South African Team
The South African team was captained by Jack Cheetham, with Jackie McGlew as vice-captain. Ken Viljoen, the former Test cricketer, was the manager. The combination of Cheetham and Viljoen had led South Africa to its most successful tour of Australia ever, the 1952-53 tour, when the team drew the series with Australia. Arguably the side's performance in England was even better, since the hosts were recognised at the time as the strongest team in Test cricket, having beaten Australia both home and away and drawn with West Indies away during the previous two years. Jack Cheetham's team were one of the outstanding fielding sides in the history of cricket and remained the benchmark for fieldsmen for decades. In the first One Day International in 1970-71 Richard Whitington wrote "out-fieldsmen were hurling themselves about along the fence in a manner I had not seen for years in desperate endeavour to save fours and reduce runs. They were beginning to resemble Jack Cheetham's unforgettable 1952-53 Springboks". Frank Tyson added in the 1974-75 Ashes series "Never have I seeen a better fielding display in a Test match since Jack Cheetham's 1955 Springboks. Almost everything that left the ground was caught..."
The full team was:
- Jack Cheetham, captain
- Jackie McGlew, vice-captain
- Neil Adcock
- Chris Duckworth, wicketkeeper
- Russell Endean
- Eddie Fuller
- Trevor Goddard
- Peter Heine
- Headley Keith
- Percy Mansell
- Roy McLean
- Anton Murray
- Ian Smith
- Hugh Tayfield
- John Waite, wicketkeeper
- Paul Winslow
Cheetham, McGlew, Endean, Mansell, McLean, Tayfield and Waite had toured England with the 1951 team. Smith had toured England with the 1947 team, but had not been selected in 1951; he was the only remaining player who had been to England on that tour. McGlew, Adcock, Duckworth, Goddard, McLean, Tayfield and Waite would return to England with the 1960 team. Before this tour in 1955, only Duckworth, Goddard and Heine had not played Test cricket, and Goddard and Heine made their Test debuts during the 1955 series. Duckworth, who subsequently played two Tests in 1957, and Murray, who had played 10 Tests before this tour, were the only players not selected for a Test on this tour.
Read more about this topic: South African Cricket Team In England In 1955
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