 Illingworth had been in and out of the national side for years and had taken 20 wickets (13.30) against India in 1967 and 13 more (22.39) against Australia in 1968.He was chosen over his rivals such as former captain Brian Close or vice-captain Tom Graveney as he was not a threat to Cowdrey's long-term captaincy due to his age and inability to establish a regular spot in the Test team.In the Second Test against the West Indies at Lord's England collapsed to 61/5, but the new skipper made a forceful 113 out of the last 155 runs and became a hero.