Victory in Australia

The Remarkable Story of England's Greatest Ashes Triumph 1954-55

Richard Whitehead (Author) , Oliver Hembrough (Narrator)

Victory in Australia

The Remarkable Story of England's Greatest Ashes Triumph 1954-55

Richard Whitehead (Author) , Oliver Hembrough (Narrator)

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Description

'... a masterpiece' – Stephen Chalke

The definitive story of England's greatest cricket team and their historic Ashes triumph.

Winning the Ashes in England is one thing. Winning them in Australia, quite another. Since the Second World War, England have only won five Ashes series in Australia, making their 1954–55 triumph a stand-out performance. And on the pitch was one of England's greatest teams – perhaps the greatest. The names among Len Hutton's 18 players – to include Denis Compton, Brian Statham and Frank Tyson – still resonate today.

The overwhelming weight of history was against them: only once had England won an away Ashes series after losing the first Test. But they delivered, winning the series 3-1, a monumental team effort spearheaded by the explosivity of fast-bowler Tyson 'Typhoon'. However, the skill was on both sides of the pitch as the players, both talented cricketers and fascinating men, brought to sport an entirely different perspective to our modern-day uber-professionals.

With contemporary sources and players' memories from both sides, read the story of a historic and stirring victory, and of the personalities behind the action on the field. Discover how cricket has changed, how tours have evolved and how the relationship between England and Australia has undergone a revolution.

Introduction
Dramatis personae

Part 1: Debacle in Brisbane
Part 2: Plots, coups and the English class system
Part 3: Choosing Hutton's men
Part 4: The long road to Brisbane
Part 5: Typhoon Frank hits Sydney
Part 6: Cracks appear in Melbourne
Part 7: Adelaide and the Ashes
Part 8: Return to Sydney

Postscript
Records and statistics
Bibliography
Acknowledgments
Index

Product details

Published	03 Jul 2025
Format	Ebook (PDF)
Edition	1st
Extent	400
ISBN	9781399415040
Imprint	Bloomsbury Sport
Illustrations	Integrated black and white images
Publisher	Bloomsbury Publishing

Author

Richard Whitehead

Richard Whitehead is a former senior editor at The…

Narrator

Oliver Hembrough

meticulously researched and (for any cricket fan) unputdownable

The Times
It excels as a narrative account, both because of the research that obviously went into its production and the quality of the writing. I felt I lived through the series.

Mervyn King, former president of MCC
it really is the best cricket book I have ever read.

Douglas Miller, Association of Cricket Statisticians
An outstanding addition to cricket's literature. With both detail and description, Richard Whitehead marvellously recreates one of the great tours of the 20th century and brings both the era – and the men who shaped it – back into full, vibrant breathing life.

Duncan Hamilton, three times winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year
A wonderfully full-bodied account, alert to every human and social as well as cricketing nuance, of a tour that still burns bright in English memories.

David Kynaston, English historian and author
Such incredibly gripping sports writing. It was like being there. Truly. Every ball. With the added bonus of knowing it would all turn out okay for once.

Giles Coren