English Cricket Team in Australia in 1962–63 - Bowling

Bowling

The fast bowling was, of course, dominated by Freddie Trueman and Brian Statham. Freddie on form was the most dangerous bowler in the world at this time. he was very different from Brian, more unpredictable, and for that reason more exciting to watch. You never knew quite what to expect from Fred. One minute he would be magnificent and the next he would be struggling off his short run and becoming very frustrated and demonstrative. With Brian you knew more or less where the ball would pitch and he was always a model of consistency.

Fred Titmus

England's bowling relied heavily on the famous new-ball attack of Fred Trueman and Brian Statham, but this was their last tour and they were reached the end of the careers. Brian Statham was the "straight man" of the England fast bowling attack, running up the hill and into the wind while Trueman let rip from the other end. He maintained a nagging line and length, but "George" was regarded as an unlucky bowler, so many times did he beat the batsman only to see the ball miss the stumps by the thinnest of margins, but as he liked to say "if they miss, I hit". His other motto was "bowling in matches keeps me fit for bowling", preferring a quiet cigarette to physical training or net practise. This was his fourth tour of Australia, and he had lost some of his speed, but was a steady stock bowler. He began the tour with 229 Test wickets, only 7 behind the then record haul of the assistant-manager Alex Bedser's 236. With Richie Benaud on 219 and Fred Trueman on 216 it looked certain that the record would fall that season and it was Statham that took the 237th wicket in the Fourth Test at the Adelaide Oval, Barry Shepherd, held in the gully by Trueman while Trueman and Benaud both ended the series on stuck on 236. "Firey Fred" Trueman called himself "The Best Bloody English Fast Bowler That Ever Drew Bloody Breath" and with considerable justification. He possessed a text-book side-on action which generated great pace and menacing late swing which was coupled with the fitness and stamina to bowl a thousand overs a season. The outspoken Yorkshireman was notoriously difficult to manage and disliked by the MCC hierarchy. Once at Melbourne the Duke called "Trueman! Over here!" and beckoning him over with his finger, to which the fast bowler took exception, though they later became good friends and the manager asked Fred to call him "Dukie". In Queensland Trueman was struck down by back pains, just as he had in 1958–59, when he missed the First and Second Tests. on this occasion a specialist said he had a broken bone in his back which required surgery and that he would never bowl again, which Trueman's father called "bloody daft". With true Yorkshire grit Trueman insisted in bowling in the First Test despite the pain and took the wickets of Bill Lawry, Norm O'Neill and Peter Burge. Wes Hall was bowling for Queensland and it was suggested that Trueman was over the hill and that Hall was the better fast bowler. Trueman responded by taking 20 wickets (25.05) in Australia, 14 wickets (11.71) in New Zealand and 34 wickets (17.47) back home against the West Indies to overtake Statham’s new record of 242 Test wickets and became the first bowler to take 250 Test wickets. The supporting fast bowlers failed to impress on the tour and when Trueman and Statham were not bowling Ted Dexter tended to set defensive fields until they were ready again. David Larter was a 6'7" Scottish seamer with a ridiculously long run, but he lacked confidence and didn't play in any of the Tests. Len Coldwell would become the prime reason for Worcestershire winning their first County Championships in 1964 and 1965, but injured himself at the start of the tour and had yet to fully develop. Barry Knight was a typical all rounder who liked to hit the ball around and bowl short of a length, which did little on Australian pitches. Ted Dexter was a useful medium-paced seamer who was used both a stock bowler and as a partnership-breaker and took 4/8 against Queensland just before the First Test. Dexter didn't trust spin bowlers (Sussex has no specialist spinner in the 1960s), thinking that leg-spinners just bought expensive wickets using off-spinners only for containment. England had three off-spinning all rounders in the 1950s and 1960s; David Allen, Fred Titmus and Ray Illingworth, all averaging 22–25 with the bat and 30–32 with the ball. Allen was the preferred choice in this period, and was famously pulled out of the attack after taking three wickets at Old Trafford in 1961, which happened again at Headingley in 1964, Australia winning both matches. Dexter later admitted that he broke Allen's confidence in himself and "deprived the side of a great bowler for much of the tour" Fred Titmus was brought back into the England side after seven years and proved to be a real find, taking 7/79 in the Second Test and taking 21 wickets (29.33), even more than Fred Trueman. Though Ray Illingworth later became England captain become the most famous of the trio he was in and out of the team and took only 1/131 in the series. Ken Barrington had started life as a leg-spinner and was a good bowler at club level, he was used in first-class and Test cricket by way of variety, but never really succeeded at this level.