Random Cricket Photos Post 43
There were two heroes of Headingley 1981, the first ever Test since 1894 where a team went on to win despite following on - Ian Botham and Bob Willis. Botham struck 149 in England's 2nd innings to give Australia a meagre 130 to chase and Willis knocked the sails off the Aussie chase with 8/43.
To think of it, there couldn't have been two more different characters, especially with regards to fitness.
Willis was untutored in bowling fast, a fact corroborated with a crazy piece of statistic - he bowled 939 no balls in his career. That wasn't the only trouble he faced because of his untutored bowling - he also used to break down a lot early in his career. It happened in Australia in 1974-75 and happened again the next year.
Simon Wilde writes in his book 'England' that after the Centenary Test in 1977, Willis was criticised by his own skipper Tony Greig, who wanted England to have an equivalent of Denniss Lillee. Greig criticised his lack of stamina telling him that you're always knackered after five overs. You need to get fitter.'
This was fuel enough for Willis to work on his body. And work he did. On the advice of a Sydney based hypnotherapist, Willis took up long-distance running to increase his stamina.
The results were there for everyone to see. In the first six years of his career, Willis had managed 24 Tests. He played 66 more in the next seven years, that too with great success, the pinnacle of which was touched by his Headingley heroics.
This was in complete contrast with Botham, whose second half of the career was hardly as fruitful as the first courtesy his abhorrence for fitness regimes. But that's a story for another day.
Comments
Post a Comment