Complex sentence: Shaw had retaliated fearlessly to the niggling from Scots captain Bill Cuthbertson with a king hit right in front of the referee and he was to pay dearly as it marked the end of his Test captaincy career.
Split into simpler sentences: Shaw had retaliated recklessly to the niggling from Scots captain Bill Cuthbertson with a king-hit right in front of the referee. Shaw was to pay dearly for it as this marked the end of his Test captaincy career.