The year 1976 was a dramatic one for cricket. Greg Chappell’s Australians handed the West Indies their worst margin of defeat (1-5 in February). India became the first team after Australia in 1948 to chase down a 400-plus target to win the Trinidad Test in April. In the following Test at Kingston, five Indian batsmen were absent hurt in the second innings.

In May, Clive Lloyd’s West Indians travelled to England for a five-Test series against Tony Greig’s men. Greig led the Sussex team that played the tourists at Hove from May 29 to June 1 but left the game, according to journalist Simon Lister in the book, Fire in Babylon, to see a dentist. On his return to the ground, Greig did a pre-series interview with the BBC. “I’m not really quite sure they’re [West Indies] as good as everyone thinks they are. I’m not all that worried about them. I think you must remember that the West Indians, these guys, if they get on top, they are magnificent cricketers, but if they’re down, they grovel. And I intend, with the help of [Brian] Closey and a few others, to make them grovel,” said the England captain.