Fading From The Heights
Despite a record benefit against the Australians and a few wonderful performances in 1961 (notably 8 for 47 against Hampshire), decline set in for the previously incomparable bowler. His haul of wickets fell from 97 at 10.91 to 78 at 17.93 and Lancashire became a weak county for the first time in Championship history. In 1962, though he was as good as ever in the Tests against Pakistan, with little support for him and Higgs, Statham fell further and only just reached 100 wickets, with Lancashire only just escaping finishing last.
When Fred Trueman and Statham toured Australia for the 1962-63 Ashes series they had 216 and 229 wickets respectively were poised to overtake the record of 236 Test wickets set by the assistant-manager Alec Bedser. The Australian captain Richie Benaud was another contender with 219 wickets, but it was Statham who broke the record in the Fourth Test at Adelaide. Trueman caught Barry Shepherd in the gully to give him his record 237th wicket. Despite the record Statham rarely shined on the tour, taking 13 wickets (44.61), and was used as a steady stock bowler. Statham took his record to 242 wickets, but returned to England while Trueman continued to New Zealand, where he broke Statham's record after only two months.
In 1963, whilst his county form on overgrassed pitches was back to something close to his best, on the less grassy surfaces in the First Test against the West Indies his bowling lacked its old venom, and he was surprisingly replaced by the veteran Derek Shackleton for the rest of the series - a move criticised heavily in the press because it was known fast bowlers would do well at Lord's. A highlight that year came when Statham took five wickets in the first-ever Gillette Cup match against Leicestershire.
In 1964, Statham, despite the arrival of Sonny Ramadhin to provide help, was disappointing and out of contention for the Ashes Tests. He did take 15 for 108 against a weak Leicestershire side and 7 for 50 against Warwickshire at Coventry, but had more bad matches than in any other season of his career.
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