page_title: Chris Old
section_title: Test cricketer
hierarchical_section_title: Chris Old / Test cricketer
caption_attribution_description: English: February 1978, Basin Reserve, Wellington AAQT 6539 W3537 box 16 L7/14/2/237
context_page_description: Chris Old is a former English cricketer, who played 46 Tests and 32 ODIs from 1972 to 1981. A right-arm fast-medium bowler and lower order left-handed batsman, Old was a key feature of the Yorkshire side between 1969 and 1983, before finishing his career at Warwickshire in 1985. As a Test bowler for England he took 143 wickets, and scored useful runs in the famous 1981 Ashes series' Headingley victory.
context_section_description: He made his Test debut in the Second Test against India at Calcutta in December 1972. His first victim was the great Sunil Gavaskar whom he caught off the bowling of Derek Underwood as the first Indian wicket to fall. He produced a notable all-round performance scoring 33 and 17 not out and taking 2 for 72 and 4 for 43 but still finished on the losing side as India won by 28 runs. Over the next 9 years he played in 46 Test matches taking 143 wickets and scoring 845 runs.
  One of his most notable performances was taking four wickets in five balls on the opening day of the Test Match against Pakistan at Edgbaston in June 1978, the wicketless third ball being a no-ball. Bowling at pace from the City End, the second ball of his nineteenth over was top-edged by Wasim Raja to wicket-keeper Bob Taylor before his third ball nipped back through the gate to remove Wasim Bari's off stump. Old's fourth ball, the no-ball, was edged by Iqbal Qasim into the ground but Qasim nicked a late outswinger to the keeper off the next legitimate delivery, before Sikander Bakht found the safe hands of Graham Roope at second slip.  Old thus equalled the record of four wickets in five balls set by Maurice Allom on his Test debut at Lancaster Park, Christchurch in 1929–30, a feat which has since been repeated by Pakistan's Wasim Akram.
  When India under A. Wadekar toured England in 1974, England swept the series 3–0.  In the 2nd test, England batted first and made 629, India were then bowled out for 302 and followed on, and in the Indian second innings Chris Old took 5-21 and Arnold took 4–19, and together they bowled India out for 42, their lowest-ever test score.
  However, he is probably best remembered for one of the key second-innings batting partnerships with Ian Botham during the famous Headingley Ashes game of 1981, where they put on 67 crucial runs for the 9th wicket. He followed this up by taking the key wicket of Allan Border who he clean bowled for a duck in the Australian second innings. He was the only England cricketer to play in both Centenary Test Matches against Australia in 1977 at Melbourne and 1980 at Lord's, alongside Greg Chappell, Dennis Lillee and Rodney Marsh for Australia. Old turned down an invitation from Tony Greig to play in Kerry Packer's rebel World Series Cricket, fearing the withdrawal of the traditional benefit season offered by Yorkshire. He subsequently joined the rebel South African Breweries English touring side in South Africa during 1982 effectively ending his Test career with the resulting 3-year ban from international cricket.
  He subsequently went to Australia to play in a veterans three-match series, Old Australia XI v Old England XI in 1988, and five years later made a final appearance for an England XI v an Australian XI in a 36 over per side game for Derek Randall’s Testimonial at Trent Bridge in June 1993. None of these later matches had first-class status.
caption: Chris Old batting in Wellington vs NZ, February 1978
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