England cricketer whose ferocious bowling destroyed Australia in the 1954 Ashes and earned him the epithet ‘Typhoon’
Frank Tyson, who has died aged 85, probably bowled as fast a ball as any cricketer who has ever played, and inevitably he attracted the nickname “Typhoon”. His domination at international level was fleeting, with one Test series for England memorable for his performance alone: in Australia in 1954-55. To him and to all who marvelled at his pace in that Ashes encounter, that spectacle was worth much more than any long workaday career. When Tyson returned to Australia four years later, the phenomenal edge of speed had gone and he was just an average quick bowler, to be remembered as the balding, muscular academic who had spearheaded Len Hutton’s dramatic retention of the Ashes following England’s ominous thrashing in the opening Test match at Brisbane (Tyson 1 for 160).
Tyson was born in Farnworth, Lancashire, and educated at Queen Elizabeth’s grammar school, Middleton, before taking an English literature degree at Durham University. He followed a fellow Lancastrian, Keith Andrew, a high-class wicketkeeper, down to Northamptonshire, and made his debut in 1952. Tyson’s first headline came when the county hosted the 1953 Australian touring team. On that bland pitch, he bruised flesh and battered gloves. Word spread fast that here was something out of the ordinary. The following year brought his Test debut, when a complacent England suffered an unexpected defeat by Pakistan at the Oval, Tyson taking four top-order wickets in a low-scoring match. Soon he and Andrew were on the ship to Australia.
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