Brian Statham - Lancashire Captain

Lancashire Captain

Troubled by internal strife, Lancashire chose Statham as a full-time captain for 1965 (he had led them a few times in 1962).

The cares of captaincy were, perhaps, not well-suited to Statham and many of the decision he made as captain between 1965 and 1967 were widely criticised – perhaps because Lancashire's form did not improve from its poor level of the 1961 to 1964 period. Despite this, the club's committee declared Statham's first year as captain "an unqualified success". Yet, as a bowler, Statham, aided he admitted by some atrocious and deliberately untrue pitches, was as deadly as ever in the 1965 County Championship, taking 124 wickets for 12.41 apiece, and doing almost as well in 1966 and 1967. He in fact was so good that England recalled him at the age of 35 for the final Test against South Africa in 1965, and Statham did not disappoint, with an excellent 5 for 40 in the first innings. His form was so good it was known MCC would have selected him to tour Australia for the fifth time had Statham not made it known by then that he did not wish to be considered for tours.