Two great innings against West Indies, 262 not out to save the 1973-74 Kingston Test and 203 at The Oval in 1976, supplied ample evidence that Dennis Amiss lacked neither courage nor technique against fast bowling. In that Oval match Michael Holding took 14 wickets in an attack completed by Andy Roberts, Wayne Daniel and Van Holder. Strongly built, tireless and four-square at the crease, Amiss was harder to get out, once he had 40 on the board, than any batsman of his generation, including Geoff Boycott. Of Amiss's 11 Test hundreds, eight exceeded 150, a higher proportion even than that of Don Bradman. His power, timing and placement through extra cover and midwicket, his two great scoring areas, could sometimes make him uncontrollable. To the regret of his many admirers, however, Amiss's dismal record against Australia denied him acceptance as a top-ranking England batsman. Starting with a pair, at Old Trafford in 1968, and later running into Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson at their fastest, he made seven ducks in 21 innings against them, averaging 15.25. He did well in the early days of limited-overs internationals, scoring England's first ODI century and averaging 47.
John Thicknesse