1982-1983 Ashes Series
Matches: 5
Wickets: 34
Average: 14.00
Best bowling: 6-47
Five-wicket hauls: 4
Ashes Tests
Matches: 21
Wickets: 97
Average: 28.48
Best bowling: 7-81
Five-wicket hauls: 7
Test Career
Matches: 46
Wickets: 180
Average: 30.56
Best bowling: 8-112
Five-wicket hauls: 11
Even when Ashes series victories were few and far between in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Australia had no trouble finding a young pace bowler capable of causing major problems and taking a lot of wickets.
First, there was Rodney Hogg, who emerged from obscurity to dominate the losing 1978-79 series in the absence of Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson, taking an amazing 41 wickets at 12.85 in the 1978-79 series. Three years later in England, Terry Alderman took 42 wickets.
Lawson only took 25 Test matches to reach the 100-wicket mark and finished his 46-Test career with 180 wickets – including 11 hauls of five wickets in an innings and two 10 wickets returns – at 30.56.
Interestingly, Lawson only played one more Test against England at home after his golden series of 1982-83, and failed to take a wicket. Conversely, he played 12 more Tests in England and took a tidy 51 wickets.
