I think a little bit of context is required. Whilst a fearsome, albeit erratic fast bowler since his debut in 1971, Lillee had broken his back and was slowly coming back to bowling. Thompson had made a very unimpressive start to his career, partly because he played with a broken foot. The remodelled Lillee and fully fit Thompson were actually a bit of a nasty shock to the England team.
Similarly we tend to forget that when the Windies came here in 1976 it came off the back of a hammering from Lillian Thompson but with help from a ‘motivational speech’ by the England captain they got their collective act together.
Consequently, in retrospect, it looks like Boycs ducked out of a couple of tough series. However, this is coloured by Tony Grovel’s snide remark that merely deflects from his own arrogance and stupidity. The Windies of 1980/1 were worse than that of 1976 and Boycott didn’t flinch from that one, albeit being past his best by then.
