Tour of  West Indies 1985-86                Captain :  David Gower       

England’s sixty-sixth Test tour.

(January - April 1986)

Ninth Test-playing tour of West Indies by England

  (previous tour  1980-81)

The tour, England's ninth official series in the West Indies, was the first to be sponsored by Cable & Wireless. Four members of the team - Gooch, Emburey, Taylor and Willey - were chosen for their first tours with England since their three-year bans for taking part in the rebel tour matches in South Africa.

Anticipating that these selections might lead to political interference and cause cancellation of the tour, the Pakistan and West Indian Boards made contingency plans for Pakistan to stand ready to tour instead. The T.C.C.B. deplored this arrangement.

Gooch would not at first accept a place in the England tour party, following demands that he clarify to the West Indies governments his views on South Africa. When England arrived, noisy demonstrations had no effect on the matches but the political pressure upset Gooch. Later, after a statement by the Antiguan Prime Minister, Lester Bird, he threatened to go home early. Only four days before the final Test match David Gower and Donald Carr of the TCCB managed to persuade him to remain with the team and play in the Test.

England lost all five Test matches in a second “blackwash” against West Indies, as had happened in England in 1984, as well as losing the one-day series.

Other England tours

Previous Test tour

India 1984-85

Next Test tour

Australia 1986-87

Next tour of  West Indies

1989-90

Members of the Test tour party (16 + 1)

Opening batsmen:  Graham Gooch, David Smith, Tim Robinson,

Middle-order batsmen Mike Gatting, David Gower, Allan Lamb, Peter Willey

Wicket-keeper: Paul Downton, Bruce French

All-rounders:  Ian Botham

Slow bowlers: Phil Edmonds, John Emburey

Fast bowlers: Neil Foster, Greg Thomas, Les Taylor, Richard Ellison.

County representation:

Ex  -  Essex (2)

Gm - Glamorgan (1)

Kt  -  Kent (1)

Le  - Leicestershire (3)

Mx - Middlesex (4)

Nth - Northamptonshire (1)

Nt - Nottinghamshire (2)

Sm - Somerset (1)

Wo - Worcestershire (1)

Average age of  team at time of first Test match

(21 February 1986):

   29 yrs 8 months

Test Appearances made before the tour

Botham 79,   Gower 76, Gooch 48,   Gatting 41, Lamb 38,  Edmonds 33,  Emburey 28,  Downton 21,  Willey 21, Robinson 11,  Foster 9,  Ellison 7,  Taylor 2,  French 0,  Slack 0,  Smith 0,  Thomas 0.

Tour Officials

Tony Brown was named as manager on 9 August ; and Bob Willis as assistant manager on 16 September.

The physiotherapist, Laurie Brown of Lancashire, was formerly with Manchester United Football Club.

Peter Austin, the Warwickshire scorer, was injured when he fell down an uncovered manhole in Antigua near the end of the tour. He was immediately flown back to hospital in England.

Selectors

The selectors who met at Lord's on the morning of 19 September were  Peter May (chairman),  Alec Bedser,  Phil Sharpe, Alan Smith,  Tony Brown (manager),  David Gower (captain),  Charles Palmer (chairman of the TCCB),  Douglas Insole (Chairman of Cricket, Overseas Tours) and  Donald Carr (Secretary of TCCB).

Selection

David Gower was appointed captain on 15 August 1985, the first day of the Edgbaston Test against Australia.

Unavailable :   none.

Tour party announced :  20  September 1985.

Official stand-bys : Neil Radford and Dipak Patel of Worcestershire.

Graham Gooch did not accept his place in the team until 16 October.

Greg Thomas was selected subject to a fitness test because of ankle, hip and hamstring injuries.

Time between selection and departure from England

   128 days

 (20 September -  26 January)

Travel

London  Q  x

26 January 1986.

Time spent in the West Indies

    82 days

(26 January -  18 April)

On-tour selection panel

David Gower (captain),  Mike Gatting (vice-captain),  Bob Willis (assistant manager), Gooch (senior player).

Reinforcements

Wilf Slack arrived in Trinidad from the England 'B' team tour, to replace Mike Gatting, who returned home for an operation on his nose after being hit by a Marshall bouncer in the first one-day international. Gooch was promoted to vice-captain.

The day after Gatting's return to the West Indies on 13 March, his thumb was broken.

Peter Willey returned home after damaging his right knee in training and missed the fifth Test match.

Fixtures/Results

† not first-class

§  one-day internationals

Time spent in West Indies before First Test:

  26 days

(26 January - 21 February)

Test appearances on tour

(v West Indies 1985-86)

5 -   Botham,  Downton,  Gooch,  Gower,  Lamb.

4 -   Emburey,  Robinson,  Thomas,  Willey.

3 -   Edmonds,  Ellison,  Foster.

2 -   Slack,  Smith

1 -   Gatting.

0 -   French,  Taylor.

Match appearances

T  Test match

o  one-day international 

x other match 

 W won  L lost  D drawn

N no result   A abandoned

u unknown result

England’s six previous Test tour results

Highlights

•  T

• 

• 

• 

Tour Summary

F  Fixtures   W  Won   L  Lost   D Drawn   T  Tied  Canc  Cancelled  Aban  abandoned

Return to England

Antigua  Q  London

Peter Willey and Austin returned from St John’s earlier than the main party.

The team flew home on 18 April 1986, flying from St John's back to Heathrow Airport. 

Time away from England

   83 days 

(26 January -  18 April)

Finances

Accounts of the tour

"Another Bloody Tour"    by Frances Edmonds (Hamlyn, 1987)

Postscript