Swinging seventies

It was a wet English summer when we toured in 1978. The conditions were favourable for seam and swing bowlers, with plenty of movement. We had lost the first Test and were following on in the second at Lord's.

We were just as miserable in our second innings as we had been in our first. I had never had problems facing the fastest of bowlers, but handling the likes of Chris Old and Ian Botham in their own backyard was a different ballgame.

I was still finding my feet early in the innings when Botham pitched one slightly outside leg stump. I did everything necessary to cover my stumps and play the ball in line, but it first swung in and then seamed away after pitching. Next I heard this noise and looked back to see that my off stump had been shattered. I was shocked since I thought I had done everything right. Bob Taylor, the England wicketkeeper, summed it up: "You couldn't have done anything about it."