August 19, 1975. Australia needed 225 to win on the final day with seven wickets remaining. And the spectators were robbed of a promising thriller when a group of vandals dug holes on the wicket and poured oil on the pitch. Arunabha Sengupta looks back at the incident in Headingley which cost £8,000 in gate receipts and scorecard sales.
It had all the makings of a fifth day thriller. And instead of an epic climax unfolding on the pitch, what ensued was a curious tale of knives, holes and oil.