Get in touch

Speak to us:0203 824 8444

  • Mon to Fri9:00am - 5:00pm
  • Sat & SunClosed
Contact Us
5.0 Reviews
Speak now to our cricket specialist
0203 824 8444

Speak to us:0203 824 8444

  • Mon to Fri9:00am - 5:00pm
  • Sat & SunClosed
Contact Us
Atol Protected
International Cricket Tours
Cricket tours like no other
  • England Overseas Cricket Fixtures

    Tours With Dates

    • Netherlands v England 2021 (Postponed to 2022)
    • New Zealand Women’s ODI World Cup 2021 – POSTPONED

    England Overseas
    Cricket Fixtures 2021

    • ICC T20 World Cup India 2021
    • The Ashes
    • Netherlands v England 2021 (Postponed to 2022)
    • New Zealand Women’s ODI World Cup 2021 – POSTPONED

    England Overseas
    Cricket Fixtures 2022

    • West Indies v England 2022
    • Pakistan v England 2022
    • Australia v England 2022
  • Travel Guides

    Australia

    • Adelaide
    • Brisbane
    • Melbourne
    • Perth
    • Red Centre
    • Sydney
    • Tasmania
    • The Great Barrier Reef
    • Travel Blog

    India

    • Kolkata
    • Mumbai
    • New Delhi & India’s Golden Triangle
    • Bangalore
    • Chandigarh
    • Chennai
    • Cuttack
    • Kanpur
    • Nagpur
    • Pune
    • Rajkot
    • Visakhapatnam

    New Zealand

    • Auckland
    • Christchurch
    • Dunedin
    • Hamilton
    • Wellington
    • Tauranga & Mount Maunganui

    South Africa

    • African Safari
    • Cape Town
    • Durban
    • Johannesburg
    • Port Elizabeth
    • Travel Blog

    Sri Lanka

    • Colombo
    • Galle
    • Hambantota
    • Kandy

    West Indies

    • Antigua
    • Barbados
    • Jamaica
    • St Kitts & Nevis
    • Trinidad & Tobago
    • Travel Blog

    Airlines

    • British Airways
    • Virgin Atlantic
    • Emirates
    • Qatar Airways
    • Qantas
  • Clubs & Schools

    Social Playing Tours

    • Over 50s Playing Tour to Barbados
    • 50 Plus Overseas Tours

    Cricket Tours for Clubs and Schools

    • Clubs & School Cricket Tours to Caribbean
    • Clubs & School Cricket Tours to South Africa
    • Clubs & School Cricket Tours to Sri Lanka

    Other Tours to consider!

    • International Cricket Tours Bat Club
    • The Cricketer – Village Cup Competition
  • About Us

    Good Causes

    • Children’s Cricket Kindness Charity
    • Lord’s Taverners
    • Urlings Cricket Club – Antigua
    • Kevin Richardson’s Lion Sanctuary – South Africa
    • Waves for Change – South Africa

    Testimonials

    Carbon Offsetting

    Rising Stars

    • Our Rising Stars
  • A Word About Cricket
  • Gallery

    Scrapbook
    A collection of past tour imagery!

    Cine Footage

    Tours in Watercolour

    • Australia in Watercolours
    • New Zealand in Watercolours
    • Sri Lanka 2018 in Watercolours
    • West Indies 2019 in Watercolours
    • South Africa 2019/20 in Watercolours

    Best Dressed

    • Hall of Fame
  • Inclusive Cricket Tours

    Accessibility on Tour

    • Our Tours are for Everyone
TOURS ON SALE NOW CLICK HERE TO BOOK!

Shades of 1981 as Ben Stokes and Joffra Archer see us home

28 Aug 2019

In 1981 at odds of 500/1 Botham picked England off the floor!

In 1981 at odds of 500/1 Botham picked England off the floor with his sensational batting, in a moment that he said changed his life!
The famous photo of Botham smoking a Cigar on the balcony of the Pavillion with his pads on is synonymous with all great photos around most grounds and cricket fans homes in the Uk. On that occasion, Botham batted with Graham Dilley for the last wicket.
Ben Stokes batted the last hour with Jack Leach for his one run. It’s by far the most important innings of his life and easily surpasses his 92 at Lords against Ireland, for obvious reasons.

After England’s lowest test score since 1948 in the first innings, Archer ripped out the Aussie openers and tail-enders. Australia was all out for 179. England went into bat thinking of at least a 100 lead! How wrong could we be? Once again a batting collapse when we seemed so in control and bowled out for just 67.

Just like Edgbaston, things were beginning to go so horribly wrong!
Australia batted like defeat was out the question and lost regular wickets on the way. I for one thought 300 would be enough! But I didn’t foresee an innings of such brilliance from Stokes! He has had a real Purple summer! Great innings against Sri Lanka, India & New Zealand in the World Cup and a magnificent 135 against Australia to go with the 115 at Lords!

I felt in the winter that his place was up for grabs with a few others, the problem is the way the calendar was this year, some players are still in One Day mode!

As I said in my last blog, playing yourself into form is a better fix then meetings! Once again Butler and Roy failed with the bat! I would give the gloves to Butler and open with Bairstow, drop Roy down the order?

So much has been written about Stokes in the last few years, starting with the events of Bristol. But he has truly shown his brilliance, and never say die attitude to win the country over. He has had every one of us on the edge of our seat more than once this summer!

We now go to Old Trafford next week, in need of one victory and a draw to win the Ashes! Archer might have changed the dynamics after Lords but we will need more than Stokes & Archer to see us over the line! Mind you we do have Jimmy back as well.

Last evening I was at the Oval to see Surrey comfortably beat Somerset, to please all my friends in the West Country!

I will be in Manchester on the evening of 4th & 5th I would like to catch up with some of you for a beer or dinner, just don’t order me any cake I’m trying to lose weight before the next tour!

Still places available for South Africa if you want to see ben Stokes do it again! His highest ever score was in the last test at Newlands. If you are interested in New Zealand, please be quick, this will close very soon!

All the best
Gary – pictured with Mike Prentis at the Surrey v Somerset match

BlogCategories

  • According to Gary
    • 50+Tours
    • Australia Tour
    • Cricket World Cup
    • Netherlands
    • New Zealand Tour
    • One Day International
    • South Africa Tour
    • Sri Lanka
    • The Ashes
    • The Ashes 2019
    • Upcoming Events
    • West Indies Tour
    • Winter Tour
  • Barbados
  • Guest Blogs
    • Competition
  • India
  • Tour Memories

BlogTags

Alex Hales Alistair Cook Australia Bairstow Ben Stokes Big Bash Cardigan Connor Chris Gayle Chris Gayle the Universe Boss Chris Woakes Darren Gough Desmond Haynes England ODI Team. Eoin Morgan Foakes Geoffrey Boycott Gordon Greenidge Gower Guptil Hoggy Jason Holder Joe Root Jofra Archer Junior Murray London Cup Mark Wood Matthew Hoggard Matthew Hoggard MBE Mitchell Starc Moeen Ali Munro Omari Banks Root Ross Taylor Santner Sir Andy Roberts Sir Charlie Griffith Sir Garfield Sobers Sir Ian Botham Sir Richie Spirited Sri Lanka Stokes Trevor Bayliss Williamson
International Cricket Tours

Be the first to know

Sign up for the latest cricket news and tours

ICT
  • About us
  • Carbon Offsetting
  • Get in touch
  • Testimonials
  • A Word About Cricket
  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Booking Terms
Overseas Cricket Tours
  • Tours with Dates
  • England overseas cricket
    fixtures 2019-2022
  • England overseas
    cricket fixtures 2021
  • England overseas
    Fixtures 2022
Travel Guides
  • Travel Guides
  • Australia
  • India
  • New Zealand
  • South Africa
  • Sri Lanka
  • West Indies
Clubs & Schools
  • Clubs & Schools Cricket Tours
  • 50 Plus Overseas Tours
  • International Cricket Tours Bat Club
  • The Cricketer – Village Cup Competition
Gallery
  • Scrapbook
  • Cine Footage
  • South Africa 2019/20 in Watercolours
  • West Indies 2019 in Watercolours
  • Sri Lanka 2018 in Watercolours
  • Australia in Watercolours
  • New Zealand in Watercolours

Share

International Cricket Tours 2 Barons Gate, 33-35 Rothschild Road
Chiswick, London, W4 5HT

©2021 International Cricket Tours. Powered by FL1 Digital & Seesaw

International Cricket Tours
Speak now to our cricket specialist
0203 824 8444
  • Get in touch
  • England Overseas Cricket Fixtures
    • Tours With Dates
      • Netherlands v England 2021 (Postponed to 2022)
      • New Zealand Women’s ODI World Cup 2021 – POSTPONED
    • England Overseas
      Cricket Fixtures 2021
      • ICC T20 World Cup India 2021
      • The Ashes
      • Netherlands v England 2021 (Postponed to 2022)
      • New Zealand Women’s ODI World Cup 2021 – POSTPONED
    • England Overseas
      Cricket Fixtures 2022
      • West Indies v England 2022
      • Pakistan v England 2022
      • Australia v England 2022
  • Travel Guides
    • Australia
      • Adelaide
      • Brisbane
      • Melbourne
      • Perth
      • Red Centre
      • Sydney
      • Tasmania
      • The Great Barrier Reef
    • India
      • Kolkata
      • Mumbai
      • New Delhi & India’s Golden Triangle
      • Bangalore
      • Chandigarh
      • Chennai
      • Cuttack
      • Kanpur
      • Nagpur
      • Pune
      • Rajkot
      • Visakhapatnam
    • New Zealand
      • Auckland
      • Christchurch
      • Dunedin
      • Hamilton
      • Wellington
      • Tauranga & Mount Maunganui
    • South Africa
      • African Safari
      • Cape Town
      • Durban
      • Johannesburg
      • Port Elizabeth
    • Sri Lanka
      • Colombo
      • Galle
      • Hambantota
      • Kandy
    • West Indies
      • Antigua
      • Barbados
      • Jamaica
      • St Kitts & Nevis
      • Trinidad & Tobago
    • Airlines
      • British Airways
      • Virgin Atlantic
      • Emirates
      • Qatar Airways
      • Qantas
  • Clubs & Schools
    • Social Playing Tours
      • Over 50s Playing Tour to Barbados
      • 50 Plus Overseas Tours
    • Cricket Tours for Clubs and Schools
      • Clubs & School Cricket Tours to Caribbean
      • Clubs & School Cricket Tours to South Africa
      • Clubs & School Cricket Tours to Sri Lanka
    • Other Tours to consider!
      • International Cricket Tours Bat Club
      • The Cricketer – Village Cup Competition
  • About Us
    • Good Causes
      • Children’s Cricket Kindness Charity
      • Lord’s Taverners
      • Urlings Cricket Club – Antigua
      • Kevin Richardson’s Lion Sanctuary – South Africa
      • Waves for Change – South Africa
    • Testimonials
    • Carbon Offsetting
    • Rising Stars
      • Our Rising Stars
  • A Word About Cricket
  • Gallery
    • Scrapbook
      A collection of past tour imagery!
    • Cine Footage
    • Tours in Watercolour
      • Australia in Watercolours
      • New Zealand in Watercolours
      • Sri Lanka 2018 in Watercolours
      • West Indies 2019 in Watercolours
      • South Africa 2019/20 in Watercolours
    • Best Dressed
      • Hall of Fame
  • Inclusive Cricket Tours
    • Accessibility on Tour
      • Our Tours are for Everyone

Cookies

This site uses cookies: Find out more.