Tour of  Pakistan & India 1961-62                   Captain : Ted Dexter              

England’s 46th Test tour

(October 1961 -

         February 1962)

First Test playing tour of Pakistan

Fourth Test-playing tour of India by England

  (previous tour 1951-52)

On a very lengthy and arduous tour lasting from mid-September to mid-March, M.C.C. enjoyed enormous popularity.  Although most of England's leading cricketers stayed at home for the winter. the matches were watched by two million spectators, The team that was sent lost the Test series against India by two matches to nil but beat Pakistan in their Test series.  The seamers found their bowling ineffective in Indian conditions and a huge workload fell on Lock and Allen.

It was the first time a Test series was played in a split fashion, the Indian section of the tour split the Test series against Pakistan into two parts - one Test took place at Lahore before playing the five-match series against India, then back to Pakistan nearly twelve weeks later for two more Test matches - a unique arrangement to accommodate India's departure for the West Indies at the end of January.

M.C.C. included nine players new to Test cricket although four of them - Bob Barber, John Murray, Eric Russell and David Smith - had already had the experience of touring in New Zealand the previous winter.

This was M.C.C.'s first "Test tour" of Pakistan.  M.C.C. had toured in 1951-52, and played unofficial representative matches, and also sent an "A" team in 1955-56 which played four unofficial 'Tests'.

Other England tours

Previous Test tour

West Indies 1959-60

Next Test tour

Australia 1962-63

Next Test tour of Pakistan

1968-69

Next Test tour of  India

1963-64

Members of the Test tour party (16 + 1)

Opening batsmen:  Peter Richardson, Geoff Pullar, Eric Russell.

Middle-order batsmen Ted Dexter, Mike Smith, Ken Barrington, Peter Parfitt, Bob Barber

Wicket-keeper: Geoff Millman, John Murray (and Jimmy Binks (replacement)

All-rounder:  Barry Knight

Slow bowlers: David Allen, Tony Lock.

Fast bowlers: Alan Brown, Butch White, David Smith.

County representation:

Ex  -  Essex (1)

Gs - Gloucestershire (2)

Ha - Hampshire (1)

Kt  -  Kent (2)

La - Lancashire (2)

Mx - Middlesex (3)

Nt - Nottinghamshire (1)

Sy - Surrey (2)

Sx - Sussex (1)

Wk - Warwickshire (1)

Average age of  team at time of first Test match

(21 October 1961) :

   27 yrs 1 month.

Test Appearances made before the tour

Lock 34,  Richardson 25,  Dexter 22,  Barrington 21,  Pullar 16,  Smith MJK 15,  Allen 11,  Murray 5,  Barber,  Binks 0,  Brown 0,  Knight 0,  Millman 0,  Parfitt 0,  Russell 0,  Smith DR  0,  White 0.

Tour Officials

Selectors

Gubby Allen (chairman), Herbert Sutcliffe,  Wilf Wooller and  Doug Insole.

Selection

The manager's name was given out on 13 June. The captain and the vice-captain were announced with the team. M.C.C. had earlier announced the names of 29 players, and asked whether they were available.

Unavailable : D.B.Close, M.C.Cowdrey, J.H.Edrich, J.Flavell, P.B.H.May, J.B.Statham, R.Subba Row, F.S.Trueman.

Tour party announced : 23 August 1961

Not selected:   Tom Graveney,  Norman Gifford,  David Larter

Time between selection and departure from England

   days

 (23 August - 8 October)

Travel

London  Q  Karachi

On 8 October 1961 the team flew from Heathrow to Karachi, and arrived at Rawalpindi the following day.

For the Indian section of the tour, the team went from Karachi to Bombay on 27 October 1961 ; and back to Pakistan from Madras via Calcutta to Dacca on 16 January 1962.

For the last leg of the tour the team was due to fly from Karachi and land at Colombo at 4 pm on Friday 9 February but their departure was postponed 12 hours so the first match in Ceylon was delayed.  They left on 10 February

Time spent in Pakistan and India       124 days

(9 October -  10 February)

On-tour selection panel

Ted Dexter (captain),  Mike Smith (vice-captain),  Tony Lock,  Tom Pearce (manager).

Reinforcements

Jimmy Binks was chosen on 5 January to replace Murray, who returned on 6 January for a varicose veins operation. Two days later Binks flew from London to Bombay.

Fixtures/Results

† not first-class

Time spent in Pakistan before First Test:   12 days

(9 October - 21 October)

Test appearances on tour

8 -   Allen,  Barber,  Dexter,  Richardson.

7 -   Barrington,  Lock,  M J K Smith.

6 -   Knight,  Pullar.

5 -   D R Smith.

4 -   Millman,  Murray,  Parfitt.

3 - 

2 -   Brown,  Russell,  White.

1 - 

0 -   Binks.

Match appearances

T  Test match

x other match 

∙  played for opposition

W won  L lost  D drawn  

N no result   A abandoned  

u unknown result

Highlights

•  T

• 

• 

• 

Tour Summary

F  Fixtures   W  Won   L  Lost   D Drawn   T  Tied  Canc  Cancelled  Aban  abandoned

Return to England

Colombo  Q  London

The team left Colombo by air on 19 February.  They flew in two separate groups.  Eight players (Dexter, Allen, Parfitt, Pullar, Richardson, Russell, D.R.Smith, White);  landed at Heathrow on 20 February but the other eight were delayed at Cairo.

Time away from England

  135 days  

(8 October - 20 February)

Finances

Tour publication

"England  v  Pakistan"  Sunday Telegraph.

Postscript

Other Test tours in 1961-62

New Zealand in South Africa 1961-62