were required to survive. Allan Border, 402 runs to the good, did not declare until he was into the lunchtime cheeseboard, which made him the only man in the country preoccupied by the possibility that England might win.

Australia added a further 132 before lunch, tossing away wickets (David Boon was run out off a no-ball) with scarcely a care, although the delivery that David Capel produced to bowl Dean Jones off the inside edge was just about the ball of the series.

However, Alderman was quickly demonstrating why he was adjudged the Australian player of the series (ahead of a batsman, Mark Taylor, whose aggregate was the third highest in Test history) with a beautifully controlled spell of late swing either way. John Stephenson was his leg before victim, the 19th this summer to fall that way, albeit by no means the first to be mesmerised into making no attempt to use his bat.

A caught and bowled, however, was new territory for him, and, as far as Graham Gooch was concerned, it was the richest of ironies. Gooch was so concerned about getting out lbw playing across his front pad that every stroke he made was ramrod straight. Alderman held one back a touch, Gooch met it full on the blade, popped it neatly back to the bowler, and departed uncertain whether to laugh or cry.

That, however was it for Alderman, who ended with one wicket short of his record 42 in the 1981 series, and one more illegal excursion on to the pitch during his follow-through short of a red card from umpire Bird.

Alderman was less put out by Bird's ruling on this one than by his ruling on the delivery he arrowed into Mike Atherton's pads before the batsman had scored, but Atherton and Gower both fell before tea - Gower caught in the gully - and at 67 for 4 it was yet another indigestion break.

Happily, Robin Smith (pipped by Jack Russell as England's player of the series) was again in booming form, and, although David Capel was fifth out with 24 overs remaining, the umpires were already beginning to fidget about the darkening sky.

Then, mercifully, to the final debriefing, and the inevitable question to Gower. He will, he says, be pondering his future as captain over the next few days, and is "not knocking anything on the head at this stage". It is doubtful where Gower considers himself to have been as infallible as Lord Ted, but that may not be his yardstick. If Gower can talk himself into believing that he will enjoy being in charge in the West Indies, it will be a hell of a speech.

From the Sport pages of `The Independent', Wednesday . The Law Report and Case Summaries resume, with the Law Term, in October