English cricket team in South Africa in 1956-57
Encyclopedia
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". Two of the first-class matches took place in Rhodesia in what is now Zimbabwe
.
England won the first two Test matches; the third was drawn; and South Africa
won the final two games. The Test series was noted at the time for slow scoring, and England averaged 32.69 runs an hour in the series, while South Africa managed only 29.04.
, with Doug Insole
as vice-captain. The former England Test captain Freddie Brown was the tour manager.
The full team was:
All of the players except Taylor had played in Test cricket before the tour. Oakman, Parks and Taylor did not play in any of Tests on the tour, and Taylor never appeared in Test cricket. Parks was injured soon after the tour began and flew back to the UK for treatment; he did not rejoin the tour and no replacement was sent for. The manager, Brown, appeared in one first-class match.
First Test at Wanderers Stadium
England (268 and 150) beat South Africa (215 and 72) by 131 runs. The match was noted for slow scoring, with Peter Richardson's 117 in England's first innings being at the time the slowest Test match century, taking eight hours and eight minutes to reach the 100. Richardson's 121-run fourth-wicket partnership with Colin Cowdrey was the highest of the match, Cowdrey making 59. No South African batsman reached 50, and Statham, Wardle and Bailey each took three wickets. England's second innings was also a struggle on a difficult pitch and South Africa were set 204 to win. With Tyson ill, Bailey opened the bowling with Statham and took five for 20 as South Africa were out for their lowest score in a home Test since 1898-99.
Second Test at Newlands Cricket Ground
England (369 and 220 for six declared) beat South Africa (205 and 72) by 312 runs. On a slow pitch, England's opening pair of Richardson (45) and Bailey (34) started with 76, and then Compton made 58. But the major contribution to a big total was a sixth-wicket partnership of 93 between Cowdrey, who made 101 and Evans (62). As in the first Test, no South African batsman made 50. Wardle took five wickets for 53. Injuries to Neil Adcock
and Clive van Ryneveld
restricted South Africa to defensive bowling and fielding, but Compton (64) and Cowdrey (61) scored fast enough to allow May to declare, setting South Africa 385 to win in eight hours. They had little answer to Wardle, who took seven for 36 to finish with match figures of 12 for 89. In the South African second innings, Russell Endean
was out handled the ball
when he touched a ball that had flown upwards from his bat and threatened to fall on his stumps. It was the first time any batsman had been out in this manner in Test cricket.
Third Test at Kingsmead, Durban
England (218 and 254) drew with South Africa ((283 and 142 for six). Richardson (68) and Bailey (80) opened with a stand of 115, during which they scored 103 runs in two hours before lunch on the first day. Thereafter, England surrendered the initiative, and Tayfield bowled 14 consecutive maidens, nine of them to Bailey. For South Africa, Tony Pithey
, in his first Test, put on 65 with Trevor Goddard
, who made 69, and then Roy McLean
hit South Africa's only century of the series. The two first innings took until the tea interval on the third day. England were in trouble at 79 for three in the second innings with Bailey also injured, but Insole made 110 in six hours and 10 minutes and was not out when the innings ended. Hugh Tayfield
's eight wickets for 69 runs in England's second innings was the best return by a South African bowler ever, beating the eight for 70 by Tip Snooke
in 1905-06. Set 190 to win in four hours and 10 minutes, South Africa were unable to score quickly enough against accurate bowling and the match ended in a draw.
Fourth Test at Wanderers Stadium
South Africa (340 and 142) beat England (251 and 214) by 17 runs. Tayfield's record for the best bowling return by a South African in a Test match, set in the Third Test, lasted only three weeks. In England's second innings, he took nine for 113 with the final wicket a catch by his brother, Arthur, who was fielding as a substitute. South Africa had started well, with a second wicket stand of 112 between Godddard (67) and John Waite
(61) before McLean made 93. May made his best score of the series, 61, and Insole and Compton passed 40, but South Africa led by 89. Goddard made 49 as South Africa lost cheap wickets, and England were set 232 to win with three-quarter of an hour plus a whole day to get them. Richardson (39), Insole (68) and Cowdrey (55) gave them hope, and at tea on the final day, England needed just 46 with four wickets remaining. But Tayfield, who bowled throughout the final day, took the lot with 17 runs to spare.
Fifth Test at St George's Park
South Africa (164 and 134) beat England (110 and 130) by 58 runs. A newly-laid pitch made batting difficult throughout, with unpredictable bounce and many balls that kept low. Endean made 70 in South Africa's first innings and that was by some distance the highest score of the match. Bailey made an uncharacteristically pgnacious 41, but only two other England batsmen reached doubled figures in the first innings. Tyson then took six for 40 in South Africa's second innings, but with runs difficult to obtain against the faster bowlers, Tayfield's slows profited from mishits in England's second innings and his six for 78 gave him 37 wickets in the series, a record for a South African player. The match was Denis Compton's last Test.
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 the side played five Test matches
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
as England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
and 15 other first-class matches as "MCC". Two of the first-class matches took place in Rhodesia in what is now Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
.
England won the first two Test matches; the third was drawn; and South Africa
South African cricket team
The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status...
won the final two games. The Test series was noted at the time for slow scoring, and England averaged 32.69 runs an hour in the series, while South Africa managed only 29.04.
England team
The MCC team was captained by Peter MayPeter May
-External links:* * at Cricket Archive*...
, with Doug Insole
Doug Insole
Doug Insole CBE is a former English cricketer, who played for Cambridge University, Essex and in nine Test matches for England, five of them on the 1956-57 tour of South Africa, where he was vice-captain to Peter May...
as vice-captain. The former England Test captain Freddie Brown was the tour manager.
The full team was:
- Peter May; Doug Insole; 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...
; Denis ComptonDenis ComptonDenis Charles Scott Compton CBE was an English cricketer who played in 78 Test matches, and a footballer...
; Colin CowdreyColin CowdreyMichael 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...
; 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...
(wicketkeeper); 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...
; 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...
; 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:...
; Alan OakmanAlan OakmanAlan Oakman was an English first-class cricketer. He had a long career for Sussex, playing 538 first-class matches over a 21-year period, and played two Test matches for England...
; Jim Parks juniorJim Parks juniorJim Parks is an English former cricketer. He played in forty six Tests for England, between 1954 and 1968...
; Peter RichardsonPeter Richardson (cricketer)Peter Edward Richardson is an English former cricketer, who played for Worcestershire, Kent and, in thirty four Tests, for England....
; 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...
; Brian TaylorBrian Taylor (cricketer)Brian Taylor, born at West Ham on 19 June 1932, was a cricketer who played for and captained Essex.Known as "Tonker" Taylor for his forthright approach to batting and his evident enjoyment of the game, Taylor was a high-class wicketkeeper who was thought of in his early playing days as a potential...
(wicketkeeper); 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...
; Johnny WardleJohnny WardleJohnny 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....
All of the players except Taylor had played in Test cricket before the tour. Oakman, Parks and Taylor did not play in any of Tests on the tour, and Taylor never appeared in Test cricket. Parks was injured soon after the tour began and flew back to the UK for treatment; he did not rejoin the tour and no replacement was sent for. The manager, Brown, appeared in one first-class match.
First Test at Wanderers StadiumWanderers Stadium BIDVest Wanderers Stadium is a stadium situated just south of Sandton in Illovo, Johannesburg in Gauteng Province, South Africa. Test, One Day and First class cricket matches are played here. It is also the home ground for the Highveld Lions, formerly known as Gauteng .The stadium has a seating...
, JohannesburgJohannesburgJohannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, December 24–29, 1956
England (268 and 150) beat South Africa (215 and 72) by 131 runs. The match was noted for slow scoring, with Peter Richardson's 117 in England's first innings being at the time the slowest Test match century, taking eight hours and eight minutes to reach the 100. Richardson's 121-run fourth-wicket partnership with Colin Cowdrey was the highest of the match, Cowdrey making 59. No South African batsman reached 50, and Statham, Wardle and Bailey each took three wickets. England's second innings was also a struggle on a difficult pitch and South Africa were set 204 to win. With Tyson ill, Bailey opened the bowling with Statham and took five for 20 as South Africa were out for their lowest score in a home Test since 1898-99.Second Test at Newlands Cricket GroundNewlands Cricket GroundNewlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town is a South African cricket ground. It's the home of the Cape Cobras, who play in the SuperSport Series, MTN Domestic Championship and Standard Bank Pro20 competitions. It is also a venue for Test matches. Newlands is regarded as one of the most beautiful cricket...
, Cape TownCape TownCape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, January 1–5, 1957
England (369 and 220 for six declared) beat South Africa (205 and 72) by 312 runs. On a slow pitch, England's opening pair of Richardson (45) and Bailey (34) started with 76, and then Compton made 58. But the major contribution to a big total was a sixth-wicket partnership of 93 between Cowdrey, who made 101 and Evans (62). As in the first Test, no South African batsman made 50. Wardle took five wickets for 53. Injuries to Neil AdcockNeil Adcock
Neil Amwin Treharne Adcock is a former South African cricketer who played 26 Tests. A tall aggressive fast bowler, he could lift the ball sharply off a length. He was the first South African player to take 100 Test wickets.Making his Test debut in 1953 at home against New Zealand, he had only 9...
and Clive van Ryneveld
Clive van Ryneveld
Clive Berrange van Ryneveld is a former South African cricketer who played in nineteen Tests from 1951 to 1958. He is the oldest living South African cricket captain....
restricted South Africa to defensive bowling and fielding, but Compton (64) and Cowdrey (61) scored fast enough to allow May to declare, setting South Africa 385 to win in eight hours. They had little answer to Wardle, who took seven for 36 to finish with match figures of 12 for 89. In the South African second innings, Russell Endean
Russell Endean
William Russell Endean was a South African cricketer who played in twenty eight Tests from 1951 to 1958....
was out handled the ball
Handled the ball
Handled the ball is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket.-Definition:Law 33 of the Laws of cricket provides that:"Either batsman is out Handled the ball if he wilfully touches the ball while in play with a hand or hands not holding the bat unless he does so with the consent of the opposing...
when he touched a ball that had flown upwards from his bat and threatened to fall on his stumps. It was the first time any batsman had been out in this manner in Test cricket.
Third Test at Kingsmead, DurbanDurbanDurban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
, January 25–30, 1957
England (218 and 254) drew with South Africa ((283 and 142 for six). Richardson (68) and Bailey (80) opened with a stand of 115, during which they scored 103 runs in two hours before lunch on the first day. Thereafter, England surrendered the initiative, and Tayfield bowled 14 consecutive maidens, nine of them to Bailey. For South Africa, Tony PitheyTony Pithey
Anthony John Pithey was a South African cricketer who played in seventeen Tests from 1957 to 1965. He was a technically correct top-order batsmen who developed a reputation for being a stayer rather than a strokemaker...
, in his first Test, put on 65 with Trevor Goddard
Trevor Goddard (cricketer)
Trevor Leslie Goddard is a former left-hand cricketer. An all-rounder, he played 41 Test matches for South Africa from 1955 to 1970, captaining them over the 1963-64 season and drawing an encounter with Australia. A left-handed, classically correct opening batsman, he was also a successful swing...
, who made 69, and then Roy McLean
Roy McLean
Roy Alastair McLean was a South African cricketer who played in forty Tests from 1951 to 1964. A stroke-playing middle-order batsman, he scored over 2,000 Test runs, but made 11 ducks in 73 Test innings....
hit South Africa's only century of the series. The two first innings took until the tea interval on the third day. England were in trouble at 79 for three in the second innings with Bailey also injured, but Insole made 110 in six hours and 10 minutes and was not out when the innings ended. Hugh Tayfield
Hugh Tayfield
Hugh Joseph Tayfield was a cricketer. He played 37 Test matches for South Africa from 1949 to 1960 and was one of the best off spinners the game has seen. He was the fastest South African to take 100 wickets in Tests until Dale Steyn claimed the record in March 2008...
's eight wickets for 69 runs in England's second innings was the best return by a South African bowler ever, beating the eight for 70 by Tip Snooke
Tip Snooke
Sibley John "Tip" Snooke played Test cricket for South Africa as an all-rounder, captaining the side to victory 3-2 against England in a five-Test series in South Africa in 1909-10...
in 1905-06. Set 190 to win in four hours and 10 minutes, South Africa were unable to score quickly enough against accurate bowling and the match ended in a draw.
Fourth Test at Wanderers StadiumWanderers Stadium BIDVest Wanderers Stadium is a stadium situated just south of Sandton in Illovo, Johannesburg in Gauteng Province, South Africa. Test, One Day and First class cricket matches are played here. It is also the home ground for the Highveld Lions, formerly known as Gauteng .The stadium has a seating...
, JohannesburgJohannesburgJohannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, February 15–20, 1957
South Africa (340 and 142) beat England (251 and 214) by 17 runs. Tayfield's record for the best bowling return by a South African in a Test match, set in the Third Test, lasted only three weeks. In England's second innings, he took nine for 113 with the final wicket a catch by his brother, Arthur, who was fielding as a substitute. South Africa had started well, with a second wicket stand of 112 between Godddard (67) and John WaiteJohn Waite
John Charles Waite is an English rock singer and musician. He was lead vocalist for The Babys and Bad English. As a solo artist, he scored several international hits, including 1984's "Missing You", a top ten hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart, reaching #1 in the...
(61) before McLean made 93. May made his best score of the series, 61, and Insole and Compton passed 40, but South Africa led by 89. Goddard made 49 as South Africa lost cheap wickets, and England were set 232 to win with three-quarter of an hour plus a whole day to get them. Richardson (39), Insole (68) and Cowdrey (55) gave them hope, and at tea on the final day, England needed just 46 with four wickets remaining. But Tayfield, who bowled throughout the final day, took the lot with 17 runs to spare.