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Fred Trueman was among the greatest pacers in Test cricket. He played 67 Tests between 1952 and 1965, and the right-arm pacer was equipped with the art of swinging the bowl both ways with deadly pace. This was enough to etch fear in the batters community worldwide. He was popularly known as ‘fiery Fred’.
He had a fantastic career which ended with him bagging 307 wickets. He had a peculiar average of 21.57 and used to grab a wicket nearly every 50 balls, earning him a strike rate of 49.4. Also, he was the first bowler to scalp 300 wickets.
Every career has its defining moments, and these compile to form the base of a player's legacy. Among Trueman's outstanding spells was one against Australia in the Ashes, 1961.
Australia were leading the Ashes 1-0 before coming to Headingly for the third Test. On the third day of the Test, the visitors were batting on 99/2 in the second innings, leading by 37. With eight wickets in hand and ample time in their hands, the Australians were expected to set a big target for the Englishmen.
Then, England captain Peter May brought on Trueman. The lethal pacer did not disappoint his skipper, dismissing settled batter Neil Harvey almost immediately. A long discussion between Trueman and May ensued, where the duo spoke about the dust on the pitch which was making the ball stop for a bit. They came up with a plan to dismiss the Australians as soon as possible and the plan worked.
Trueman was accurate as a hawk-eye and bowled in the right areas, producing one of the greatest spells ever bowled. He sent five Australian batters one after the other, and the most remarkable thing was that he did not leak even a single run.
He scalped five wickets for zero in 27 balls. The Englishman’s final figures after he was introduced read 7.5-4-5-6. It was the performance of a lifetime that helped his team restrict Australia to 120. The side then collapsed from 99/2 to 120 all-out.
England had a target of 59 in front of them which was comfortably chased down with eight wickets. England levelled the Ashes 1-1.
For his performances in the 1952 season, he was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in the 1953 edition of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack. On the occasion of England's 1000th Test in August 2018, he was named in the country's most incredible Test XI by the ECB.
