Week 3: Peter Williams looks back at the 1986 tour of England. It featured probably the best second test of all time for New Zealand Cricket and also saw a player take over the management of the team.
"It was a tour that was under the radar.. there was a Bledisloe Cup series going on, the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh and the cricket test series was played in the middle of the night in the days before live television coverage."
"This was the best era of all for New Zealand cricket. The 80's were fantastic - we know that - but the middle of the 80's was just the best of all."
"They went to England [as] probably the second best team in world test cricket at a time when test cricket really really mattered."
The Ilford second XI
"You look around the guys in the bowling attack - Derek Stirling, Willie Watson, Evan Gray - really good guys all of them but you wouldn't call them amongst the greats of New Zealand cricket."
"After being 144/5 New Zealand made 413 - guess who got the runs? Numbers six, seven and eight. Nothing has really changed. Evan Gray made 50 (his highest test score), Hadlee 68 and John Bracewell - batting at number eight - made 110."
The player-manager
"Bob Vance became seriously ill so [Ewen] Chatfield became the tour manager - it was quite extraordinary - can you imagine that happening today?"
"You look at the support staff the New Zealand cricket team has now on tour and I am pretty sure they have almost one support staff member for every player. On that trip there was Bob Vance the manager, Glenn Turner (Coach) and the Physio."
"You ask a lot of the guys who was the best manager on a cricket tour you went on and they say Chats - no problem."
"From November 1985 to March 1987 the New Zealand team was - if
not the best team - then certainly the best equal team in test
cricket. It was an era that frankly New Zealand cricket will never
be able to match again."
