Snow to replace Broad

69 year-old paceman to replace injured quick

In response to the Australian campaign to get Shane Warne reinstated in the Australian Ashes squad. England might have decided to call up John Snow the former England & Sussex fast bowler, renowned poet and the man who discovered the cause of cholera in the mid 19th Century.

Upon arriving in Melbourne for the tourists three day game against Victoria, Andy Flower, England coach, was asked about the rumour circulating that he was considering replacing the injured Stuart Broad with the former demon England quick. Flower smiled and walked on his way. Proof if proof were needed that the Sussex firebrand is uppermost in Flower's mind.

The highlight of Snow's Test career was the tour of Australia in 1970-71 where he was easily the best bowler of either side, taking 31 wickets (22.83) to help England regain The Ashes. He was repeatedly warned over his short-pitched bowling, but the Australians had no real answer to Snow's pace and fire (surely a major factor in Flower's thinking when it comes to selection for Perth).

In the First Test at Brisbane, Bill Lawry won the toss and decided to bat on a good wicket, but became Snow's 100th Test victim, caught by Alan Knott for 4. Australia reached 418-3, but Snow took four late wickets to dismiss them for 433, ending with 6/114. He took 4/143 in the Second Test at Perth, having Australia 17/3 before they rebuilt their innings. Both these Tests were draws, and the Third was abandoned, Snow playing in the first One Day International as a result.

The decisive Test was the Fourth at Sydney where Snow took his best Test bowling of 7/40. He soon dismissed Ian 'biggest whinger in cricket' Chappell, Ian Redpath and Greg Cheatin' Chappell, but Australia recovered overnight to 66/4 when he had Keith Stackpole caught out, followed by Rod Marsh for a duck. After Garth McKenzie retired hurt—hit in the face by a Snow bouncer—he bowled John Gleeson and Alan Connolly for ducks and Australia were all out for 116, Bill Lawry carrying his bat throughout the debacle. It was a superb piece of fast bowling from Snow, aggressive, hostile and decisive and England won by a huge margin of 299 runs, their biggest victory in Australia since 1936-37 to go 1-0 up in the series. This margin was held until the Seventh and last Test, also held at Sydney.

At Sydney, Terry Jenner retired hurt when he ducked into a short delivery from Snow in the first innings. Biased Aussie Umpire Lou Rowan warned the fast bowler for intimidatory bowling yet again, but Snow and Illingworth objected strongly, the captain saying "That's the only bouncer he's bowled" and that he would complain to the A.B.C. Rowan later claimed that Illingworth and Snow swore at him, which they denied. The bowler was loudly booed and "when he returned to his fielding position at long-leg Snow was pelted with bottles, cans and partially-eaten pies".

Some of the crowd wanted to shake his hand, but then he was grabbed by a drunk at Paddington Hill who was forced to let go by other spectators. In 1998 the eighty-year-old Trevor Guy finally fessed up to the Sydney Morning Herald that he was the man who had grabbed Snow in order to tell him what he thought about him hitting Jenner. Guy and Snow, in Australia for the 1998-99 Ashes series agreed that they had no hard feelings. In fact Guy had only remembered he was responsible for the attack on Snow when he'd sobered up in 1997.

To avoid injury to his team, Illingworth took his men back to the dressing room without the permission of the umpires, an unprecedented move in Test cricket. The England manager Clark tried to push Illingworth back onto the field and Alan Barnes of the A.B.C demanded that they return immediately or they would forfeit the match and the Ashes.

A furious Illingworth said he would not return until the playing area had been cleared and the crowd had calmed down. Furthermore he strongly objected to Clark constantly siding with the Australians against his own team. It took seven minutes for the groundstaff to move the debris, during which one was hit on the head with a beer-can and had to be taken to hospital.

Jenner returned to bat at 235-8 and made a brave 30, last man out on 264 to give Australia a lead of 80 runs. England made 302 in their second innings and set Australia 223 to win. Snow took a wicket in his first over, but smashed his finger on the wooden boundary fence trying to catch a six off Keith Stackpole. He was taken to hospital for an operation under general anaesthetic to reconstruct his shattered finger bones.

Fortunately though England's spinners did the job, dismissing Australia for 160 to win by 62 runs and regain The Ashes while Snow was on the operating table. He recovered in time to join in "the champagne-filled, beer-laden, hangover-inducing rejoicings of Sydney".

Snow wrote that the series in Australia "emphasised the gulf between players and administrators" and "I was sick of the biased attitude and incompetence which was apparent in cricket administration". The M.C.C. tour manager was David Clark, described by Ray Illingworth as "an amiable, but somewhat ineffectual man". And there were soon divisions between him and the players.

After Snow had bowled more than 50 eight-ball overs in the First Test he was rested for the state match against Western Australia, but Clark insisted that he practice in the nets with the others. Snow bowled a couple of desultory overs and Clark berated him for five minutes after which Snow told him "that as far as my good conduct money was concerned he could swallow it" and went walkabout until the next day.

Ray Illingworth smoothed things over, but after the Second Test Clark criticized both captains for cautious play, Snow for his short-pitched bowling and indicated that he would prefer to see Australia win 3-1 than see four more draws. The team only discovered this when they read the newspapers at the airport.

As a result Illingworth effectively took over the running of the tour with the support of the players and Clark's influence declined. When the team returned to England Illingworth said that "all hell would break loose" if anyone was denied his good conduct bonus (as with Fred Trueman in the West Indies in 1953-54.[45]), but this did not happen. However, Geoffrey Boycott and John Snow had to report to Lord's for a dressing down by the Secretary of the M.C.C. Billy Griffith for their behaviour.

Despite Snow's run-ins with the cricket authorities it is strongly felt by the current English management that he would be a positive influence on the touring party and are looking to welcoming him into the fold. Some sections of the media have questioned whether a 69 year old poet is really a suitable replacement for the younger man Broad. However, given the desperate state of the Australian team, it is not a major risk and will certainly pep up competition for places in what could be an Ashes retaining match.

The Jardine Report: Bringing back a veteran Ashes winner could be regarded as a knee-jerk response and a recipe for disaster. We here at The Jardine Report reckon if the Aussies are daft enough to try and bring back SK Warne then we're on to a much better bet by bringing back the Scourge of the Aussies. So, welcome back Snowy!