Victory in Australia

Author Richard Whitehead
Narrator Oliver Hembrough
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing
Publish Date 3 July 2025
Run Time 16 hours and 11 minutes
Format Audio
Genre Biography: sport, Cricket, History of sport, Social and cultural history.

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What to expect

Bloomsbury presents Victory in Australia by Richard Whitehead, read by Oliver Hembrough

‘Such incredibly gripping sports writing. It was like being there. Truly. Every ball’
Giles Coren

‘Elegant and evocative … the definitive word on England’s most astonishing Ashes tour ever’
Matthew Engel

THE DEFINITIVE ACCOUNT OF AN EPIC ASHES BATTLE

The Ashes series of 1954–55 marked a watershed moment in the history of English cricket. Under the leadership of Len Hutton, the national team’s first professional captain, one of the greatest group of players ever to represent England won an Ashes series in Australia for the first time in more than 20 years. It is a feat that has been repeated only four times in more than 70 years since.

But Hutton’s men had to overcome the additional obstacle of losing heavily in the first Test – only one England team has managed to win an overseas Ashes series after such a monumental setback.

The names of the cricketers who locked horns in 1954–55 resonate down the decades – Hutton's team included Denis Compton, Frank Tyson, Brian Statham, Trevor Bailey, Godfrey Evans, Peter May and Colin Cowdrey. Among their Australian opponents were Ray Lindwall, Keith Miller, Neil Harvey and Richie Benaud. In the 1950s, these players were not just elite sportsmen, they were household names.

An Ashes series for the ages is brought thrillingly to life in this momentous slice of sporting and social history.

Critics Review

it really is the best cricket book I have ever read.

Association of Cricket Statisticians

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

Such incredibly gripping sports writing. It was like being there. Truly. Every ball. With the added bonus of knowing it would all turn out okay for once.

Giles Coren

Elegant and evocative, this will surely stand as the definitive word on England's most astonishing Ashes tour ever.

Matthew Engel, former 'Wisden' editor

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

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

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

Len Hutton's greatest triumph gave rise to no less than 15 books in its immediate aftermath. To understand its full significance, we now need to read only one: Richard Whitehead's definitive account of this most fascinating of Ashes tours.

David Woodhouse, author of 'Who Only Cricket Know'

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

A fascinating and detailed exposition of the men, the matches and the meaning of one of the most extraordinary Test cricket tours of the 20th century. Beautifully composed.

Simon Lister, author of 'Fire in Babylon'

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'

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