Wisden Trophy
The Wisden Trophy was awarded to the winner of the Test cricket series played between England and the West Indies. It was first awarded in 1963 to commemorate the hundredth edition of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. Series were played in accordance with the future tours programme, with varying lengths of time between tours. If a series was drawn then the country holding the Wisden Trophy retained it. In 2020, it was announced that the trophy would be replaced by the Richards–Botham Trophy named after Sir Vivian Richards and Sir Ian Botham.
The trophy is named after the famous cricketing publisher Wisden and was presented by John Wisden & Co after gaining the approval of the Marylebone Cricket Club and the West Indies Cricket Board. The Wisden Trophy was presented to the victorious team as a symbol of its victory, but then returned to the MCC Museum at Lord's. Starting with the 2000 Wisden Trophy series, the Malcolm Marshall Memorial Trophy was awarded to the leading wicket taker in the series.
England won the 2020 series, the final series in which the trophy was at stake, and thus retain it in perpetuity. England held the trophy for nine years, after beating the West Indies 3–1 in 2000, regaining it for the first time since 1969; they successfully defended the trophy three times. West Indies regained the trophy in the 2009 series in the West Indies, winning 1–0. It was originally planned to consist of four Test matches. However an extra match was arranged when the second Test had to be abandoned after only a few overs of play because the ground was unfit. England regained the trophy in May 2009, winning a two Test series 2–0. The tour, coming uncommonly soon after England toured the West Indies, replaced the previously announced tour by Sri Lanka, which in turn was arranged to replace the originally scheduled tour by Zimbabwe. England held the trophy up to and including the 2017 series in England. The West Indies won the 2019 series 2–1 on home soil.
Inauguration and form
In 1963 John Wisden & Co. Ltd, with the approval of the MCC and the WICB, presented the first Wisden Trophy, to be contested in a similar manner to the Ashes.The trophy is around 30 centimetres high, and a similar distance across its base. At the centre is an image of John Wisden. To Wisden's left is a smaller figure of a batsman taking guard, while to Wisden's right is a bowler in his delivery stride. Directly below Wisden is a plaque, on either side of which are the emblems of the English and West Indian teams. The plaque reads:
History
1963 Inaugural trophy
With the growing Caribbean following in England, the West Indies entered the series as one of the most popular touring nations. Lance Gibbs' 11 wickets at Old Trafford set up a commanding 10 wicket win for the West Indies. The second match at Lord's was chiefly remembered for its dramatic ending; all results were possible going into the final over of the match. England required eight runs to win but only had two wickets left. From the fourth ball of the over Derek Shackleton was run out, which meant that Colin Cowdrey had to come out with a broken arm with two balls of the match remaining. He did not have to face a ball, and the match ended in a draw. The third Test saw Fred Trueman claim 12 wickets ensuring England won by 217 runs. Charlie Griffith's 6/36 in the fourth and Conrad Hunte's 108 in the final Test meant the West Indies won the next two Tests and the series finished 3–1. The final Test saw a pitch invasion when Basil Butcher scored the winning runs for the West Indies.As a result of the great success of this series, England's future home Test programme was revised so that the West Indies could return in 1966, much earlier than originally planned. This was done by introducing "twin tours", in which two countries would each play three Tests against England in the course of a season.
1966 Garry Sobers' series
was the captain for the West Indies, while England had three captains: Mike Smith, Cowdrey and Brian Close during the five Test series. The West Indies team was not as strong as in the previous series, but many of their deficiencies were glossed over by Sobers' exceptional all-round performance. He scored centuries in three Test matches and claimed five wicket innings hauls in two Tests.The first Test went to the West Indies with England succumbing in both innings to Gibbs who claimed 10 wickets in the Test. Butcher's 209 ensured the West Indies won the third to lead the series 2–0. The fourth Test saw Sobers' best performance, where he scored 174 runs and followed this up by taking 5/41 to give his team a 3–0 lead into the final Test. England gained a consolation victory, largely due to Tom Graveney’s 165 and a 128-run tenth wicket partnership.
The main difference between the two teams was the outstanding all-round performance of Sobers, who scored 722 runs at an average of 103.14, as well as taking 20 wickets and taking 10 catches.
1967–69 Early series
This was the first of the Wisden Trophy series to take place in the West Indies. The series showed a more sinister side of the West Indies, with a riot occurring in the drawn second Test and the English team being attacked at the conclusion of the final Test.Despite these problems England were largely the better team, with Cowdrey's leadership, Geoffrey Boycott’s batting and a weakened West Indian attack being the difference between the sides.
After a drawn first Test the second match was a game of two halves. England developed a 233 run lead at the half way stage and had the West Indies on 204/5 when Butcher was caught. This dismissal caused a riot and from this point onwards England struggled with the spin bowling of Sobers and Gibbs, narrowly avoiding defeat by two wickets. The third Test saw another drawn match due to the slow batting of the West Indies, taking over two days to score 349 runs which included a spell of four runs in one hour. England took a 1–0 lead after the fourth Test, in a game that they seemed least like winning. The win was mainly due to Sobers' decision to declare on 92/2 in the West Indies second innings. Good batting by Alan Knott and a 127 sixth wicket partnership ensured the final game ended in a draw as England maintained their 1–0 lead to win the series.
The 1969 tour was a three Test series. The captains were Ray Illingworth for England and Sobers for the West Indies. The West Indies had an ageing team and, with Sobers suffering a loss of form, were always the weaker side.
England won the first Test with John Snow and David Brown claiming 13 wickets between them. A draw followed in Lord's, but England won the final match in a dramatic fashion. The West Indies in a seemingly strong position of 219/3 required 84 runs for victory. They suffered a late innings collapse however as Butcher, Sobers and Lloyd fell within 16 minutes, which ultimately led to England winning by 30 runs to win the series 2–0. It seemed that England would begin to dominate the West Indies, with many of the key West Indian players such as Butcher, Wes Hall and Charlie Griffith retiring in 1969. Illingworth would be the last England captain to win the Wisden Trophy for 31 years.
1973–74 West Indies revival
This three Test series saw the West Indies re-establish themselves as the superior team. They won the first Test at The Oval by 158 runs, with Clive Lloyd's 132 with the bat and Keith Boyce's bowling being the main contributions to the win. The drawn match at Edgbaston was at risk of being abandoned when umpire Arthur Fagg threatened to withdraw after Kanhai disputed one of his decisions. The final Test match at Lord's was dominated by the West Indies, with the team posting a huge total of 652/8 before declaring, Kanhai, Sobers and Bernard Julien all getting centuries. England never looked liked matching this total, and were dismissed for 233 in the first innings and 193 in the second, losing by an innings and 226 runs. This was England's second biggest defeat in Test cricket. The series finished 2–0 to the West Indies, who regained the Wisden Trophy.The 1974 series in the West Indies was of five Tests. The West Indian team were regarded as the better side, and for them to only draw the series was a surprise. After they won the first Test it had seemed that the series would become a one-sided contest. This Test was notable for a controversial Alvin Kallicharran run out that triggered protests. England managed to secure draws in the next three Tests, thanks to Dennis Amiss' 262 in the second Test and Keith Fletcher's 129 in the third, while rain prevented a result in the fourth Test. The last match at Queen's Park Oval was a close game, with England winning by 26 runs, primarily due to Tony Greig taking 13 wickets bowling off-spin and Boycott scoring 212 runs in the match. England thereby levelled the series, which finished 1–1.
1976 Viv Richards' series
England entered the series with great confidence, with English captain Greig saying that he had the players to make the West Indians "grovel". This threat proved to be an empty one, as it soon became apparent that England had no answer to Viv Richards' batting and Michael Holding's bowling.The first two Tests ended in draws, but from the third Test onwards the West Indies took full control, with Richards scoring 524 runs in the last three Tests. He was supported by Holding, who took 25 wickets over these three Tests, including 5/17 in the third Test and 14/149 in the final Test. The West Indies won the series 3–0.
The series is mainly remembered for Richards' batting. He scored 829 runs at an average of 118.42 over four Test matches. In either the fourth or fifth Test in this series TMS commentator Brian Johnston allegedly said:
when describing the West Indian bowler Holding bowling to English batsmen Peter Willey. There are no records, according to Wisden, of Johnston or any other commentator saying this. Other sources have stated that Johnston had indeed said this and had prepared the line before saying it.