TheAustralian cricket team toured England in the1985 season to play a six-matchTest series againstEngland. England won the series 3–1 with two matches drawn. England therefore regainedThe Ashes.
13–18 June 1985 Scorecard |
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England won by 5 wickets Headingley,Leeds Umpires:BJ Meyer andKE Palmer Player of the match:RT Robinson (Eng) |
27 June - 2 July 1985 Scorecard |
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11–16 July 1985 Scorecard |
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Match drawn Trent Bridge,Nottingham Umpires:DJ Constant andAGT Whitehead Player of the match:DI Gower (Eng) |
1–6 August 1985 Scorecard |
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Match drawn Old Trafford,Manchester Umpires:HD Bird andDR Shepherd Player of the match:CJ McDermott (Aus) |
15–20 August 1985 Scorecard |
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England won by an innings and 118 runs Edgbaston Cricket Ground,Birmingham Umpires:DJ Constant andDR Shepherd Player of the match:RM Ellison (Eng) |
29 August – 2 September 1985 Scorecard |
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England won by an innings and 94 runs Kennington Oval,Kennington Umpires:HD Bird andKE Palmer Player of the match:GA Gooch (Eng) |
Australia won the Texaco Trophy 2–1.
30 May 1985 Scorecard |
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Australia won by 3 wickets Old Trafford,Manchester Umpires:DGL Evans andKE Palmer Player of the match:IT Botham (ENG) |
1 June 1985 Scorecard |
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Australia won by 4 wickets Edgbaston,Birmingham Umpires:DJ Constant andDR Shepherd Player of the match:AR Border (AUS) |
Australia had endured a turbulent summer during the 1984–85 season, which included the resignation of their captainKim Hughes and consistent defeats at the hands of the West Indian cricket side. However, there were some encouraging signs, such as the consistent form ofKepler Wessels, the re-emergence ofAndrew Hilditch as a test batsman, the discovery of an exciting new pace prospect inCraig McDermott and improved spin bowling stocks, led byBob Holland.
The original squad selected were as follows:[2]
However it was revealed prior to leaving for England that several of the cricketers had signed toplay cricket in South Africa over the 1985–86 and 1986–87 seasons, including Alderman, Wellham, Wood, McCurdy, Phillips, Bennett and Rixon. Although these contracts did not start until after the Ashes, the Australian Cricket Board were reluctant to allow these players to go on the tour.
Wellham, Phillips and Wood were then all offered inducements byKerry Packer, who owned TV rights to the game, not to go to South Africa, and Bennett changed his mind. Alderman, McCurdy and Rixon stuck by their original decisions, and were ruled ineligible to tour. They were replaced byCarl Rackemann,John Maguire andRay Phillips. Rackemann and McGuire then revealed that they too had signed to tour South Africa, and were replaced byDavid Gilbert andJeff Thomson.
The remaining Australian team originally elected to tour without Wellham, Phillips and Wood but eventually changed their mind after a team meeting.[3][4][5]
Australia performed reasonably well in the early tour games, the highlight being Allan Border scoring four centuries in consecutive first class games. Jeff Thomson leapt into test consideration after taking eight wickets against Somerset.[6] David Boon, Greg Ritchie and Wayne Phillips also scored well in early games, and Bob Holland took a number of wickets.Simon O'Donnell's century against the MCC saw him come into consideration as an all rounder.[7]
Australia won the one day series 2–1. They then drew a game againstLeicestershire in which David Gower scored a century, taking heavy toll off Bob Holland's bowling, while Jeff Thomson took five wickets.[8]
This saw Thomson preferred over Holland in Australia's team for the first test. Simon O'Donnell was picked as the fourth bowler in support of McDermott, Lawson and Thomson, despite a noticeable lack of success with the ball on the tour until that date. The rest of the team consisted of Wood, Hilditch, Wessels, Border, Boon, Ritchie and Phillips. Australia lost the first by five wickets.
Holland then took five wickets in a game against Hampshire[9] and came into the test side in place of Thomson for the second test. Australia won this by four wickets, due mostly to Allan Border's scores of 196 and 41 not out, and five wicket hauls to McDermott and Holland.
Australia kept the same side for the third test, which ended in a heavy scoring draw. In order to boost the bowling, the injured Graeme Wood was replaced by all rounder Greg Matthews in the fourth test, where Australia managed to escape with a draw due to a second innings century from Allan Border.
For the fifth test Wood returned and Matthews was dropped. However Australia decided to boost the bowling by dropping Boon for Jeff Thomson. Australia lost the game by an innings.
Australia dropped O'Donnell for the sixth and final test, bringing in Dirk Wellham instead, and replacing Holland with Murray Bennett and Jeff Thomson with Gilbert. Australia lost this game by an innings as well.
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