Editing Ted Dexter (section)

==Home series 1963–64==
{{More citations needed|section|date=August 2021}}
<blockquote>
''Ted Dexter elected to lead from the front. We had a disastrous start, with [[Charlie Griffith]] blasting out both our openers very cheaply, and Ted unleashing one of his finest displays of controlled aggression I have ever witnessed. His 70 was electrifying. He stood up and hit the quick bowlers all over the show for an hour.''
:[[Fred Titmus]]<ref>Titmus, p. 131</ref>
</blockquote>
As captain against [[Frank Worrell]]'s [[West Indian cricket team in England in 1963]] Dexter was able to loosen up after [[the Ashes]] and they played an exciting Test series. After losing the First Test, in the Second Test at Lord's England's first innings rested heavily on Dexter's hard-hitting 70 off 75 balls when he took on the West Indian [[fast bowling|fast bowlers]] [[Charlie Griffith]] and [[Wes Hall]] in an innings that was remembered by all who saw it. In the second innings [[Colin Cowdrey]] came out to bat with a [[broken arm]] with victory, defeat or a tie still possible in the last two balls, but [[David Allen (cricketer)|David Allen]] blocked them for a draw. England levelled the series in the Third Test thanks to Dexter (4/38 and 1/7) and [[Fred Trueman]] (5/75 and 7/44), but lost the last two Tests and the series. In 1964 Dexter was again in charge in the rain-soaked [[Australian cricket team in England in 1964|1964 Ashes series]]. Famously in the decisive Third Test at [[Headingley Cricket Ground|Headingley]] he removed the off-spinner [[Fred Titmus]] after he had taken three wickets to reduce Australia to 187/7, still 81 runs behind England. Dexter took the new ball and gave it to [[Fred Trueman]] who bowled a series of bouncers which [[Peter Burge (cricketer)|Peter Burge]] hooked and pulled to 160, hoisting Australia to 389 and a 7 wicket win. Although the change made sense as the new batsman [[Neil Hawke]] was fragile against [[fast bowling]] and Trueman, the greatest wicket-taker in the world at the time, was playing on his home ground Dexter was heavily criticised for a decision which obviously lost the series. In the Fourth Test Australia made 656/8, but thanks to a stand of 246 between [[Ken Barrington]] (256) and Dexter (174) England reached 611 and avoided defeat. It was the first time that two teams had made 600 runs in an innings in a Test, and their fortunes gripped the cricketing nation, but the inevitable draw meant that Australia retained [[the Ashes]]. As some consolation Dexter led Sussex to the finals of the [[Friends Provident Trophy|Gillette Cup]] in 1963 and 1964, and won both, the first trophies in the county's history.