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"Can't Bat, Can't Bowl, Can't Field" - England's 1986 Ashes

In 1986, England's cricketers began their Ashes series against Australia as the underdogs, but the 'pathetic Poms' roared back to life to eventually win 2-1.

In 1986, the England cricket team got off to a disastrous start on a tour of Australia - inspiring one of the most famous headlines in cricket history. But it soon emerged it was the Australian team who couldn't bat, bowl or field, and the English team bounced back to win the Ashes series and prove their critics wrong. Robert Nicholson reports. The programme is a Whistledown Production.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive and testimony. Sporting Witness is for those fascinated by sporting history. We take you to the events that have shaped the sports world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes, you become a fan in the stands as we take you back in time to examine memorable victories and agonising defeats from all over the world. You’ll hear from people who have achieved sporting immortality, or those who were there as incredible sporting moments unfolded.

Recent episodes explore the forgotten football Women’s World Cup, the plasterer who fought a boxing legend, international football’s biggest ever beating and the man who swam the Amazon river. We look at the lives of some of the most famous F1 drivers, tennis players and athletes as well as people who’ve had ground-breaking impact in their chosen sporting field, including: the most decorated Paralympian, the woman who was the number 1 squash player in the world for nine years, and the first figure skater to wear a hijab. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the tennis player who escaped the Nazis, how a man finally beat a horse in a race, and how the FIFA computer game was created.

(Photo: England's cricketers celebrating their Ashes Test win. Credit: Adrian Murrell/Getty Images Sport)

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9 minutes

Last on

Wed 26 Aug 201501:50GMT

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  • Sun 23 Aug 201504:50GMT
  • Sun 23 Aug 201523:50GMT
  • Tue 25 Aug 201508:50GMT
  • Wed 26 Aug 201501:50GMT

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