Mike Brearley
Encyclopedia
John Michael Brearley OBE
(born 28 April 1942) is a former cricket
er who captained the England cricket team in 31 of his 39 Test match
es, winning 17 and losing only 4. He was the President of the Marylebone Cricket Club
(MCC) in 2007–08.
(where his father Horace
, himself a first-class cricketer, was a master). While at St. John's College, Cambridge, Brearley excelled at cricket (he was then a wicketkeeper/batsman). After making 76 on first-class
debut as a wicketkeeper, he played for Cambridge University
between 1961 and 1968 (captaining the side from 1964 onwards), first as an undergraduate on the Natural Sciences tripos
, and then as a postgraduate. While still at Cambridge he was chosen for the MCC
tour to South Africa in 1964–65, and to captain the MCC Under-25 side in Pakistan in 1966–67, when he scored 312 not out against North Zone (his highest first-class score) and 223 against the Pakistan Under-25 side he ended the tour with 793 runs from six matches at an average of 132.
, often opening the innings
with Michael Smith. As captain between 1971
and 1982
, he led Middlesex to County Championship
s in 1976, 1977 (jointly with Kent
), 1980 and 1982; and he appeared in Free Foresters
' very last first-class fixture, in 1968
, keeping wicket and scoring 91.
and 1970
, Brearley was not selected for England until the age of 34 in 1976. Brearley's record in Test cricket as a batsman was mediocre (he averaged 22.88 in 39 Test innings
, without a Test century), but he was an outstanding captain. Having previously kept wicket, he was also a very fine slip catcher, usually at first slip. He took over as captain of England in 1977. His excellent man-management skills (he was once described by Rodney Hogg
as having "a degree in people") drew the very best from the players in his team, although he was fortunate to be able to call on the services of Bob Willis
, David Gower
and Ian Botham
at their peak. Brearley was captain during the infamous aluminium bat
incident in 1979, when he objected to Dennis Lillee
's use of the bat, instead of one made of willow. On the same tour he caused controversy by ordering all his fielders including the wicketkeeper to the boundary with three runs required off the last ball of the match (this was legal by the rules of the time). He had been an innovator regarding cricket equipment himself, wearing a 'skull cap' under his England cap in 1977. It consisted of a plastic protector with two side pieces protecting his temples. It was later popularized by the Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar
.
Brearley also captained England to the final of the 1979 Cricket World Cup
, scoring 53 in the semi-final against New Zealand and 64 in the final against the West Indies. However, his defensive opening partnership of 129 with Geoff Boycott in the final used up 38 of 60 allotted overs; although it was recognised that a potent pace attack of Andy Roberts, Michael Holding
, Colin Croft
and Joel Garner
needed to be countered, the speed of the partnership greatly added to the pressure on the rest of the order. Garner bowled a spell of 5 wickets for 4 runs to induce a drastic collapse and hand the West Indies the match and the World Cup by 92 runs.
Having passed the England captaincy to Ian Botham
in 1980 (losing his Test place in the process), Brearley returned as captain following Botham's resignation for the famous third Test against Australia
at Headingley
in 1981
, famously going on to win the match and two of the remaining three matches of the series to win the Ashes
3-1. Brearley's extraordinary galvanising of Botham is regarded as one of the greatest feats of sporting psychology of all time: Botham recovered from personal ridicule following his winless captaincy record and his nosedive in form (he had made a pair in the second Test at Lord's) to take a first-innings 6 for 95 and score 50 and his famous 149 not out in the third Test at Headingley, bowl a spell of 5 wickets for 1 run in the fourth Test at Edgbaston, score 118 from 102 balls in the fifth Test at Old Trafford, and take a 10-wicket match haul (6 for 125 and 4 for 128) in the sixth Test at the Oval.
Not all players have sung the praises of his captaincy with the same generosity as Ian Botham
. Phil Edmonds
, who played under Brearley at both county and country level, developed the practice of walking backwards to his bowling mark to ensure Brearley did not change the field behind his back. In his second autobiography, Fred Titmus
, a senior county colleague, poured scorn on Brearley's reputed man-management skills.
), motivational speaker, and part-time cricket journalist
for The Observer
. He was awarded the OBE
in 1978, and published The Art of Captaincy
in 1985. He opposed sporting links with apartheid South Africa
, seconding a motion to the MCC in 1968 calling for the cessation of tours until there was actual progress towards non-racial cricket. He seconded the motion from David Sheppard
to the MCC, calling for the England tour to South Africa to be cancelled, and was a supporter of John Arlott
who campaigned in The Guardian for the same objective.
Brearley took over from Doug Insole
as President of MCC on 1 October 2007, and chose Derek Underwood
to succeed him at the end of his term.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 28 April 1942) is a former cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er who captained the England cricket team in 31 of his 39 Test match
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
es, winning 17 and losing only 4. He was the President of the Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
(MCC) in 2007–08.
Early life
Brearley was educated at the City of London SchoolCity of London School
The City of London School is a boys' independent day school on the banks of the River Thames in the City of London, England. It is the brother school of the City of London School for Girls and the co-educational City of London Freemen's School...
(where his father Horace
Horace Brearley
Horace Brearley was an English cricketer and schoolmaster.Born in Heckmondwike, Yorkshire, England, Brearley represented Yorkshire for a solitary County Championship appearance as a right-handed batsman in 1937, and played for Middlesex in 1949. He appearance with Yorkshire yielded seventeen runs...
, himself a first-class cricketer, was a master). While at St. John's College, Cambridge, Brearley excelled at cricket (he was then a wicketkeeper/batsman). After making 76 on first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
debut as a wicketkeeper, he played for Cambridge University
Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
between 1961 and 1968 (captaining the side from 1964 onwards), first as an undergraduate on the Natural Sciences tripos
Tripos
The University of Cambridge, England, divides the different kinds of honours bachelor's degree by Tripos , plural Triposes. The word has an obscure etymology, but may be traced to the three-legged stool candidates once used to sit on when taking oral examinations...
, and then as a postgraduate. While still at Cambridge he was chosen for the MCC
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
tour to South Africa in 1964–65, and to captain the MCC Under-25 side in Pakistan in 1966–67, when he scored 312 not out against North Zone (his highest first-class score) and 223 against the Pakistan Under-25 side he ended the tour with 793 runs from six matches at an average of 132.
County cricket
From 1961 onwards he played for Middlesex County Cricket ClubMiddlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
, often opening the innings
Innings
An inning, or innings, is a fixed-length segment of a game in any of a variety of sports – most notably cricket and baseball during which one team attempts to score while the other team attempts to prevent the first from scoring. In cricket, the term innings is both singular and plural and is...
with Michael Smith. As captain between 1971
1971 English cricket season
The 1971 English cricket season saw a first series win by India in England. This was a huge surprise at the time because England, having just won the Ashes in Australia, had a very strong team.-Honours:*County Championship - Surrey...
and 1982
1982 English cricket season
The 1982 English cricket season saw the welcome return to top class cricket of the leg spinner's art as Abdul Qadir proved the most entertaining player of an otherwise disappointing season.-Honours:*County Championship - Middlesex...
, he led Middlesex to County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
s in 1976, 1977 (jointly with Kent
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
), 1980 and 1982; and he appeared in Free Foresters
Free Foresters Cricket Club
Free Foresters Cricket Club is an English amateur cricket club, established in 1856 for players from the Midland counties of England. It is a 'wandering' club, having no home ground....
' very last first-class fixture, in 1968
1968 English cricket season
The 1968 English cricket season was something of a watershed for it was the last in which the County Championship predominated. From 1969, a new limited overs league began and the number of Championship matches was therefore reduced...
, keeping wicket and scoring 91.
International cricket
In part because of his pursuit of an academic career, which limited his cricketing activity in 19691969 English cricket season
The 1969 English cricket season saw the inauguration of the Sunday League , sponsored by the John Player tobacco company. All matches were played on Sundays with each of the 17 first-class counties playing each other once. They were of 40 overs a side...
and 1970
1970 English cricket season
The 1970 English cricket season was marked by controversy when a tour by South Africa was forced to be abandoned in view of mounting opposition to the apartheid policy maintained by that country's then government...
, Brearley was not selected for England until the age of 34 in 1976. Brearley's record in Test cricket as a batsman was mediocre (he averaged 22.88 in 39 Test innings
Innings
An inning, or innings, is a fixed-length segment of a game in any of a variety of sports – most notably cricket and baseball during which one team attempts to score while the other team attempts to prevent the first from scoring. In cricket, the term innings is both singular and plural and is...
, without a Test century), but he was an outstanding captain. Having previously kept wicket, he was also a very fine slip catcher, usually at first slip. He took over as captain of England in 1977. His excellent man-management skills (he was once described by Rodney Hogg
Rodney Hogg
Rodney Malcolm Hogg is a former Victorian, South Australian and Australian cricketer. He was a fast bowler. Hogg played in 38 Tests and 71 ODIs between 1978 and 1985. In Tests he took 123 wickets at an average of 28.47.-Career:...
as having "a degree in people") drew the very best from the players in his team, although he was fortunate to be able to call on the services of Bob Willis
Bob Willis
Robert George Dylan Willis MBE , known as Bob Willis, is a former English cricketer who played for Surrey, Warwickshire, Northern Transvaal and England...
, David Gower
David Gower
David Ivon Gower OBE is a former English cricketer who became a commentator for Sky Sports. Although he eventually rose to the captaincy of the England cricket team during the 1980s, he is best known for being one of the most stylish left-handed batsmen of the modern era. Gower played 117 Test...
and Ian Botham
Ian Botham
Sir Ian Terence Botham OBE is a former England Test cricketer and Test team captain, and current cricket commentator. He was a genuine all-rounder with 14 centuries and 383 wickets in Test cricket, and remains well-known by his nickname "Beefy"...
at their peak. Brearley was captain during the infamous aluminium bat
ComBat
The ComBat was an aluminium cricket bat and the subject of an incident that occurred at the WACA cricket ground in Perth in December 1979.Australia were playing England in the first Test, and were in trouble at the end of the first day, at a score of 232/8 with Dennis Lillee not out...
incident in 1979, when he objected to Dennis Lillee
Dennis Lillee
Dennis Keith Lillee, AM, MBE is a former Australian cricketer rated as the "outstanding fast bowler of his generation"...
's use of the bat, instead of one made of willow. On the same tour he caused controversy by ordering all his fielders including the wicketkeeper to the boundary with three runs required off the last ball of the match (this was legal by the rules of the time). He had been an innovator regarding cricket equipment himself, wearing a 'skull cap' under his England cap in 1977. It consisted of a plastic protector with two side pieces protecting his temples. It was later popularized by the Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Manohar "Sunny" Gavaskar is a former cricketer who played during the 1970s and 1980s for Bombay and India. Widely regarded as one of the greatest opening batsmen in cricket history, Gavaskar set world records during his career for the most Test runs and most Test centuries scored by any...
.
Brearley also captained England to the final of the 1979 Cricket World Cup
1979 Cricket World Cup
The 1979 Cricket World Cup was the second edition of the tournament and was won by the West Indies. It was held from June 9 to June 23, 1979 in England. The format had remained unchanged from 1975. Eight countries participated in the event. The preliminary matches were played in 2 groups of 4...
, scoring 53 in the semi-final against New Zealand and 64 in the final against the West Indies. However, his defensive opening partnership of 129 with Geoff Boycott in the final used up 38 of 60 allotted overs; although it was recognised that a potent pace attack of Andy Roberts, Michael Holding
Michael Holding
Michael Anthony Holding is a former West Indian cricketer. One of the fastest bowlers ever to play Test cricket, he was nicknamed 'Whispering Death' by umpires due to his quiet approach to the bowling crease...
, Colin Croft
Colin Croft
Colin Everton Hunte Croft is a former West Indian cricketer. He provides expert analysis on the British Broadcasting Corporation's Test Match Special.-Cricket career:...
and Joel Garner
Joel Garner
Joel Garner , also known as "Big Joel" or "Big Bird", is a former West Indian cricketer, and a member of the highly regarded late 1970s and early '80s West Indies cricket teams....
needed to be countered, the speed of the partnership greatly added to the pressure on the rest of the order. Garner bowled a spell of 5 wickets for 4 runs to induce a drastic collapse and hand the West Indies the match and the World Cup by 92 runs.
Having passed the England captaincy to Ian Botham
Ian Botham
Sir Ian Terence Botham OBE is a former England Test cricketer and Test team captain, and current cricket commentator. He was a genuine all-rounder with 14 centuries and 383 wickets in Test cricket, and remains well-known by his nickname "Beefy"...
in 1980 (losing his Test place in the process), Brearley returned as captain following Botham's resignation for the famous third Test against Australia
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
at Headingley
Headingley Stadium
Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie ....
in 1981
Australian cricket team in England in 1981
The tour by the Australian cricket team in England in 1981 included the 51st Ashes series of Test matches between Australia and England. Despite having been 1–0 down after two Tests, England won the next three Tests to finish 3–1 victors , thus retaining the Ashes...
, famously going on to win the match and two of the remaining three matches of the series to win the Ashes
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
3-1. Brearley's extraordinary galvanising of Botham is regarded as one of the greatest feats of sporting psychology of all time: Botham recovered from personal ridicule following his winless captaincy record and his nosedive in form (he had made a pair in the second Test at Lord's) to take a first-innings 6 for 95 and score 50 and his famous 149 not out in the third Test at Headingley, bowl a spell of 5 wickets for 1 run in the fourth Test at Edgbaston, score 118 from 102 balls in the fifth Test at Old Trafford, and take a 10-wicket match haul (6 for 125 and 4 for 128) in the sixth Test at the Oval.
Not all players have sung the praises of his captaincy with the same generosity as Ian Botham
Ian Botham
Sir Ian Terence Botham OBE is a former England Test cricketer and Test team captain, and current cricket commentator. He was a genuine all-rounder with 14 centuries and 383 wickets in Test cricket, and remains well-known by his nickname "Beefy"...
. Phil Edmonds
Phil Edmonds
Phil Edmonds is a former English cricketer and a successful, albeit controversial, corporate executive....
, who played under Brearley at both county and country level, developed the practice of walking backwards to his bowling mark to ensure Brearley did not change the field behind his back. In his second autobiography, Fred Titmus
Fred Titmus
Frederick John Titmus MBE was an English cricketer, whose first-class career spanned five decades. Although he was best known for his off spin , he was an accomplished lower-order batsman who deserved to be called an all-rounder, even opening the batting for England on six occasions...
, a senior county colleague, poured scorn on Brearley's reputed man-management skills.
Post-cricket career
Brearley is now a psychoanalyst, psychotherapist (registered with the BPCBritish Psychoanalytic Council
The British Psychoanalytic Council is an association of training institutions, professional associations and accrediting bodies which have their roots in established psychoanalysis and analytical psychology...
), motivational speaker, and part-time cricket journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
for The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
. He was awarded the OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 1978, and published The Art of Captaincy
The Art of Captaincy
The Art of Captaincy is a book authored by cricketer Mike Brearley, published first in 1985 by Hodder and Stoughton Ltd. It was written by Brearley based on his experiences while captaining Middlesex and later leading England to the famous Ashes victory in 1981...
in 1985. He opposed sporting links with apartheid South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, seconding a motion to the MCC in 1968 calling for the cessation of tours until there was actual progress towards non-racial cricket. He seconded the motion from David Sheppard
David Sheppard
David Stuart Sheppard, Baron Sheppard of Liverpool was the high-profile Bishop of Liverpool in the Church of England who played cricket for Sussex and England in his youth...
to the MCC, calling for the England tour to South Africa to be cancelled, and was a supporter of John Arlott
John Arlott
Leslie Thomas John Arlott OBE was an English journalist, author and cricket commentator for the BBC's Test Match Special. He was also a poet, wine connoisseur and former police officer in Hampshire...
who campaigned in The Guardian for the same objective.
Brearley took over from Doug Insole
Doug Insole
Doug Insole CBE is a former English cricketer, who played for Cambridge University, Essex and in nine Test matches for England, five of them on the 1956-57 tour of South Africa, where he was vice-captain to Peter May...
as President of MCC on 1 October 2007, and chose Derek Underwood
Derek Underwood
Derek Underwood MBE is an English former international cricketer, and a former President of the MCC....
to succeed him at the end of his term.