Tufty Mann - Back To England

Back To England

Mann was picked for his second tour of England with the 1951 team. In the early matches of the tour, his defensive rather than his wicket-taking talents were to the fore: by the start of June, he had taken only 14 first-class wickets, but more than a third of his overs were maidens and he was averaging less than 1.8 runs per over from his bowling. In the first Test, following two large first innings, the South Africans struggled in their second innings against Alec Bedser and set England just 186 to win on a pitch that was affected by rain. Athol Rowan and Mann bowled England out for 114 and Mann's four for 24 came in 24 overs, of which 16 were maidens. The Times commented on Mann's accuracy which was, it wrote, as if "bowling on a sixpenny-piece over after over"; when he took his first wicket, that of Jack Ikin, his figures were one for six runs off 15 overs. The next two Tests were not successful either for Mann personally or for his team, with both games lost, and the fourth match of the series was played on a batting pitch at Leeds and Mann bowled 60 overs, taking three for 97, as England matched South Africa by scoring more than 500 before rain washed out the final day. The fifth and final Test at The Oval was played on a pitch that suited spin bowlers, but Mann was not fit to play: his absence, Wisden wrote, "was keenly felt, for the pitch should have proved ideal for his left-arm slow bowling". He returned to the team for one final county match against Middlesex at Lord's, but the game was washed out and he did not take a wicket in just six overs of bowling. On the tour as a whole, Mann's parsimony had left him top of the South African Test bowling averages with 10 wickets at an average of 26.40, and in all first-class matches he had taken 44 wickets at 26.38.