English cricket team in Australia in 1958-59
Encyclopedia
Peter May
captained the English cricket team in Australia in 1958–59, playing as England in the 1958-59 Ashes series against the Australians and as the MCC
in their other matches on the tour
. It was widely regarded as one of the strongest teams to depart English shores, comparable with the great teams of Johnny Douglas in 1911-12
and Percy Chapman in 1928-29. It had no obvious weaknesses, and yet it was beaten - and beaten badly. By the First Test the top batsmen had made runs, the Surrey
trio of Loader, Laker and Lock had taken wickets, as had Lancashire's
Brian Statham
. South Australia
, Victoria
and an Australian XI had all been beaten - the last by the crushing margin of 345 runs - and all seemed rosy for Peter May
's touring team. But in the Brisbane Test they lost by 8 wickets and the rest of the series failed to offer any hope of reversing their fortunes. The reasons for their failure were manifold; the captain was too defensive; injuries affected their best players; others were too young and inexperienced such as Arthur Milton
, Raman Subba Row
, Ted Dexter
, Roy Swetman
and John Mortimore
, or at the end of their career; Godfrey Evans
, Trevor Bailey
, Jim Laker
, Willie Watson
and Frank Tyson
. Their morale was further bruised when faced with bowlers of dubious legality and unsympathetic umpires. Peter May
was criticised for bringing his fiancée Virginia Gilligan, the niece of Arthur Gilligan
who was in Australia as a radio commentator, to Australia (an unprecedented move in 1950s cricket). The press blamed the poor performance on the team's heavy drinking, bad behaviour and lack of pride - a foretaste the treatment losing teams would receive in the 1980s. It was not a happy tour by any means and it would take 12 years to recover The Ashes
. As E.W. Swanton noted
and England captain. He had led the 1950-51 touring side, which had been dismissed as the weakest ever sent to Australia, and his refusal to accept defeat in the face of great odds had won him admiration from the Australian public. He had played his last Test in 1953 when England regained The Ashes
after 19 years, when he was the only man in the team to have toured with Douglas Jardine
in 1932-33 when England had last beaten Australia. Brown had a more robust and combative style than May and wanted to complain officially about what the English party perceived as the throwing actions of the Australian bowlers, which might have resulted in a Bodyline
type crisis. May refused, and Brown's unofficial complaints were rebuffed by Sir Donald Bradman. Fred Trueman
thought "he was a snob, bad-mannered, ignorant and a bigot" Brown did not like Trueman either and threatened to send the Yorkshire fast bowler home, but May smoothed things over. The assistant-manager was Desmond Eagar
, the captain of Hampshire in 1946-57, who built up the attacking team that would win the County Championship
in 1961 and was a noted cricket historian. Like Brown, George Duckworth
had toured with Jardine
, and was now the scorer
, baggage-master and general factotum. The physiotherapist or masseur was Desmond Montague, an experienced professional who would have a lot of work to do on the tour.
of Charterhouse
, Cambridge
, Surrey
and England; his county had been County Champions
for seven years running, with May the captain for the last two seasons, and England had never been defeated under his leadership. Vice-captain
on the triumphant tour of Australia in 1954-55
he had beaten South Africa 3-2 in 1955
, considered by many to have been the most exciting Test series since the war, Australia 2-1 in 1956
, the West Indies 3-0 in 1957
and New Zealand 4-0 in 1958
. He was widely regarded as the best post-war batsman England produced, tall, strong and disciplined with a near-perfect technique, a straight bat and a complete range of strokes. His standards improved with the responsibilities of captaincy and his Test average as captain was 54.03. His greatest century was against the West Indies in 1957 when England followed on 288 runs behind at Edgbaston, he made 285 not out, the highest score by an England captain until Graham Gooch's
333 in 1990, adding 411 with Colin Cowdrey
(154) - still an England record for any wicket - and destroyed the mesmerizing hold the spinner Sonny Ramadhin
had over English batsmen. In the low scoring Ashes series of 1956 he had made 453 runs (90.60) and was out only once for less than 50, when he made 43. Although himself a highly educated amateur and a gentleman he realised that the old class divisions in English cricket were breaking down and under Len Hutton
's leadership the amateur and professional had merged. He enjoyed the complete loyalty of the team and the selectors and was ready to help his players and smooth down feathers. As a captain he was a strict team disciplinarian who expected high standards, he was ruthless when the occasion demanded, but could be inflexible and unimaginative and lacked the charisma of a natural leader In 1958-59 he played too defensively and surrendered the initiative to readily to Benaud and he concentrated on saving runs instead of trying to get batsmen out. Faced with Meckiff's bowling in the disastrous First Test he declined to make an official complaint as it would appear unsporting and sour grapes. A more ruthless captain may have resolved this problem at the start of the series, even at the loss of Tony Lock
, but that would have damaged Anglo-Australian cricketing relations. After the Australian tour May beat New Zealand 1-0
, India 5-0
and led England to its first series victory in the West Indies 1-0
. He lost 2-1 to the 1961 Ashes series
and retired due to ill-health having been captain in a then record 41 Tests, Richie Benaud
being the only man to defeat him in a Test series.
looked set for a long career for England; he had a Test average of 46.20 at the start of the series and had made centuries against Australia, South Africa, the West Indies and New Zealand. At Johannesburg in 1956-57 he took 488 minutes to reach three figures, a new record for the slowest Test century. Despite this he was known for his ability to make runs against the tightest fielding and was known to be a good tourist, but despite making consistent runs in the state matches he failed in the series and never made another Test century. He had been the amateur captain of Worcestershire
and wanted to become a professional player for Kent
under Colin Cowdrey
, but his old county refused to release him from his contract and he had to sit out the 1959 First Class cricket season while qualifying, and lost his England place. This situation could not have been comfortable for him and was considered to have affected his form in Australia. His opening partner was Arthur Milton
, one of the two England players who was not a great name, but he had a Test average of 140.00 after making a century on debut against New Zealand at Headingley, when England lost only two wickets in the match and won by an innings. Milton was one of the last "double internationals", he played football for Arsenal
, Bristol City
and Engkand
. Raman Subba Row
had transferred from Surrey
to Northamptonshire
in 1955 and made 300 against his old county in 1958, earning him a place on the tour. Unfortunately, just as he was needed he broke his thumb and didn't play in any of the Tests, but later made a 59 and 112 on his Ashes debut in the First Test at Edgbaston in 1961.
and vice-captain Colin Cowdrey
that the real burden lay. Unlike the others they were a permanent fixture in the team and it was generally felt that if they failed then so did the batting. May was the leading England runmaker in 1954-55, 1956
and 1958–59 and his near-perfect technique allowed him to make runs where others could not. Cowdrey had made his first and best Test century in 1954-55, 102 in an innings of 191 and could sent the ball to the boundary with the most fleeting touch of the bat. Like Cowdrey Tom Graveney
entertained the crowds with the "sunshine of his style", but was unfairly seen as a fair weather man who only succeeded when the going was good. He came a poor third to May and Cowdrey in the Test batting averages, but was the most consistent batsmen on the tour. If ever a man was famous for a single innings it was Willie Watson
when he batted for 346 minutes to save the England at Lord's in 1953 after Australia had reduced them to 12/3. The left-handed strokemaker failed to gain a regular place in the Test team, but was recalled after he moved to Leicestershire
as captain in 1957 and had his best season in 1958. He injured his knee getting out of a deckchair on the Iberia and missed the first two months of the tour, thus reducing the touring team to 15. When he did get to play he was out of practice and out of form. Ted Dexter
was flown in from Paris
(where his wife worked as a model) in the middle of the tour, having been unlucky to not be picked in the first place If he had been part of the original team he would have acclimatized, but although he did well in the tour matches he failed in the Tests, but made 141 in New Zealand. After an indifferent summer against India he was taken the Caribbean in 1959-60
where "Lord Ted" made his name by thrashing the fast bowlers with his ferocious driving. Trevor Bailey
was on his third tour down under, but his painfully slow scoring was blamed for paralysing the England batting. This is unjust as the stonewalling of "Barnacle Bailey" had been previously seen as the backbone of the lower border and was unlikely to change his style when promoted to open the innings.
, Fred Trueman
, Brian Statham
and Peter Loader
, which Swanton
thought was one too many, and the all-rounder
s Trevor Bailey
and Ted Dexter
. Tyson had been the decisive force in England's 3-1 victory on the previous tour, but had been dogged by a heel injury since 1955 and had played only intermittently for England ever since. Though still capable of blazing his way through many First Class cricket teams, Tyson struggled on the slow, plumb wickets used in the Tests. The outspoken Yorkshireman Fred Trueman
called himself "The Best Bloody English Fast Bowler That Ever Drew Bloody Breath" and with considerable justification. He possessed a text-book side-on action which generated great pace and menacing late swing which was coupled with the fitness and stamina to bowl a thousand overs a season. On this tour he was strangely subdued, he was overbowled at the start of the injury-struck tour and took just 9 wickets (30.66) in the last three Tests, but took 28 wickets (19.54) in his other matches. Brian Statham
was the "straight man" of the England fast bowling attack, running up the hill and into the wind while Tyson and Trueman let rip from the other end. He maintained a nagging line and length, but "George" was regarded as an unlucky bowler, so many times did he beat the batsman only to see the ball miss the stumps by the thinnest of margins. He lived by two mottos, the first "bowling in matches keeps me fit for bowling" preferring a quiet cigarette
to physical training or net practise. The second was "if they miss, I hit", never more aptly demonstrated than in the match against Victoria when he took 7/47 - six bowled and one l.b.w.
. He was one of the few England players to have a successful tour with 12 wickets (23.83) despite missing the Fifth Test along with Peter Loader
due to a car crash. Loader
had been in and out of the England team and had toured Australia in 1954-55 without playing in any of the Tests. A fast-medium swing bowler with a wide range of pace and a nasty bouncer he took the first post war Test hat-trick
in his 6/36 against the West Indies at Headingley in 1957. He bowled consistently well and took 26 wickets (19.50) on the tour, but only 7 wickets (27.57) in what was to be his last Test series. Along with Tyson, Laker and Loader Trevor Bailey
was on his final tour, but did not improve his reputation. A fast-medium swing bowler whose grudging accuracy mirrored his famously negative batting he could be very dangerous in the right conditions, taking 7/34 in 1953-54 and 7/44 in 1957 against the West Indies, but was mostly used for containment and failed on the tour. Ted Dexter
was a late reinforcement and a capable swing bowler, but did not bowl in the Tests.
was sacked by Yorkshire
. He responded with a series of newspaper articles highly critical of Headingley
politics and was de-selected for the tour, though he went to Australia as a journalist. Wardle was a real loss, a slow left arm bowler who could bowl Chinamen
and reverse googlies
and had been lethal in Australia
and New Zealand in 1954-55 and South Africa
in 1957-57. even worse he was not replaced and the MCC
travelled with only 16 men and two spinners, Laker
and Lock
. In 1956 Jim Laker
had taken 46 wickets (9.60) against the Australians with his ferocious off-spin
, still a record for an Ashes series
. For Surrey
he took 10/88 and 2/42 against the tourists, but at Old Trafford he took 9/37 and 10/53, a record for all First Class cricket. His Surrey
"spin twin" was Tony Lock
, a slow left arm bowler with a dangerous faster ball. He took only 15 wickets (22.46) wickets against Australia in 1956, but 34 wickets (7.47) against New Zealand in 1958. The selectors had had doubts about their effectiveness overseas and neither had been taken in 1954-55, but Laker would top the England Test and tour bowling averages. Lock would have a chequered tour; taking only 5 wickets (75.20) in the Tests, but 28 wickets (21.32) in the other First Class games. Ironically his faster ball that became embroiled him in the throwing controversy proved to be ineffective in the Tests. In the 1962-63 tour Lock would not be taken, but joined Western Australia
and was instrumental in their defeat of the MCC
and their rise in Sheffield Shield cricket. Belatedly the MCC
sent John Mortimore
to Australia by plane, an off-spinning
all-rounder
who was later kept out of the England team by the similar, but superior, skills of Ray Illingworth
and Fred Titmus
.
Godfrey Evans
was on his fourth tour of Australia, having visited before in 1946-47, 1950–51 and 1954-55. He was chosen in part for his batting, having made centuries against the West Indies and India, but his loud and enthusiastic wicketkeeping was a joy to watch and considered by far the best in the world. When he returned to England in 1959 he missed three stumpings in fifteen minutes against India and retired from Test cricket as he no longer met his won exacting standards, but his record number of dismissals in Test cricket remained unbeaten for eighteen years. The Marylebone Cricket Club
preferred to rotate their reserve wicket-keepers and in 1958-59 it was the turn of the reserve Surrey keeper Roy Swetman
. He was by far the shortest man in the team and looked only 17, but was in fact 25. Although a good man behind the stumps and a decent lower order batsman he was not Evans and lost his England place in 1960. In 1956 England had out-fielded and out-caught Australia and they were still a strong fielding team. Colin Cowdrey
would be the first slip
fielder to take 100 Test catches, Peter May
and Tom Graveney
were good slips and Ted Dexter
was an athletic cover. Fred Trueman
was a good close field and Tony Lock
was considered the greatest backward short leg in the world and one of the safest pair of hands in cricket. Peter Richardson
, Willie Watson
and Trevor Bailey
were good all round fielders, though the latter two were slowing down at the end of their careers.
was not replaced when he was dropped. When they Australian tour ended only 12 men were fit enough to proceed to the following tour in New Zealand, Bailey, Evans, Laker, Loader, Milton and Statham returning to England instead.
Peter May
-External links:* * at Cricket Archive*...
captained the English cricket team in Australia in 1958–59, playing as England in the 1958-59 Ashes series against the Australians and as the MCC
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
in their other matches on the tour
MCC tour of Australia in 1958–59
The Marylebone Cricket Club tour of Australia in 1958-59 under the captaincy of Peter May was its eleventh since it took official control of overseas tours in 1907-1908. The touring team played as England in the 1958-59 Ashes series against Australia, but as the MCC in all other games...
. It was widely regarded as one of the strongest teams to depart English shores, comparable with the great teams of Johnny Douglas in 1911-12
English cricket team in Australia in 1911-12
The English cricket team in Australia in 1911–12 was led by Plum Warner, but Johnny Douglas took over the captaincy for all five Test matches when Warner fell ill early in the tour. Despite losing the first Test at Sydney, a side which included Jack Hobbs, Frank Woolley, Sydney Barnes and Wilfred...
and Percy Chapman in 1928-29. It had no obvious weaknesses, and yet it was beaten - and beaten badly. By the First Test the top batsmen had made runs, the Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
trio of Loader, Laker and Lock had taken wickets, as had Lancashire's
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
Brian Statham
Brian Statham
John Brian "George" Statham, CBE was one of the leading English fast bowlers in 20th-century English cricket. Initially a bowler of a brisk fast-medium pace, Statham was able to remodel his action to generate enough speed to become genuinely fast...
. South Australia
Southern Redbacks
The South Australia cricket team, nicknamed the Southern Redbacks and known as the West End Redbacks due to their sponsorship agreement with local brewers West End, are an Australian first class cricket team based in Adelaide, South Australia, and represent the state of South Australia...
, Victoria
Victorian Bushrangers
The Victorian cricket team, nicknamed the Bushrangers, is an Australian cricket team based in Melbourne, that represents the state of Victoria. It is administered by Cricket Victoria and draws its players from Melbourne's Premier Cricket competition...
and an Australian XI had all been beaten - the last by the crushing margin of 345 runs - and all seemed rosy for Peter May
Peter May
-External links:* * at Cricket Archive*...
's touring team. But in the Brisbane Test they lost by 8 wickets and the rest of the series failed to offer any hope of reversing their fortunes. The reasons for their failure were manifold; the captain was too defensive; injuries affected their best players; others were too young and inexperienced such as Arthur Milton
Arthur Milton
Clement Arthur Milton was an English cricketer and footballer. He played County cricket for Gloucestershire from 1948 to 1974, playing six Test matches for England in 1958 and 1959. He also played domestic football for Arsenal between 1951 and 1955, and then for a brief period for Bristol City...
, Raman Subba Row
Raman Subba Row
Raman Subba Row is an English former cricketer who played for England, Cambridge University, Surrey and Northamptonshire.-Life and career:...
, Ted Dexter
Ted Dexter
Edward Ralph Dexter CBE is a former English cricketer...
, Roy Swetman
Roy Swetman
Roy Swetman is an English former cricketer, who played in eleven Tests as a wicket-keeper from 1959 to 1960.-Life and career:...
and John Mortimore
John Mortimore (cricketer)
John Brian Mortimore is a former English cricketer, who played in nine Tests for England from 1959 to 1964, and captained Gloucestershire between 1965 and 1967....
, or at the end of their career; Godfrey Evans
Godfrey Evans
Thomas Godfrey Evans CBE was an English cricketer who played for Kent and England.Described by Wisden as 'arguably the best wicket-keeper the game has ever seen', Evans collected 219 dismissals in 91 Test match appearances between 1946 and 1959 and a total of 1066 in all first-class matches...
, Trevor Bailey
Trevor Bailey
Trevor Edward Bailey CBE was an England Test cricketer, cricket writer and broadcaster.An all-rounder, Bailey was known for his skilful but unspectacular batting...
, Jim Laker
Jim Laker
James "Jim" Charles Laker was a cricketer who played for England in the 1950s, known for "Laker's match" in 1956 at Old Trafford, when he took nineteen wickets in England's victory against Australia...
, Willie Watson
Willie Watson (England cricketer)
William "Willie" Watson, was an English cricketer, who played for Yorkshire, Leicestershire and England. He was a double international, as Watson was also a footballer who played for England's national team.-Cricket career:...
and Frank Tyson
Frank Tyson
Frank Holmes Tyson is an England cricketer of the 1950s who became a journalist and cricket commentator after he emigrated to Australia in 1960. Nicknamed "Typhoon Tyson" by the press he was regarded by many commentators as one of the fastest bowlers ever seen in cricket and took 76 wickets in...
. Their morale was further bruised when faced with bowlers of dubious legality and unsympathetic umpires. Peter May
Peter May
-External links:* * at Cricket Archive*...
was criticised for bringing his fiancée Virginia Gilligan, the niece of Arthur Gilligan
Arthur Gilligan
Arthur Edward Robert Gilligan was an English cricketer who played for Cambridge University, Sussex, Surrey and England....
who was in Australia as a radio commentator, to Australia (an unprecedented move in 1950s cricket). The press blamed the poor performance on the team's heavy drinking, bad behaviour and lack of pride - a foretaste the treatment losing teams would receive in the 1980s. It was not a happy tour by any means and it would take 12 years to recover The Ashes
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
. As E.W. Swanton noted
It was a tour which saw all sorts of perverse happenings - from an injury list that never stopped (and culminated in only 12 out of 18 being fit to fly to New Zealand), to the dis-satisfaction with umpiring and bowlers' actions that so undermined morale. From various causes England gave below their best...
The Management
The tour manager was Freddie Brown, the rugged ex-NorthamptonshireNorthamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
and England captain. He had led the 1950-51 touring side, which had been dismissed as the weakest ever sent to Australia, and his refusal to accept defeat in the face of great odds had won him admiration from the Australian public. He had played his last Test in 1953 when England regained The Ashes
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
after 19 years, when he was the only man in the team to have toured with Douglas Jardine
Douglas Jardine
Douglas Robert Jardine was an English cricketer and captain of the England cricket team from 1931 to 1933–34.When describing cricket seasons, the convention used is that a single year represents an English cricket season, while two years represent a southern hemisphere cricket season because it...
in 1932-33 when England had last beaten Australia. Brown had a more robust and combative style than May and wanted to complain officially about what the English party perceived as the throwing actions of the Australian bowlers, which might have resulted in a Bodyline
Bodyline
Bodyline, also known as fast leg theory bowling, was a cricketing tactic devised by the English cricket team for their 1932–33 Ashes tour of Australia, specifically to combat the extraordinary batting skill of Australia's Don Bradman...
type crisis. May refused, and Brown's unofficial complaints were rebuffed by Sir Donald Bradman. Fred Trueman
Fred Trueman
Frederick Sewards Trueman OBE was an English cricketer, generally acknowledged as one of the greatest fast bowlers in history. A bowler of genuinely fast pace who was widely known as Fiery Fred, Trueman played first-class cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1949 until he retired in 1968...
thought "he was a snob, bad-mannered, ignorant and a bigot" Brown did not like Trueman either and threatened to send the Yorkshire fast bowler home, but May smoothed things over. The assistant-manager was Desmond Eagar
Desmond Eagar
Edward Desmond Russell Eagar was an English cricketer who as secretary and captain of Hampshire was instrumental, through organisation, captaincy and recruitment, in raising the county team from perennial also-rans to the point where, in the seasons after he retired from playing, it was...
, the captain of Hampshire in 1946-57, who built up the attacking team that would win the County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
in 1961 and was a noted cricket historian. Like Brown, George Duckworth
George Duckworth
George Duckworth was a professional cricketer who played first-class cricket for Lancashire and England....
had toured with Jardine
Douglas Jardine
Douglas Robert Jardine was an English cricketer and captain of the England cricket team from 1931 to 1933–34.When describing cricket seasons, the convention used is that a single year represents an English cricket season, while two years represent a southern hemisphere cricket season because it...
, and was now the scorer
Scorer
A scorer in the sport of cricket is someone appointed to record all runs scored, all wickets taken and, where appropriate, number of overs bowled. In professional games, in compliance with the Laws of Cricket, two scorers are appointed, most often one provided by each team.The scorers have no say...
, baggage-master and general factotum. The physiotherapist or masseur was Desmond Montague, an experienced professional who would have a lot of work to do on the tour.
The Captain
In 1958 life looked good for Peter MayPeter May
-External links:* * at Cricket Archive*...
of Charterhouse
Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
, Cambridge
Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
, Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
and England; his county had been County Champions
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
for seven years running, with May the captain for the last two seasons, and England had never been defeated under his leadership. Vice-captain
Captain (cricket)
The captain of a cricket team often referred to as the skipper is the appointed leader, having several additional roles and responsibilities over and above those of a regular player...
on the triumphant tour of Australia in 1954-55
English cricket team in Australia in 1954-55
Len Hutton captained the English cricket team in Australia in 1954–55, playing as England in the 1954-55 Ashes series against the Australians and as the MCC in their other matches on the tour. It was the first time that an England team had toured Australia under a professional captain since the 1880s...
he had beaten South Africa 3-2 in 1955
South African cricket team in England in 1955
The South African cricket team toured England in the 1955 season to play a five-match Test series against England.England won the series 3-2 with no matches drawn.-South African team:...
, considered by many to have been the most exciting Test series since the war, Australia 2-1 in 1956
Australian cricket team in England in 1956
The Australian cricket team toured England in the 1956 season to play a five-match Test series against England for The Ashes.England won the series 2-1 with 2 matches drawn and therefore retained The Ashes....
, the West Indies 3-0 in 1957
West Indian cricket team in England in 1957
The West Indies cricket team toured England in the 1957 season to play a five-match Test series against England.England won the series 3-0 with two matches drawn...
and New Zealand 4-0 in 1958
New Zealand cricket team in England in 1958
The New Zealand cricket team toured England in the 1958 season. In a notably wet summer when the touring side lost the equivalent of 29 full days of cricket, the side lost four of the five Test matches...
. He was widely regarded as the best post-war batsman England produced, tall, strong and disciplined with a near-perfect technique, a straight bat and a complete range of strokes. His standards improved with the responsibilities of captaincy and his Test average as captain was 54.03. His greatest century was against the West Indies in 1957 when England followed on 288 runs behind at Edgbaston, he made 285 not out, the highest score by an England captain until Graham Gooch's
Graham Gooch
Graham Alan Gooch OBE DL is a former cricketer who captained Essex and England. He was one of the most successful international batsmen of his generation, and through a career spanning from 1973 until 2000, he became the most prolific run scorer of all time with 67,057 runs...
333 in 1990, adding 411 with Colin Cowdrey
Colin Cowdrey
Michael Colin Cowdrey, Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge, CBE , better known as Colin Cowdrey, was the Captain of Oxford University, Kent County Cricket Club and the England cricket team in a career that lasted from 1950 to 1976...
(154) - still an England record for any wicket - and destroyed the mesmerizing hold the spinner Sonny Ramadhin
Sonny Ramadhin
Sonny Ramadhin was a West Indian cricketer, and a dominant bowler of the 1950s. He was the first West Indian cricketers of Indian origin, and was one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1951.- Biography and career :...
had over English batsmen. In the low scoring Ashes series of 1956 he had made 453 runs (90.60) and was out only once for less than 50, when he made 43. Although himself a highly educated amateur and a gentleman he realised that the old class divisions in English cricket were breaking down and under Len Hutton
Len Hutton
Sir Leonard "Len" Hutton was an English Test cricketer, who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England in the years around the Second World War as an opening batsman. He was described by Wisden Cricketer's Almanack as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket...
's leadership the amateur and professional had merged. He enjoyed the complete loyalty of the team and the selectors and was ready to help his players and smooth down feathers. As a captain he was a strict team disciplinarian who expected high standards, he was ruthless when the occasion demanded, but could be inflexible and unimaginative and lacked the charisma of a natural leader In 1958-59 he played too defensively and surrendered the initiative to readily to Benaud and he concentrated on saving runs instead of trying to get batsmen out. Faced with Meckiff's bowling in the disastrous First Test he declined to make an official complaint as it would appear unsporting and sour grapes. A more ruthless captain may have resolved this problem at the start of the series, even at the loss of Tony Lock
Tony Lock
Graham Anthony Richard Lock was an English cricketer, who played primarily as a left-arm spinner. He played in forty nine Tests for England taking 174 wickets at 25.58 each.-Life and career:...
, but that would have damaged Anglo-Australian cricketing relations. After the Australian tour May beat New Zealand 1-0
History of cricket in New Zealand from 1945-46 to 1970
This article describes the history of New Zealand cricket from the 1945-46 season until 1970.-Domestic cricket:Domestic first-class cricket in New Zealand during this period centered on the Plunket Shield, which was the State Championship from 1906 to 1975....
, India 5-0
Indian cricket team in England in 1959
The Indian cricket team toured England in the 1959 season. The team played five Test matches against England and lost them all: the first time that England had won all the matches in a five-match series...
and led England to its first series victory in the West Indies 1-0
English cricket team in West Indies in 1959-60
The English cricket team in the West Indies in 1959-60 played five Test matches, eight other first-class matches and two minor games. England won the Test series by one match to nil, with the other four matches being drawn.- The England touring party :...
. He lost 2-1 to the 1961 Ashes series
Australian cricket team in England in 1961
The 1961 Australian cricket tour of England began with a three day match versus Worcestershire CCC at the County Ground, New Road, Worcester on Sat 29 April, play continuing on Mon 1 May and Tues 2 May. This match was rain-affected and ended in a draw...
and retired due to ill-health having been captain in a then record 41 Tests, Richie Benaud
Richie Benaud
Richard "Richie" Benaud OBE is a former Australian cricketer who, since his retirement from international cricket in 1964, has become a highly regarded commentator on the game....
being the only man to defeat him in a Test series.
The Opening Batsmen
The English bowling was obviously of great strength, but their batting was not far behind. The slightly-built left-handed Peter RichardsonPeter Richardson (cricketer)
Peter Edward Richardson is an English former cricketer, who played for Worcestershire, Kent and, in thirty four Tests, for England....
looked set for a long career for England; he had a Test average of 46.20 at the start of the series and had made centuries against Australia, South Africa, the West Indies and New Zealand. At Johannesburg in 1956-57 he took 488 minutes to reach three figures, a new record for the slowest Test century. Despite this he was known for his ability to make runs against the tightest fielding and was known to be a good tourist, but despite making consistent runs in the state matches he failed in the series and never made another Test century. He had been the amateur captain of Worcestershire
Worcestershire County Cricket Club
Worcestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Worcestershire...
and wanted to become a professional player for Kent
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
under Colin Cowdrey
Colin Cowdrey
Michael Colin Cowdrey, Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge, CBE , better known as Colin Cowdrey, was the Captain of Oxford University, Kent County Cricket Club and the England cricket team in a career that lasted from 1950 to 1976...
, but his old county refused to release him from his contract and he had to sit out the 1959 First Class cricket season while qualifying, and lost his England place. This situation could not have been comfortable for him and was considered to have affected his form in Australia. His opening partner was Arthur Milton
Arthur Milton
Clement Arthur Milton was an English cricketer and footballer. He played County cricket for Gloucestershire from 1948 to 1974, playing six Test matches for England in 1958 and 1959. He also played domestic football for Arsenal between 1951 and 1955, and then for a brief period for Bristol City...
, one of the two England players who was not a great name, but he had a Test average of 140.00 after making a century on debut against New Zealand at Headingley, when England lost only two wickets in the match and won by an innings. Milton was one of the last "double internationals", he played football for Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
, Bristol City
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
and Engkand
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
. Raman Subba Row
Raman Subba Row
Raman Subba Row is an English former cricketer who played for England, Cambridge University, Surrey and Northamptonshire.-Life and career:...
had transferred from Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
to Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
in 1955 and made 300 against his old county in 1958, earning him a place on the tour. Unfortunately, just as he was needed he broke his thumb and didn't play in any of the Tests, but later made a 59 and 112 on his Ashes debut in the First Test at Edgbaston in 1961.
The Middle Order Batsmen
The England middle order was full of stroke-makers, but it was on the captain Peter MayPeter May
-External links:* * at Cricket Archive*...
and vice-captain Colin Cowdrey
Colin Cowdrey
Michael Colin Cowdrey, Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge, CBE , better known as Colin Cowdrey, was the Captain of Oxford University, Kent County Cricket Club and the England cricket team in a career that lasted from 1950 to 1976...
that the real burden lay. Unlike the others they were a permanent fixture in the team and it was generally felt that if they failed then so did the batting. May was the leading England runmaker in 1954-55, 1956
Australian cricket team in England in 1956
The Australian cricket team toured England in the 1956 season to play a five-match Test series against England for The Ashes.England won the series 2-1 with 2 matches drawn and therefore retained The Ashes....
and 1958–59 and his near-perfect technique allowed him to make runs where others could not. Cowdrey had made his first and best Test century in 1954-55, 102 in an innings of 191 and could sent the ball to the boundary with the most fleeting touch of the bat. Like Cowdrey Tom Graveney
Tom Graveney
Thomas William Graveney in Riding Mill, Northumberland, is a former English cricketer and was the President of the Marylebone Cricket Club for 2004/5. He went to Bristol Grammar School...
entertained the crowds with the "sunshine of his style", but was unfairly seen as a fair weather man who only succeeded when the going was good. He came a poor third to May and Cowdrey in the Test batting averages, but was the most consistent batsmen on the tour. If ever a man was famous for a single innings it was Willie Watson
Willie Watson (England cricketer)
William "Willie" Watson, was an English cricketer, who played for Yorkshire, Leicestershire and England. He was a double international, as Watson was also a footballer who played for England's national team.-Cricket career:...
when he batted for 346 minutes to save the England at Lord's in 1953 after Australia had reduced them to 12/3. The left-handed strokemaker failed to gain a regular place in the Test team, but was recalled after he moved to Leicestershire
Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Leicestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
as captain in 1957 and had his best season in 1958. He injured his knee getting out of a deckchair on the Iberia and missed the first two months of the tour, thus reducing the touring team to 15. When he did get to play he was out of practice and out of form. Ted Dexter
Ted Dexter
Edward Ralph Dexter CBE is a former English cricketer...
was flown in from Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
(where his wife worked as a model) in the middle of the tour, having been unlucky to not be picked in the first place If he had been part of the original team he would have acclimatized, but although he did well in the tour matches he failed in the Tests, but made 141 in New Zealand. After an indifferent summer against India he was taken the Caribbean in 1959-60
English cricket team in West Indies in 1959-60
The English cricket team in the West Indies in 1959-60 played five Test matches, eight other first-class matches and two minor games. England won the Test series by one match to nil, with the other four matches being drawn.- The England touring party :...
where "Lord Ted" made his name by thrashing the fast bowlers with his ferocious driving. Trevor Bailey
Trevor Bailey
Trevor Edward Bailey CBE was an England Test cricketer, cricket writer and broadcaster.An all-rounder, Bailey was known for his skilful but unspectacular batting...
was on his third tour down under, but his painfully slow scoring was blamed for paralysing the England batting. This is unjust as the stonewalling of "Barnacle Bailey" had been previously seen as the backbone of the lower border and was unlikely to change his style when promoted to open the innings.
The Fast Bowlers
England took four fast bowlers; Frank TysonFrank Tyson
Frank Holmes Tyson is an England cricketer of the 1950s who became a journalist and cricket commentator after he emigrated to Australia in 1960. Nicknamed "Typhoon Tyson" by the press he was regarded by many commentators as one of the fastest bowlers ever seen in cricket and took 76 wickets in...
, Fred Trueman
Fred Trueman
Frederick Sewards Trueman OBE was an English cricketer, generally acknowledged as one of the greatest fast bowlers in history. A bowler of genuinely fast pace who was widely known as Fiery Fred, Trueman played first-class cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1949 until he retired in 1968...
, Brian Statham
Brian Statham
John Brian "George" Statham, CBE was one of the leading English fast bowlers in 20th-century English cricket. Initially a bowler of a brisk fast-medium pace, Statham was able to remodel his action to generate enough speed to become genuinely fast...
and Peter Loader
Peter Loader
Peter James Loader was an English cricketer and umpire, who played thirteen Test matches for England. He played for Surrey and Beddington Cricket Club. A whippet-thin fast bowler with a wide range of pace and a nasty bouncer, he took the first post-war Test hat-trick as part of his 6 for 36...
, which Swanton
E. W. Swanton
Ernest William Swanton CBE is chiefly known for being a cricket writer and commentator under his initials, E. W. Swanton. He worked as a sports journalist for The Daily Telegraph and as a broadcaster for BBC Radio for 30 years. He was a regular commentator on Test Match Special, easily recognised...
thought was one too many, and the all-rounder
All-rounder
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...
s Trevor Bailey
Trevor Bailey
Trevor Edward Bailey CBE was an England Test cricketer, cricket writer and broadcaster.An all-rounder, Bailey was known for his skilful but unspectacular batting...
and Ted Dexter
Ted Dexter
Edward Ralph Dexter CBE is a former English cricketer...
. Tyson had been the decisive force in England's 3-1 victory on the previous tour, but had been dogged by a heel injury since 1955 and had played only intermittently for England ever since. Though still capable of blazing his way through many First Class cricket teams, Tyson struggled on the slow, plumb wickets used in the Tests. The outspoken Yorkshireman Fred Trueman
Fred Trueman
Frederick Sewards Trueman OBE was an English cricketer, generally acknowledged as one of the greatest fast bowlers in history. A bowler of genuinely fast pace who was widely known as Fiery Fred, Trueman played first-class cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1949 until he retired in 1968...
called himself "The Best Bloody English Fast Bowler That Ever Drew Bloody Breath" and with considerable justification. He possessed a text-book side-on action which generated great pace and menacing late swing which was coupled with the fitness and stamina to bowl a thousand overs a season. On this tour he was strangely subdued, he was overbowled at the start of the injury-struck tour and took just 9 wickets (30.66) in the last three Tests, but took 28 wickets (19.54) in his other matches. Brian Statham
Brian Statham
John Brian "George" Statham, CBE was one of the leading English fast bowlers in 20th-century English cricket. Initially a bowler of a brisk fast-medium pace, Statham was able to remodel his action to generate enough speed to become genuinely fast...
was the "straight man" of the England fast bowling attack, running up the hill and into the wind while Tyson and Trueman let rip from the other end. He maintained a nagging line and length, but "George" was regarded as an unlucky bowler, so many times did he beat the batsman only to see the ball miss the stumps by the thinnest of margins. He lived by two mottos, the first "bowling in matches keeps me fit for bowling" preferring a quiet cigarette
Cigarette
A cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...
to physical training or net practise. The second was "if they miss, I hit", never more aptly demonstrated than in the match against Victoria when he took 7/47 - six bowled and one l.b.w.
Leg before wicket
In the sport of cricket, leg before wicket is one of the ways in which a batsman can be dismissed. An umpire will rule a batsman out LBW under a series of circumstances which primarily include the ball striking the batsman's body when it would otherwise have continued on to hit the batsman's...
. He was one of the few England players to have a successful tour with 12 wickets (23.83) despite missing the Fifth Test along with Peter Loader
Peter Loader
Peter James Loader was an English cricketer and umpire, who played thirteen Test matches for England. He played for Surrey and Beddington Cricket Club. A whippet-thin fast bowler with a wide range of pace and a nasty bouncer, he took the first post-war Test hat-trick as part of his 6 for 36...
due to a car crash. Loader
Peter Loader
Peter James Loader was an English cricketer and umpire, who played thirteen Test matches for England. He played for Surrey and Beddington Cricket Club. A whippet-thin fast bowler with a wide range of pace and a nasty bouncer, he took the first post-war Test hat-trick as part of his 6 for 36...
had been in and out of the England team and had toured Australia in 1954-55 without playing in any of the Tests. A fast-medium swing bowler with a wide range of pace and a nasty bouncer he took the first post war Test hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
in his 6/36 against the West Indies at Headingley in 1957. He bowled consistently well and took 26 wickets (19.50) on the tour, but only 7 wickets (27.57) in what was to be his last Test series. Along with Tyson, Laker and Loader Trevor Bailey
Trevor Bailey
Trevor Edward Bailey CBE was an England Test cricketer, cricket writer and broadcaster.An all-rounder, Bailey was known for his skilful but unspectacular batting...
was on his final tour, but did not improve his reputation. A fast-medium swing bowler whose grudging accuracy mirrored his famously negative batting he could be very dangerous in the right conditions, taking 7/34 in 1953-54 and 7/44 in 1957 against the West Indies, but was mostly used for containment and failed on the tour. Ted Dexter
Ted Dexter
Edward Ralph Dexter CBE is a former English cricketer...
was a late reinforcement and a capable swing bowler, but did not bowl in the Tests.
The Spin Bowlers
Originally 17 players where chosen for the tour, but this was rapidly reduced to 16 when Johnny WardleJohnny Wardle
Johnny Wardle was an English spin bowler of post-war cricket. His Test bowling average of 20.39, is the lowest in Test cricket by any recognised spin bowler, since World War I....
was sacked by Yorkshire
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
. He responded with a series of newspaper articles highly critical of Headingley
Headingley Stadium
Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie ....
politics and was de-selected for the tour, though he went to Australia as a journalist. Wardle was a real loss, a slow left arm bowler who could bowl Chinamen
Left-arm unorthodox spin
Left-arm unorthodox spin, or chinaman, is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket using the hand wrist. Left-arm unorthodox spin bowlers use a wrist hand action to spin the ball which turns from off to leg side of the cricket pitch...
and reverse googlies
Googly
In cricket, a googly is a type of delivery bowled by a right-arm leg spin bowler. It is occasionally referred to as a Bosie , an eponym in honour of its inventor Bernard Bosanquet.- Explanation :...
and had been lethal in Australia
English cricket team in Australia in 1954-55
Len Hutton captained the English cricket team in Australia in 1954–55, playing as England in the 1954-55 Ashes series against the Australians and as the MCC in their other matches on the tour. It was the first time that an England team had toured Australia under a professional captain since the 1880s...
and New Zealand in 1954-55 and South Africa
English cricket team in South Africa in 1956-57
The England cricket team toured South Africa in the 1956-57 season. The tour was organised by the Marylebone Cricket Club and the side played five Test matches as England and 15 other first-class matches as "MCC"...
in 1957-57. even worse he was not replaced and the MCC
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
travelled with only 16 men and two spinners, Laker
Jim Laker
James "Jim" Charles Laker was a cricketer who played for England in the 1950s, known for "Laker's match" in 1956 at Old Trafford, when he took nineteen wickets in England's victory against Australia...
and Lock
Tony Lock
Graham Anthony Richard Lock was an English cricketer, who played primarily as a left-arm spinner. He played in forty nine Tests for England taking 174 wickets at 25.58 each.-Life and career:...
. In 1956 Jim Laker
Jim Laker
James "Jim" Charles Laker was a cricketer who played for England in the 1950s, known for "Laker's match" in 1956 at Old Trafford, when he took nineteen wickets in England's victory against Australia...
had taken 46 wickets (9.60) against the Australians with his ferocious off-spin
Finger spin
Finger spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket. It refers to the cricket technique and specific hand movements associated with imparting a particular direction of spin to the cricket ball. The other spinning technique, generally used to spin the ball in the opposite direction, is wrist spin...
, still a record for an Ashes series
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
. For Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
he took 10/88 and 2/42 against the tourists, but at Old Trafford he took 9/37 and 10/53, a record for all First Class cricket. His Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
"spin twin" was Tony Lock
Tony Lock
Graham Anthony Richard Lock was an English cricketer, who played primarily as a left-arm spinner. He played in forty nine Tests for England taking 174 wickets at 25.58 each.-Life and career:...
, a slow left arm bowler with a dangerous faster ball. He took only 15 wickets (22.46) wickets against Australia in 1956, but 34 wickets (7.47) against New Zealand in 1958. The selectors had had doubts about their effectiveness overseas and neither had been taken in 1954-55, but Laker would top the England Test and tour bowling averages. Lock would have a chequered tour; taking only 5 wickets (75.20) in the Tests, but 28 wickets (21.32) in the other First Class games. Ironically his faster ball that became embroiled him in the throwing controversy proved to be ineffective in the Tests. In the 1962-63 tour Lock would not be taken, but joined Western Australia
Western Warriors
The Western Australia cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team representing the state of Western Australia...
and was instrumental in their defeat of the MCC
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
and their rise in Sheffield Shield cricket. Belatedly the MCC
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
sent John Mortimore
John Mortimore (cricketer)
John Brian Mortimore is a former English cricketer, who played in nine Tests for England from 1959 to 1964, and captained Gloucestershire between 1965 and 1967....
to Australia by plane, an off-spinning
Finger spin
Finger spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket. It refers to the cricket technique and specific hand movements associated with imparting a particular direction of spin to the cricket ball. The other spinning technique, generally used to spin the ball in the opposite direction, is wrist spin...
all-rounder
All-rounder
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...
who was later kept out of the England team by the similar, but superior, skills of Ray Illingworth
Ray Illingworth
Raymond Illingworth, CBE is a former English cricketer, cricket commentator and cricket administrator. He was one of only nine players to have taken 2,000 wickets and made 20,000 runs in First class cricket, and the last one to do so...
and Fred Titmus
Fred Titmus
Frederick John Titmus MBE was an English cricketer, whose first-class career spanned five decades. Although he was best known for his off spin , he was an accomplished lower-order batsman who deserved to be called an all-rounder, even opening the batting for England on six occasions...
.
The Wicket-Keepers and Fielders
The great England wicket-keeperWicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike...
Godfrey Evans
Godfrey Evans
Thomas Godfrey Evans CBE was an English cricketer who played for Kent and England.Described by Wisden as 'arguably the best wicket-keeper the game has ever seen', Evans collected 219 dismissals in 91 Test match appearances between 1946 and 1959 and a total of 1066 in all first-class matches...
was on his fourth tour of Australia, having visited before in 1946-47, 1950–51 and 1954-55. He was chosen in part for his batting, having made centuries against the West Indies and India, but his loud and enthusiastic wicketkeeping was a joy to watch and considered by far the best in the world. When he returned to England in 1959 he missed three stumpings in fifteen minutes against India and retired from Test cricket as he no longer met his won exacting standards, but his record number of dismissals in Test cricket remained unbeaten for eighteen years. The Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
preferred to rotate their reserve wicket-keepers and in 1958-59 it was the turn of the reserve Surrey keeper Roy Swetman
Roy Swetman
Roy Swetman is an English former cricketer, who played in eleven Tests as a wicket-keeper from 1959 to 1960.-Life and career:...
. He was by far the shortest man in the team and looked only 17, but was in fact 25. Although a good man behind the stumps and a decent lower order batsman he was not Evans and lost his England place in 1960. In 1956 England had out-fielded and out-caught Australia and they were still a strong fielding team. Colin Cowdrey
Colin Cowdrey
Michael Colin Cowdrey, Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge, CBE , better known as Colin Cowdrey, was the Captain of Oxford University, Kent County Cricket Club and the England cricket team in a career that lasted from 1950 to 1976...
would be the first slip
Slip (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a slip fielder is placed behind the batsman on the off side of the field. They are placed with the aim of catching an edged ball which is beyond the wicket-keeper's reach. Many teams employ two or three slips...
fielder to take 100 Test catches, Peter May
Peter May
-External links:* * at Cricket Archive*...
and Tom Graveney
Tom Graveney
Thomas William Graveney in Riding Mill, Northumberland, is a former English cricketer and was the President of the Marylebone Cricket Club for 2004/5. He went to Bristol Grammar School...
were good slips and Ted Dexter
Ted Dexter
Edward Ralph Dexter CBE is a former English cricketer...
was an athletic cover. Fred Trueman
Fred Trueman
Frederick Sewards Trueman OBE was an English cricketer, generally acknowledged as one of the greatest fast bowlers in history. A bowler of genuinely fast pace who was widely known as Fiery Fred, Trueman played first-class cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1949 until he retired in 1968...
was a good close field and Tony Lock
Tony Lock
Graham Anthony Richard Lock was an English cricketer, who played primarily as a left-arm spinner. He played in forty nine Tests for England taking 174 wickets at 25.58 each.-Life and career:...
was considered the greatest backward short leg in the world and one of the safest pair of hands in cricket. Peter Richardson
Peter Richardson (cricketer)
Peter Edward Richardson is an English former cricketer, who played for Worcestershire, Kent and, in thirty four Tests, for England....
, Willie Watson
Willie Watson (England cricketer)
William "Willie" Watson, was an English cricketer, who played for Yorkshire, Leicestershire and England. He was a double international, as Watson was also a footballer who played for England's national team.-Cricket career:...
and Trevor Bailey
Trevor Bailey
Trevor Edward Bailey CBE was an England Test cricketer, cricket writer and broadcaster.An all-rounder, Bailey was known for his skilful but unspectacular batting...
were good all round fielders, though the latter two were slowing down at the end of their careers.
Injuries
The MCC team suffered from a long list of injuries that affected their ability to contest the Ashes series, particularly as they only had a 16 man squad because Johnny WardleJohnny Wardle
Johnny Wardle was an English spin bowler of post-war cricket. His Test bowling average of 20.39, is the lowest in Test cricket by any recognised spin bowler, since World War I....
was not replaced when he was dropped. When they Australian tour ended only 12 men were fit enough to proceed to the following tour in New Zealand, Bailey, Evans, Laker, Loader, Milton and Statham returning to England instead.
- Trevor BaileyTrevor BaileyTrevor Edward Bailey CBE was an England Test cricketer, cricket writer and broadcaster.An all-rounder, Bailey was known for his skilful but unspectacular batting...
had an ailment at the beginning of the tour that affected his bowling and he retired from Test cricket after the Fifth Test, being considered too ill to tour New Zealand. He continued to play for EssexEssex County Cricket ClubEssex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
and had his best season in 1959. - Godfrey EvansGodfrey EvansThomas Godfrey Evans CBE was an English cricketer who played for Kent and England.Described by Wisden as 'arguably the best wicket-keeper the game has ever seen', Evans collected 219 dismissals in 91 Test match appearances between 1946 and 1959 and a total of 1066 in all first-class matches...
broke his middle finger and missed the Third Test, leading to Roy SwetmanRoy SwetmanRoy Swetman is an English former cricketer, who played in eleven Tests as a wicket-keeper from 1959 to 1960.-Life and career:...
's unfortunate debut. When he returned for the Fourth Test it had not full healed and broke it again, but he continued to keep wicket on the second day. He was replaced on the third day by Tom GraveneyTom GraveneyThomas William Graveney in Riding Mill, Northumberland, is a former English cricketer and was the President of the Marylebone Cricket Club for 2004/5. He went to Bristol Grammar School...
, a part-time keeper for GloucestershireGloucestershire County Cricket ClubGloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
, batted in both innings, but missed the Fifth Test. - Jim LakerJim LakerJames "Jim" Charles Laker was a cricketer who played for England in the 1950s, known for "Laker's match" in 1956 at Old Trafford, when he took nineteen wickets in England's victory against Australia...
announced his retirement from First Class cricket at the start of the tour because of his arthritic spinning finger, which was at times immobile and sometimes caused him so much pain that he could not sleep at night. Laker retired from bowling in one match, missed the next due to sunstroke and the Fourth Test because of arthritus, but played in the Fifth Test despite having a sore throat and high temperature. - Peter LoaderPeter LoaderPeter James Loader was an English cricketer and umpire, who played thirteen Test matches for England. He played for Surrey and Beddington Cricket Club. A whippet-thin fast bowler with a wide range of pace and a nasty bouncer, he took the first post-war Test hat-trick as part of his 6 for 36...
suffered from sunstroke in an early match and had to retire from the field, and was unfit to play in the next game. He retired from the Australian XI match with a strained Achilles tendonAchilles tendonThe Achilles tendon , also known as the calcaneal tendon or the tendo calcaneus, is a tendon of the posterior leg. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius and soleus muscles to the calcaneus bone.- Anatomy :The Achilles is the tendonous extension of 3 muscles in the lower leg:...
, and spent several days in bed with a high temperature, but still played in the First Test in the following week. He had a groin strainAdductor muscles of the hipIn human anatomy, the adductor muscles of the hip is a group of muscles of the thigh.-Muscles:The adductor group is made up of:*Adductor brevis*Adductor longus*Adductor magnus*Adductor minimus This is often considered to be a part of adductor magnus....
which kept him out of the New South Wales game and the Fourth Test. He and Statham were in a car crash before the Fifth Test and he never played for England again. - Tony LockTony LockGraham Anthony Richard Lock was an English cricketer, who played primarily as a left-arm spinner. He played in forty nine Tests for England taking 174 wickets at 25.58 each.-Life and career:...
had a long term knee injury which could prevent him from bowling long spells, though he often had to do so because of the absence of other fit players. - Peter MayPeter May-External links:* * at Cricket Archive*...
pulled a knee ligament in the first match of the tour, but returned to make a century usung a runner and was fit for all the Tests after missing two games . - Arthur MiltonArthur MiltonClement Arthur Milton was an English cricketer and footballer. He played County cricket for Gloucestershire from 1948 to 1974, playing six Test matches for England in 1958 and 1959. He also played domestic football for Arsenal between 1951 and 1955, and then for a brief period for Bristol City...
was hit repeatedly in the South AustraliaSouthern RedbacksThe South Australia cricket team, nicknamed the Southern Redbacks and known as the West End Redbacks due to their sponsorship agreement with local brewers West End, are an Australian first class cricket team based in Adelaide, South Australia, and represent the state of South Australia...
tour match on Christmas EveChristmas EveChristmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
had his finger fractured, which was jarred and broken again in the game against VictoriaVictorian BushrangersThe Victorian cricket team, nicknamed the Bushrangers, is an Australian cricket team based in Melbourne, that represents the state of Victoria. It is administered by Cricket Victoria and draws its players from Melbourne's Premier Cricket competition...
and he was sent home before the Fifth Test. - Brian StathamBrian StathamJohn Brian "George" Statham, CBE was one of the leading English fast bowlers in 20th-century English cricket. Initially a bowler of a brisk fast-medium pace, Statham was able to remodel his action to generate enough speed to become genuinely fast...
was with Peter LoaderPeter LoaderPeter James Loader was an English cricketer and umpire, who played thirteen Test matches for England. He played for Surrey and Beddington Cricket Club. A whippet-thin fast bowler with a wide range of pace and a nasty bouncer, he took the first post-war Test hat-trick as part of his 6 for 36...
when they had a car accident just before the Fifth Test, but he recovered to overtake Alec BedserAlec BedserSir Alec Victor Bedser, CBE was a professional English cricketer. He was the chairman of selectors for the English national cricket team, and the president of Surrey County Cricket Club...
's 236 wickets to become the greatest wicket-taker in Test cricket. - Raman Subba RowRaman Subba RowRaman Subba Row is an English former cricketer who played for England, Cambridge University, Surrey and Northamptonshire.-Life and career:...
A ball hit by Ron ArcherRon ArcherThis article is about the cricket player. For Ron Archer see Ted WhiteRonald Graham Archer was an Australian Test cricketer who was born in Highgate Hill, Queensland...
broke Raman Subba RowRaman Subba RowRaman Subba Row is an English former cricketer who played for England, Cambridge University, Surrey and Northamptonshire.-Life and career:...
's wrist when fielding against QueenslandQueensland BullsThe Queensland cricket team, nicknamed the Bulls, are the Brisbane-based Queensland representative cricket team in Australia's domestic cricket tournaments:*Sheffield Shield, 4-day matches with first-class status, since the 1926/27 season...
, another injury removed him from contention after he had made three fifties in three games when Richardson and Milton were out of form and needed to be replaced. - Fred TruemanFred TruemanFrederick Sewards Trueman OBE was an English cricketer, generally acknowledged as one of the greatest fast bowlers in history. A bowler of genuinely fast pace who was widely known as Fiery Fred, Trueman played first-class cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1949 until he retired in 1968...
contracted a mysterious back ailment in QueenslandQueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, as he would on the 1962-63 tour, which made him unavailable for the First Test at Brisbane in conditions tailor made for his fast swing bowling. After ordinary medicines had no effect he was cured by drinking large amounts of fresh lemon juice and was fit for the Second Test, but was not picked until the Third Test. He played in a New South WalesNew South Wales BluesThe New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
game despite having a cold. - Frank TysonFrank TysonFrank Holmes Tyson is an England cricketer of the 1950s who became a journalist and cricket commentator after he emigrated to Australia in 1960. Nicknamed "Typhoon Tyson" by the press he was regarded by many commentators as one of the fastest bowlers ever seen in cricket and took 76 wickets in...
had a long term injury in the form of a blistered right heel as a result of his foot twisting inside ill-fitting cricket boots, he also missed tour games due to lumbago. - Willie WatsonWillie Watson (England cricketer)William "Willie" Watson, was an English cricketer, who played for Yorkshire, Leicestershire and England. He was a double international, as Watson was also a footballer who played for England's national team.-Cricket career:...
injured his knee getting out of a deckchair on board the Iberia en route to Australia. He was flown ahead to Perth where he had some gristle surgically removed from his knee, but instead of being set home or a replacement sent for he remained with the party. After playing in two Tests he strained his groinAdductor muscles of the hipIn human anatomy, the adductor muscles of the hip is a group of muscles of the thigh.-Muscles:The adductor group is made up of:*Adductor brevis*Adductor longus*Adductor magnus*Adductor minimus This is often considered to be a part of adductor magnus....
bowling in the nets before the Fifth Test, but recovered to play in New Zealand.
The England Touring Squad
Below are the Test statistics of the England squad. As was the convention of the time gentleman amateurs have their initials in front of their surname and professional players have their initials after their name, if their initials were used at all.| Test Statistics of England Team 1958-59 | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | County | Age | Role | Tests | Runs | Highest | Average | 100s | 50s | Ct | St | Wickets | Best | Average | 5 Wt | 10 Wt |
| F.R. Brown | Northants Northamptonshire County Cricket Club Northamptonshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the... |
47 | Manager | 22 | 734 | 79 | 25.31 | 5 | 22 | 45 | 5/49 | 31.06 | 1 | |||
| E.D.R. Eager | Hampshire Hampshire County Cricket Club Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it... |
40 | Assistant-Manager | |||||||||||||
| Duckworth, G. George Duckworth George Duckworth was a professional cricketer who played first-class cricket for Lancashire and England.... |
Lancashire Lancashire County Cricket Club Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then... |
57 | Scorer Scorer A scorer in the sport of cricket is someone appointed to record all runs scored, all wickets taken and, where appropriate, number of overs bowled. In professional games, in compliance with the Laws of Cricket, two scorers are appointed, most often one provided by each team.The scorers have no say... and Baggage Man |
24 | 234 | 39* | 14.62 | 45 | 15 | |||||||
| Montague, D. | Physiotherapist | |||||||||||||||
| P.E. Richardson Peter Richardson (cricketer) Peter Edward Richardson is an English former cricketer, who played for Worcestershire, Kent and, in thirty four Tests, for England.... |
Worcestershire Worcestershire County Cricket Club Worcestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Worcestershire... |
27 | Left-Handed Opening Batsman Batting order (cricket) In cricket, the batting order is the sequence in which batsmen play through their team's innings, there always being two batsmen taking part at any one time... |
34 | 2061 | 126 | 37.47 | 5 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 2/10 | 16.00 | |||
| R. Subba Row Raman Subba Row Raman Subba Row is an English former cricketer who played for England, Cambridge University, Surrey and Northamptonshire.-Life and career:... |
Northamptonshire Northamptonshire County Cricket Club Northamptonshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the... |
26 | Right-Handed Opening Batsman Batting order (cricket) In cricket, the batting order is the sequence in which batsmen play through their team's innings, there always being two batsmen taking part at any one time... |
13 | 984 | 137 | 46.85 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 0/2 | |||||
| Milton, C.A. Arthur Milton Clement Arthur Milton was an English cricketer and footballer. He played County cricket for Gloucestershire from 1948 to 1974, playing six Test matches for England in 1958 and 1959. He also played domestic football for Arsenal between 1951 and 1955, and then for a brief period for Bristol City... |
Gloucestershire Gloucestershire County Cricket Club Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators.... |
30 | Right-Handed Opening Batsman Batting order (cricket) In cricket, the batting order is the sequence in which batsmen play through their team's innings, there always being two batsmen taking part at any one time... |
6 | 204 | 104* Not out In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress... |
25.50 | 1 | 5 | 0/12 | ||||||
| Watson, W. Willie Watson (England cricketer) William "Willie" Watson, was an English cricketer, who played for Yorkshire, Leicestershire and England. He was a double international, as Watson was also a footballer who played for England's national team.-Cricket career:... |
Leicestershire Leicestershire County Cricket Club Leicestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland.... |
38 | Left-Handed Top Order Batsman Batting order (cricket) In cricket, the batting order is the sequence in which batsmen play through their team's innings, there always being two batsmen taking part at any one time... |
23 | 879 | 116 | 25.85 | 2 | 3 | 8 | ||||||
| M.C. Cowdrey Colin Cowdrey Michael Colin Cowdrey, Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge, CBE , better known as Colin Cowdrey, was the Captain of Oxford University, Kent County Cricket Club and the England cricket team in a career that lasted from 1950 to 1976... (vc) Captain (cricket) The captain of a cricket team often referred to as the skipper is the appointed leader, having several additional roles and responsibilities over and above those of a regular player... |
Kent Kent County Cricket Club Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent... |
25 | Right-Handed Top Order Batsman Batting order (cricket) In cricket, the batting order is the sequence in which batsmen play through their team's innings, there always being two batsmen taking part at any one time... |
114 | 7624 | 182 | 44.06 | 22 | 38 | 120 | 0/1 | |||||
| E.R. Dexter Ted Dexter Edward Ralph Dexter CBE is a former English cricketer... |
Sussex Sussex County Cricket Club Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a... |
23 | Right-Handed Top Order Batsman Batting order (cricket) In cricket, the batting order is the sequence in which batsmen play through their team's innings, there always being two batsmen taking part at any one time... |
62 | 4502 | 205 | 47.89 | 9 | 27 | 29 | 66 | 4/10 | 34.93 | |||
| Graveney, T.W. Tom Graveney Thomas William Graveney in Riding Mill, Northumberland, is a former English cricketer and was the President of the Marylebone Cricket Club for 2004/5. He went to Bristol Grammar School... |
Gloucestershire Gloucestershire County Cricket Club Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators.... |
31 | Right-Handed Top Order Batsman Batting order (cricket) In cricket, the batting order is the sequence in which batsmen play through their team's innings, there always being two batsmen taking part at any one time... |
79 | 4882 | 258 | 44.38 | 11 | 20 | 80 | 1 | 1/34 | 167.00 | |||
| P.B.H. May Peter May -External links:* * at Cricket Archive*... (c) Captain (cricket) The captain of a cricket team often referred to as the skipper is the appointed leader, having several additional roles and responsibilities over and above those of a regular player... |
Surrey Surrey County Cricket Club Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions... |
28 | Right-Handed Top Order Batsman Batting order (cricket) In cricket, the batting order is the sequence in which batsmen play through their team's innings, there always being two batsmen taking part at any one time... |
66 | 4537 | 285* Not out In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress... |
46.77 | 14 | 22 | 42 | ||||||
| Evans, T.G. Godfrey Evans Thomas Godfrey Evans CBE was an English cricketer who played for Kent and England.Described by Wisden as 'arguably the best wicket-keeper the game has ever seen', Evans collected 219 dismissals in 91 Test match appearances between 1946 and 1959 and a total of 1066 in all first-class matches... |
Kent Kent County Cricket Club Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent... |
37 | Wicket-Keeper Wicket-keeper The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike... |
91 | 2439 | 104 | 20.49 | 2 | 8 | 173 | 46 | |||||
| Swetman, R. Roy Swetman Roy Swetman is an English former cricketer, who played in eleven Tests as a wicket-keeper from 1959 to 1960.-Life and career:... |
Surrey Surrey County Cricket Club Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions... |
25 | Wicket-Keeper Wicket-keeper The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike... |
11 | 254 | 65 | 16.93 | 1 | 24 | 2 | ||||||
| Trueman, F.S. Fred Trueman Frederick Sewards Trueman OBE was an English cricketer, generally acknowledged as one of the greatest fast bowlers in history. A bowler of genuinely fast pace who was widely known as Fiery Fred, Trueman played first-class cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1949 until he retired in 1968... |
Yorkshire Yorkshire County Cricket Club Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure.... |
27 | Right-Arm Fast Bowler Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
67 | 981 | 39* Not out In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress... |
13.81 | 64 | 307 | 8/31 | 21.57 | 17 | 3 | |||
| Tyson, F.H. Frank Tyson Frank Holmes Tyson is an England cricketer of the 1950s who became a journalist and cricket commentator after he emigrated to Australia in 1960. Nicknamed "Typhoon Tyson" by the press he was regarded by many commentators as one of the fastest bowlers ever seen in cricket and took 76 wickets in... |
Northamptonshire Northamptonshire County Cricket Club Northamptonshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the... |
28 | Right-Arm Fast Bowler Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
18 | 230 | 37* Not out In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress... |
10.95 | 4 | 76 | 7/27 | 18.56 | 4 | 1 | |||
| T.E. Bailey Trevor Bailey Trevor Edward Bailey CBE was an England Test cricketer, cricket writer and broadcaster.An all-rounder, Bailey was known for his skilful but unspectacular batting... |
Essex Essex County Cricket Club Essex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games... |
34 | Right-Arm Fast-Medium Bowler Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
61 | 2290 | 134* Not out In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress... |
29.74 | 1 | 10 | 32 | 132 | 7/34 | 29.21 | 5 | 1 | |
| Statham, J.B. Brian Statham John Brian "George" Statham, CBE was one of the leading English fast bowlers in 20th-century English cricket. Initially a bowler of a brisk fast-medium pace, Statham was able to remodel his action to generate enough speed to become genuinely fast... |
Lancashire Lancashire County Cricket Club Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then... |
28 | Right-Arm Fast-Medium Bowler Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
51 | 675 | 38 | 11.44 | 28 | 252 | 7/39 | 24.84 | 9 | 1 | |||
| Loader, P.J. Peter Loader Peter James Loader was an English cricketer and umpire, who played thirteen Test matches for England. He played for Surrey and Beddington Cricket Club. A whippet-thin fast bowler with a wide range of pace and a nasty bouncer, he took the first post-war Test hat-trick as part of his 6 for 36... |
Surrey Surrey County Cricket Club Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions... |
28 | Right-Arm Fast-Medium Bowler Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
13 | 76 | 17 | 5.84 | 2 | 39 | 6/36 | 22.51 | 1 | ||||
| Mortimore, J.B. John Mortimore (cricketer) John Brian Mortimore is a former English cricketer, who played in nine Tests for England from 1959 to 1964, and captained Gloucestershire between 1965 and 1967.... |
Gloucestershire Gloucestershire County Cricket Club Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators.... |
25 | Off Spin Bowler Finger spin Finger spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket. It refers to the cricket technique and specific hand movements associated with imparting a particular direction of spin to the cricket ball. The other spinning technique, generally used to spin the ball in the opposite direction, is wrist spin... |
9 | 243 | 73* Not out In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress... |
24.30 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 3/36 | 56.38 | ||||
| Laker, J.C. Jim Laker James "Jim" Charles Laker was a cricketer who played for England in the 1950s, known for "Laker's match" in 1956 at Old Trafford, when he took nineteen wickets in England's victory against Australia... |
Surrey Surrey County Cricket Club Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions... |
36 | Off Spin Bowler Finger spin Finger spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket. It refers to the cricket technique and specific hand movements associated with imparting a particular direction of spin to the cricket ball. The other spinning technique, generally used to spin the ball in the opposite direction, is wrist spin... |
46 | 676 | 63 | 14.08 | 2 | 12 | 193 | 10/53 | 21.24 | 9 | 3 | ||
| Lock, G.A.R. Tony Lock Graham Anthony Richard Lock was an English cricketer, who played primarily as a left-arm spinner. He played in forty nine Tests for England taking 174 wickets at 25.58 each.-Life and career:... |
Surrey Surrey County Cricket Club Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions... |
29 | Slow Left Arm Bowler | 49 | 742 | 89 | 13.74 | 3 | 59 | 174 | 7/35 | 25.58 | 9 | 3 |
First Test - Brisbane
See Main Article - 1958-59 Ashes seriesSecond Test - Melbourne
See Main Article - 1958-59 Ashes seriesThird Test - Sydney
See Main Article - 1958-59 Ashes seriesFourth Test - Adelaide
See Main Article - 1958-59 Ashes seriesFifth Test - Melbourne
See Main Article - 1958-59 Ashes seriesFurther reading
- Richie BenaudRichie BenaudRichard "Richie" Benaud OBE is a former Australian cricketer who, since his retirement from international cricket in 1964, has become a highly regarded commentator on the game....
, A tale of two Tests: With some thoughts on captaincy, Hodder & Stoughton, 1962 - Mark Browning, Richie BenaudRichie BenaudRichard "Richie" Benaud OBE is a former Australian cricketer who, since his retirement from international cricket in 1964, has become a highly regarded commentator on the game....
: Cricketer, Captain, Guru, Kangaroo Press, 1996 - Robert Coleman, Seasons In the Sun: the Story Of the Victorian Cricket Association, Hargreen Publishing, 1993.
- Bill FrindallBill FrindallWilliam Howard Frindall, MBE was an English cricket scorer and statistician. He was familiar to cricket followers from his appearances on the BBC Radio 4 programme Test Match Special, nicknamed the Bearded Wonder by Brian Johnston for his ability to research the most obscure cricketing facts in...
, The Wisden Book of Test Cricket 1877-1978, Wisden, 1979 - David Frith, Pageant of Cricket, The MacMillian Company of Australia, 1987
- David Frith, England Versus Australia: An Illustrated History of Every Test Match Since 1877, Viking, 2007
- Chris Harte, A History of Australian Cricket, Andre Deutsch, 1993
- Alban George Moyes, Benaud & Co: The story of the Tests, 1958-1959, Angus & Robertson, 1959
- Ray Robinson, On Top Down Under, Cassell, 1975
- E.W. Swanton (ed), The Barclays World of Cricket, Collins, 1986
- Bernard Whimpress, Chuckers: A history of throwing in Australian cricket, Elvis Press, 2004.
- Bob WillisBob WillisRobert George Dylan Willis MBE , known as Bob Willis, is a former English cricketer who played for Surrey, Warwickshire, Northern Transvaal and England...
and Patrick Murphy, Starting with Grace, Stanley Paul, 1986