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In the discourse on greatest cricket captains, one name that consistently features is that of England's Mike Brearley. And why not? His player-management skills possessed the ability to elevate an ordinary crop of players to match shoulders with the best in the world. His shrewd thinking left the opposition scratching their heads. And the way he dictated the game was a sight to behold. But before he established his supremacy at the international level, his stint with the County Championship saw glimpses of his charismatic leadership.
The year was 1977. Middlesex was taking on Surrey at the Lord’s in a must-win game. The rain-truncated encounter had set the suspense rolling. The rules mandated that it will be only a single-innings game if no play takes place on the first two days. But the rain gods paved the way for a 23-minute window, meaning it was a regular two-innings game. Sussex managed to score 8 for 1 after being put into bat by Brearley. Almost two days had been washed out. Was a result still possible? Brearley thought so.
Those were the days when the pitches were left uncovered. Perhaps this was the motivation behind Brearley’s strategy. The third day began with the Middlesex bowlers exploiting the uncovered surface to their advantage. Surrey were bundled on a paltry score of 49 in 22.5 overs. Ian Gould and John Emburey took their guards to open for Middlesex. They were not their routine openers. Surrey could sense that something wasn’t right. And then Brearley made his move. Just after one ball was bowled, he declared the Middlesex innings. The scorecard read 0-0 in 0.1 overs. He knew this was the only way they could win.
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If Mike Selvey and Wayne Daniel triggered the first innings collapse, Mike Gatting wreaked havoc in the second innings. Save for a 24-run partnership between Geoff Arnold and Jack Richards, the Surrey batters struggled to make an impact on the scorecard. Their innings ended at 89. Middlesex required 139 to win in 27 minutes and 20 mandatory overs. The pitch had considerably improved and became more conducive to batting as the game passed. Brearley and Smith set off the thrilling chase.
The duo raced the home team to 47 in the seven overs that were bowled in 27 minutes. With 92 required in the mandatory 20 overs, the game seemed like moving towards a result. The openers stitched a 101-run partnership before Smith departed for a fighting 51. Clive Radley joined his skipper in the middle to take the team across the finish line. Middlesex had chased the target with 11 balls to spare.
Brearley starred with the bat and finished with an incredible 66. The declaration ploy had worked. The win ensured that Middlesex caught up with Kent in the County Championship table, eventually ending it as joint winners. Brearley’s act of tactical brilliance was a sign of what was to come as he led England to landmark Ashes series victories in the years to come.
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