Famous Cricketers No 72 - Lord Cowdrey of Tonbridge, C.B.E.

surpassed. Indeed Neville Cardus felt the innings “achieved a greatness of strokeplay seldom exceeded by Walter Hammond himself”. Another significant hundred came in the long record partnership with May that killed off the threat of Ramadhin at Edgbaston. He scored well in every country, making at least one hundred against the six test playing teams then current. But for a man of his sensibility he was for ever seemingly at the whim of selectorial indecision which did not help his confidence. Initially it was whether he should open or not. It was a position he hated. On the face of it for a player who could show interminable concentration, who was strong against fast bowling, he seemed a natural. But Cowdrey was unhappy in a specialist position which he felt limited his freedom to play as he wished. Also standing in the slips demanded a maintained concentration which needed some recuperation before going out to bat. The matter continually plagued his career, particularly in his early days. In terms of figures his performance at the top of the order was only slightly less effective than lower down, although two highly successful Caribbean tours, where he always scored well, helped boost his average as an opener. Then there was the England captaincy. Cowdrey had no less than five stints as England captain. He permanently had trouble convincing the England selectors that he had the necessary determination for the post. Most disappointingly for him was that despite a record equalling six tours of Australia, he never achieved his ultimate ambition of leading a side there. He was vice-captain on no fewer than four occasions to four different captains. Perhaps he lacked the guidance of an Ames as a foil – he was noticeably most successful on the 1967/68 West Indies tour when Ames was the manager. However, he was never certain of maintaining his position. But perhaps more significant is that time and time again gross ill fortune intervened. Cowdrey was the natural successor to Peter May, but crucially at the time when that successor was needed, Walter Robins was Chairman of Selectors and there was a history of antipathy between the two. Also an ill-timed illness in 1962 when Cowdrey and Dexter were both up for consideration led to the latter grasping his chance. Dexter led England in Australia in 1962/63. With Dexter unavailable for the 1963/64 Indian tour another opportunity offered itself when Cowdrey was appointed to lead the side. But the Hall injury had not healed sufficiently and M.J.K.Smith was appointed. Smith led England in Australia in 1965/66. When Smith lost the captaincy the following summer, Cowdrey regained the position. But in a season of indifferent resources against the world beating West Indies, he was on a loser for nothing and the almost inevitable failure opened the way for the popular choice, the charismatic Brian Close, who for all his leadership skills was a debatable test performer. If luck ever entered the scenario, it was Close’s removal from the captaincy in controversial circumstances a year later. Cowdrey grasped this new opportunity and at last seemed to have made the captaincy his own with success in the West Indies and eventually against Australia in 1968. A ruptured Achilles tendon in a Sunday League match ended that and the unfancied Illingworth was appointed. Despite much speculation throughout 1970, there was never really much chance that Illingworth, having made a success of his leadership, was going to be displaced. Illingworth led England to Australia in 1970/71. Despite the Ashes being regained it was a miserable tour for Cowdrey whose indecision over accepting the vice-captaincy and difficulties in covering his obvious disappointment did nothing to mend bridges with the hard-headed Yorkshireman, with whom he had never been close. The opportunity to captain England never came again. Cowdrey’s record as captain 8 wins, 4 defeats in 27 tests is reasonable given that many of his tests were against good sides. 8