Fred Titmus

Frederick John Titmus (* November 24, 1932, † 23 March 2011) was an English test cricketer. Known primarily as an excellent off - spin bowler, he was also an accomplished lower -order batsman, so that he can be an all-rounder. Six times he was even opening batsman for England. Titmus was also a very good football player and was for some time as a professional at Watford under contract; at a junior he had already played for Chelsea.

Early years

In the first team of his school he was already playing at age 13 and came up with sixteen players in the squad of the MCC, for which he played his first first-class match against Somerset in June 1949.

The year 1950 was his first full season in county cricket for Middlesex County Cricket Club, in which he compared the Minor Counties, reaching at least 55 wickets, including 7-34. His military service in 1951 and 1952 limited his playing opportunities a strong, although he was able to partially compete for the Combined Services. From 1953, he was then reinstated fully for Middlesex and reached this season with 105 wickets for the first time a 3-digit success rate, what he should succeed in his career total of 16 times.

Career

After a strong game for the MCC against South Africa, where he reached 8 wickets for 43 runs in the second innings, he made ​​his debut for England in the second Test at Lord's. However, he only reached a wicket and was in two innings as a batsman unsuccessfully. After he convinced in the next Test at Old Trafford little, he was not re-erected, although he participated in at least with the MCC in the following winter on a tour to Pakistan.

Between 1956 and 1962 he succeeded every year except 1958, the double of 100 wickets and 1000 runs in the season. His best year as a batsman was in 1961, when he scored 1793 runs at an average of 37.02. He suggested doing a Century and Half- Century's 14.

Despite his good form and the career-ending of Jim Laker in 1959, the best English spin bowler of his time, it took until 1962 until Titmus was for England in two Tests to play against Pakistan again. This season, he scored his personal best with 9 for 52 against Cambridge University and was the next year one of the Wisden Cricketer of the Year. In the next Ashes tour 1962-63 he scored his highest first-class Century with 137 not not against South Australia. He plays in all five tests, reaching more wickets than any other English bowler.

For the next five years he remained a regular player for England. In 1964, he was with Geoff Boycott even English opening batsman against Australia at Trent Bridge after John Edrich had been injured. For his Middlesex County was 1965-1968 and captain.

On the tour in 1967-68 in the West Indies, where he was vice-captain for the first time, he fell while swimming in Barbados, just before the third Test, with his foot in the propeller of a motor boat and lost four toes. But he could again play for Middlesex in 1968 and had 111 wickets with a very successful season and even led the batting average of his team. His national team career seemed to be over, however.

Although his batting performances over the next few years greatly abated, from 1969, he scored only six 50s and a 112 against Warwickshire in 1976, he remained as a bowler an important support of his team and reached in each year at least 57 wickets.

For the 1974-75 Ashes he was set up surprisingly again and played in four of the five tests in Australia, however he only reached 7 wickets. This winter, he played against New Zealand in his only two One- Day Internationals in his career.