Fred Trueman: first bowler to take 300 Test wickets

A smooth, classical action, tousled black hair and a scowl that frightened batsmen: this was the trademark of Yorkshire fast bowler Fred Trueman. He was the first bowler in the world to take 300 wickets in Test cricket³. He took 307 wickets in 67 Tests at an average of 21.57¹. According to ESPNcricinfo, many bowlers later passed his total of wickets, but few have matched his average and his strike rate of one wicket every 49 balls².

Early life and start in cricket

Frederick Sewards Trueman was born on 6 February 1931 in the village of Stainton in the English county of Yorkshire. He was a right-arm fast bowler and a right-handed batsman. Domestic cricket in England is played between county sides. Trueman began his first-class career with Yorkshire in 1949³. He was also known as “Fiery Fred”².

1952: an explosive start

Trueman’s first Test, against India at Leeds, began on 5 June 1952. According to ESPNcricinfo, his fast bowling in that match reduced India to four wickets for no runs². In that Test he took 3 wickets for 89 in the first innings and 4 for 27 in the second. In the next Test at Lord’s he took four wickets in each innings¹.

In the third Test, which began at Manchester on 17 July 1952, he took 8 wickets for 31 in 8.4 overs. According to the ICC, this spell helped bowl India out for just 58³. According to ESPNcricinfo, it was then the best Test bowling by a genuine fast bowler². It remained the best innings bowling of his career. In the fourth Test at The Oval he also took 5 wickets for 48¹.

Partnership with Statham and the peak years

In the second half of the 1950s, Trueman formed an effective new-ball partnership with Lancashire’s Brian Statham. According to the ICC, it was one of the most famous bowling pairs in Test history³. According to ESPNcricinfo, Statham’s accuracy was exemplary, and the two were in close competition until the 250-wicket milestone. By then Trueman had also gained full control of swing².

Against West Indies at Nottingham in July 1957, he took 5 wickets for 63 and 4 for 80. On the 1960 tour of West Indies, he took 5 for 35 at Port of Spain. Against Australia at Leeds in July 1961, he took 5 for 58 in the first innings and just 6 for 30 in the second, 11 wickets for 88 in the match¹.

In the Test against Pakistan that began at Lord’s on 21 June 1962, he took 6 wickets for 31, and in the same series he took 4 for 71 at Nottingham. In March 1963, at Christchurch in New Zealand, he took 7 wickets for 75¹.

The 1963 West Indies series and 300 wickets

The home series against West Indies in 1963 was a peak of Trueman’s bowling. At Lord’s he took 6 wickets for 100 in the first innings and 5 for 52 in the second. In the next Test at Birmingham he took 5 for 75 and then 7 for 44 in 14.3 overs. His 12 wickets for 119 in the match are the best bowling in a Test of his career¹.

In the Test against Australia at The Oval in 1964, he became the first bowler from any country to complete 300 Test wickets². In that Test he took 4 wickets for 87. His last Test began against New Zealand at Lord’s on 17 June 1965¹.

Statistics

Source: ESPNcricinfo Statsguru¹. The figures are for his international career.

Impact and legacy

Trueman took five wickets in an innings 17 times and ten wickets in a match 3 times in Test cricket. Of his 307 wickets, 229 came on English soil¹. According to the ICC, he was also a useful lower-order batsman and scored three first-class centuries³. According to ESPNcricinfo, Yorkshire’s period of dominance in the 1960s was a source of joy for Trueman. In 1968 Yorkshire won the County Championship for the sixth time in the decade, and in the same season, under his captaincy, Yorkshire also beat the touring Australians. After leaving the game he was for many years part of the BBC radio Test match commentary team².

He died on 1 July 2006 in a hospital in the Yorkshire town of Keighley². In 2009 the ICC inducted him into the Cricket Hall of Fame³. Many bowlers have since passed through the door to 300 wickets that Fred Trueman first opened, but the first name to reach that mark will always be his.