BOB S JUST PURE GOLD
Tribute to The People’s columnist and true Ashes hero
1949-2019
BOB WILLIS would never admit it, but he was an unlikely influence behind one of England’s greatest Ashes performances – 34 years after his glory day at Headingley in 1981.
During the 2015 series against Australia, Andrew Strauss, the England director of cricket, invited Bob to have dinner with the team’s bowlers two days prior to the Trent Bridge Test match.
It was part of Strauss’ initiative to remind the current players that the blokes in the commentary box used to play a bit as well.
At the time, Bob and I were collaborating on his People column, which meant talking to him on a Saturday to get his lowdown on how the games were going.
The Nottingham Test was going brilliantly for England and Bob was cock-a-hoop.
On the first morning, they had bowled the Aussies out for 60 and I suggested to him he must have given the quick bowlers some tips over the steaks.
“No, they had it all worked out,” he said. “I did choose some decent red wine, but Stuart Broad and I were the only ones drinking it.”
Broad took 8-15 – eclipsing Bob’s 8-43 at Leeds in 1981
– but Mark Wood and Steven Finn, two of the non-drinkers, only got a couple between them.
In the modern days of isotonic drinks and sports science, perhaps there is a lesson there.
When you work with a sportsman or sportswoman on a column you soon work out who the good ones are. And Bob, who died on Wednesday aged 70, was a good one.
The first rule is they have to pick up their phone when they say they are going to.
The second rule is they must have something to say to you when their phone does ring. Bob was gold on both counts. As a player Bob was a wild-eyed, wild-haired tearaway quick bowler, bagging 325 wickets in 90 Tests between 1971 and 1984.
As a pundit, he was a cold-eyed and short-haired shrewdie, who gave credit where it was due, but was not afraid to give someone a kicking in print or on Sky TV.
Opinionated
Umpires, selectors, captains, the ECB and the rest all got both barrels, but, if players performed, they got praised and he loved Broad, Jimmy Anderson, Alastair Cook, Ben Stokes and Mitchell Johnson – even if he is an Aussie.
But Bob was much more than an opinionated brilliant ex-player turned pundit.
He really knew about cricket. In his book Cricket Revolution, published in 1981, Bob championed the cause of four-day county cricket and a full-time England manager.
He also had a pop at how overseas players were diluting the pathway for English players to get to the top.
And guess what? The County Championship is now played over four days, every man and his dog has a salaried job with England and overseas players are still blocking English kids.
Bob was a visionary.
And he picked up the phone when he was supposed to and he knew his way around a wine list.
English cricket has had some big wins this year.
This is the biggest loss.
» Adam Hathaway worked with Bob Willis on his column for The People during three home and away Ashes series from 2013 to 2015.