Mike Denness captained the English cricket team in Australia in 1974–75, playing as England in the 1974–75 Ashes series against the Australians and as the MCC in their other matches on the tour.
He was one of the great servants of English cricket and took a record 236 Test wickets at an average of 24.89 despite carrying England's bowling attack against the powerful Australian teams of the post-war era.
Geoff Boycott was a dedicated if charmless opening batsman who had made 657 runs (93.85) in the 1970–71 Ashes series, but was an awkward tourist who had argued with the Australian umpires.
The press speculated on his loss of form, the need to organise his 1975 Benefit Year and a fear of Dennis Lillee, though the Australian fast bowler had not yet returned to cricket after his back injury.
Boycott was later accused of cowardice, his many critics saying that he had avoided playing the Australian and West Indian teams of 1974–76 because of their fast bowlers, but no one in the England camp had any idea that Lillee and Thomson would be such a threat until the First Test.
Illingworth later said that Boycott was the only England batsmen with the technique to face Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson and it was generally agreed that his loss was a blow to the touring team's chances.
[3][4][5][6] The pace of Thomson and the deadly accuracy and cunning of Lillee unnerved England and I honestly don't believe that Mike Denness had sufficient status and experience as a player and captain to help his batsmen get over what were deep psychological wounds, particularly as he himself was having such a wretched time of it with the bat.
The reformers called for tough, professional captains dedicated to winning Test matches, such as Brian Close and Ray Illingworth, who succeeded Cowdrey in 1969 when he damaged his Achilles heel.
Mike Denness had succeeded Cowdrey as the captain of Kent and was the surprise choice to lead England to the West Indies in 1973–74, though he had been Tony Lewis's vice-captain in India in 1972–73.
The Scot made a good start in the West Indies by drawing the series 1–1 and dealing diplomatically with the problems arising in the Caribbean in the wake of the exclusion of South Africa from Test cricket, though the press found him a bit dour.
I think the technique of several of the England batsmen left a lot to be desired, but all the coaching and textbook reading in the world could not have prepared them for the sort of short-pitched deliveries that kicked head high and at something like 100 mph.
[7] The England batsmen had gorged themselves on the Indian spin bowling in the summer of 1974; David Lloyd averaged 260.00, Keith Fletcher 189.00, John Edrich 101.50, Mike Denness 96.33, Dennis Amiss 92.50 and Tony Greig 79.50.
They did well in the rain-affected series against Pakistan and were chosen en masse for the tour of Australia, along with Geoff Boycott who had missed most of the summer due to poor form.
Boycott declined to tour and was replaced by Brian Luckhurst, a Kent opener who had made 455 runs (56.87) in 1970–71 and two centuries despite badly bruised fingers[13] None of these had any great experience in facing fast bowling, which had been in short supply in the last few years of Test cricket.
[15][16] Keith Fletcher had a promising career, but like most of the England batsmen was a player of spin with limited technique against real pace and suffered as a result, but came back to make 146 in the Sixth Test and later became a successful captain of Essex.
The 6'7" South African born Tony Greig was England's best batsman of the tour, using his height to slash the fast bowlers over the slips and having the advantage of batting at number 6 after the earlier batsmen had faced the brunt of the bowling.
In the following tour of New Zealand he hit the tailender Ewen Chatfield on the head with a bouncer and almost killed him, Chatworth was saved by cardiopulmonary resuscitation from the team physiotherapist Bernie Thomas and a distraught Lever had to be helped off the field.
On damp English wickets he earned the nickname "Deadly" for his ability to make the ball leap and turn, as when he took 10/82 against Australia at Headingley in 1972 and 13/71 against Pakistan at Lord's in 1974.