32 Facts About Frank Tyson

Frank Holmes Tyson was an England international cricketer of the 1950s, who worked as a schoolmaster, journalist, cricket coach and cricket commentator after emigrating to Australia in 1960.

Frank Tyson coached Victoria to two Sheffield Shield victories and later coached the Sri Lankan national cricket team.

Frank Tyson was a cricket commentator for 26 years on ABC and Channel Nine.

Frank Tyson's mother was Violet Frank Tyson was born on 1892 and and his father worked for the Yorkshire Dyeing Company, but died before his son was selected for England.

Frank Tyson was a qualified schoolmaster and used to read the works of Geoffrey Chaucer, George Bernard Shaw and Virginia Woolf on tour.

Frank Tyson completed his National Service in the Royal Corps of Signals in 1952 as a Keyboard Operator and Cypher.

Frank Tyson served at the Headquarters Squadron 4 Training Regiment where he controlled the movements of men transferring in and out of Catterick, but not very well.

Frank Tyson abhorred guns and when he took his rifle training he made sure that he always missed the target.

Frank Tyson made his first-class debut against the Indian tourists in 1952, after his first ball the slips moved back an extra five yards and his first wicket was that of the Test batsman Pankaj Roy for a duck.

Richie Benaud was told that the unknown Frank Tyson was a bowler fresh out of Durham University who would give them no trouble.

In 1954 at Old Trafford Frank Tyson hit the sightscreen with the ball after it bounced once on the pitch.

Frank Tyson is one of only four bowlers to have achieved this feat in the history of the game, the others being Charles Kortright, Roy Gilchrist and Jeff Thomson.

Frank Tyson reckoned that he received his Test call up when ex-England captains Gubby Allen and Norman Yardley saw him hospitalise Bill Edrich at Lords.

Frank Tyson worked on his batting and in 1954 "was building up a reputation as an all-rounder, scoring consistently with the bat", and he batted at number seven for England.

Frank Tyson managed to run out Graeme Hole and made 37 not out in the second innings, which remained his highest Test score.

Frank Tyson was taken to hospital for x-rays, but returned to loud applause only to be bowled by Lindwall for 9.

The Australians needed 223 to win, but were afraid that Frank Tyson would send down a barrage of fast, short-pitched bowling, but he was intelligent enough to bowl full-length deliveries that caught them unprepared.

Frank Tyson had taken 28 wickets in the series at 20.82 and was named one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1956.

Frank Tyson did hang round a bit and made 27 not out in England's 246.

Frank Tyson returned to England a hero, but Northants refused to pay for a civic welcome, though the Supporters Club arranged a Welcome Home function at the Northampton Repertory Theatre.

Len Hutton advised him to move back to Lancashire to team up with Brian Statham, but county transfers were difficult in those days and Frank Tyson stayed at Northants.

Frank Tyson's place was taken by his Yorkshire rival Fred Trueman and Tyson's last eight Tests were played intermittently over a period of four years before he retired.

Frank Tyson represented an elemental force obscuring the details of his technique and the highest tribute he received was the gasp of incredulity frequently emitted by the crowd as the ball passed from his hand to the distant wicket-keeper.

In League, university and Army cricket Frank Tyson had used a 'short' run up of 18 or 20 yards consisting of ten short steps and ten long final strides to the wicket.

Frank Tyson believed that a bouncer should 'pin the batsman against the sightscreen' and frequently used them to intimidate batsmen, even tailenders.

Frank Tyson was no simple bowler, but thought hard how to dismiss and deceive batsman.

Frank Tyson retired from first-class cricket in 1960 and emigrated to Australia as a ten-pound pom, as his hero Harold Larwood had done ten years earlier.

Frank Tyson worked as a cricket coach in Melbourne and was the captain-coach of University of Melbourne Cricket Club.

Frank Tyson was recruited as the Director of Coaching for the Victorian Cricket Association, taking them to two Sheffield Shield victories, and helped establish the Australian National Accreditation Scheme in 1974.

Frank Tyson was a cricket commentator on ABC television for 26 years, and for Channel Nine from 1979 to 1986, forming a partnership with Tony Greig.

Frank Tyson went to the gym three times a week, enjoyed swimming, and spent his time making oil paintings of cricketers and cricket grounds.

On 4 March 1956 Frank Tyson appeared on Programme 20 of the third series of the radio version of Hancock's Half Hour, "The Test Match", with Tony Hancock and Sidney James, with guests cricket commentator John Arlott and his England teammates Godfrey Evans and Colin Cowdrey.