Test Profile (Part 1) 1968-1973.
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The Test career of Keith Fletcher began with a series of dropped
catches, flourished in the mid 1970s when he became England's most
dependable batsman, then was blown away in an instant by the hurricane
pace of Lillee and Thomson. Fletcher had played for Essex (see photo above)
from 1962, and had been christened 'Gnome' when he turned up for nets
in the fashionable long-toed 'winkle-picker' shoes of the day. He was
quickly recognised as an upcoming talent, and toured Pakistan with Mike
Brearley's Young England side of 1967. He made his Test debut at
Headingley in 1968 when Colin Cowdrey was injured, but earned the
derision of the Yorkshire public when he was put to field at slip and
put down several difficult catches. The home crowd thought that Philip
Sharpe, left out of the England squad on the morning of the match and
one of the great slip fielders, should have been in his place. Fletcher
got 0 on debut, but toured Pakistan in 1969, scoring 83 in the second
innings at Lahore, but over the next few years he was a victim of
selectorial dithering as they shuffled between him, Amiss, Hampshire and
Denness for the vacant batting spot. In 1969 he had two unsuccessful
Tests, but in the matches against the Rest of the World in 1970 he
steered England to an eight wicket victory with 69 not out at Lord's and
made 89 at Headingley. He scored 80 in Adelaide on a 1970-71 Ashes tour
but otherwise was disappointing. His best score in his two Tests in
1971 was 28 not out and he failed in his only Tests in the 1972 Ashes
series. Fletcher finally established himself on Tony Lewis' tour of
India and Pakistan in 1972-73, scoring 97 not out in Madras, 113 in
Bangalore and a 78 and two other half-centuries in Pakistan. (Bob
Harragan).
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Test Profile (Part 2) 1973-1982.
| For two years in the mid 1970s Keith Fletcher proved himself one of the
top middle order batsmen in the world. He consolidated his place in 1973
with 178 against New Zealand at Lord's and 81 at Headingley. He
provided the only consistent defiance against a West Indies attack lead
by his Essex team-mate Keith Boyce later that summer, with 52 followed
by 68 and 86 not out at Lord's. On Mike Denness's England tour to West
Indies in 1974 he saved the Barbados test with 129 not out in a defiant
rearguard action. Against India at Old Trafford that year he made 122
not out, followed by 67 not out and 122 against Pakistan, so he went on
the Ashes tour of 1974-75 as a potential heavy scorer. The unexpected
return of Dennis Lillee from crippling injury and the sudden emergence
off Jeff Thomson changed all that, as England's batting was blown away
in the early Tests. Fletcher was one of the first to recover some
semblance of form, with 40 and 63 at Adelaide, and he made 146 in
Melbourne when both fast bowlers were injured. In 1975 he made 51 in the
first Test at Edgbaston, but the England defeat saw him discarded in
favour of David Steele. He had an unexpected recall as captain for the
Indian tour of 1981-82, but was then discarded so England could fit in a
recently qualified Allan Lamb. His perceived tactical timidity in what
was widely regarded as the most boring Test series of all time
contributed. His 69 in Calcutta was England's top score. He lead the
side in the inaugural Test match against Sri Lanka on that tour. In 1975
he was in the England side for the first World Cup, scoring 68 against
India on the opening day and 131 against New Zealand. (Bob Harragan) |