Brian Statham: 10 interesting facts about the legendary England fast bowler

Brian Statham, born June 17, 1930, was one of England's most successful pace bowlers of the 1950s.

Brian Statham, born June 17, 1930, was one of England’s most successful pace bowlers of the 1950s. A fast bowler who was capable of bowling at high speeds, Statham was nonetheless an affable character and universally liked. Shiamak Unwalla looks at 10 interesting facts about the legendary England pacer.

1.  Fast, but not furious

Throughout his career, Statham was known as a genial and benign man; his temperament was at odds with his stature as one of the leading pace bowlers of his era. He enjoyed his beers and cigarettes, and was well-liked by teammates and opposition alike.

2.  Aversion to the bouncer

Though he was quick, Statham rarely relied on short balls to take his wickets. He firmly believed in the “you-miss-I-hit” policy of bowling within the stumps. He possessed a potent bouncer, but reserved it only for the best of batsmen; he never bounced a tail-ender. He once flat-out refused to bowl a short ball to an opposition bowler who had hit one of the batsmen in Statham’s side.

3.  “George”

Statham played for Lancashire throughout his First-Class career. It was there that he was christened “George.” This was due to the fact that the Lancashire team was without a player named George for the first time in ages!

4.  A pioneer

Statham took the first ever five-for in List A cricket, for Lancashire against Leicestershire at Old Trafford in the Gillette Cup, 1963.

5.  The silent foil

For a bulk of his career, Statham bowled in tandem with either Frank Tyson or Fred Trueman — two of the fastest bowlers England have ever produced. When compared with them, Statham was not as fast, but that did not mean he was not quick. His stamina and precision meant that Statham (while bowling faster than most of his contemporaries) held one end up as either Tyson or Trueman sent down thunderbolts at the other end.

6.  A marathon spell

Statham was known to bowl long spells to keep his end tight, but against South Africa at Lord’s in 1955, he produced one of the most Herculean spells ever seen at the home of cricket. Chasing 183 in the fourth innings, South Africa were unable to cope with Statham’s sheer tenacity. He bowled unchanged for 29 overs, snaring seven for 39 in an outstanding display of vitality. It is tough to imagine a contemporary pace bowler replicating such an effort.

7.  Beloved by all

Statham was universally loved by the masses, his teammates, his opponents, and the cricketing authorities. He led Lancashire toward the end of his career in an era when pace bowlers were almost never given the captaincy.He got along famously with Fred Trueman, who once said that in all their years of knowing each other they never shared a harsh word.Frank Tyson was once stopped by a police officer for speeding. On being told that he was getting late for Statham’s retirement function, Tyson was let off with nothing more than a warning.

8.  A simple strategy

Arunabha Sengupta narrates an anecdote of Statham’s pace bowling strategy: “If tha’ bowls all of tha’ balls on the off stump, tha’ has to have all of tha’ fieldsmen on the off side. And if tha’ bowls on the leg stump, tha’ needs all of tha’ fieldsmen on the leg side. Me, I just bowl straight and then I doan’t need any fieldsman!” As mentioned earlier, Statham’s bowling philosophy was a simple one. He would bowl on the stumps, and if the batsmen missed, he would hit.

9.  A brief world record

For two months following The Ashes 1962-63, Statham held the world record for leading wicket-taker in Test cricket before Trueman went on to break the record soon thereafter.

10.  A heart-breaking end

For such a beloved figure, Statham’s final days were gloomy. He was a part of the Lancashire set-up after his retirement, but his finances were quite poor.Trueman found out about his plight and organised a couple of benefit dinners, but it was not enough. Statham passed away of Leukaemia in 2000, aged 69.

(Shiamak Unwalla is a proud Whovian and all-round geek who also dabbles in cricket writing as a reporter with CricketCountry. His Twitter handle is @ShiamakUnwalla)

Related story: Brian Statham: Life and times

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