English cricket team in Australia in 1954–55
International cricket tour
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Under the auspices of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the England cricket team toured Australia in the 1954–55 season to play a five-match Test series against Australia. England won the series 3–1, with one match drawn, and thereby retained The Ashes, which they had won in 1953. The England squad moved on to New Zealand, where they won both the Tests that were played there. Including the New Zealand leg of the tour, the team played 21 first-class matches (including the Tests), of which they won 12, lost 2, and drew 7. In the seven Test matches, the team was known as England, and in the other 14 as MCC.
England squad
MCC initially selected a 17-man squad captained by Len Hutton, who became the first professional to captain the England team since Arthur Shrewsbury in 1887. Before the team left England, Denis Compton suffered a recurrence of a troublesome knee injury, and needed treatment. Vic Wilson was added to squad as Compton's replacement. However, Compton's injury responded well to treatment, and he was able to join the team later, so England completed the tour with 18 players.[1]
Also travelling with the party were Lancashire club secretary Geoffrey Howard, who was the tour manager; George Duckworth the former Lancashire and England wicket-keeper, who was the team's scorer and baggage master; and physiotherapist Harold Dalton of Essex.[1]
Squad details below state each player's age at the beginning of the tour (on 11 October 1954), his batting hand, his type of bowling, and his County Championship club at the time:[1]
| Name | County club | Birth date | Batting style | Bowling style | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L. Hutton (captain) | Yorkshire | 23 June 1916 (aged 38) | right-handed | leg break | [2] |
| P. B. H. May (vice-captain) | Surrey | 31 December 1929 (aged 24) | right-handed | [3] | |
| D. C. S. Compton | Middlesex | 23 May 1918 (aged 36) | right-handed | slow left-arm wrist spin | [4] |
| M. C. Cowdrey | Kent | 24 December 1932 (aged 21) | right-handed | leg break | [5] |
| W. J. Edrich | Middlesex | 26 March 1916 (aged 38) | right-handed | right arm fast-medium and off break | [6] |
| T. W. Graveney | Gloucestershire | 16 June 1927 (aged 27) | right-handed | leg break | [7] |
| R. T. Simpson | Nottinghamshire | 27 February 1920 (aged 34) | right-handed | off break | [8] |
| J. V. Wilson | Yorkshire | 17 January 1921 (aged 33) | left-handed | right arm medium | [9] |
| Name | County club | Birth date | Batting style | Bowling style | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T. E. Bailey | Essex | 3 December 1923 (aged 30) | right-handed | right arm fast-medium | [10] |
| Name | County club | Birth date | Batting style | Bowling style | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K. V. Andrew | Northamptonshire | 15 December 1929 (aged 24) | right-handed | [11] | |
| T. G. Evans | Kent | 18 August 1920 (aged 34) | right-handed | [12] | |
| Name | County club | Birth date | Batting style | Bowling style | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R. Appleyard | Yorkshire | 27 June 1924 (aged 30) | right-handed | right arm medium and off break | [13] |
| A. V. Bedser | Surrey | 4 July 1918 (aged 36) | right-handed | right arm fast-medium | [14] |
| P. J. Loader | Surrey | 25 October 1929 (aged 24) | right-handed | right arm fast | [15] |
| J. E. McConnon | Glamorgan | 21 June 1922 (aged 32) | right-handed | off break | [16] |
| J. B. Statham | Lancashire | 17 June 1930 (aged 24) | right-handed | right arm fast | [17] |
| F. H. Tyson | Northamptonshire | 6 June 1930 (aged 24) | right-handed | right arm fast | [18] |
| J. H. Wardle | Yorkshire | 8 January 1923 (aged 31) | left-handed | slow left-arm wrist and orthodox spin | [19] |
Australia selections
Australia, captained by Ian Johnson, used 17 players in the series.
The details for each player below state his age at the beginning of the English tour (on 11 October 1954), his batting hand, his type of bowling, and his Sheffield Shield state at the time:[20]
| Name | Shield state | Birth date | Batting style | Bowling style | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P. J. P. Burge | Queensland | 17 May 1932 (aged 22) | right-handed | right arm medium | [21] |
| J. W. Burke | New South Wales | 12 June 1930 (aged 24) | right-handed | off break | [22] |
| L. E. Favell | South Australia | 6 October 1929 (aged 25) | right-handed | right arm medium | [23] |
| R. N. Harvey | Victoria | 8 October 1928 (aged 26) | left-handed | right arm off break | [24] |
| G. B. Hole | South Australia | 6 January 1931 (aged 23) | right-handed | off break | [25] |
| C. C. McDonald | Victoria | 17 November 1928 (aged 25) | right-handed | [26] | |
| A. R. Morris | New South Wales | 19 January 1922 (aged 32) | left-handed | slow left-arm wrist spin | [27] |
| W. J. Watson | New South Wales | 31 January 1931 (aged 23) | right-handed | [28] | |
| Name | Shield state | Birth date | Batting style | Bowling style | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R. Benaud | New South Wales | 6 October 1930 (aged 24) | right-handed | leg break and googly | [29] |
| A. K. Davidson | New South Wales | 14 June 1929 (aged 25) | left-handed | left arm fast medium | [30] |
| K. R. Miller | New South Wales | 28 November 1919 (aged 34) | right-handed | right arm fast | [31] |
| Name | Shield state | Birth date | Batting style | Bowling style | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G. R. A. Langley | South Australia | 14 September 1919 (aged 35) | right-handed | [32] | |
| L. V. Maddocks | Victoria | 26 May 1924 (aged 30) | right-handed | [33] | |
| Name | Shield state | Birth date | Batting style | Bowling style | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I. W. G. Johnson (captain) | Victoria | 8 December 1917 (aged 36) | right-handed | off break | [34] |
| R. G. Archer | Queensland | 25 October 1933 (aged 20) | right-handed | right arm fast | [35] |
| W. A. Johnston | Victoria | 26 February 1922 (aged 32) | left-handed | slow left arm orthodox and left arm medium | [36] |
| R. R. Lindwall | Queensland | 3 October 1921 (aged 33) | right-handed | right arm fast | [37] |
Tour itinerary
The following is a list of the 23 matches played by MCC/England in Australia. Seventeen, including the five Test matches, were first-class fixtures.
The Test matches are in bold font. The six minor games are in the rows with a cotton cream background.
| Dates | Match | Venue | Result | Notes |
| 11–12 Oct 1954 | Western Australia Country v MCC | Recreation Reserve, Bunbury | Match drawn | Two-day match. Edrich scored 129; McConnon took 5/30.[38] |
| 15–19 Oct 1954 | Western Australia v MCC | WACA Ground, Perth | MCC won by 7 wickets | Opening first-class match. WA 103 (Statham 6/23) & 255 (Ken Meuleman 109; Statham 3/68). MCC 321 (Hutton 145*)[note 1] & 40/3.[39] |
| 22–25 Oct 1954 | Western Australia Combined XI v MCC | WACA Ground, Perth | MCC won by an innings and 62 runs | WAC 86 (Statham 3/21) and 163 (Wardle 4/34). MCC 311 (May 129, Wilson 72).[40] |
| 29 Oct – 2 Nov 1954 | South Australia v MCC | Adelaide Oval | MCC won by 21 runs | MCC 246 (Compton 113) and 181 (Hutton 98). SA 254 (Favell 84; Tyson 5/62) and 152 (Favell 47; Appleyard 5/46).[41] |
| 5–9 Nov 1954 | Australian XI v MCC | Melbourne Cricket Ground | Match drawn | MCC 205 (Simpson 74; Johnson 6/66). Aus XI 167/7. No play on the last two days.[42] |
| 12–16 Nov 1954 | New South Wales v MCC | Sydney Cricket Ground | Match drawn | MCC 252 (Cowdrey 110, Hutton 102) and 327 (Cowdrey 103). NSW 382 (Bill Watson 155; Tyson 4/98, Bedser 4/117) and 78/2.[43] |
| 19–23 Nov 1954 | Queensland v MCC | The Gabba, Brisbane | Match drawn | MCC 304 (Simpson 136, Compton 110; Lindwall 4/66) and 288 (May 77). QLD 288 and 25/2.[44] |
| 26 Nov – 1 Dec 1954 | Australia v England | The Gabba, Brisbane | Australia won by an innings and 154 runs | First Test.[45] |
| Queensland Country v MCC | Association Ground, Rockhampton | |||
| Australia Prime Minister's XI v MCC | Manuka Oval, Canberra | |||
| Victoria v MCC | Melbourne Cricket Ground | |||
| 17-22 Dec 1954 | Australia v England | Sydney Cricket Ground | England won by 38 runs | Second Test.[46] |
| Northern New South Wales v MCC | No. 1 Sports Ground, Newcastle, New South Wales | |||
| 31 Dec 1954 – 5 Jan 1955 | Australia v England | Melbourne Cricket Ground | England won by 128 runs | Third Test.[47] |
| Tasmania Combined XI v MCC | Tasmania Cricket Association Ground, Hobart | |||
| Tasmania v MCC | North Tasmania Cricket Association Ground, Launceston | |||
| South Australia Country v MCC | Vansittart Park, Mount Gambier | |||
| South Australia v MCC | Adelaide Oval | |||
| 28 Jan – 2 Feb 1955 | Australia v England | Adelaide Oval | England won by 5 wickets | Fourth Test.[48] |
| Victoria Country v MCC | Yallourn Oval, Yallourn | |||
| Victoria v MCC | Melbourne Cricket Ground | |||
| New South Wales v MCC | Sydney Cricket Ground | |||
| 25 Feb – 3 Mar 1955 | Australia v England | Sydney Cricket Ground | Match drawn | Fifth Test.[49] |
Test series summary
- 1st Test at Brisbane Cricket Ground – Australia won by an innings and 154 runs
- 2nd Test at Sydney Cricket Ground – England won by 38 runs
- 3rd Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground – England won by 128 runs
- 4th Test at Adelaide Oval – England won by 5 wickets
- 5th Test at Sydney Cricket Ground – match drawn
First Test
Ceylon stopover
The MCC party had a stopover in Colombo en route to Australia. On 30 September 1954, they played a one-day single innings match (i.e., not limited overs) at the Colombo Oval against the Ceylon national team. MCC's team, captained by May, was mainly composed of the younger and less experienced players. Ceylon won the toss, and decided to field. MCC scored 178/8 declared (Cowdrey 66*), and Ceylon had reached 101/4 at close of play, so the result was a draw.[50]