Ray Illingworth

Ray Illingworth

Source: [1], 27 August 1973

Raymond ("Ray") Illingworth (born 8 June 1932) is a former English cricketer, cricket commentator and cricket administrator. He took over two thousand wickets and scored more than twenty thousand runs but his fame rests on his hard bitten tactical 'nous'. His ability to read a game and marshal his troops ranks with that other famous captain of modern times, the cerebral Mike Brearley. He played for Yorkshire (1951-1968) & (1982-1983), Leicestershire (1969-1978) and England (1958-73). He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1960.

He made his first class debut at 19, was capped in 1955 and became a stalwart of the great Yorkshire team which dominated county cricket in the sixties.

He made his test debut as early as 1958 and but struggled on his first tour, in the West Indies in 1959/60, taking just five wickets in five test matches. After failing to make an impact in four Tests against South Africa he found himself struggling for a place against stiff competition from the likes of Fred Titmus and David Allen. A good series against India in 1967 finally established him in the team but his career blossomed only when he left his native county in 1969 when the committee refused him a guarrentee about his future security. He joined Leicestershire to fulfill his long frustrated captaincy ambitions. He was to lead this unfashionable county to great success, especially in one day cricket. Particularly sweet was his adopted team's win over Yorkshire in the first ever Benson & Hedges Cup final in 1972.

Ashes Triumph

When Colin Cowdrey pulled out of the England team with injury Illingworth was handed the England captaincy and proved an instant success, leading England to series wins over West Indies and New Zealand. His batting found a new potency and he was the strategic and playing lynchpin of the team at number seven. After a tough but inconsequential series against a Rest of the World XI cobbled together after the cancellation of a South African tour he led England to a famous Ashes victory on the 1970/71 tour. He contributed with bat and ball but above all his tactical brilliance turned the series. Above all he was a tough man, respected by his players and unfazed by the hostility of the Australian crowds over the course of the gruelling six month tour. He was not afraid lead his players off the field after a spectator manhandled key fast bowler John Snow in Sydney.

Series wins over New Zealand and Pakistan followed and a surprise loss against India in 1971 was forgiven while he scored his second Test century and enjoyed bowling success. Never a man to forget the smallest detail of any game he revealed, in an interview with Shyam Bhatia 30 years after the loss, that he regretted not bowling Brian Luckhurst's occasional left arm spin against the Indians on a sluggish pitch which had blunted Derek Underwood's usual bite. That blip aside focus was on the Ashes and he retained the Ashes at home in 1972. He was nearing 40 however and a pasting at the hands of the West Indies in 1973 convinced him the time was right to step down at England skipper before he was pushed. He was still bowling as well as ever, and Leicestershire benefited from his return, winning the Championship in 1975.

In all he captained England in 31 Test matches, winning 12, losing 5 and drawing 14. A careful strategist who used cunning fielding strategies to stifle the opposition's batting his emphasis was on avoiding giving runs away with the ball, wickets away with the bat and games away when a draw could be salvaged. A canny and miserly off spinner himself he was sometimes criticised for not bowling himself more. A prolific wicket taker in county cricket, taking 2072 scalps, he sent down 408 balls without reward in the three Tests against New Zealand in 1973 but conceded only 1.91 runs an over in his test career. He was not a sharp spinner of the ball, relying on accuracy and subtle variations of flight, but arm ball was particularly effective with many of his victims being caught at slip, playing for spin that wasn't there.

His middle order batting was based around stern defence, a fifty of his innings from number 6 or 7 in the order finished not out. He scored 24134 first class runs in all, with a best of 162, at an average of 28.06. Never a flowing stylist, his best innings were played with his back to the wall when his team most needed them. He played 787 first class matches over nearly years, a total few modern players can even dream of approaching.

Return to the fray

After announcing his retirement from the first class game in 1978 he returned to Headingley to manage the fractious Yorkshire team, despite his testy relationship with Geoff Boycott. In 1982, faced with an underperforming team on the field, he made a somewhat bizarre return to the playing arena and replaced Chris Old as captain. The side won the Sunday League in his final season in 1983 but failed in the championship, finishing bottom for the first time ever. The title of the book he wrote about this era was 'The Tempestuous Years'.

He left Yorkshire in 1984 and carved out a successful career as a media pundit, often fiercely critical of the England test team. Eventually he became the Chairman of England's Board of Test Selectors and the England Cricket Coach in 1997. He saw himself as a supremo, in the manner of Duncan Fletcher, but the position had perhaps come ten years too late. He clashed with England Captain Mike Atherton over team selection at times and his autocratic tenure is not regarded as a success. His book 'One man committee' sums up his attitude to his job.

He was awarded the CBE for services to cricket and made an honorary member of the MCC. He was the fourth cricketer to be elected to Yorkshire's 'Hall of Fame'. He now divides his time between his beloved Farsley CCC in England in the summer and his retirement home in Spain. In an interview with 'The corridor of uncertainty' in 2006 he picked his best Yorshire XI, out of the players he'd played with and seen.

1. Len Hutton

2. Geoffrey Boycott

3. Maurice Leyland

4. Brian Close

5. Frank Lowson

6. Ray Illingworth

7. Johnny Wardle

8. Fred Trueman

9. Jimmy Binks

10. Bill Bowes

11. Bob Appleyard

Preceded by: Colin Cowdrey

English national cricket captain 1969-1972

Followed by: Tony Lewis

Preceded by: Tony Lewis

English national cricket captain 1973

Followed by: Mike Denness

External reference

• Cricinfo page on Ray Illingworth
• Ray Illingworth at Cricket Archive
• Ray Illingworth interview 2006
• India Interview