Sex & Drugs & Rebel Tours: The England Cricket Team in the 1980s

Throughout the 1980s, England lurched between the highs of Ashes victories and the lows of on-field humiliation and a series of controversies involving tabloid scandals, South African rebel tours and Pakistani umpires. The Ashes were won dramatically in 1981, regained by David Gower’s team in 1985 and retained by Mike Gatting in 1986/87. There was even a World Cup Final appearance in India. Yet twice the West Indies inflicted 5-0 series defeats. Players were fined for bad behaviour on the field, while Ian Botham was suspended for smoking marijuana. Lord’s stumbled through ten changes of captaincy in the decade. In 1988, Gatting, under pressure following an umpiring row, was brought down by a barmaid, leading to the appointment of four skippers in one series. It was the most chaotic period in English cricket history. Through interviews with many of those involved, Sex & Drugs & Rebel Tours tells the story.