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English cricket team in Australia in 1954–55

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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

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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]

Batsmen
Name County club Birth date Batting style Bowling style Ref
L. Hutton (captain) Yorkshire (1916-06-23)23 June 1916 (aged 38) right-handed leg break [2]
P. B. H. May (vice-captain) Surrey (1929-12-31)31 December 1929 (aged 24) right-handed [3]
D. C. S. Compton Middlesex (1918-05-23)23 May 1918 (aged 36) right-handed slow left-arm wrist spin [4]
M. C. Cowdrey Kent (1932-12-24)24 December 1932 (aged 21) right-handed leg break [5]
W. J. Edrich Middlesex (1916-03-26)26 March 1916 (aged 38) right-handed right arm fast-medium and off break [6]
T. W. Graveney Gloucestershire (1927-06-16)16 June 1927 (aged 27) right-handed leg break [7]
R. T. Simpson Nottinghamshire (1920-02-27)27 February 1920 (aged 34) right-handed off break [8]
J. V. Wilson Yorkshire (1921-01-17)17 January 1921 (aged 33) left-handed right arm medium [9]
All-rounders
Name County club Birth date Batting style Bowling style Ref
T. E. Bailey Essex (1923-12-03)3 December 1923 (aged 30) right-handed right arm fast-medium [10]
Wicket-keepers
Name County club Birth date Batting style Bowling style Ref
K. V. Andrew Northamptonshire (1929-12-15)15 December 1929 (aged 24) right-handed [11]
T. G. Evans Kent (1920-08-18)18 August 1920 (aged 34) right-handed [12]
Bowlers
Name County club Birth date Batting style Bowling style Ref
R. Appleyard Yorkshire (1924-06-27)27 June 1924 (aged 30) right-handed right arm medium and off break [13]
A. V. Bedser Surrey (1918-07-04)4 July 1918 (aged 36) right-handed right arm fast-medium [14]
P. J. Loader Surrey (1929-10-25)25 October 1929 (aged 24) right-handed right arm fast [15]
J. E. McConnon Glamorgan (1922-06-21)21 June 1922 (aged 32) right-handed off break [16]
J. B. Statham Lancashire (1930-06-17)17 June 1930 (aged 24) right-handed right arm fast [17]
F. H. Tyson Northamptonshire (1930-06-06)6 June 1930 (aged 24) right-handed right arm fast [18]
J. H. Wardle Yorkshire (1923-01-08)8 January 1923 (aged 31) left-handed slow left-arm wrist and orthodox spin [19]

Australia selections

[edit]

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]

Batsmen
Name Shield state Birth date Batting style Bowling style Ref
P. J. P. Burge Queensland (1932-05-17)17 May 1932 (aged 22) right-handed right arm medium [21]
J. W. Burke New South Wales (1930-06-12)12 June 1930 (aged 24) right-handed off break [22]
L. E. Favell South Australia (1929-10-06)6 October 1929 (aged 25) right-handed right arm medium [23]
R. N. Harvey Victoria (1928-10-08)8 October 1928 (aged 26) left-handed right arm off break [24]
G. B. Hole South Australia (1931-01-06)6 January 1931 (aged 23) right-handed off break [25]
C. C. McDonald Victoria (1928-11-17)17 November 1928 (aged 25) right-handed [26]
A. R. Morris New South Wales (1922-01-19)19 January 1922 (aged 32) left-handed slow left-arm wrist spin [27]
W. J. Watson New South Wales (1931-01-31)31 January 1931 (aged 23) right-handed [28]
All-rounders
Name Shield state Birth date Batting style Bowling style Ref
R. Benaud New South Wales (1930-10-06)6 October 1930 (aged 24) right-handed leg break and googly [29]
A. K. Davidson New South Wales (1929-06-14)14 June 1929 (aged 25) left-handed left arm fast medium [30]
K. R. Miller New South Wales (1919-11-28)28 November 1919 (aged 34) right-handed right arm fast [31]
Wicket-keepers
Name Shield state Birth date Batting style Bowling style Ref
G. R. A. Langley South Australia (1919-09-14)14 September 1919 (aged 35) right-handed [32]
L. V. Maddocks Victoria (1924-05-26)26 May 1924 (aged 30) right-handed [33]
Bowlers
Name Shield state Birth date Batting style Bowling style Ref
I. W. G. Johnson (captain) Victoria (1917-12-08)8 December 1917 (aged 36) right-handed off break [34]
R. G. Archer Queensland (1933-10-25)25 October 1933 (aged 20) right-handed right arm fast [35]
W. A. Johnston Victoria (1922-02-26)26 February 1922 (aged 32) left-handed slow left arm orthodox and left arm medium [36]
R. R. Lindwall Queensland (1921-10-03)3 October 1921 (aged 33) right-handed right arm fast [37]

Tour itinerary

[edit]

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

[edit]

First Test

[edit]
26 November–1 December 1954 (6-day match)
scorecard
v
8/601d (129 overs)
RN Harvey 162
TE Bailey 3/140
190 (76.1 overs)
TV Bailey 88
RR Lindwall 3/27
257 (90.1 overs) (f/o)
WJ Edrich 88
R Benaud 3/43
Australia won by an innings and 154 runs
The Gabba, Brisbane
Umpires: Col Hoy (AUS) & Mel McInnes (AUS)
  • England won the toss and elected to field
  • 28 November was taken as a rest day
  • LE Favell (Aus), KV Andrew (Eng) and MC Cowdrey (Eng) made their test debuts.

Second Test

[edit]
17–22 December 1954 (6-day match)
scorecard
v
154 (54.3 overs)
J Wardle 35 (62)
RG Archer 3/12 (12 overs)
228 (55.4 overs)
RG Archer 49 (89)
FH Tyson 4/45 (13 overs)
296 (104.3 overs)
PBH May 104 (280)
RG Archer 3/53 (22 overs)
184 (53.4 overs)
RN Harvey 92 (191)
FH Tyson 6/85 (18.4 overs)
England won by 38 runs
Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
Umpires: Mel McInnes (Aus) and Ron Wright (Aus)
  • Australia won the toss and elected to field
  • 19 December was taken as a rest day

Third Test

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31 December 1954–5 January 1955 (6-day match)
scorecard
v
191 (67.6 overs)
MC Cowdrey 102
RG Archer 4/33 (13.6 overs)
231 (63.3 overs)
LV Maddocks 47
JB Statham 5/60 (16.3 overs)
279 (100.5 overs)
PBH May 91
WA Johnston 5/85 (24.5 overs)
111 (31.3 overs)
LE Favell 30
FH Tyson 7/27 (12.3 overs)
England won by 128 runs
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Umpires: Col Hoy (Aus) and Mel McInnes (Aus)
  • England won the toss and elected to bat
  • 2 January was taken as a rest day

Fourth Test

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28 January–2 February 1955 (6-day match)
scorecard
v
323 (99.1 overs)
LV Maddocks 69
TE Bailey 3/39 (12 overs)
341 (140.6 overs)
L Hutton 80
R Benaud 4/120 (36.6 overs)
111 (43.2 overs)
CC McDonald 29
R Appleyard 3/13 (12 overs)
5/97 (30.4 overs)
PBH May 26
KR Miller 3/40 (10.4 overs)
England won by 5 wickets
Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
Umpires: Mel McInnes (Aus) and Ron Wright (Aus)
  • Australia won the toss and elected to bat
  • 30 January was taken as a rest day

Fifth Test

[edit]
25 February–3 March 1955 (6-day match)
scorecard
v
7/371d (99.1 overs)
TW Graveney 111 (157)
IWG Johnson 3/68 (20 overs)
221 (60.4 overs)
CC McDonald 72 (149)
J Wardle 5/79 (24.4 overs)
6/118 (28.6 overs) (f/o)
CC McDonald 37 (69)
J Wardle 3/51 (12 overs)
Match drawn
Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
Umpires: Mel McInnes (Aus) and Ron Wright (Aus)
  • Australia won the toss and elected to field
  • 27 February was taken as a rest day
  • PJP Burge (Aus) and WJ Watson (Aus) made their test debuts

Ceylon stopover

[edit]

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]

Notes

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  1. ^ Hutton retired hurt when the team score was 250/3; he took no further part in the match.[39]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Wisden (1956). Preston, Norman (ed.). "MCC in Australia and New Zealand, 1954–55". Wisden Archive (93rd ed.) – via ESPNcricinfo.
  2. ^ "Len Hutton". CricketArchive. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
  3. ^ "Peter May". CricketArchive. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
  4. ^ "Denis Compton". CricketArchive. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
  5. ^ "Colin Cowdrey". CricketArchive. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
  6. ^ "Bill Edrich". CricketArchive. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
  7. ^ "Tom Graveney". CricketArchive. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
  8. ^ "Reg Simpson". CricketArchive. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
  9. ^ "Vic Wilson". CricketArchive. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
  10. ^ "Trevor Bailey". CricketArchive. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
  11. ^ "Keith Andrew". CricketArchive. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
  12. ^ "Godfrey Evans". CricketArchive. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
  13. ^ "Bob Appleyard". CricketArchive. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  14. ^ "Alec Bedser". CricketArchive. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  15. ^ "Peter Loader". CricketArchive. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  16. ^ "Jim McConnon". CricketArchive. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  17. ^ "Brian Statham". CricketArchive. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  18. ^ "Frank Tyson". CricketArchive. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  19. ^ "Johnny Wardle". CricketArchive. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  20. ^ "First-class Batting and Fielding in Australia for 1954/55". CricketArchive. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  21. ^ "Peter Burge". CricketArchive. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  22. ^ "Jim Burke". CricketArchive. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  23. ^ "Les Favell". CricketArchive. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  24. ^ "Neil Harvey". CricketArchive. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  25. ^ "Graeme Hole". CricketArchive. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  26. ^ "Colin McDonald". CricketArchive. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  27. ^ "Arthur Morris". CricketArchive. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  28. ^ "Bill Watson". CricketArchive. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  29. ^ "Richie Benaud". CricketArchive. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  30. ^ "Alan Davidson". CricketArchive. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  31. ^ "Keith Miller". CricketArchive. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  32. ^ "Gil Langley". CricketArchive. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  33. ^ "Len Maddocks". CricketArchive. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  34. ^ "Ian Johnson". CricketArchive. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  35. ^ "Ron Archer". CricketArchive. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  36. ^ "Bill Johnston". CricketArchive. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  37. ^ "Ray Lindwall". CricketArchive. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  38. ^ "Western Australia Country v Marylebone Cricket Club". CricketArchive. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  39. ^ a b "Western Australia v Marylebone Cricket Club". CricketArchive. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  40. ^ "Western Australia Combined XI v Marylebone Cricket Club". CricketArchive. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  41. ^ "South Australia v Marylebone Cricket Club". CricketArchive. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  42. ^ "Australian XI v Marylebone Cricket Club". CricketArchive. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  43. ^ "New South Wales v Marylebone Cricket Club". CricketArchive. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  44. ^ "Queensland v Marylebone Cricket Club". CricketArchive. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  45. ^ "Australia v England, First Test, 1954/55". CricketArchive. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  46. ^ "Australia v England, Second Test, 1954/55". CricketArchive. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  47. ^ "Australia v England, Third Test, 1954/55". CricketArchive. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  48. ^ "Australia v England, Fourth Test, 1954/55". CricketArchive. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  49. ^ "Australia v England, Fifth Test, 1954/55". CricketArchive. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  50. ^ "Ceylon v Marylebone Cricket Club, 1954/55". CricketArchive. Retrieved 21 March 2026.

Bibliography

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