Botham's innings is a glorious sting in the tail in the dying moments of this Test Match

TMS commentator Henry Blofeld

Botham boundary gave Fred Trueman hope

Graham Dilley joined Botham, who had then made 23.

Dilley had the bulk of the strike in the 40 minutes to tea and stroked Alderman and Lawson through the covers for three fours to be 25 at the interval, when England were 51 behind.

After tea Botham started to enjoy himself.

He took four boundaries off one Alderman over and the following over from Lillee, four through the covers brought the mutter from Fred Trueman that Australia would have to bat again.

Nonetheless it was only - as Henry Blofeld was saying in his commentary - "a glorious sting in the tail in the dying moments of this Test Match".

By the time Alderman bowled Dilley for 56 the lead was a meagre 25, but Chris Old stayed to help Botham post his own hundred and England's 300.

Could the Australians have been worried yet?

Botham really took over when the ninth wicket went down.

By the close, when we had all managed - with some difficulty in my case - to find new hotel rooms, England were 124 ahead.

Bob Willis destroyed the Australians with 8 for 43

I had a close of play chat with Trueman and Tom Graveney who suggested that if the lead could be taken beyond 150, you never knew.

We laughed and had another drink.

It didn't get to 150.

When Willis was out for two, leaving Botham 149 not out, Australia only needed 130 to win.

Psychology made Brearley give the batting heroes, Botham and Dilley the new ball.

It worked to the extent that Botham got Wood caught behind for 10, but no other wicket fell till the score had reached 56.

By then Brearley, after starting him bowling up the hill, had switched Willis to the top - Kirkstall Lane - end.

Willis started a path of destruction which brought England seven wickets for the addition of 19 runs - six of them to Willis.

At 75 for 8 we really started to believe that England would win.

Then, as Bright and Lillee added 35 for the ninth wicket, it seemed that after all it had been a ridiculous hope.

Blowers was one of the tense commentators

Such were the emotions in a tense commentary box.

The stand was ended by Mike Gatting diving forward at mid-on to catch Lillee off Willis and we were not kept in suspense too much longer.

Willis knocked out Bright's middle stump and England had won, amazingly, by 18 runs.

The full amazement of it took time to sink in, as did the effect it had had on the country.

We heard of motorists punching the air as they listened to Test Match Special on the motorway and of a train guard announcing the fall of each Australian wicket to his passengers.

In the national psyche it was the perfect patriotic lead-in to the Prince of Wales' wedding the following week.