Australia won the Ashes in 1983 after a wretched run of injuries. This team can do the same

November 15, 2025 — 7.45pm

The first Test of the 1982-83 Ashes series was played in Western Australia on the famous WACA trampoline. England held the urn after that ridiculous 3-1 victory at home in 1981– “Botham’s Ashes”, as the Poms would label the series– and in Perth, the match finished in a draw after England won the toss and batted carefully, gradually, incrementally for 155 overs, making 411.

There was not a hint of green on the WACA pitch at the toss – compare that to the lush lawns that have been served up in recent series. Mitchell Starc is all in favour of hiding the lawnmower at Optus Stadium later this week, but I’m not convinced that preparing a green top is the best way to beat this England team.

Back in 1982, England opener Chris Tavare made 89 off 337 deliveries, having taken 63 minutes to get off the mark – not exactly Bazball, but a crease occupation that went a long way to ensuring the visitors posted a competitive first-innings total on Australian soil.

The bounce and carry was no surprise to England given they had played a first-class game on the same pitch square the week before. The local bowlers put in long shifts – Dennis Lillee sent down 38 overs, Terry Alderman 43, Bruce Yardley two balls fewer than Terry, and your columnist a mere 29 in the first innings. That was the last time Australia fronted with those four specialists for the series.

Alderman’s summer ended when an intruder wearing a Union Jack vest invaded the field and collided with our premier swing bowler, resulting in a serious shoulder dislocation and surgery.

Lillee’s 33 overs in the second dig were his last for the series as a chronic knee injury flared badly and ended the champion’s campaign. Australia’s bowling attack was confined to three specialists, including the off spin of Yardley, and England made 358 in 116 overs, which didn’t leave enough time for a result.

Terry Alderman is stretchered off the WACA. He ended up spending a year out of the game with a shoulder injury. Credit: The Age Archives

Bob Willis captained England and opened the bowling, something Ben Stokes might consider if Mark Wood’s hamstring issue becomes a bother. Botham was the genuine allrounder who, along with quick Norman Cowans and the not-so-stellar allrounder Derek Pringle, made up a four-pronged seam attack, supported by off spinner and useful bat Geoff “Dusty” Miller.

Cowans’ role mirrors that of Jofra Archer in the current England side. The right-armer was seen as the fastest of England’s group, with the capacity to be destructive on Australian pitches once the shine was off and the Kookaburra softened. The England pace battery would change very little for the next four Tests, but injuries forced Australia into numerous changes that eventually resulted in an unlikely attack regaining the urn.

Queenslander Carl Rackemann debuted at the Gabba in the second Test, replacing Alderman, but didn’t make it past 13 overs of the second innings. Bowling the third ball of his 13th over from the Stanley Street end, he never stopped his follow-through – just grimaced and kept going past the incredulous slip cordon, uttering between gritted teeth, “I’m finished”, before hobbling off with a groin issue.

Yardley was again called upon to bowl 40-plus overs – a role Nathan Lyon may well be filling if the pitches are rolled out dry. However, if the pitch is green, Lyon might even be warming the bench.

Ian Botham enjoys a cold drink after England’s win in the fourth Test at the MCG in 1982.Credit: AP Wirephoto

Where once the most feared new-ball combination in world cricket had been Lillee and Thomson, now Thommo came in for Lillee. The Thomson of 1982 bowled at a far more moderate pace than the one who scorched the earth in the mid-1970s, but was twice as canny. Australia won, the seven-wicket margin not a true indicator of the closeness of the contest. But the team that gets ahead in the Ashes, especially at home, is always going to be hard to run down.

Veteran Rodney Hogg, who was having a useful Sheffield Shield season, replaced Rackemann for the third Test in Adelaide. Australian won, to go 2-0 up with two to play. England won by three runs in Melbourne, before the Sydney Test ended in a draw. The Australian attack didn’t change for the final three Tests, but only one starting seam bowler from Perth made it all the way through. Willis described it as “the accidental attack” – certainly not there by design, but the cogs that had to be slotted in were ready to roll when the time came.

There was no rotation strategy for the bowlers when the team was selected for the first Test of the 1982-83 series. Form was king, injuries commonplace and in that era, Australia could call on players who were in the throes of quality Shield campaigns.

Australia’s advantage in the coming series may well echo the one they enjoyed in ’82-83. By the time the Big Bash League starts on December 14, there will have been six rounds of Shield cricket.

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Josh Hazlewood’s hamstring issue has opened the door for Michael Neser, who has been pounding down probing overs in the state competition, and Brendan Doggett, who reminds me of Rackemann in height and threatening bounce. Meanwhile, Fergus O’Neill is in terrific form, Riley Meredith can bring some heat, Nathan McAndrew gives nothing away, Xavier Bartlett has international white-ball experience and Jhye Richardson has been picked for Australia A against the England Lions.

The cupboard looks well stocked. England’s back-up plan revolves around the availability of the promising players in the Lions team they played at Lilac Hill and who will face a Cricket Australia XI later this month. The speed of Wood cannot be replaced. If Archer does a fetlock, then likewise.

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