West Indian cricket team in England in 1976 the West Indian get on top they are magnificent cricketers, but if they’re down, they grovel. And I intend, with the help of Closey and a few others, to make them grovel.” The insensitive comments only inflamed the racial and colonial implications surrounding the 1976 series. The remark was particularly provocative coming from Greig, the white South African-born captain of England. West Indian bowler, Michael Holding recalled how the comment “Smacked of racism and Apartheid. He got our backs up and made us more determined.” Greig claimed the word "grovel" was used only as a response to the way the
History of the England cricket team from 1945 to Australia and lost the following four test Ashes series 1 – 0. Another winter without a tour was followed by a heavy defeat under Tony Greig against a rampant West Indies. Clive Lloyd's men began their 15-year dominance of world cricket thanks to a battering pace attack led by Andy Roberts, Michael Holding and Wayne Daniel and the magnificent batting of Viv Richards stirred by Greig's unfortunate 'grovel' gaffe. England recovered to post a famous 3 – 1 win over India, thanks to their own fast bowlers, in 1976–77 and fought bravely in the Centenary Test of 1977, thanks