5. England vs. West Indies, 1976
The West Indies arrived in England in 1976 having been thumped 5-1 by Australia the year before England captain Tony Greig appeared on TV to discuss England’s build-up and how hard he thought the contest would be. Faced with an interviewer who was biased towards the West Indies, Greig retorted that he didn’t think they offered any real threat. Greig’s words spurred the West Indies along, as their fast bowlers attacked England’s batsman with fast, short-pitched bowling and added yards to their run-up whenever Greig walked out to bat. Michael Holding had a brilliant series, bowling England out on a flat Oval pitch and almost killing 45-year-old Brian Close with a bouncer that just missed his head. Greig had a poor series with bat and ball, taking only five wickets and being frequently clean bowled.