One of the fastest bowlers to have hurled a ball down the pitch, Frank Tyson was also one of the most erudite.
His claim to fame was the incredible series of 1954-55, when his tremendous pace blew the Australians away at Sydney and Melbourne. The Ashes triumph was acknowledged to be his handiwork as England came back from behind to take the series 3-1. The series saw him bowling like a typhoon with the wind behind him as a man of the stature of Brian Statham was reduced to a supporting act of trundling up the hill and into the wind.
During the New Zealand leg of the tour, Tyson’s pace was measured at Wellington, using metal plates attached to the cricket ball and a sonic device to capture the speed. There was no opportunity of a run up. Tyson bowled while standing at the spot and was measured at 89 mph (142 kmph).
“As fast as man has ever bowled,” wrote EW Swanton about his pace. Standing in the slips, Tom Graveney noted: “I was 50 yards back at slip to Frank and nearer the pavilion gate than the wicket. It was like fielding tracer bullets.” Some pictures showed a 70-metre gap between him and the wicketkeeper as he started his run up. Even Don Bradman, who had faced Harold Larwood during the Bodyline series and had led the young duo of Ray Lindwall and Keith Miller in the late 1940s, called Tyson: “The fastest bowler I have ever seen.”
Even Trueman acknowledged, “On his day Frank Tyson was faster than me.”
Yet, while sending down the bolts of most destructive lightning, Tyson walked back to his bowling mark quoting his favourite lines from William Wordsworth. A university graduate who had studied English literature at Hatfield College in the University of Durham. On tours he would be found engrossed in Geoffrey Chaucer, Bernard Shaw and Adeline Woolf rather than painting the town red during the evenings. Len Hutton is reputed to have once tossed the ball to him with the words, “England hath need of thee”.
Unfortunately, Tyson resembled a meteor blazing across cricketing skies not only in his pace but also longevity. He played just 17 Tests, and by the time England travelled to Australia again, he was a spent force. Perhaps the ‘cabbage patch’ wickets of Northamptonshire were to blame. With the county side boasting spinners like George Tribe, Jack Manning and Micky Allen, pleas for faster wickets fell on deaf ears.
Even then, 78 wickets at 18.56 apiece stands seventh on the list of bowlers with at least 75 scalps in Test cricket. None of the men ahead of him — George Lohmann, Sidney Barnes, Charlie Turner, Bobby Peel, Johnny Briggs and Fred Spofforth — played after the First World War. Tyson was the only one to manage such a rate of wicket taking after the wickets across the world became standardised.
He later settled in Australia and worked as a schoolmaster, later a cricket coach and was soon writing for a number of newspapers. Later, Australian Radio engaged him as a cricket commentator for 36 years and he also performed broadcasting duties for Channel Nine from 1979 to 1986.
Tyson the analyst was unparalleled in his insights and intelligent evaluation of the cricketers of the later eras, and his writings were marked by the stamp of erudition. He penned numerous books on the game, his autobiography A Typhoon called Tyson being one of the most impeccably constructed sporting tales when considered from the literary point of view.
Arunabha Sengupta
Career | M | In | R | NO | HS | Avg | BF | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s | Ct | St |
Test | 17 | 24 | 230 | 3 | 37* | 10.95 | 513 | 44.83 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
ODIs | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
T20s | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
World Cup | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Career | M | B | R | W | Avg | EC | SR | 5WI | 10WM | BBI | BBM |
Test | 17 | 2946 | 1411 | 76 | 18.56 | 2.873 | 38. | 4 | 1 | 7/27 | 10/130 |
ODIs | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
T20s | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
World Cup | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Test Debut
England v Pakistan at Kennington Oval, Kennington, August 12, 1954
Last Test
New Zealand v England at Eden Park, Auckland, March 14, 1959
Jeff Thomson said he would be happy to replicate something similar to what Frank Tyson had done a quarter century ago.
Frank Tyson passed away at the age of 85.
Frank Tyson was regarded as the fastest bowler by cricketers like Sir Don Bradman and Richie Benaud.
“What a bloody stroke,” said Johnny Wardle. It was only inevitable that Fred Trueman would lash back.
Composing one from the cricketers sharing last names with famous scientists, Arunabha Sengupta stumbles across a magnificent fast ...
Composing one from the cricketers with their last names starting with T, Arunabha Sengupta comes across magical names.
When Frank Tyson paid Australia back for his injury.
Frank Tyson is virtually unmatched in cricket history in terms of the raw pace he generated or the sheer terror he struck in the hearts ...
New Zealand's 26 has been challenged several times, but never beaten.
Nepal vs Netherlands - Match 1
Nepal
Match begins at 13:00 IST (07:30 GMT)
Mumbai Indians vs Sunrisers Hyderabad - Match 9
Mumbai Indians
Match begins at 19:30 IST (14:00 GMT)
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Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh - 2nd Test
29 Apr, 2021 10:00 IST
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
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Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur
Malaysia vs Netherlands - Match 5
21 Apr, 2021 12:00 IST
Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur
Zimbabwe vs Pakistan - 1st Test
29 Apr, 2021 13:00 IST
Harare Sports Club, Harare
19 Apr, 2021 13:00 IST
Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur
Nepal vs Netherlands - Match 4
20 Apr, 2021 13:00 IST
Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur
22 Apr, 2021 13:00 IST
Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur
Zimbabwe vs Pakistan - 1st T20I
21 Apr, 2021 14:30 IST
Harare Sports Club, Harare
Zimbabwe vs Pakistan - 2nd T20I
23 Apr, 2021 14:30 IST
Harare Sports Club, Harare
Zimbabwe vs Pakistan - 3rd T20I
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Harare Sports Club, Harare
Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kolkata Knight Riders - Match 10
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MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Punjab Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad - Match 14
21 Apr, 2021 15:30 IST
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore - Match 19
25 Apr, 2021 15:30 IST
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals - Match 24
29 Apr, 2021 15:30 IST
Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
Rajasthan Royals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad - Match 28
02 May, 2021 15:30 IST
Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
Delhi Capitals vs Punjab Kings - Match 11
18 Apr, 2021 19:30 IST
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals - Match 12
19 Apr, 2021 19:30 IST
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians - Match 13
20 Apr, 2021 19:30 IST
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Chennai Super Kings - Match 15
21 Apr, 2021 19:30 IST
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Rajasthan Royals - Match 16
22 Apr, 2021 19:30 IST
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Punjab Kings vs Mumbai Indians - Match 17
23 Apr, 2021 19:30 IST
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders - Match 18
24 Apr, 2021 19:30 IST
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Delhi Capitals - Match 20
25 Apr, 2021 19:30 IST
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders - Match 21
26 Apr, 2021 19:30 IST
Narendra Modi Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad
Delhi Capitals vs Royal Challengers Bangalore - Match 22
27 Apr, 2021 19:30 IST
Narendra Modi Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad
Chennai Super Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad - Match 23
28 Apr, 2021 19:30 IST
Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
Delhi Capitals vs Kolkata Knight Riders - Match 25
29 Apr, 2021 19:30 IST
Narendra Modi Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad
Punjab Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore - Match 26
30 Apr, 2021 19:30 IST
Narendra Modi Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad
Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings - Match 27
01 May, 2021 19:30 IST
Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
Punjab Kings vs Delhi Capitals - Match 29
02 May, 2021 19:30 IST
Narendra Modi Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore - Match 30
03 May, 2021 19:30 IST
Narendra Modi Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad
Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Mumbai Indians - Match 31
04 May, 2021 19:30 IST
Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings - Match 32
05 May, 2021 19:30 IST
Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Punjab Kings - Match 33
06 May, 2021 19:30 IST
Narendra Modi Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad
Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kolkata Knight Riders - Match 10
18 Apr, 2021 15:30 IST | 10:00 GMT
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Delhi Capitals vs Punjab Kings - Match 11
18 Apr, 2021 19:30 IST | 14:00 GMT
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals - Match 12
19 Apr, 2021 19:30 IST | 14:00 GMT
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians - Match 13
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MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Punjab Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad - Match 14
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MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
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Rajasthan Royals vs Delhi Capitals - Match 7
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