Famous Cricketers No 93 - Keith Fletcher O.B.E.

394. MCC v South Australia, Adelaide, December 21, 22, 23 (Match drawn) did not bat - 277-2d 1 0 11 0 270-6d 2 b T.J.Jenner 15 210-6 4 0 29 0 222-6d 395. ENGLAND v AUSTRALIA, Sydney, January 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 (Australia won by 171 runs) c I.R.Redpath b M.H.N.Walker 24 295 405 c I.R.Redpath b J.R.Thomson 11 228 289-4d 396. MCC v Tasmania, Hobart, January (11), 12, 13 (Match drawn) not out 13 204-4d 189-5 397. MCC v Tasmania, Launceston, January 14, 15, 16 (MCC won by an innings and 72 runs) b P.C.Warren 10 341-4d 164 105 2 398.$ MCC v New South Wales, Sydney, January 18, 19, 20 (MCC won by 187 runs) c R.B.McCosker b D.J.Colley 85 315-5d 157 2 c K.D.Walters b D.J.Colley 6 266-7d 237 1 399. ENGLAND v AUSTRALIA, Adelaide, January 25, 26, 27, 29, 30 (Australia won by 163 runs) c I.M.Chappell b J.R.Thomson 40 172 304 lbw b D.K.Lillee 63 241 272-5d 400.$$ ENGLAND v AUSTRALIA, Melbourne, February 8, 9, 10, 12, 13 (England won by an innings and 4 runs) c I.R.Redpath b M.H.N.Walker 146 529 152 373 401.$ ENGLAND v NEW ZEALAND, Auckland, February 20, 21, 22, 23, 25 (England won by an innings and 83 runs) c D.R.Hadlee b B.E.Congdon 216 593-6d† 326 2 184 3 402. ENGLAND v NEW ZEALAND, Christchurch, February (28), March (1), 2, 3, 4, (5) (Match drawn) did not bat - 272-2 342 SEASON’S AVERAGES Batting and Fielding M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct Test matches v Australia 5 9 0 324 146 36.00 1 1 3 Test matches v New Zealand 2 1 0 216 216 216.00 1 - 5 Other matches 9 12 3 379 85 42.11 - 3 10 Tour 16 22 3 919 216 48.36 2 4 18 Career 402 677 95 22188 228* 38.12 39 123 377 Bowling O M R W BB Ave 5i Other matches (8b) 6 0 45 0 - - - Career (6b) 242.2 36 } 1267 26 4-50 48.73 - (8b) 46.3 2 1975 This second season with Fletcher as captain of Essex showed a general improvement in the county’s fortunes and they were considered one of the most attractive sides in the country. Unfortunately Fletcher’s form was nothing like one had come to expect and he was clearly suffering from the torrid winter in Australia. He appeared in two of the four Test matches against the Australians, the first and third, scoring a fifty in the second innings of the first Test. He never looked comfortable against them and in his innings for Essex against them he retired hurt, unable to bat in the second innings. He fell one run short of both a century and a half century against Middlesex when runs started to come more easily, but he did not seem to be able to build an innings on a good start. One ray of sunshine was his batting in the inaugural World Cup when he scored 68 against India and a brilliant 131 again New Zealand. The Australians proved his undoing when they dismissed him for 8 in the semi-final as they 38