Subject: | Re: Why England went undefeated in 14 series in the 1950s
| Date: | Sun, 20 Jul 2003 18:28:08 +0100
| From: | "David North" <dnorth@abbeymanor.fsbusiness.co.uk>
| Newsgroups: | uk.sport.cricket
|
"Robert Henderson" <Philip@anywhere.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:k+pTjLABlqG$Ewy+@anywhere.demon.co.uk...
> In the 1950s England went undefeated for 14 series, from the NZ series
> on the 1950/51 tour until the 1958 home series against NZ - the
> sequence was broken by Oz's win on the 58/59 tour.
>
> The sequence was a world record until the Windies beat it in the 1980s,
> the only time it has been beaten.
>
> The frontline bowlers who played for England during the run were
> remarkably few:
>
> Fast
>
> Trueman
> Tyson
> Staham
> Loader
> Moss (2 matches only)
> Ridgeway 4 matches only) 1
>
>
> Fast medium
>
> Bedser
> Bailey
> Shackleton (I match only)
Watkins (listed by CricInfo as LMF) played in 8 of the 9 Tests against India in 1951/52 and
1952,
and bowled quite a lot, especially on the tour.
>
>
> Spin
>
> OB
>
> Laker
> Tattersall
> Appleyaard
> McConnon (2 games only) 2
> Illingworth (1 game only) 3
Also Titmus - 2 games v SA 1955
>
> SLA
> Lock
> Wardle
> Hilton (3 games only)
>
> LBG
>
> Brown (6 games only)
> Jenkins (2 games only)
> Leadbeater (2 games only) *
Wright's last two Tests were on the 1950/51 NZ tour.
>
>
> From the third Test again India in 1952 to the fourth Test of the 1958
> NZ series England played only these bowlers:
>
> Pace: Bedser, Bailey, Trueman, Statham, Loader, Moss
Obviously you meant to include Tyson here!
> Spin: Laker, Tattersall, Appleyard, McConnon, Lock, Wardle, Brown.
>
> Moss played 2 Tests in that time, McConnon 2 Tests and Brown 1 Test.
> Hence, in a period of six years, all but five Tests were handled by
> five pace bowlers
Tyson makes six.
We're doing well these days if as few as six pace bowlers play over a period of six Tests, let
alone
six years, although of course it is commonplace to play field pace bowlers nowadays, whereas
three
was the norm in the 50s.
I get the impression that pace bowlers then were generally tougher physically than they are
now,
probably as a result of playing outdoors more as boys (generally I mean, not just cricket) and,
in
many cases, doing manual work after leaving school. I don't think it's any coincidence that
Glenn
McGrath, who was a farm worker in his youth and did not play a great deal of cricket as a teenager,
has one of the best fitness records among current Test pace bowlers.
> and five spinners, all of very high quality.
>
> Truly bowlers win matches. RH
--
David North
Email to this address will be deleted as spam
Use usenetATlaneHYPHENfarm.fsnet.co.uk
|