Victory in Australia
The Remarkable Story of England's Greatest Ashes Triumph 1954-55
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Publishing:3rd Jul '25
£20.00
This title is due to be published on 3rd July, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
'A wonderfully full-bodied account' – David Kynaston
'An outstanding addition to cricket’s literature' – Duncan Hamilton
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.
I don’t know of any finer reconstructions of cricket matches than those in this book on England’s Ashes-winning series of 1954–5. -- Scyld Berry, 'Telegraph' Chief Cricket Writer
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
Victory in Australia has an epic quality; so does Richard Whitehead's Victory in Australia, a detailed and absorbing retelling of a peak Ashes moment. -- Gideon Haigh, cricket writer
A high peak of post-war English cricket brought to vivid life with so much colourful detail. Richard Whitehead has written a masterpiece. -- Stephen Chalke, cricker writer
Come for Hutton's heroism and stay for the scrupulously researched and lovingly described social history. Victory in Australia is so much more than a cricket book. -- John Stern, editor-at-large, 'Wisden'
Meticulously researched by Richard Whitehead, this book brings an epic tour from another age to life. It also serves as a reminder of why we are still so consumed by the Ashes. The portrait of Len Hutton, England’s first professional captain, is riveting. -- Vic Marks, former England bowler
This epic new account of Len Hutton’s Ashes-winning tour is a masterpiece of research and narrative skill. Packed with drama, technical detail and insightful character studies, the book not only provides vivid descriptions of the crucial passages of play, but also sheds new light on the many controversies of this highly charged contest. I enjoyed it tremendously and I know it will come to be seen as an important addition to the literature of Test cricket. -- Leo McKinstry, journalist and historian
ISBN: 9781399415026
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
400 pages