It had been fairly overcast earlier but then the sun came out. Botham played himself in carefully at first and I had a feeling something was going to happen. Nothing happened in my cricket career to compare with being at the other end while Ian Botham went through his repertoire, taking the attack to Australia in general and Dennis Lillee in particular. On no occasion was that more appreciated than at Old Trafford in 1981 when he made his second fifty of the match but was a supporting act to the main show.IT is imperishable, that warm July afternoon in Manchester. I never did.Old Trafford 1981: Chris TavareIN 31 Test matches for England he established a reputation for a refusal to give away his wicket lightly. I just tried to put it on the spot and hit the seam, which isn’t as easy as it sounds, and make them play It was an effective combination He took five wickets immediately.

I had arrived in the changing-room before him, put my bag down and when he turned up he decided he wanted my spot and came the bit about being the senior pro He changed elsewhere It was a very good side to play in under Brearley. Although it was the summer when the news about the Packer Revolution and the formation of the breakaway World Series Cricket had broken, it didn’t seem to affect us, although three or four players had signed. The match at Trent Bridge in which Boycott returned was also Ian Botham’s first match He was always a delight to have bowling at the other end He had so much variation, he would make the batsman think. He batted beautifully as well but there was a ball from Australia’s left-arm spinner Ray Bright early on which drifted down the leg side. For a brief moment it looked as though Boycs might have got a touch “Not out,” said the umpire Two other memories still stand out.

Randall, from cover, ran out the Australian opening batsman Rick McCosker as he was backing up, and Graham Roope, one of the best slip fielders around, put down a simple slip catch off my bowling. Boycott had come back the match before in that series after being out for three years and got a hundred at Trent Bridge but not before running out Randall You could have heard a pin drop Boycs and I hadn’t got off to the best of starts. He mistimed it, Derek Randall caught him in the outfield and did a somersault to celebrate It doesn’t come much better than that England had won the series. I took eight wickets in the match [for a mere 95 runs] but that was overshadowed by the batting of Geoffrey Boycott.