English cricket team in Australia in 1974–75 when Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson were unfit to play, made 188 - the highest Test score by an England captain in Australia - and won by an innings. He beat New Zealand with a batting average of 240.00 and retained the captaincy for the 1975 Cricket World Cup, where England lost to Australia in the semi-finals. He lost the First Test of the 1975 Ashes series by an innings and was replaced by the combative Tony Greig, never to play Test cricket again. It came as a severe shock to the nervous system of the England batsmen when Australia
Australian cricket team in England in 1882 the second. England had reached 15 when Spofforth clean bowled England captain Albert Hornby for 9. He removed Dick Barlow also clean bowled the very next ball to find himself on a hat trick. W G Grace and George Ulyett then put together a partnership of 36 before Spofforth had Ulyett caught behind for 11. Grace fell two runs later, caught by Bannerman off the bowling of Harry Boyle for 32. England were stuttering at 53 for 4, still needing 31 more for victory. A sluggish 12 off 55 balls from wicket-keeper Alfred Lyttelton took England on to 66 for