Frank Holmes Tyson is an
EnglandThe 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...
cricketerA cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
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 (18.56) in 17
Test matchesTest 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...
. Tyson rarely appears on lists of best Test bowling averages as they usually require a minimum of 100 Test wickets. However, he has the seventh lowest bowling average in
Test cricketTest 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...
for bowlers who have taken over 75 wickets and no bowler since Tyson has taken more than 20 wickets at a lower average. In 2007 a panel of judges declared him
Wisden Leading Cricketer in the WorldThe Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World award was introduced in 2004 to complement the long-standing Wisden Cricketer of the Year awards, which are still given to five players each year....
for 1955 due to his outstanding tour of
Australia in 1954-55Len 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...
in which he was instrumental in retaining
The AshesThe 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...
.
Early life
Tyson's mother was Mrs Violet Tyson (born 1892) and his father worked for the Yorkshire Dyeing Company, but died before his son was selected for England. As a boy he played cricket with his elder brother David Tyson, who served in Australia during the war and at
Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School,
MiddletonMiddleton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Irk, south-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester...
, where he practiced his run up on the balcony. Unusually for a professional cricketer in the 1950s Tyson was a university graduate and studied English literature at
Hatfield CollegeHatfield College is a college of the University of Durham in England. Founded in 1846 by the Rev. David Melville, it is the second oldest of Durham's colleges, and was originally called Bishop Hatfield's Hall...
in the University of Durham. He was a qualified schoolmaster and used to read the works of
Geoffrey ChaucerGeoffrey Chaucer , known as the Father of English literature, is widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages and was the first poet to have been buried in Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey...
,
George Bernard ShawGeorge Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama, and he wrote more than 60...
and
Virginia WoolfAdeline Virginia Woolf was an English author, essayist, publisher, and writer of short stories, regarded as one of the foremost modernist literary figures of the twentieth century....
on tour. Instead of
sledgingSledging is a term used in cricket to describe the practice whereby some players seek to gain an advantage by insulting or verbally intimidating the opposing player. The purpose is to try to weaken the opponent's concentration, thereby causing him to make mistakes or underperform...
batsmen he quoted Wordsworth; "For still, the more he works, the more/Do his weak ankles swell". He completed his
National ServiceNational service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
in the
Royal Corps of SignalsThe Royal Corps of Signals is one of the combat support arms of the British Army...
in 1952 as a Keyboard Operator and Cypher. "Sportsmen were generally retained on headquarters staff and he played circket for his
platoonA platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four sections or squads and containing 16 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organized into a company, which typically consists of three, four or five platoons. A platoon is typically the smallest military unit led by a commissioned officer—the...
,
squadronSquadron has different meanings:*Squadron , a cavalry or other unit that consists of a number of troops.*Squadron , a unit of aircraft that consists of three or four "flights", with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, depending on aircraft type and air force.*Squadron , a unit of 3-4 major naval vessels...
,
regimentA regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
, area command and the
ArmyThe Army cricket team is a cricket side representing the British Army. The team played a number of first-class matches between 1912 and 1939, although a combined "Army and Navy" side had played two games against a combined Oxford and Cambridge team in 1910 and 1911...
. He served at the Headquarters Squadron 4 Training Regiment where he controlled the movements of men transferring in and out of
CatterickCatterick Garrison is a major Army base located in Northern England. It is the largest British Army garrison in the world with a population of around 12,000, plus a large temporary population of soldiers, and is larger than its older neighbour...
, but not very well. He abhorred guns and when he took his rifle training he made sure that he always missed the target. In 1952-53 he worked felling trees, which
John SnowJohn Augustine Snow played cricket for Sussex and England in the 1960s and 1970s. Despite being the son of a country vicar and publishing two volumes of poetry Snow was England's most formidable fast bowler between Fred Trueman and Bob Willis and played Test Matches with both of them at either end...
regarded as an excellent exercise for developing the muscles of a fast bowler and attended
Alf Gover'sAlfred Richard Gover MBE was an English Test cricketer. He was the mainstay of the Surrey bowling attack during the 1930s and played four Tests before and after the Second World War...
East Hill Indoor School for cricketers. In 1954-55 Gover covered the Ashes tour as a journalist and advised Tyson to use the shorter from his league cricket days, which proved to be a turning point in the series.
| Completed Best Test 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...
bowling averageBowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowlers divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. It is similar to earned...
s (Qualification: 75 wickets, career completed) Source Cricinfo |
| Position | Player | Lifespan | Team | Tests | Wickets | Best Bowling | Average | 5 Wickets | 10 Wickets |
| 1 |
George Lohmann George Alfred Lohmann is regarded as one of the greatest bowlers of all time...
|
1865–1901 |
|
18 |
112 |
9/28 |
10.75 |
9 |
5 |
| 2 |
Sydney Barnes Sydney Francis Barnes was an English professional cricketer who is generally regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the sport's history...
|
1873–1967 |
|
27 |
189 |
9/103 |
16.43 |
24 |
7 |
| 3 |
Charles Turner Charles Thomas Biass Turner was a bowler who is regarded as one of the finest ever produced by Australia....
|
1862–1944 |
|
17 |
101 |
7/43 |
16.53 |
11 |
2 |
| 4 |
Bobby Peel Robert "Bobby" Peel was a Yorkshire and England cricketer: a left-arm spinner who ranks as one of the finest bowlers of the 1890s. He was also a capable batsman, who once hit 210 not out...
|
1857–1941 |
|
20 |
101 |
7/31 |
16.98 |
5 |
1 |
| 5 |
Johnny Briggs Johnny Briggs was a left arm spin bowler for Lancashire County Cricket Club between 1879 and 1900 who still stands as the second-highest wicket-taker in the county's history after Brian Statham...
|
1862–1901 |
|
33 |
118 |
8/11 |
17.75 |
9 |
4 |
| 6 |
Fred SpofforthFrederick Robert "Fred" Spofforth , also known as "The Demon Bowler", was arguably the Australian cricket team's finest pace bowler of the nineteenth century and was the first bowler to take 50 Test wickets, and the first to take a test hat-trick in 1879...
|
1853–1926 |
|
18 |
94 |
7/44 |
18.41 |
7 |
4 |
| 7 |
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...
|
1930–present |
|
17 |
76 |
7/27 |
18.56 |
4 |
1 |
| 8 |
Colin Blythe Colin Blythe , also known as Charlie Blythe, was a Kent and England left arm spinner who is regarded as one of the finest bowlers of the period between 1900 and 1914 - sometimes referred to as the "Golden Age" of cricket.-Career:Blythe first played...
|
1879–1917 |
|
19 |
100 |
8/59 |
18.63 |
9 |
4 |
| 9 |
Johnny 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....
|
1923–1985 |
|
28 |
102 |
7/36 |
20.39 |
5 |
1 |
| 10 |
Alan Davidson Alan Keith Davidson, AM, MBE is a former Australian cricketer of the 1950s and 1960s. He was an all rounder: a hard-hitting lower-order left-handed batsman, and an outstanding left-arm fast-medium opening bowler...
|
1929–present |
|
44 |
186 |
7/93 |
20.53 |
14 |
2 |
Early cricket career 1952–54
Before he became a professional cricketer Tyson played for Middleton in the Central Lancashire League, Knypersley in the
North StaffordshireThe North Staffordshire and South Cheshire League is the top level of competition for recreational club cricket in the North Staffordshire and South Cheshire area of England. Since 2001 it has been a designated ECB Premier League.-Winners:-External links:...
League,
Durham UniversityThe University of Durham, commonly known as Durham University, is a university in Durham, England. It was founded by Act of Parliament in 1832 and granted a Royal Charter in 1837...
and the
ArmyThe Army cricket team is a cricket side representing the British Army. The team played a number of first-class matches between 1912 and 1939, although a combined "Army and Navy" side had played two games against a combined Oxford and Cambridge team in 1910 and 1911...
. Although invited for trials by
LancashireLancashire 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...
at Old Trafford he was turned down because he ‘because he dipped at the knee’, so he qualified for
NorthamptonshireNorthamptonshire 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 1952 through residence. Tyson made his first class debut against the Indian tourists in 1953, after his first ball the slips moved back an extra five yards and his first wicket was that of the Test batsman
Pankaj RoyPankaj Roy was an Indian cricketer. A right-handed opening batsman, he is best known for establishing the world record opening partnership of 413 runs, together with Vinoo Mankad, against New Zealand at Chennai. The record stood until 2008. He was honoured with the Padma Shri...
for a duck. Tyson's second first class match was against the
AustraliansThe Australian cricket team toured England in the 1953 season to play a five-match Test series against England for The Ashes.England won the final Test to take the series 1-0 after the first four Tests were all drawn. England therefore recovered the Ashes for the first time since losing them in...
in 1953.
Richie 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....
was told that the unknown Tyson was a bowler fresh out of Durham University who would give them no trouble. They began to revise this estimation when they saw the wicket-keeper take position halfway to the boundary and young Tyson walked over to the sightscreen to begin his run up. The first ball ricocheted off the edge of Colin McDonald's bat to the boundary, the second trapped him
lbwIn 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...
before could play a stroke, the third was a bouncer that flew past
Graeme HoleGraeme Blake Hole was an Australian cricketer....
's nose and the fourth was a
yorkerYorker is a term used in cricket that describes a ball bowled which hits the cricket pitch around the batsman's feet. When a batsman assumes a normal stance this generally means that the cricket ball bounces on the cricket pitch on or near the batsman's popping crease...
that clean bowled Hole and sent his stumps cartwheeling over the wicket-keeper's head. In 1954 on a brute of a pitch at Old Trafford Tyson hit the sightscreen with the ball after first bounce on the pitch. He is one of only four bowlers to have achieved this feat in the history of the game, the others being
Charles KortrightCharles Jesse Kortright was an English cricketer, who played for Essex and Free Foresters...
,
Roy GilchristRoy Gilchrist was a West Indian cricketer who played 13 Tests for the West Indies in the 1950s. He was born in Saint Thomas, Jamaica and died of Parkinson's disease in St Catherine, Jamaica at the age of 67....
and
Jeff ThomsonJeffrey Robert Thomson is a former Australian cricketer. Known as "Thommo", he was one of the fastest bowlers ever to play Test cricket and was the opening partner of fellow fast bowler Dennis Lillee; their combination was one of the most fearsome in Test cricket history...
. and he was given his county cap in the same year, his first full First Class season. Tyson reckoned that he received his Test call up when ex-England captains
Gubby AllenSir George Oswald Browning "Gubby" Allen, CBE was a cricketer who played for Middlesex, Cambridge University, MCC and England. Australian-born, Allen was a fast bowler and hard-hitting lower-order batsman, who captained England in eleven Test matches...
and
Norman YardleyNorman Walter Dransfield Yardley was an English cricketer who played for Cambridge University, Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England, as a right-handed batsman and occasional bowler. An amateur, he captained Yorkshire from 1948 to 1955 and England on fourteen occasions between 1947 and 1950,...
saw him hospitalise
Bill EdrichWilliam John "Bill" Edrich DFC was a distinguished cricketer who played for Middlesex, MCC, Norfolk and England.Edrich's three brothers, Brian, Eric and Geoff, and also his cousin, John, all played first-class cricket...
at
LordsLord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
. Edrich, a noted
hookerIn the sport of cricket, a bouncer is a type of delivery, usually bowled by a fast bowler. It is pitched short so that it bounces on the pitch well short of the batsman and rears up to chest or head height as it reaches the batsman.Bouncers are used tactically to drive the batsman back on to his...
of fast bowling, mistimed his stroke due to the speed of the ball and his cheek bone was broken. The
MCCMarylebone 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...
were thereby convinced of the speed and hostility of Tyson's bowling and decided to take him to Australia. He was selected to play for England against Pakistan at
The OvalThe Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
in 1954, taking 4-35 and 1-22 and making 3 runs in each innings batting at number eight, but Pakistan won the match by 24 runs thanks to the bowling of
Fazal MahmoodFazal Mahmood was a Pakistani cricketer, regarded as the finest pace bowler of his country's early years. He played in 34 Test matches and took 139 wickets at a bowling average of 24.70...
. Although he batted at number eleven in league cricket "The Middleton groudnman was a fatalist. He used to start up the roller to refurbish the wicket when I went in to bat". Tyson worked on his batting and in 1954 "was building up a reputation as an
all-rounderAn 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...
, scoring consistently with the bat", and he batted at number seven for England. However, this did not develop as much as expected and he reverted to being a lower-order batsman.
Tour of Australia and New Zealand 1954-55
See Main Articles English cricket team in Australia in 1954–55 and 1954-55 Ashes series
Test Match Special commentry on the 1954-55 Ashes Series
First Test vs Australia at Brisbane
Tyson was chosen for the MCC tour of Australia in 1954-55, seen as a replacement for
Fred 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...
who was controversially left behind. Freed of rationing Tyson increased his weight from 161
lbsThe pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
(73 kg) to 182 lbs (83 kg) within a month of leaving the UK. Hutton won the toss, put Australia in to bat and watched England drop 14 catches as Australia made 601/8 declared. Tyson was hit for 1/160 off 29
eight ball oversIn the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate....
and England lost by an innings and 154 runs. Even so Tyson hit
Arthur MorrisArthur Robert Morris MBE is a former Australian cricketer who played 46 Test matches between 1946 and 1955. An opener, Morris is regarded as one of Australia's greatest left-handed batsmen. He is best known for his key role in Don Bradman's Invincibles side, which made an undefeated tour of...
and
Neil HarveyRobert Neil Harvey MBE is a former Australian cricketer who represented the Australian cricket team between 1948 and 1963, playing in 79 Test matches. He was the vice-captain of the team from 1957 until his retirement...
repeatedly with the ball and they were badly bruised. More to the point he bounced
Ray LindwallRaymond Russell Lindwall MBE was a cricketer who represented Australia in 61 Tests from 1946 to 1960. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time. He also played top-flight rugby league football with St...
after the Australian
all-rounderAn 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...
knocked several boundaries off the fast bowler on his way to 64
not outIn 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...
. Tyson also managed to
run outRun out is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket. It is governed by Law 38 of the Laws of cricket.-The rules:A batsman is out Run out if at any time while the ball is in play no part of his bat or person is grounded behind the popping crease and his wicket is fairly put down by the opposing...
Graeme HoleGraeme Blake Hole was an Australian cricketer....
and made 37 not out in the second innings, which remained his highest Test score.
Second Test vs Australia at Sydney
Taking advice from his old coach
Alf GoverAlfred Richard Gover MBE was an English Test cricketer. He was the mainstay of the Surrey bowling attack during the 1930s and played four Tests before and after the Second World War...
, who was in Australia as a journalist, Tyson stopped using his laborious 38 yard run up and returned to a shorter run up used in league cricket with ten short then ten long final strides. With this he took 4/45 in the first innings, described vividly by
Margaret HughesMargaret Patricia Hughes was a sportswriter.Her first book, All On A Summer's Day , was described by Neville Cardus in his foreword to the book as "the first book on first-class cricket not written by a man"....
"Harvey received a beast of a ball from Tyson which spat up at him and splashed off his bat to Cowdrey".
Ray LindwallRaymond Russell Lindwall MBE was a cricketer who represented Australia in 61 Tests from 1946 to 1960. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time. He also played top-flight rugby league football with St...
had bowled Tyson for a duck in the England first innings and was bounced again, so in the second innings the Australian fast bowler took his revenge
He let me have a very fast, short-pitched deliveryIn the sport of cricket, a bouncer is a type of delivery, usually bowled by a fast bowler. It is pitched short so that it bounces on the pitch well short of the batsman and rears up to chest or head height as it reaches the batsman.Bouncers are used tactically to drive the batsman back on to his...
...Instinctively I turned a defensive back on the ball which skidded through and hit me a sickening blow on the back of my head. I sank to the ground and as I slipped in and out of consciousness, I was dimly aware of the players gathering round my prostate body. Indistinctly I heard my fellow batsman Bill EdrichWilliam John "Bill" Edrich DFC was a distinguished cricketer who played for Middlesex, MCC, Norfolk and England.Edrich's three brothers, Brian, Eric and Geoff, and also his cousin, John, all played first-class cricket...
saying: 'My God, Lindy, you've killed him!'...I was very, very angry with Ray LindwallRaymond Russell Lindwall MBE was a cricketer who represented Australia in 61 Tests from 1946 to 1960. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time. He also played top-flight rugby league football with St...
. And the whole of the Aussie team knew it...I would return the bouncer with interest!
Players did not wear protective helmets in the 1950s and he had to be helped off the field with a large bump on his head that was visible from the stands. He was taken to hospital for x-rays, but returned to loud applause only to be bowled by Lindwall for 9. The Australians needed 223 to win, but were afraid that Tyson would send down a barrage of fast, short-pitched bowling, but he was intelligent enough to bowl full length deliveries that caught them unprepared. While
Brian 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...
bowled "up the cellar steps" and into the wind Tyson tore down the slope from the
Randwick EndThe Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
with "half a gale" behind him and bowled "as fast as man has ever bowled". He took 6/85 in the innings and 10/130 in the match to give England a 38 run victory. The Australian captain
Arthur MorrisArthur Robert Morris MBE is a former Australian cricketer who played 46 Test matches between 1946 and 1955. An opener, Morris is regarded as one of Australia's greatest left-handed batsmen. He is best known for his key role in Don Bradman's Invincibles side, which made an undefeated tour of...
told the newspapers "Such fine bowling deserved to win".
Peter 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...
told Tyson "you bowled like a '
DingbatA dingbat is an ornament or spacer used in typesetting, sometimes more formally known as a "printer's ornament"Dingbat or dingbats might also refer to:...
'" and the nickname 'Dingers' stuck".
Third Test vs Australia at Melbourne
The Third Test cemented the "Typhoon" reputation. He took 2/68 in the first innings and at the end of the fourth day Australia needed 240 to win and were 75-2, with Tyson on 1/11. Over 50,000 Australian fans came on the fifth day to see
Neil HarveyRobert Neil Harvey MBE is a former Australian cricketer who represented the Australian cricket team between 1948 and 1963, playing in 79 Test matches. He was the vice-captain of the team from 1957 until his retirement...
and
Richie 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....
knock off the remaining 165 runs, but what they got was 'the fastest and most frightening sustained spell of fast bowling seen in Australia'. as Tyson took 6/16 off 6.3 overs from the Richmond End. His 7/27 in the innings was his best Test innings analysis, the best by an England bowler in Australia since
George LohmannGeorge Alfred Lohmann is regarded as one of the greatest bowlers of all time...
's 8/35 in 1886-87 and have not been bettered since. Australia added only 36 runs, were dismissed for the dreaded
Triple Nelson111 is the natural number following 110 and preceding 112. It is the lowest positive integer requiring six syllables to name in American English, or seven syllables in Canadian and British English...
and England won by 128 runs. The game finished well before lunch and the caterers were left with thousands of unsold pies when the crowd deserted the ground.
Fourth Test vs Australia at Adelaide
The AshesThe 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...
were decided at Adelaide, Hutton cunningly changing his bowlers to mix the pace of Tyson and
Brian 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...
with the spin of
Bob AppleyardBob Appleyard is a former Yorkshire and England cricketer.He was one of the best English bowlers of the 1950s, a decade which saw England develop its strongest bowling attack of the twentieth century...
and
Johnny 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....
. Tyson took 3/85 and 3/47 as Australia fell for 111 in the second innings to lose the Test by five wickets and the series 3-1. It was the first time England had won a series in Australia since 1932-33, they would not win another until 1970-71.
Fifth Test vs Australia at Sydney
Despite three days lost to rain an aggressive England team almost made it 4-1. Tyson took 2/45 and 0/20 as Australia followed on, needing 32 runs to make England bat again with only four wickets left. Tyson had taken 28 wickets in the series at 20.82 and was named one of the five
Wisden Cricketers of the YearThe Wisden Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, based primarily on their "influence on the previous English season"...
in 1956. Stokes McGown, a Botany Bay Sports Goods manufacturer made autographed cricket balls in his honour; ironically 'The Typhoon' ball was good for swinging, unlike its namesake.
First Test vs New Zealand at Dunedin
After Australia England toured New Zealand, who had yet to win a Test match. Tyson took 3/23 and 4/16 in the First Test as New Zealand were dismissed for 125 and 132 and England won by 8 wickets despite making only 209/8
declaredIn the sport of cricket a declaration occurs when a captain declares his team's innings closed and a forfeiture is when a captain chooses to forfeit an innings. Declaration and forfeiture are covered in Law 14 of the Laws of cricket...
in their first innings.
Second Test vs New Zealand at Auckland
In this extraordinary Test Tyson took 2/41 in the New Zealand first innings of 200. When he joined
Len HuttonSir 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...
on 164/7 the home side looked like getting a first innings lead and one gentleman even booked a flight to Auckland in the hope of seeing New Zealand's first Test victory. Hutton told Tyson to "Stick around for a while Frank, we may not have to bat again", a prediction that Tyson later thought verged on
second sightSecond sight is a form of extrasensory perception, the supposed power to perceive things that are not present to the senses, whereby a person perceives information, in the form of a vision, about future events before they happen , or about things or events at remote locations...
. He did hang round a bit and made 27 not out in England's 246. New Zealand spectacularly collapsed and were out for 26 to lose by an innings and 20 runs, the lowest completed score in Test cricket, Tyson taking 2/10 in the debacle.
Later cricket career 1955–1959
See Main Articles English cricket team in Australia in 1958–59,
1958–59 Ashes seriesThe 1958–59 Ashes series consisted of five cricket Test matches, each of five days with six hours play each day and eight ball overs. It formed part of the MCC tour of Australia in 1958–59 and the matches outside the Tests were played in the name of the Marylebone Cricket Club...
and
Umpiring in the 1958–59 Ashes seriesThe England team were very unhappy with the umpiring of the 1958–59 Ashes series, in particular the questionable actions of some bowlers in the Australian team. The televising of Test cricket was in its infancy and the notion of Test umpires using slow-motion replays or other modern techniques was...
Tyson returned to England a hero, but
NorthantsNorthamptonshire 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...
refused to pay for a civic welcome, though the Supporters Club arranged a Welcome Home function at the Northampton Repertory Theatre. Northamptonshire was an unfancied county known for its "cabbage patch" home wickets which reduced the effectiveness of Tyson's bowling and would shorten his career. Management ignored his pleas for a faster wicket because of their spin bowlers
George TribeGeorge Edward Tribe was an Australian cricketer who played in 3 Tests from 1946 to 1947, as well as an Australian rules footballer with the Footscray Football Club in the VFL....
, Jack Manning and
Micky AllenMichael Henry John Allen was an English cricketer who played for Northamptonshire from 1956 to 1963, for MCC from 1958 to 1961 and Derbyshire from 1964 to 1966....
.
Len HuttonSir 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...
advised him to move back to Lancashire to team up with
Brian 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...
, but county transfers were difficult in those days and Tyson stayed at
NorthantsNorthamptonshire 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 the Test arena he demonstrated the pace that had overpowered the Australians on a green wicket at
Trent BridgeTrent Bridge is a Test, One-day international and County cricket ground located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England and is also the headquarters of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. As well as International cricket and Nottinghamshire's home games, the ground has hosted the Finals Day of...
, taking 2/51 and 6/28 against South Africa as they fell to an innings defeat. In his first nine tests he had taken 52 wickets at 15.56, but this was effectively the end of his career as England's premier fast bowler. A badly blistered right heel forced him to miss the Second Test at
LordsLord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
and this injury would dog him for the remainder of his career. It was thought at the time that this was due to his violent pounding his foot received when he delivered the ball, but it was later found to be caused by the friction of his heel turning in ill-fitting boots. His place was taken by his Yorkshire rival
Fred 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...
and Tyson's last eight Tests were played intermittently over a period of four years before he retired. He returned to play in the
Third Test vs South Africa at Old Trafford taking 3/124 and 3/55, but missed the last two Tests. A series of injuries kept him out of the England team and he did not play until the
Fifth Test against Australia at
The OvalThe Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
in 1956, when he took 1/34 in the first innings and did not bowl in the second. In South Africa in 1956-57 he barely bowled in the
First Test at Johannesburg and was only recalled for the
Fifth Test at
Port ElizabethSt George's Park is a multi-use park in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The park is the oldest park in Port Elizabeth and most commonly associated with the St George's Oval cricket grounds located within the park.-Features:...
, where he took 2/38 and 6/40 bowling off a five yard run up. In 1957 he took his best
First ClassFirst-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
bowling; 8/60 against
SurreySurrey 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...
at the
Kennington OvalThe Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
with 5/52 in the second innings to return 13/112, his best match figures.
WisdenThe Wisden Group was a group of companies formed by John Wisden & Co Ltd, publishers of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. As well as John Wisden & Co, the group included the The Wisden Cricketer magazine, Cricinfo – the world's highest traffic cricket website – and the Hawk-Eye computerised...
reported '...nearly half the runs scored off him came from the edge'. Tyson toured Australia again in
1958-59The 1958–59 Ashes series consisted of five cricket Test matches, each of five days with six hours play each day and eight ball overs. It formed part of the MCC tour of Australia in 1958–59 and the matches outside the Tests were played in the name of the Marylebone Cricket Club...
, but the pitches were slower than four years before and the injury-struck Tyson only played in the
Fourth and
Fifth Tests, taking 3 wickets at 64.33. His last hurrah was in New Zealand, were he took 3-23 and 2-23 in the
First Test at Christchurch and 1/50 in a rain affected draw in the
Second Test at
AucklandEden Park is the biggest stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. It is used primarily for rugby union in winter and cricket in summer . The ground also occasionally hostts rugby league matches. To accommodate all three sports, the cricket pitch is removable...
, taking a wicket with his last ball in Test cricket. He toured South Africa with the
Commonwealth XIThe Commonwealth XI cricket team played over 100 first-class cricket matches from 1949 to 1968. The team started out as a side made up of mostly English, Australian and West Indian cricketers, that toured the subcontinent but later on played first-class fixtures in England...
in 1959-60, taking 1/80 and 4/53 against Transvaal.
Style
His best pace was nothing short of startling to batsmen and spectators alike. He represented an elemental force obscuring the details of his technique and the highest tribute he received was the gasp of incredulity frequently emitted by the crowd as the ball passed from his hand to the distant wicket-keeper.
- J.M. Kilburn, Yorkshire Post
The Yorkshire Post is a daily broadsheet newspaper, published in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England by Yorkshire Post Newspapers, a company owned by Johnston Press...
In League, University and Army cricket Tyson had used a 'short'
run upThe term "run-up" is a cricketing term which refers to the approach a bowler makes when preparing to deliver the ball. The ball must be delivered from behind a bowling crease, but preparation to bowl the ball can be done any way the bowler wishes...
of 18 or 20 yards consisting of ten short steps and ten long final strides to the wicket. When he moved to first class cricket this increased to 38 yards, starting near the sightscreen and over 200 feet from the
wicket-keeperThe 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...
, who was often reduced to an athletic
long stopFielding in the sport of cricket is the action of fielders in collecting the ball after it is struck by the batsman, in such a way as to either limit the number of runs that the batsman scores or get the batsman out by catching the ball in flight or running the batsman out.Cricket fielding position...
. With a final leap to the wicket he released the ball with a high arm action and a heave of his shoulders, 'the ferocity of his delivery' was described as 'every muscle is in use, the right foot takes the strain, the right arm is straight ready for delivery and the left leg kicks out menacingly'. Australian newspapers had accused Tyson of
draggingIn the sport of cricket a no ball is a penalty against the fielding team, usually as a result of an illegal delivery by the bowler. The delivery of a no ball results in one run to be added to the batting team's score, and an additional ball must be bowled...
his right foot over the popping crease on the 1954-55 tour and an English newspaper responded; "Will Tyson be "sacrificed" to avoid any risk of giving the Australians a chance to scream that Tyson persistently bowls no-balls by foot-drag over the crease?" with pictures of his bowling action. In the match between the
VictoriaThe 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 the
M.C.CMarylebone 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...
he was photographed dragging his foot 18 inches past the crease, but
Pat CrawfordWilliam Patrick Anthony Crawford was an Australian cricketer who played in four Tests, including one in England at Lord's in 1956 and three in India in 1956–57...
of
New South WalesThe New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
was photographed with his foot 36 inches over the crease. The caption reading "Oh Tyson. You are an Angel compared to Pat!" An enterprising Sydney newspaper paid
Harold LarwoodHarold Larwood was an English cricket player, an extremely accurate fast bowler best known for his key role as the implementer of fast leg theory in the infamous "bodyline" Ashes Test series of 1932–33....
to give his name to an article declaring "Replay Tests - Tyson Not Fair". Unlike the great swing bowler
Fred 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...
he 'bowled straight and...never intentionally bowled an out-swinger. Instead Tyson relied on his tremendous pace to take most of his wickets, batsmen were often caught in mid-stroke by the speed of the ball coming onto the bat, or were too nervous to play fluently. On a green or crumbling wicket providing movement he could simply blast his way through the batting, and produced bounce and pace even off the placid Northamptonshire wickets. Tyson believed that a
bouncerIn the sport of cricket, a bouncer is a type of delivery, usually bowled by a fast bowler. It is pitched short so that it bounces on the pitch well short of the batsman and rears up to chest or head height as it reaches the batsman.Bouncers are used tactically to drive the batsman back on to his...
should 'pin the batsman against the sightscreen' and frequently used them to intimidate batsmen, even tailenders His ungainly action and quest for raw speed took a toll on even his strong body and he suffered from a series of injuries which brought a premature end to his career. In 1994 he had operations to his right arm and knees and a further operation on his knees in 2001 rendered him practically immobile for a short time. As he put it himself "to bowl fast is to revel in the glad animal action, to thrill in physical power and to enjoy a sneaking feeling of superiority over the mortals who play the game". However, he was no simple bowler, but thought hard how to dismiss and deceive batsman.
John ArlottLeslie Thomas John Arlott OBE was an English journalist, author and cricket commentator for the BBC's Test Match Special. He was also a poet, wine connoisseur and former police officer in Hampshire...
wrote "This was intelligence, rhythm and strength merged into the violent craft of fast bowling" and "He is intelligent beyond the usual run of fast bowlers: he is the type of cricketer whom improves rapidly through thinking about the game".
Typhoon Tyson
Frank Tyson, at his peak, was possibly the fastest bowler of all time. In 1954-55, England convincingly beat Australia by three Tests to one, mainly thanks to devastating bowling that earned Tyson the nickname 'Typhoon'. Roaring off a long run, he generated tremendous pace that unnerved and unhinged even the greatest batsmen.
- 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...
His
fast bowlingFast 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...
gave him the nickname "Typhoon Tyson", and despite his short career he achieved status as the fastest England bowler in living memory. Don Bradman called him "the fastest bowler I have ever seen" and
Richie 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....
agreed, writing "For a short time, Frank Tyson blasted all-comers".
Tom 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...
wrote 'I cannot believe any bowler was faster than Tyson at that time'. When fielding in the slips he had 'to stand 40 yards off the bat, and still. the ball was often going over our heads from edged shots'. His
NorthantsNorthamptonshire 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...
colleague
Jock LivingstonLeonard "Jock" Livingston, born at Hurlstone Park, Sydney on 3 May 1920 and died there on 16 January 1998, was an Australian cricketer who played most of his first-class cricket in England.-Cricket career:...
said 'When really firing, Tyson was the quickest of all over a period of three or four overs'. Livingston had seen
Harold LarwoodHarold Larwood was an English cricket player, an extremely accurate fast bowler best known for his key role as the implementer of fast leg theory in the infamous "bodyline" Ashes Test series of 1932–33....
bowl
BodylineBodyline, 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...
and batted against the Australian fast bowlers
MillerKeith Ross Miller MBE was an Australian Test cricketer and a Royal Australian Air Force pilot during World War II. Miller is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever all-rounder. Because of his ability, irreverent manner and good looks he was a crowd favourite...
and
LindwallRaymond Russell Lindwall MBE was a cricketer who represented Australia in 61 Tests from 1946 to 1960. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time. He also played top-flight rugby league football with St...
in the Sheffield Shield. At the Aeronautical College in Wellington, New Zealand in 1955 metal plates were attached to a cricket ball and a sonic device was used to measure their speed, with Tyson's bowling measured at 89 mph (142 km/h), but he was wearing three sweaters on a cold, damp morning and used no run up,
Brian 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...
bowled at 87 mph (139 km/h). He certainly bowled faster than 89 mph in matches, and Tyson claimed that he could bowl at 119 mph (190 km/h), but this cannot be proven. The best that can be said was that he was noticeably faster than his contemporaries
Ray LindwallRaymond Russell Lindwall MBE was a cricketer who represented Australia in 61 Tests from 1946 to 1960. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time. He also played top-flight rugby league football with St...
,
Keith MillerKeith Ross Miller MBE was an Australian Test cricketer and a Royal Australian Air Force pilot during World War II. Miller is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever all-rounder. Because of his ability, irreverent manner and good looks he was a crowd favourite...
,
Fred 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...
,
Brian 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...
,
Peter HeinePeter Samuel Heine was a South African cricketer who played in fourteen Tests from 1955 to 1962...
and
Neil AdcockNeil 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...
. His great fast bowling rival
Fred 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...
‘was forever being told that when it came to bowling I was very fast, but on his day Frank Tyson was faster than me' and it was Tyson who kept Trueman out of the England team in 1954-55. When they played together in a
Gentlemen v PlayersThe Gentlemen v Players game was a first-class cricket match that was generally played on an annual basis between one team consisting of amateurs and one of professionals . The first two games took place in 1806 but the fixture was not revived until 1819. It was more or less annual thereafter...
match at Scarborough in 1957 the captain
Godfrey 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...
insisted Trueman bowl into the headwind so as to give the faster Tyson the advantage of the tailwind Dickie Bird, the famous England umpire, wrote "he was certainly the quickest bowler I ever seen through the air, and on one occasion the quickest bowler I never saw through the air". When playing for
Yorkshire vs the MCC at Scarborough in 1958 "I opened the innings against him and hit his first three deliveries through the off side for four. With supreme confidence I went on to the front foot for the fourth ball. Tyson dropped one short. It reared up and hit me on the chin. I went down as if I'd just been on the receiving end of a right hook...I still carry the scar to show my folly that day. There was blood all over and I saw stars. I could hear bells ringing in my head...". Dickie came back to score his then highest first class score of 62 and Tyson took 4/30. When they met in Australia in 1998-99 Tyson joked 'You're looking well Dickie. See you still have the scars through'.
Later career
Frank Tyson met his wife Ursula Miles (born in 1936) in Melbourne on the 1954-55 tour, they married in a Melbourne church on 22 November 1957 with much publicity. They are still happily married and have three children, Philip (a non-Typhoon medium paced bowler), Sara and Anna, and eight grandchildren. He retired from first class cricket in 1960 and emigrated to Australia as a
ten pound pom Ten Pound Poms is a colloquial term used in Australia to describe British subjects who migrated to Australia after the Second World War under an assisted passage scheme established and operated by the Government of Australia.The scheme, a follow-on to the unofficial Big Brother Movement,...
, as his hero
Harold LarwoodHarold Larwood was an English cricket player, an extremely accurate fast bowler best known for his key role as the implementer of fast leg theory in the infamous "bodyline" Ashes Test series of 1932–33....
had done ten years earlier. "It had struck me while I was over there that it was a wonderful country to bring up a family, with the open spaces, the climate and the job opportunities". He became a schoolmaster at
Carey Baptist Grammar SchoolCarey Baptist Grammar School is an independent, co-educational, Christian, international, day school consisting of four campuses in Victoria, Australia - Kew , Donvale , the Carey Sports Complex in Bulleen and an outdoor education camp near Paynesville in eastern Gippsland called Carey...
in Melbourne, teaching English, French and History, later becoming a housemaster and the head of languages. Tyson worked as a cricket coach in Melbourne and was the captain-coach of
University of Melbourne Cricket ClubThe University of Melbourne Cricket Club, often called simply "University", plays the sport of cricket in the elite club competition of Melbourne, Australia, known as Victorian Premier Cricket. The club was founded in 1856 and played its first season of premier cricket in 1906–07. Known as...
. He also played for
Todmorden Cricket ClubTodmorden Cricket Club is a cricket club in the Lancashire League, which plays its home games at Centre Vale in Todmorden, West Yorkshire. For the 2011 season its captain is Simon Newbitt, and its professional is Qaiser Abbas. The club has won the league on five occasions and won the cup eight times...
in the Lancashire League in 1961, the Prime Ministers XI in 1963-64,
International CavaliersThe International Cavaliers were an ad hoc cricket team made up of famous cricketers in order to encourage local cricket. Their teams included many prominent cricketers from the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s and 1970s as many retired veterans and talented young players were in the team at one point or another...
in 1968, Old England vs Old Australia in 1980 and
Footscray Cricket ClubFootscray is a suburb 5 km west of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Maribyrnong. At the 2006 Census, Footscray had a population of 11,401....
. He was recruited as the Director of Coaching for the Victorian Cricket Association, taking them to two Sheffield Shield victories, and helped establish the Australian National Accreditation Scheme in 1974. From 1990 to 2008 he travelled to India to teach the coaches at the
National Cricket AcademyThe National Cricket Academy located in Chinnaswamy Stadium Bangalore, Karnataka in India, established in 2000 is a cricket facility of the Board of Control for Cricket in India for training young cricketers who are identified as having the potential to represent the Indian cricket team...
. and
Mumbai Cricket AssociationThe Mumbai cricket Association or MCA is the governing body for cricket in Mumbai and its surrounding regions like Thane and Navi Mumbai. The association comes under west zone .The Association was established in 1930 and has a sound ConstitutionThe Mumbai cricket team is the team for The Mumbai...
. and has coached the Sri Lankan national cricket team for the World Cup.
On the 1954-55 tour he had written columns for the
Empire NewsThe Empire News was a Sunday newspaper in the United Kingdom.The newspaper was founded in 1884 in Manchester as The Umpire. A penny newspaper, it was the first successful provincial Sunday newspaper in England. Owned by H. S. Jennings, the Umpire was subtitled "A Sporting, Athletic, Theatrical...
and
Manchester Evening NewsThe Manchester Evening News is a regional daily newspaper covering Greater Manchester in the United Kingdom. It is published every day except Sunday and is owned by Trinity Mirror plc following its sale by Guardian Media Group in early 2010. It has an average daily circulation of 90,973 copies...
and when he retired he wrote for the London Observer, Daily Telegraph, Melbourne Age and contributed to
The Cricketer InternationalThe Cricketer was an English cricket magazine published between 1921 and 2003 when it was merged with Wisden Cricket Monthly and relaunched as The Wisden Cricketer....
magazine. He was also a cricket commentator on Australian radio for 36 years and for Channel Nine from 1979 to 1986, forming a partnership with
Tony GreigAnthony "Tony" William Greig is a former English Test cricketer and currently a commentator.Born in Queenstown, South Africa, Greig qualified to play for England by virtue of his Scottish father. He was a tall batting all-rounder who bowled both medium pace and off spin. He became captain of the...
. Tyson is now fully retired, but goes to the gym three times a week, enjoys swimming and spends his time making oil paintings of cricketers and cricket grounds in his house on the
Gold CoastGold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
, where he can "wake up every day in the sun".
Books written by Frank Tyson
- Tyson, The Sportsmans Book Club (1962)
- The Crawford Dixon Letters (1967)
- Test of Nerves, Manark (1975)
- The Hapless Hookers, Garry Sparke & Associates, Melbourne (1976)
- Complete Cricket Coaching, Pelham Bks. (11 Jul 1977)
- Centenary Test, Pelham Bks. (14 Nov 1977)
- Cricket and Other Diversions, No Imprint (1978)
- Benson & Hedges International Cricket, The Craftsman Press (1970s)
- War or Peace, Australia. England. West Indies, Garry Sparke (1980)
- The Century Makers: Men Behind the Ashes, 1877–1977, Sidgwick & Jackson Ltd (14 Aug 1980)
- The Cricketer Who Laughed, Hutchinson (April 1982)
- Cricket Skills, Whitcoulls, New ed edition (1985)
- The Test Within: Talent and Temperament in 22 Cricketers, Hutchinson Australia; First Edition, First Impression edition (1987)
- The History of the Richmond Cricket Club (1987)
- A Typhoon Called Tyson, Simon & Schuster Ltd; New Ed edition (May 1990)
- The Terms of the Game: Dictionary of Cricket, Gollancz (25 April 1991)
- Horan's Dairy, Association of Cricket Statisticians & Historians (31 Dec 2001)
- In the Eye of the Typhoon: The Inside Story of the MCC Tour of Australia and New Zealand 1954/55, Parrs Wood Press (Oct 2004)
Calypso
The
calypsoCalypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago from African and European roots. The roots of the genre lay in the arrival of enslaved Africans, who, not being allowed to speak with each other, communicated through song...
singer
Lord KitchenerAldwyn Roberts , better known by the stage name Lord Kitchener , was one of the most internationally famous calypsonians. He was the son of a blacksmith, Stephen, and homemaker, Albertha.-Life:...
released a single The Ashes (Australia vs MCC 1955)
Play Recording:
Tyson taught them a lesson that can't be forgotten,
Tyson taught them a lesson that can't be forgotten,
We began quietly, but we came back with victory,
Good captaincy from Len HuttonSir 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...
, but the honours must go to Typhoon Tyson.
Australia's tragedy, it began at Sydney,
Magnificent Tyson, had their batsmen beaten,
He went on to give us, a victory for Christmas,
Good captaincy from Len Hutton, but the honours must go to Typhoon Tyson.
More shocks for Australia, the Melbourne disaster,
Les FavellLeslie Ernest Favell was an Australian cricketer who played in 19 Tests from 1954 to 1961. He was a strong batsman who liked to hit the ball around the ground and was a much loved character...
.got going, his wicket went tumbling,
We got them out cheaply, and score second victory,
Good captaincy from Len Hutton, but the honours must go to Typhoon Tyson.
The bowling was so good, it remind them of LarwoodHarold Larwood was an English cricket player, an extremely accurate fast bowler best known for his key role as the implementer of fast leg theory in the infamous "bodyline" Ashes Test series of 1932–33....
,
Magnificent Tyson finished with seven for twenty-seven,
They had no excuses, we regained the AshesThe 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...
,
Good captaincy from Len Hutton, but the honours must go to Typhoon Tyson.
Hancock's Half Hour
On 4 March 1956 Tyson appeared on Programme 20 of the Third Series of
Hancock's Half HourHancock's Half Hour was a BBC radio comedy, and later television comedy, series of the 1950s and 60s written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. The series starred Tony Hancock, with Sid James; the radio version also co-starred, at various times, Moira Lister, Andrée Melly, Hattie Jacques, Bill Kerr...
"The Test Match" with
Tony HancockAnthony John "Tony" Hancock was an English actor and comedian.-Early life and career:Hancock was born in Southam Road, Hall Green, Birmingham, England, but from the age of three was brought up in Bournemouth, where his father, John Hancock, who ran the Railway Hotel in...
and
Sid JamesSid James was an English-based South African actor and comedian. He made his name as Tony Hancock's co-star in Hancock's Half Hour and also starred in the popular Carry On films. He was known for his trademark "dirty laugh" and lascivious persona...
with cricket commentator
John ArlottLeslie Thomas John Arlott OBE was an English journalist, author and cricket commentator for the BBC's Test Match Special. He was also a poet, wine connoisseur and former police officer in Hampshire...
and his England team-mates
Godfrey 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...
and
Colin 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...
.
See Script and
BBC CD
Bowling averages
| Frank Tyson's Five Wicket Innings in Tests |
| First Innings | Second Innings | Test | Opposition | Season | Venue | City | Country | Result |
| 4/45 |
6/85 |
Second Test |
|
1954-55 |
Sydney Cricket GroundThe Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
|
SydneySydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
|
 Australia |
win by 38 runs |
| 2/68 |
7/27 |
Third Test |
|
1954-55 |
Melbourne Cricket GroundThe Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
|
MelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
|
Australia |
win by 128 runs |
| 2/51 |
6/28 |
First Test |
|
1955 |
Trent BridgeTrent Bridge is a Test, One-day international and County cricket ground located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England and is also the headquarters of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. As well as International cricket and Nottinghamshire's home games, the ground has hosted the Finals Day of...
|
NottinghamNottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
|
 Kingdom of England |
win by an innings and 5 runs |
| 2/38 |
6/40 |
Fifth Test |
|
1956-57 |
St George's Park St George's Park is a multi-use park in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The park is the oldest park in Port Elizabeth and most commonly associated with the St George's Oval cricket grounds located within the park.-Features:...
|
Port Elizabeth |
 South Africa |
win by 58 runs |
| Frank Tyson's First Class Bowling Averages by Season Source |
| Season | Country | Team | Matches | Balls | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Best Bowling | Average | 5 WtIn the sport of cricket the word wicket has several distinct meanings:-Definitions of wicket:Most of the time, the wicket is one of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at either end of the pitch...
| 10 Wt |
| 1952 |
|
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...
|
1 |
126 |
21 |
4 |
47 |
1 |
1/47 |
47.00 |
|
|
| 1953 |
|
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...
|
12 |
1530 |
255 |
68 |
671 |
26 |
4/36 |
25.80 |
|
|
| 1954 |
|
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 |
3959 |
659.5 |
177 |
1668 |
78 |
5/21 |
21.38 |
4 |
|
| 1954-55 |
|
Marylebone Cricket ClubMarylebone 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...
|
11 |
2368 |
296 (8 Ball) |
44 (8 Ball) |
1002 |
51 |
7/27 |
19.64 |
4 |
1 |
| 1954-55 |
|
Marylebone Cricket ClubMarylebone 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...
|
3 |
396 |
66 |
20 |
138 |
13 |
5/16 |
10.61 |
|
|
| 1955 |
|
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...
|
20 |
3527 |
587.5 |
126 |
1445 |
75 |
7/44 |
19.26 |
2 |
|
| 1955-56 |
|
E.W. Swanton's XI |
4 |
771 |
128.3 |
23 |
365 |
20 |
5/28 |
18.25 |
2 |
1 |
| 1956 |
|
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...
|
24 |
3286 |
647.4 |
129 |
1336 |
63 |
7/46 |
21.20 |
3 |
|
| 1956-57 |
|
Marylebone Cricket ClubMarylebone 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...
|
13 |
2036 |
339.2 |
65 |
636 |
37 |
6/40 |
17.18 |
1 |
|
| 1957 |
|
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...
|
31 |
4619 |
769.5 |
162 |
2169 |
101 |
8/60 |
21.47 |
8 |
2 |
| 1958 |
|
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...
|
30 |
4042 |
673.4 |
157 |
1786 |
99 |
6/41 |
18.04 |
4 |
1 |
| 1958-59 |
|
Marylebone Cricket ClubMarylebone 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...
|
11 |
1935 |
241.7 (8 Ball) |
38 (8 Ball) |
735 |
21 |
4/55 |
35.00 |
|
|
| 1958-59 |
|
Marylebone Cricket ClubMarylebone 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...
|
5 |
555 |
92.3 |
30 |
199 |
16 |
4/40 |
12.43 |
|
|
| 1959 |
|
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...
|
22 |
4217 |
702.5 |
180 |
1726 |
88 |
6/29 |
19.61 |
5 |
|
| 1959-60 |
|
Commonwealth XI The Commonwealth XI cricket team played over 100 first-class cricket matches from 1949 to 1968. The team started out as a side made up of mostly English, Australian and West Indian cricketers, that toured the subcontinent but later on played first-class fixtures in England...
|
2 |
327 |
54.3 |
5 |
201 |
5 |
4/53 |
40.20 |
|
|
| 1960 |
|
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...
|
27 |
4479 |
746.3 |
189 |
1906 |
73 |
6/57 |
26.10 |
1 |
|
| 1952-60 |
Total |
First Class Cricket |
244 |
38173 |
5645 (6 Ball) .
537.7 (8 Ball) |
1335 (6 Ball) .
82 (8 Ball) |
16030 |
767 |
8/60 |
20.89 |
34 |
5 |
External links