 Unlike the others they were a permanent fixture in the team and it was generally felt that if they failed then so did the batting.May was the leading England runmaker in 1954-55, 1956 and 1958–59 and his near-perfect technique allowed him to make runs where others could not.Cowdrey had made his first and best Test century in 1954-55, 102 in an innings of 191 and could sent the ball to the boundary with the most fleeting touch of the bat.