Frank Tyson

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This article is about the cricketer. For the man who died in law enforcement custody, see List of killings by law enforcement officers in the United States, April 2024.


Frank Tyson
Tyson in 1954
Personal information
Full name
Frank Holmes Tyson
Born(1930-06-06)6 June 1930
Farnworth, Lancashire, England
Died27 September 2015(2015-09-27) (aged 85)
Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
NicknameTyphoon Tyson
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm fast
International information
National side
Test debut (cap 377)12 August 1954 v Pakistan
Last Test18 March 1959 v New Zealand
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1952–1960Northamptonshire
Career statistics
Competition Test First-class
Matches 17 244
Runs scored 230 4,103
Batting average 10.95 17.09
100s/50s 0/0 0/13
Top score 37* 82
Balls bowled 3,452 38,173
Wickets 76 767
Bowling average 18.56 20.89
5 wickets in innings 4 34
10 wickets in match 1 5
Best bowling 7/27 8/60
Catches/stumpings 4/– 85/0
Source: CricInfo, 26 April 2009

Frank Holmes Tyson (6 June 1930 – 27 September 2015) was an

fastest bowlers ever seen in cricket[1][2][3][4] and took 76 wickets at an average of 18.56 in 17 Test matches
.

In 2007, a panel of judges declared Tyson

Sri Lankan national cricket team.[5] He was a cricket commentator for 26 years on ABC and Channel Nine
.

Early life

Tyson's mother was Violet Tyson (born 1892) and his father worked for the Yorkshire Dyeing Company, but died before his son was selected for

war
; at school he practised his run-up on the balcony.

He was educated at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Middleton, and studied English literature at Hatfield College, Durham University

As a university graduate, Tyson was unusual among professional cricketers in the 1950s. He was a qualified

fast bowler and attended Alf Gover's East Hill Indoor School for cricketers. In 1954–55 Gover covered the Ashes tour as a journalist and advised Tyson to use the shorter run-up from his league cricket days, which proved to be a turning point in the series.[10]

Early cricket career 1952–54

Before he became a professional cricketer Tyson played for

Lords. Edrich, a noted hooker of fast bowling, mistimed his stroke due to the speed of the ball and his cheek bone was broken. The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) were thereby convinced of the speed and hostility of Tyson's bowling and decided to take him to Australia.[15] He was selected to play for England against Pakistan at the 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 Mahmood. Although he batted at number eleven in league cricket "The Middleton groundsman was a fatalist. He used to start up the roller to refurbish the wicket when I went in to bat".[16] Tyson worked on his batting and in 1954 "was building up a reputation as an all-rounder, scoring consistently with the bat",[17] 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

Main articles: English cricket team in Australia in 1954–55 and 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 Trueman who was controversially left behind. Freed of rationing Tyson increased his weight from 161 lb (73 kg) to 182 lb (83 kg) within a month of leaving the UK.[18] 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 overs and England lost by an innings and 154 runs. Even so, Tyson hit Arthur Morris and Neil Harvey repeatedly with the ball and they were badly bruised. More to the point he bounced Ray Lindwall after the Australian all-rounder knocked several boundaries off the fast bowler on his way to 64 not out. Tyson also managed to run out Graeme Hole
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 Gover, 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.[10][12][19] With this he took 4/45 in the first innings, described vividly by Margaret Hughes: "Harvey received a beast of a ball from Tyson which spat up at him and splashed off his bat to Cowdrey".[20] Ray Lindwall 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 delivery...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 prostrate body. Indistinctly I heard my fellow batsman Bill Edrich saying: 'My God, Lindy, you've killed him!'...I was very, very angry with Ray Lindwall. And the whole of the Aussie team knew it...I would return the bouncer with interest!"[21]

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.[22] While Brian Statham bowled "up the cellar steps"[23] and into the wind Tyson tore down the slope from the Randwick End with "half a gale"[24] behind him and bowled "as fast as man has ever bowled".[25] He took 6/85 in the innings and 10/130 in the match to give England a 38 run victory. The Australian captain Arthur Morris told the newspapers "Such fine bowling deserved to win".[26] Peter Loader told Tyson, "you bowled like a 'Dingbat'" and the nickname 'Dingers' stuck".[27]

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 Harvey and Richie Benaud knock off the remaining 165 runs, but what they got was 'the fastest and most frightening sustained spell of fast bowling seen in Australia'.[28] 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 Wilfred Rhodes took 8/68 in 1903–04 and has not been bettered since. Australia added only 36 runs, were dismissed for 111 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 Ashes were decided at Adelaide, Hutton cunningly changing his bowlers to mix the pace of Tyson and Brian Statham with the spin of Bob Appleyard and Johnny Wardle. 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 Year 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.[29]

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 declared 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

second sight
. 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 series and Umpiring in the 1958–59 Ashes series

Tyson returned to England a hero, but

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."[1]

J.M. Kilburn,
Yorkshire Post

In League, university and Army cricket Tyson had used a 'short'

out-swinger.[37] 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.[10] 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 bouncer should 'pin the batsman against the sightscreen' and frequently used them to intimidate batsmen, even tailenders.[10] 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.[38] In his autobiography A Typhoon Called Tyson he wrote:

"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".[39]

He was no simple bowler, but thought hard how to dismiss and deceive batsman. John Arlott 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".[40]

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."[41]

Tom Graveney

His

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...".[47] 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 though'.[46]

Later career

Frank Tyson met his wife Ursula Miels (born in 1936) in Melbourne on the 1954–55 tour, and they married in a Melbourne church on 22 November 1957 with much publicity. They had three children, Philip (a non-Typhoon medium-paced bowler), Sara and Anna, and eight grandchildren.[48] He retired from first-class cricket in 1960 and emigrated to Australia as a ten-pound pom, as his hero Harold Larwood 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".[49] He became a schoolmaster at Carey Baptist Grammar School in Melbourne, teaching English, French and History, later becoming a housemaster and the head of languages.[49]

Tyson worked as a cricket coach in Melbourne and was the captain-coach of

Sri Lankan national cricket team for the World Cup.[5]

On the 1954–55 tour he had written columns for the

Melbourne Age, and contributed to The Cricketer International magazine.[10] He was also a cricket commentator on ABC television for 26 years, and for Channel Nine from 1979 to 1986, forming a partnership with Tony Greig
.

Following his full retirement, Tyson enjoyed his house on the Gold Coast, where he could "wake up every day in the sun". He went to the gym three times a week, enjoyed swimming, and spent his time making oil paintings of cricketers and cricket grounds.[53]

Books written by Frank Tyson

  • Tyson, The Sportsmans Book Club (1962)
  • The Crawford Dixon Letters (1967)
  • Looking and Learning in Cricket (1970)
  • Test of Nerves, Manark (1975)
  • The Hapless Hookers, Garry Sparke & Associates, Melbourne (1976)
  • Complete Cricket Coaching, Pelham Bks. (11 July 1977)
  • Centenary Test, Pelham Bks. (14 November 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 August 1980)
  • The Cricketer Who Laughed, Hutchinson (April 1982)
  • The Cricket Coaching Manual, Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd (1985)
  • 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 Diary, Association of Cricket Statisticians & Historians (31 December 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)

Light entertainment

Calypso

The calypso singer Lord Kitchener released a single "The Ashes (Australia vs MCC 1955)" lauding Tyson's contributions to England's victory.

Hancock's Half Hour

On 4 March 1956 Tyson appeared on Programme 20 of the third series of the radio version of Hancock's Half Hour, "The Test Match", with Tony Hancock and Sidney James, with guests, cricket commentator John Arlott and his England teammates Godfrey Evans and Colin Cowdrey.

Notes

  1. ^ a b Kilburn, p. 242.
  2. ^ a b http://www3.sympatico.ca/qhokim/players/tyson.htm. Archived 5 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ a b p65-66, Clive Batty, The Ashes Miscellany, Vision Sports Publishing, 2006.
  4. ^ Tom Graveney with Norman Giller, The Ten Greatest Test Teams, Sidgwick & Jackson, 1988.
  5. ^ a b "Frank Tyson - Saxton Speaker Bureau - Speaker Details". Archived from the original on 28 May 2004. "Frank Tyson - Saxton Speakers Bureau". Archived from the original on 20 November 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2009..
  6. ^ p253, Tyson
  7. ^ Williamson, Martin (April 2004). "Frank Tyson". Players & Officials. Cricinfo. Retrieved 26 April 2009.
  8. ^ "Frank Tyson".
  9. ^ p31, Frank Tyson, The Cricketer Who Laughed, Stanley Paul, 1982
  10. ^ a b c d e f Tyson
  11. ^ "Rochdale latest news - Manchester Evening News".
  12. ^ a b c d e Willis & Murphy, p. 89.
  13. ^ p183, Bird, 1999.
  14. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 27 February 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link).
  15. ^ p8, Tyson
  16. ^ p126, Frank Tyson, The Cricketer Who Laughed, Stanley Paul, 1982
  17. New South Wales Cricket Association
    , 1954
  18. ^ p12, Tyson
  19. ^ a b Brown, p. 123.
  20. ^ "Margaret Hughes". The Times. London. 19 February 2005. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
  21. ^ a b c Frank Tyson, In the Eye of the Typhoon.
  22. ^ p131-132, Frank Tyson
  23. ^ p295-296, E. W. Swanton (ed), The Barclays World of Cricket, Collins, 1986.
  24. ^ p89, Swanton, 1977
  25. ^ David Frith, p421, Pageant of Cricket, The Macmillan Company of Australia Ltd, 1987.
  26. ^ p134, Frank Tyson, In the Eye of the Typhoon.
  27. ^ p135, Frank Tyson, In the Eye of the Typhoon.
  28. ^ a b Lemmon, p. 41.
  29. ^ p205, Tyson
  30. ^ p328 The World of Cricket, Willow Press, 1986.
  31. ^ a b pp255-256, Tyson
  32. ^ Duffus & Owen-Smith, pp 312–313.
  33. ^ Willis & Murphy, p. 167.
  34. ^ p117, Tyson
  35. ^ Tyson, p211
  36. ^ a b Tyson, p85
  37. ^ Trueman, p. 186.
  38. ^ a b http://content.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/86029.html. Archived 11 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  39. ^ "Tyson blows up a storm". The Times. London. 5 November 2006. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
  40. ^ p65-66, Batty
  41. ^ p59, Tom Graveney with Norman Giller, The Ten Greatest Test Teams, Sidgwick & Jackson, 1988.
  42. ^ p 125, Tom Graveney with Norman Giller, The Ten Greatest Test Teams, Sidgwick & Jackson, 1988,
  43. ^ "Line and Length - Times Online - WBLG: Ashes Heroes No 46: Frank Tyson". Archived from the original on 10 May 2009. Retrieved 6 May 2009..
  44. ^ Trueman, p. 288.
  45. ^ Trueman pp 206–207.
  46. ^ a b p184 Dickie Bird, White Cap and Bails, Hodder and Sloughton, 1999.
  47. ^ Bird, p. 29-30.
  48. ^ "Sports 06". Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2009..
  49. ^ a b Bridge, Bill (20 July 2005). "Tyson fears imaginative Australians hold Ashes advantage". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 4 March 2024 – via Newsbank.
  50. ^ "Melbourne University Cricket Club". Archived from the original on 21 July 2004.
  51. ^ "Tyson to train Indian bowling coaches - Rediff.com".
  52. ^ "The Dazzling Rise of Avishkar Salvi".
  53. ^ Baum, Greg (24 November 2004). "The 'Typhoon' marks the winds of change". The Age. Melbourne.

References

External links
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