Mike Selvey, the former England bowler, tells a story of one of his early Test appearances against West Indies at the Oval in the heatwave summer of 1976. Tony Greig, the England captain, gave a team-talk that was intended to be motivational: “We may not be able to bat them off the park, and we may not be able to bowl them off the park, but we can f****** well field them off the park,” said Greig, oblivious to the effect his words might have had on a team he clearly felt was second best on talent alone. Selvey then looked around the dressing room: Derek Underwood, Bob Willis, Bob Woolmer, David Steele, Chris Balderstone, Peter Willey, some long past the first flush of youth,…

Source: The Times June 13, 2019 11:03 UTC