Lives in Cricket No 1 - Allan Watkins

For containing the Indians to a lead of 29, England were indebted to Tom Graveney, whose 175 was a monument of patience. Allan, with 80, helped him add 148 for the fifth wicket. His long innings over, Allan picked up the valuable wickets of Hazare and Amarnath on the fourth evening as India collapsed to 42 for four. Next day he bowled Mankad to finish with three for 20, his best return in Tests, but the Indian lower order resisted till a run chase was no longer a serious proposition for England’s batsmen. Yet another draw, against Maharastra at Poona, was followed by an innings victory against Bengal, where Allan made a hard-hit 113 not out, ahead of the third Test at Eden Gardens in Calcutta. This brought another dreary draw on a lifeless pitch, Allan maintaining his consistent form with a patient 68 when England were on the brink of collapse. He later rose from a sick bed, shrugging aside a sore throat, to bowl a long and economical spell when a jarred knee had forced Statham from the field. Allan was in the runs again with 63 in a nine-wicket victory against East Zone, as the tour moved on to the fourth Test at Kanpur. For the first time England now found a pitch to suit their finger spinners. Tattersall and Hilton, making his first appearance of the series, dismissed India for 121. Runs continued at a premium when England batted, as the off spinner Ghulam Ahmed and left-armer Mankad enjoyed the conditions, but Allan’s splendid run continued. Helping England to a lead of 82, he top-scored with 66, while none of his colleagues could make more than 21. When India batted a second time it was Hilton who made the early inroads. Somehow wickets eluded Tattersall, and nothing seemed to be going England’s way as Adhikari and Umrigar settled in to a stubborn sixth wicket partnership. Allan remembers the captain turning to him for advice. “‘What would you do Allan?’ I said, ‘Put Jack Robertson on.’ He said, ‘He doesn’t bowl.’ I said, ‘Put him on!’ So Jack took a wicket – Polly Umrigar. Nigel said, ‘Well done, Allan. That’s marvellous.’ I said, ‘Now take him off!’ He said, ‘What?’ I said ‘Take him off and put Roy back on.’ Because Jack was just a roller, he wasn’t an off spinner and Roy was a bloody good bowler but nothing was happening for him. He went back on and won the match for us.” MCC won two of their next three zonal matches and came to the final Test at Madras in good heart. They had beaten South Zone with ten minutes to spare, but their captain had not been in Senior Professional in India 68