Australian cricket team in England in 1948

<!--thumb|The [[Australia national cricket team|Australian cricket team on board the en-route to England in 1948. Don Bradman is on the left, doffing his hat.]]-->

right|thumb|upright|[[Don Bradman, the Australian captain|alt=Man in double breasted suit, hair parted down the middle, sitting on a long bench in a sports stadium, posing with a cricket bat, held vertical and supported on his thigh.]]

The Australian cricket team in England in 1948 is famous for being the only Test match team to play an entire tour of England without losing a match. This feat earned them the nickname of "The Invincibles", and they are regarded as one of the greatest cricket teams of all time. According to the Australian federal government, the team "is one of Australia's most cherished sporting legends". The team was captained by Don Bradman, who was making his fourth and final tour of England.

Including five Test matches, Australia played a total of 34 matches, of which 31 were first-class, between 28 April and 18 September. Two of the non-first-class matches were played in Scotland. They had a busy schedule, with 112 days of play scheduled in 144 days, meaning that they often played every day of the week except Sunday. Their record in the first-class games was 23 won and 8 drawn; in all matches, they won 25 and drew 9; many of the victories were by large margins. They won the Test series 4–0 with one draw.

The strength of the Australian team was based around its formidable batting line-up, which included Bradman, Arthur Morris, vice-captain Lindsay Hassett, Neil Harvey and Sid Barnes, and the hostile fast bowling of Ray Lindwall, Keith Miller and Bill Johnston.

Due to the popularity of Bradman, generally regarded as the greatest batsman of all time, and the fact that he had announced that it was his farewell international tour, the Australians were greeted with much fanfare across the country, and many records for match attendances were broken. The record for Test attendance at a match in England was broken thrice: in the Second, Third and Fourth Tests, and stands to this day.

Touring party

• Keith Johnson (manager)
• Donald Bradman (captain)
• Lindsay Hassett (vice-captain)
• Ray Lindwall
• Keith Miller
• Sam Loxton
• Neil Harvey
• Bill Brown
• Arthur Morris
• Don Tallon (wicket-keeper)
• Sid Barnes
• Ian Johnson
• Bill Johnston
• Ernie Toshack
• Doug Ring
• Ron Hamence
• Colin McCool
• Ron Saggers (wicket-keeper)

Significance

The 1948 Australian team has great significance in cricket history, as it is the only team to tour England unbeaten, Even so, various commentators have rated the 1948 Australians as one of the best cricket teams ever, and it is often compared to other great outfits such as the 1902 Australian touring team, Warwick Armstrong's Australian team of just after World War I, the West Indies team of the 1980s, and the Australian team of the 1990s and 2000s.

The high regard with which The Invincibles are held in the annals of Australian and world cricket is reflected in the various honours accorded to the players. Bradman, Lindwall and Miller were among the ten inaugural inductees into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame in 1996. Hassett, Morris and Harvey were later inducted, so that 20% of the inductees are from the 1948 team. Of these six, all except Hassett were selected in Australia's Team of the Century, with Bradman as captain and Miller his deputy. Bradman, Lindwall, Miller and Harvey are among a group of only 14 Australians in a total of 60 players who have been inducted into the International Cricket Council's Hall of Fame. In The Ten Greatest Test Teams by Tom Graveney (with Norman Miller), ten teams were compared by a computer, and the 1948 Australians emerged second behind the 1984 West Indians. Graveney strongly disagreed with the result, writing 'there has not been a better team in my lifetime than Don Bradman's Australian tourists of 1948'. The computer regarded Sam Loxton as a member of the team as he played more Tests in the series than Neil Harvey; if Harvey had been picked, the Australians would have been the superior team.

Preparations

Since the resumption of cricket following World War II, Australia had played 11 Tests and had been unbeaten. In 1946–47, they won the five-Test series against England 3–0, and followed this with a 4–0 series win over India in the following season. Australia were regarded as an extremely strong team in the lead-up to the tour of England, and their captain Donald Bradman publicly expressed his desire to achieve the unprecedented feat of going through the five-month tour without defeat.

The committee that selected the touring party was Bradman, Jack Ryder and Chappie Dwyer. They held their final meeting on Wednesday 11 February and announced the team that day. The team was chosen with a dual emphasis on strong batting and fast bowling.

Australia had injury concerns to key players ahead of the tour. Chronic knee injuries had begun to hamper medium-pacer Toshack, and he only made the trip after a 3–2 vote by a medical panel, Leading paceman Lindwall had been playing with an injured leg tendon. In addition, his foot drag during the delivery stride led to speculation about the legality of his bowling action. Bradman's counsel was effective, as Lindwall did not have a no-ball problem during the tour. In Launceston, Australia won by an innings and 49 runs. Toshack took 5/24 as Tasmania fell for 123. Australia then scored 288 before five bowlers shared the wickets as Tasmania fell for just 116, Barnes taking 3/1. Four days later, on Saturday 13 March, the Australians were at the WACA Ground where they found a tougher test from Western Australia. Western Australia scored 348 as Wally Langdon made 112, while five bowlers took two wickets each. Australia replied with 442/7 declared, including 115 apiece by Morris and Bradman. Western Australia only had time to reach 62/3 and the game was drawn. The match attracted a total crowd of 30,500.

Voyage and stopover in Ceylon

The team set sail on board from Fremantle on Friday 19 March. The local newspaper The Islander ran a headline of "Bradman Will Definitely Play" and this guaranteed a crowd of more than 20,000. Australia batted first and became suspicious about the pitch as the morning went on. At lunch, Ian Johnson demanded that the pitch be measured and it was found to be only long. The Australian journalist Andy Flanagan said that "cities, towns and hotels are beflagged, carpets set down, and dignitaries wait to extend an official welcome. He is the Prince of Cricketers." Writing later, Haigh opined that "perhaps no touring cricketer&nbsp;... has been as feted as Bradman in that northern summer".

As a team, the Australians were greeted by record crowds and gate receipts across the country, even when wet weather curtailed the matches. The record attendance for a Test match in England was broken three times, in the Second Test at Lord's, the Third Test at Old Trafford, and the Fourth Test at Headingley.

Off the field, the Australians were inundated with requests for social functions, including appointments with government officials and members of the royal family, and they had to juggle a plethora of off-field engagements, with 112 days of scheduled cricket in the space of 144 days. Three-day matches were often held consecutively with only the traditional Sunday rest day, although their dominance ended several matches prematurely and earned them extra rest days.

Team manager Keith Johnson, the only administrator in the touring party, was flooded with phone calls and letters. Bradman later said he was worried that Johnson's tireless work would cause health problems and that "it was the tribute to a bulldog determination to see the job through". Bradman said that "no side could have wished for a better manager". and an "unimpeachable figure". and some viewed him as a father figure. Bradman wrote that this was the most personally fulfilling period of his playing days, as the divisiveness of the 1930s had passed. He wrote:

However, some players expressed displeasure at Bradman's ruthless obsession towards annihilating the opposition. Miller deliberately allowed himself to be bowled first ball for a duck in a protest against Australia's world record of 721 runs in one day against Essex. Bradman's letters in later life, published posthumously, revealed his hostility towards Miller. Sid Barnes later criticised Bradman for his reluctance to allow Ron Hamence—one of the reserve batsmen—to partake in meaningful matchplay due to captain's reluctance to risk Australia's unbeaten run.

Roles and strategy

As matches often started the day after the previous fixture, sometimes amounting to six days of cricket a week—Sunday was always a rest day Thus, the vice-captain Hassett led the Australians in nine tour matches while Bradman was rested,

Likewise, the batting was regularly rotated. The three openers Barnes, Morris and Brown took turns sitting out, while the middle-order was changed frequently and the wicket-keeping duties divided between Tallon and Saggers. As a result, Australia's third fast bowler Bill Johnston bowled the most overs, behind only Bradman, Hassett and Morris in the runs and averages, with a highest score of 200 against Cambridge University. Brown's tally of eight centuries was second only to Bradman, and took his tally on English soil to 18 first-class tons. A very occasional off spinner, It was his best career bowling figures—he accumulated only six wickets in his first-class career.

Bill Johnston was a key member of Donald Bradman's famous Australian cricket team, which toured England in 1948. He was the equal-leading wicket-taker in the Tests (27 along with Lindwall) and Australia's most prolific wicket-taker in the first-class matches with 102. The latter feat made him the last Australian to take a century of wickets on an Ashes tour. In recognition of his achievements, Johnston was chosen as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year. Wisden said "no Australian made a greater personal contribution to the playing success of the 1948 side". Johnson's most successful game with the ball was against Gloucestershire, which yielded match figures of 11/100. In all first-class matches, he took 86&nbsp;wickets at 15.68 and held onto 14 catches, fielding in the slips. Lindwall had limited batting opportunities, usually playing from No. 7 to No. 9.

Sam Loxton played as a right-handed middle-order batsman and a right-arm fast medium bowler who reinforced the frontline pace attack of Lindwall, Miller and Bill Johnston. Of the seven regular bowlers, Loxton was the only one who was not a frontline bowler, and as such he had the worst average, the second-worst economy rate and the third-worst strike rate. Loxton ended the Test series with 144 runs at 48.00 and three wickets at 49.33, having bowled 63 overs. Loxton batted at No.&nbsp;6 or No.&nbsp;7 during the Tests, and was the last batsman in the batting order before the wicket-keeper and the bowlers. With 13 wickets in the Tests, Miller was third among the Australians behind Lindwall and Johnston, who took 27 apiece. Owing to his fragility, Miller was used sparingly compared to the other four Australian frontline bowlers: Toshack and Johnson each delivered more than 170 overs despite playing in one less Test, while Lindwall bowled 224 and Johnston 306 in five matches. In all first-class matches, Miller took 56&nbsp;wickets at 17.58 and held onto 20 catches.

Arthur Morris played in all five Tests, partnering the right-handed Sid Barnes in three Tests but was injured in the Third and Fourth Tests. Barnes was unable to open in the former and did not play in the latter. In the Test series and the opening match against Worcestershire, Australia fielded its first-choice team; Brown played out of position in the middle order, while Morris and Barnes opened. He did so despite being troubled by a split between the first and second fingers of his left hand, caused by constant jarring from the bat as he played the ball. The wound often opened while he was batting. Tallon took 29 catches and 14 stumpings for the first-class matches during the tour. Tallon scored 283 runs at 25.72 for the season at an average higher than Saggers's 23.22. In all his matches on tour, Tallon conceded 249 byes as Australia conceded 5331 runs, a bye percentage of 4.67%, compared to Saggers's 221 byes from 6190 runs, a percentage of 3.57%.^{<span style="color:#00f">N-</span>} During the tour, Tallon had few opportunities with the bat, generally batting between No. 8 and No. 9,^{<span style="color:#00f">N-</span>}. During the Tests, Toshack took 11 wickets at 33.09; his most notable performance was his 5/40 in the second innings of the Second Test at Lord's.

Lindwall and Miller were groundbreaking fast bowlers, with high pace and the ability to deliver menacing short-pitched bowling at the upper body of the batsmen. Prior to World War II, pace bowlers were generally much slower and rarely bowled at the body. England were yet to develop similar bowlers, and as a result, Australia were able to pepper the upper body of the opposition without fear of retaliation.

First Test

{| width="100%" style="background: #EBF5FF"

|-

| width="15%" valign="top" | England

| width="25%" valign="top" | 165<br />

| width="5%" valign="top" | &

| width="25%" valign="top" | 441

| width="30%" valign="top" rowspan="2" | Australia won by eight wickets Yardley won the toss and elected to bat. Johnston bowled Barnett and when Evans and Yardley were both dismissed with the score on 74,

Australia scored slowly, as Yardley employed leg theory to slow the scoring. Brown came in at No. 5, but he had played most of his career as an opening batsman and appeared uncomfortable before falling for 24.

<!--thumb|left|Hassett scored 137 for Australia. -->

On the third morning, Bradman added only eight before falling for 138 when he leg glanced an inswinger from Bedser to Hutton at short fine leg. Johnson and Tallon came and went, failing to pass 21. Miller played, but was unfit to bowl.

Barnes fell for a duck, and Morris and Bradman rebuilt the innings, slowly taking the score to 87 before Bradman was caught for the third consecutive time by Hutton in the leg trap off Bedser. He persevered through the pain and removed Washbrook in his fourth over. Yardley and Laker had been the only multiple wicket-takers, with two each. Toshack ended the innings with 5/40, while Lindwall and Johnston took three and two respectively.

Third Test

{| width="100%" style="background: #EBF5FF"

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| width="15%" valign="top" | England

| width="25%" valign="top" | 363<br />

| width="5%" valign="top" | &

| width="25%" valign="top" | 174/3 declared

| width="30%" valign="top" rowspan="2" | Drawn The omission generated considerable controversy. and the Australians were pleased, feeling that Hutton was England's best batsman. Edrich and Crapp then engaged in grim defensive batting, resulting in one 25-minute period where only one run was added. They reached lunch at 57/2. Edrich and Washbrook settled and put together a 124-run partnership in only 138 minutes. This was aided three dropped catches from Washbrook. Edrich struck eight boundaries and brought up his fifty with a six, but was immediately run out by Morris with a direct hit.

The rest day was followed by the fourth day, which was abandoned due to persistent rain. Yardley declared at the start of the fifth day, leaving Australia a victory target of 317, but the rain meant that the entire first session was lost. while Saggers replaced the injured Tallon behind the stumps. England made three changes. Emmett was dropped and Hutton was recalled to take his opening position. Laker replaced his left arm finger spinning colleague Young. Dollery, who had made only 38 in three innings,

England won the toss and elected to bat on an ideal batting pitch. With Barnes injured, Hassett was moved from the middle order to open the innings with Morris. Morris fell for six, before Bradman and Hassett saw the tourists to stumps at 63/1. If England were to remove the pair, they would expose Australia's lower order and give themselves an opportunity to win by taking a substantial lead. The pair launched a counterattack, with Miller taking the lead with many lofted boundaries. This allowed Australia to seize the initiative, with Harvey joining in and hitting consecutive boundaries against Laker. Miller was dismissed by Yardley for 58 while attempting another six, but the partnership had yielded 121 runs in 90 minutes, prompting Wisden to liken it to a "hurricane". Harvey then shared another century stand with Loxton which yielded 105 in only 95 minutes. Harvey ended with a century on his Ashes debut, scoring 112 from 183 balls in an innings noted for powerful driving on both sides of the wicket. The high rate of scoring during the innings freed the match from England's firm control. Loxton was particularly severe on Laker, lifting his deliveries into the crowd for five sixes in addition to nine fours. At the other end, Harvey and Johnson fell to Laker in quick succession to leave the score at 329/6. dominating stands of 48 and 55 with Johnston and Toshack respectively. In the half-hour preceding the interval, Australia had added 64 runs.

Fifth Test

{| width="100%" style="background: #EBF5FF"

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| width="15%" valign="top" | England

| width="25%" valign="top" | 52<br />

| width="5%" valign="top" | &

| width="25%" valign="top" | 188

| width="30%" valign="top" rowspan="2" | Australia won by an innings and 149 runs

Miller bowled Dewes for one with his second ball to leave England at 2/1, before Johnston removed Edrich for three to leave England at 10/2.

After the lunch break, England had struggled to 35/4, before Lindwall bowled Yardley with a swinging yorker. Bradman described the spell as "the most devastating and one of the fastest I ever saw in Test cricket". Hutton was the only batsman to resist, scoring 30 in 124 minutes from 147 deliveries. No other player passed seven. the innings would be his last at Test level if Australia batted only once. The crowd gave him a standing ovation as he walked out to bat. Yardley led his team in giving Bradman three cheers. but Hollies bowled him second ball for a duck with a googly. Morris had scored more than half the runs as the rest of the team struggled against the leg spin of Hollies, who took 5/131. England had relied heavily on spin; two-thirds of the overs were delivered by the two spinners.

The pitch was slow, and the weather was cold and showery for the traditional tour opener against Worcestershire. Worcester attracted a record attendance of 32,000 with takings of more than £4000. The hosts elected to bat, and started strongly as a century second-wicket stand took them to 137/1 after 133 minutes. However, the dismissal of Charles Palmer, who top-scored with 85, precipitated a collapse and they lost their last nine wickets in two hours to be all out for 233. Five Australian bowlers shared the wickets, with Johnson taking 3/52. In their sole innings, Australia took the initiative from the outset through a 166-run second-wicket stand between Morris (138) and Bradman (107). This took them to 265/1, before they declared at 462/8 after Miller had hit an unbeaten 50 in faster than even time. Off spinner Peter Jackson took 6/135 for the locals. In their second innings Worcestershire were bowled out by Australia for 212 runs, with 70 minutes to spare. McCool took 4/29 as the spinners took eight of the wickets.

v Leicestershire

:;At Leicester, 1, 3, 4 May. The Australians (448) defeated Leicestershire (130 and 147) by an innings and 171 runs.

Australia elected to bat, and Miller, who had been promoted to No. 3, shared century partnerships with Barnes (78) and Bradman (81). A middle-order collapse then ensued as the remaining Australians struggled against the local spin attack, but last man Johnston managed to hold up his end in a 37-run last-wicket partnership that allowed Miller to reach his double century. He ended on 202 not out as Australia were dismissed for 448. The Australian-born slow bowler Vic Jackson was the best Leicestershire bowler, taking 5/91. Leicestershire scored only 130 in their first innings; another Australian expatriate, Jack Walsh, top-scored with 33. Ring took 5/34 and the hosts hampered their batting efforts with two run outs. Australia enforced the follow on and Leicestershire faced the prospect of being bowled out twice in a day after Johnson took the first wickets to have them 5/83. After a rain delay Australia took the final five wickets for 34 runs in an hour on the final day; Leicestershire were all out for 147 in an innings defeat. Johnson ended with 7/42.

v Yorkshire

:;At Bradford, 5, 6 May. Yorkshire (71 and 89) lost to the Australians (101 and 63/6) by four wickets.

This low-scoring game was the closest that Australia came to defeat on the tour. The game was played in cold, blustery, overcast and wet conditions that suited spin bowlers. Wickets had fallen at less than 10 runs apiece, and at the rate of every four overs.

Australia won the toss and Barnes and Morris put on 136 for the opening stand before the latter fell for 65. Barnes and Bradman then added 207 for the second wicket. Barnes' 176 came in 255 minutes and Bradman made 146 in 165 minutes. After Bradman departed at 403/3, wickets began to fall more regularly, but Hassett held up his end and made 110, while Tallon remained unbeaten on 50. Surrey's Test paceman Alec Bedser took 4/104. Johnston took 4/40 and Johnson 3/40.

Cambridge elected to bat and wickets fell regularly. No player made over 33 and the hosts were out in the second session of the first day for 167. Miller was prominent with the ball and in the field, taking 5/46 and two catches for his fellow bowlers. In reply, Australia were already 184/1 at stumps, with Brown heading for a consecutive century. He put on 176 for the second wicket with Hamence, who made 92. Brown reached 200 and was out immediately thereafter, prompting stand-in skipper Hassett to declare midway through the second day at 414/4, having reached 61 not out himself.

v Essex

:;At Southend, 15, 17 May. The Australians (721) defeated Essex (83 and 187) by an innings and 451 runs.

After electing to bat, Australia made history on the first day by breaking the record for the most runs scored in a first-class match in a day. Ironically, it was the only time they were dismissed in a single day on the entire tour. With centuries from Brown (153), Bradman (187), Loxton (120) and Saggers (104*), Australia's first innings totalled 721; they were dismissed on the close of the first day's play. Bradman's 187 came in 155 minutes and Brown's 153 lasted three hours; the pair put on 219 in 90 minutes after Barnes fell for 79 at 145/1. Bradman came in and seized the initiative, reaching 42 in the 20 minutes before lunch, including five fours from one over by Frank Vigar which subsequently entered Essex club folklore. Bradman and Brown were parted when the latter fell at 364/2 only halfway through the day's play. Miller then famously deliberately allowed himself to be bowled first ball as a protest against Australia's merciless crushing of their hosts, something that angered his captain and batting partner Bradman. Miller later told Dickie Bird that he had wanted to go to the local horse races, but this was refused by Bradman. The all rounder therefore made his duck in protest, but still did not get to go to the races. Later, Loxton and Saggers made 166 in 65 minutes for the sixth wicket, before a late-order collapse saw Australia lose 5/57, leaving Saggers unbeaten, but not before he reached the only first-class century of his career.

v Oxford University

:;At Oxford, 19, 20, 21 May. The Australians (431) defeated Oxford University (185 and 156) by an innings and 90 runs.

Australia batted first after Hassett won the toss, and the opening pair of Brown and Morris put on 139. Brown scored his third century in succession, before being out lbw to Indian Test player Abdul Hafeez Kardar for 108. Morris, Loxton, McCool and Ring all reached 50 as the Australians posted 431. The wickets were spread evenly among the tourists; Toshack took three in each innings, while Johnston and McCool totalled four for the match.

The MCC fielded seven players who would represent England in the Tests,

v Lancashire

:;At Manchester, 26, 27, 28 May. The Australians (204 and 259/4) drew with Lancashire (182).

The first day was abandoned due to rain. Australia lost the toss and were sent in to bat on a drying pitch. The 19-year-old Lancashire spin bowler Malcolm Hilton took Bradman's wicket twice in the match, causing a media sensation. Hilton bowled Bradman with an arm ball for 11, The Australian batsmen failed to capitalise on their starts as six were dismissed between 20 and 40. Australia looked set to concede a lead for the first time on tour as the hosts reached 3/129, but Johnston (5/49) took five of the last seven wickets for 28 runs in Lancashire's only innings, which ended on the third morning. With a result impossible, Australia had time for batting practice. Bradman reached 43, and when Hilton came on, the Australian captain, perhaps perturbed by earlier events, attempted to hit the spinner out of the attack. After missing the first two balls, Bradman charged the third, swung and missed, fell over and was stumped.

v Nottinghamshire

:;At Nottingham, 29, 31 May 1 June. Nottinghamshire (179 and 299/8) drew with the Australians (400).

In Nottinghamshire's first innings, Ray Lindwall took 6/14 from 15.1 overs, with only 10 scoring strokes being made off him. Reg Simpson made 74 and Joe Hardstaff junior 48, but only one other batsman reached double figures. After their 98-run third-wicket stand was broken, Australia took 8/68 to bowl the hosts out for 179. Lindwall, conceded less than a run per over. Only ten of his balls were scored from and not a single run was taken from his last 30 balls. Fingleton said that Lindwall "absolutely paralysed" the batsmen, with some of his bowling "in the real Larwood manner". Lindwall and the Australian pacemen were less incisive in the second innings, and Ring and Johnson took four and three wickets respectively.

Hampshire won the toss and elected to bat against the Australians, who were led by Hassett while Bradman rested. The Australians were behind on the first innings for the first time on the tour and the match remained in the balance until the third afternoon.

v Sussex

:;At Hove, 5, 7 June. Sussex (86 and 138) lost to the Australians (549/5 declared) by an innings and 325 runs.

Lindwall won the match for the Australians with his bowling, taking 11/59. After winning the toss, the Sussex batsmen struggled with his length and variation of pace, and he hit the off-stump five times in the first innings alone to end with 6/34. Loxton also bowled well in the first innings, taking 3/13. Australia replied to Sussex's 86 strongly, and were already 254/1 by the end of the first day. Powered by Morris's 184 and with centuries too for Bradman (109) and Harvey (100*), Australia added a further 295 runs on the second day to declare at 549/5. They then still had time to send down 63.3 overs, enough to finish the match within two days. In Sussex's second innings Lindwall took two wickets in the first over. Harry Parks made 61, but Sussex were all out for 138, losing their last seven wickets for 59. In all, eight of Lindwall's wickets were bowled, five these by swinging yorkers, the batsmen unable to counter the swerving deliveries.

Starting the day after the First Test, the Northamptonshire match was interrupted by rain. Northamptonshire batted first and collapsed to 7/61 before some tail-end resistance took them to 119; Johnston and Johnson took three wickets each. The Australians passed the locals' score on the first afternoon, and their innings was built around Hassett's 127, which included 17 fours. Morris and McCool also made fifties.

v Yorkshire

:;At Sheffield, 19, 21, 22 June. The Australians (249 and 285/5 declared) drew with Yorkshire (206 and 85/4).

The Australians were made to work hard for their 249, with only Bradman reaching 50. Harvey and Hamence passed 40 but could not convert their starts into large scores. Yardley expressed his displeasure by bowling his part-timers and then promoting tailenders to the upper half of the order in the second innings.

Australia won the toss and sent Surrey in to bat. They made 221, and Jack Parker top-scored with 76 in an uneven effort in which there were six single-figure scores. As the match started the day after the Second Test, Bradman let most of his second-string bowlers do the work to rest his first-choice bowlers, and Ring took three wickets, while the Test players only took two in total. Hamence opened the batting for Australia—Brown injured a finger while fielding—but he was out for a duck. Hassett (139) and Bradman (128) then put on 231, Bradman making his sixth century of the tour. However, the Australians lost wickets steadily thereafter to be all out for 389. Surrey made 289 in their second innings, with McCool taking 6/113 after bowling more than 40% of the overs. The hosts batted steadily with three fifties, but wickets fell regularly and only one partnership greater than 40 materialised. The tourists wanted to finish the run-chase quickly so they could watch fellow Australian John Bromwich play in the Wimbledon tennis final. Harvey and Loxton volunteered and chased down the 122 runs needed for victory in just 58 minutes to complete a 10-wicket win in just 20.1 overs. Harvey ended unbeaten on 73 and the Australians arrived at Wimbledon in time.

v Gloucestershire

:;At Bristol, 3, 5, 6 July. The Australians (774/7 declared) defeated Gloucestershire (279 and 132) by an innings and 363 runs.

The Australians elected to bat and made the highest score of the tour, and it was also the second biggest score by an Australian team in England (the 1893 team made 843 against a "Oxford and Cambridge Universities Past and Present" at Portsmouth), and the highest score by an Australian team versus an English county. Morris's 290, made from 466 balls in five hours, was the highest individual score of the tour, and he featured in century stands with Barnes, Miller and Harvey. Loxton made 159 not out, Harvey 95 and McCool 76. This match preceded the Third Test, and off spinner Tom Goddard was regarded as a candidate for England selection after strong performances in county cricket. However, Morris and Loxton's aggressive attack gave Goddard figures of 0/186 from 32 overs, effectively ending his chances of selection. Former English Test paceman Maurice Tate said "Tom [Goddard] is not used to batsmen using their feet to him&nbsp;... the county batsmen diddle and diddle [shuffle about indecisively instead of quickly moving into position and attacking] to him and that gets him many wickets."

v Middlesex

:;At Lord's, 17, 19, 20 July. Middlesex (203 and 135) lost to the Australians (317 and 22/0) by ten wickets.

Denis Compton hit a cautious 62, but Middlesex lost wickets regularly to fall from 1/78 to 203 all out. Five bowlers shared the wickets, Johnston and Loxton taking three apiece. At one stage, Australia were 53/3, but Morris (109) and Loxton (123) put on a partnership of 172. No other batsman bettered Hamence's 30, and Jim Sims took 6/65 as the Australians collapsed and lost their last six wickets for 46. Middlesex scored 135 in their second innings, with only John Dewes (51) and Leslie Compton resisting the tourists, while eight managed only single figures. Five bowlers shared the wickets, and McCool was the only one to take three. McCool and Ring made the 22 required for victory in four overs.

v Derbyshire

:;At Derby, 28, 29, 30 July. The Australians (456) defeated Derbyshire (240 and 182) by an innings and 34 runs.

The Australians chose to bat first, and Brown top scored with 140, his first 50 taking three hours. He shared century stands with Bradman, who made 62, and Miller (57). Loxton later made 51 as the Australians fell away late in the innings, losing 7/142. Derbyshire made 240 in their first innings with the future Test umpire Charlie Elliott top-scoring with 57, while Miller, Johnston and Ring taking three wicket apiece. The county followed on 216 behind after losing their last six wickets for 64 runs. In their second innings they made 182, with Denis Smith making 88, the highest individual score ever made by a Derbyshire player against the Australians. However, only one other player reached double figures, as McCool precipitated a collapse of 9/72, taking 6/77, while Loxton took 3/16. There was a Derbyshire record attendance of 17,000 on the first day.

v Glamorgan

:;At Swansea, 31 July, 2–3 August. Glamorgan (197) drew with the Australians (215/3).

Rain prevented play after 3pm on the second day. No one scored more than 40 as Glamorgan elected to bat and made 197, with the four Australian bowlers, Lindwall, Miller, Johnson and Ring sharing the wickets. The Australians' 215/3 was based on an aggressive 84 from Miller, with five sixes and seven fours, and a partnership of 126 with stand-in Hassett, who was 71 not out when the rain came. The attendance on the two days of play totalled 50,000.

v Warwickshire

:;At Birmingham, 4, 5, 6 August. Warwickshire (138 and 155) lost to the Australians (254 and 41/1) by nine wickets.

Bradman put Warwickshire in to bat on a wet pitch and the hosts struggled to 138 in an innings that lasted almost 80 overs. Martin Donnelly (28) was the only batsman to pass 20, and Lindwall and Johnson took three wickets each. Australia scored 254 in reply; Hassett top-scored with 68, Lindwall made 45, and the pair's partnership of 70 was the highest of the match. Three other batsmen reached 30, but most of the Australians were uncomfortable against the leg spin of Eric Hollies, who opened the bowling and took 8/107, the best innings analysis against the Australians on the whole tour. This performance earned the Warwickshire bowler a call-up for the fifth and final Test. In their second innings Warwickshire made 155 runs, Johnston and McCool taking four wickets each, the former conceding only 32 from 39 overs. Australia made the required 41 by lunch on the third day.

v Lancashire

:;At Old Trafford, Manchester, 7, 9, 10 August. The Australians (321 and 265/3 declared) drew with Lancashire (130 and 199/7).

Cyril Washbrook's benefit match brought him a then record sum, £14,000, but it was a mixed experience because he injured his right thumb whilst facing Lindwall and withdrew from the England team for the Fifth Test. The Australians scored 321 in their first innings with only Barnes (67) reaching 50. Nine of the Australians made a start, reaching 14, but could not capitalise on their opportunities, and they lost wickets at regular intervals after an opening stand of 123. The slow left-arm bowler William Roberts took 6/73. Lancashire replied with 130 of which Washbrook made 38, while Lindwall and Johnson took three wickets apiece, but the Australians did not enforce the follow on. Australia made 265/5 declared and Bradman scored an unbeaten 133, his highest at Old Trafford, with 90 for Barnes. Bradman declared at lunch on the third day after batting the hosts out of the match, but they held on with three wickets in hand after losing two late in the day. Ikin had reached 99 after being repeatedly hit by bouncers. Bradman took the second new ball and gave it to Miller, who refused to bowl, saying that he felt Ikin deserved a century. Lindwall (4/27) was then given the ball and promptly removed Ikin one run short of his century.

v Durham

:;At Sunderland, 11, 12 August. The Australians (282) drew with Durham (73/5).

In the absence of the resting Bradman, Hassett won the toss and elected to bat. Attendance was 17,000 on the first day of this two-day non-first-class match. Rain prevented any play on the second day. After a poor start that saw them fall to 22/3, McCool (64) and Miller (55) made half-centuries for the Australians. Many of the Australians made starts and six scores passed 20, but none went on. Paceman Keith Jackson took 5/76 for the hosts. Five Australian bowlers each took one wicket and Jackson top-scored with 23 before rain ended the match.

v Kent

:;At Canterbury, 21, 23 August. The Australians (361) defeated Kent (51 and 124) by an innings and 186 runs.

Australia elected to bat first and Brown made 106, while Bradman (65) and Harvey (60) both scored half-centuries. Kent collapsed to the lowest score of the tour in the first innings, succumbing in only 23 overs. Johnston and Loxton both took 3/10, and six local batsmen made ducks. Forced to follow on, half the Kent team were out for 45 in the second innings. Tony Pawson and Godfrey Evans added 71, but the match, held in front of record crowds for the ground, ended inside two days, soon after Evans was run out. It took the Australians less than 56 overs to get 20 wickets. Lindwall took 4/37 in the second innings; all his wickets were top-order batsmen.

In his last match at Lord's, Bradman won the toss and made his ninth century (150) of the tour against a team composed almost entirely of Test players. Brown (120) and Hassett (200*) also scored centuries, and Miller made 69. Bradman elected to bat into the second day. The Gentlemen responded with 242 of which Reg Simpson made 60 and, following on, 284, with Bill Edrich making 128. There were no other scores beyond 30 in either innings. Ring took 5/70 for the innings and eight for the match, while Johnson secured seven wickets. The Victorian spin duo bowled the majority of the overs in both innings.

v Somerset

:;At Taunton, 28, 30 August. The Australians (560/5 declared) defeated Somerset (115 and 71) by an innings and 374 runs.

After winning the toss, the Australians made all their runs on the first day, with centuries for Hassett (103), Harvey (126) and Johnson (113*) and 99 for Hamence. The Australians put on 255 for the second wicket, through Hassett and Barnes, who was replaced by Harvey after retiring ill. On the Monday, the second day, on a pitch that was taking spin, Somerset collapsed twice inside four hours and less than 82 overs in total.

v South of England

:;At Hastings, 1, 2, 3 September. The Australians (522/7 declared) drew with the South of England (298).

The tourists elected to bat and after losing the openers early, Hassett top scored with 151, his third consecutive century. He was supported by Bradman (143) and Harvey (110), whose quick scoring enabled the Australians to declare with a large total. Hassett shared partnerships in excess of 150 with both Bradman and Harvey.

v HDG Leveson-Gower's XI

:;At Scarborough, 8, 9, 10 September. HDG Leveson-Gower's XI (177 and 75/2) drew with the Australians (489/8 declared).

This was the final match for Bradman in England, and the ground was crowded despite rain interruptions. with the only difference from the Fifth Test line-up being the inclusion of Johnson at the expense of Ring.

v Scotland

:;At Edinburgh, 13, 14 September. The Australians (236) defeated Scotland (85 and 111) by an innings and 40 runs.

The match against Scotland was a two-day fixture that did not have first-class status. Australia elected to bat and Morris top-scored with 112, and McCool made 52, but all struggled against the leg-spin of William Laidlaw, who took 5/51. The Australians collapsed at the end, losing their last six wickets for 36 runs, and only three made double figures. Only three Scottish players passed double figures in either innings.

In another two-day non-first-class match, Scotland batted better than in Edinburgh after being sent in to bat, but still lost. Tom Crosskey top-scored with 49 in the hosts' 178, before Bradman top-scored with 123 in his last match in Britain and McCool, promoted to open, made 108, while Johnson made 95 after being promoted to No. 5. Bradman allowed his non-regular bowlers opportunities with the ball, and the wickets were shared, with nobody taking more than four.

See also

• 1948 English cricket season
• 1982 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France

Notes

References

External links

• CricketArchive tour itinerary
• Wisden reports on Australians in England, 1948
• Cricinfo full tour index