# 1964 English cricket season

1964 was the 65th season of County Championship cricket in England. Australia retained The Ashes as Bob Simpson led them through a hard-fought series, with only one match coming to a definite result. In domestic cricket, Worcestershire won the County Championship for the first time and Sussex retained the Gillette Cup List A competition.

## Honours

* County Championship – Worcestershire
* Gillette Cup – Sussex
* Minor Counties Championship – Lancashire II
* Second XI Championship – Lancashire II
* Wisden (for their deeds in 1964) - Geoffrey Boycott, Peter Burge, Jack Flavell, Graham McKenzie, Bob Simpson

## Test series

Australia retained the Ashes by beating England 1–0. Australia won the Third Test at Headingley and the other four were all drawn. In the match that Australia won, they were 187–7 in reply to England's 268 when Ted Dexter decided to take the new ball. In response, Peter Burge, the last recognised batsman, went on the attack. He scored 160, well supported by Neil Hawke and Wally Grout, and the last three wickets added 211. 121 behind on first innings, England could not recover. Since a draw in the Fourth Test at Old Trafford would ensure that Australia would retain the Ashes, they batted on until they had reached 656–8 before declaring, with Bobby Simpson scoring 311, his first Test century. England responded with 611 (Ken Barrington 256, Ted Dexter 174) and the match ended in the dullest of draws.
| Cumulative record – Test wins | 1876-1964 |
| England | 64 |
| Australia | 78 |
| Drawn | 51 |

## Leading batsmen

1964 English cricket season – leading batsmen by average :
| Name | Innings | Runs | Highest | Average | 100s |
| Ken Barrington | 35 | 1872 | 256 | 62.40 | 4 |
| Bob Simpson | 38 | 1714 | 311 | 57.13 | 5 |
| Brian Booth | 36 | 1551 | 193* | 55.39 | 3 |
| Colin Cowdrey | 37 | 1763 | 117 | 55.09 | 4 |
| Tom Graveney | 51 | 2385 | 164 | 54.20 | 5 |
| Geoff Boycott | 44 | 2110 | 177 | 52.75 | 6 |
| Bob Cowper | 29 | 1287 | 113 | 51.48 | 3 |
| Mickey Stewart | 44 | 1980 | 227* | 50.76 | 6 |
1964 English cricket season – leading batsmen by aggregate :
| Name | Innings | Runs | Highest | Average | 100s |
| Tom Graveney | 51 | 2385 | 164 | 54.20 | 5 |
| Eric Russell | 56 | 2342 | 193 | 45.92 | 5 |
| Mike Brearley | 54 | 2178 | 169 | 44.44 | 5 |
| Geoff Boycott | 44 | 2110 | 177 | 52.75 | 6 |
| Bob Wilson | 49 | 2038 | 156 | 46.31 | 4 |

## Leading bowlers

1964 English cricket season – leading bowlers by average :
| Name | Balls | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Average |
| Jim Standen | 2534 | 131 | 832 | 64 | 13.00 |
| Len Coldwell | 4417 | 211 | 1518 | 98 | 15.48 |
| Tony Nicholson | 3490 | 159 | 1193 | 76 | 15.69 |
| Tom Cartwright | 6878 | 502 | 2141 | 134 | 15.97 |
| Ian Thomson | 5543 | 293 | 1891 | 116 | 16.30 |
1964 English cricket season – leading bowlers by aggregate :
| Name | Balls | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Average |
| Derek Shackleton | 8568 | 568 | 2897 | 142 | 20.40 |
| Roger Harman | 6787 | 385 | 2858 | 136 | 21.01 |
| Tom Cartwright | 6878 | 502 | 2141 | 134 | 15.97 |
| Fred Titmus | 6813 | 441 | 2106 | 123 | 17.12 |
| Ray Illingworth | 6074 | 374 | 2131 | 122 | 17.46 |
| Alan Dixon | 6700 | 306 | 2915 | 122 | 23.89 |