William Arras Johnston (26 February 1922 – 25 May 2007) was an Australian cricketer who played in forty Test matches from 1947 to 1955. A left arm pace bowler, as well as a left arm orthodox spinner, Johnston was best known as a spearhead of Don Bradman's undefeated 1948 touring team, well known as "The Invincibles". Johnston headed the wicket-taking lists in both Test and first-class matches on the tour, and was the last Australian to take over 100 wickets on a tour of England. In recognition of his performances, he was named by Wisden as one of its Cricketers of the Year in 1949. The publication stated that "no Australian made a greater personal contribution to the playing success of the 1948 side". Regarded by Bradman as Australia's greatest-ever left-arm bowler, Johnston was noted for his endurance in bowling pace with the new ball and spin when the ball had worn. He became the fastest bowler to reach 100 Test wickets in 1951–52, at the time averaging less than nineteen with the ball. By the end of the season, he had played 24 Tests and contributed 111 wickets. Australia won nineteen and lost only two of these Tests. In 1953, a knee injury forced him to remodel his bowling action, and he became less effective before retiring after aggravating the injury in 1955. In retirement, he worked in sales and marketing, and later ran his own businesses. He had two sons, one of whom became a cricket administrator. Johnston died at the age of 85 on 25 May 2007.
Early years
Johnston took up cricket from an early age, playing with his elder brother Allan throughout the year on a backyard pitch on the family's dairy farm, owned by his father. Beeac's local team, which competed in the Colac District Association, occasionally had difficulty in assembling a full side. As a result, Johnston made his debut aged only twelve alongside his brother after an invitation from his schoolteacher. On debut, when a draw became a foregone conclusion, Johnston was allowed to bowl the final over, taking a wicket maiden. The following season, the brothers led Beeac's attack, continuing to do so after moving to Colac High School, where Bill became captain of the cricket and football teams and a prefect. Johnston left school at sixteen, working in Colac, before following Allan to Melbourne in 1939. He joined Richmond Cricket Club in the Third XI and took 6/16. After five games he was promoted to the Second XI, and made his first grade debut in the last game of the 1939–40 season. The following season, when nineteen, he was selected for Victoria's Sheffield Shield match against Queensland, but the Pearl Harbor attacks forced the cancelation of competitive cricket and the match did not go ahead.
First-class and Test debut
Prior to World War II, Johnston was a slow-medium and left-arm orthodox spin bowler, but during a practice session, he bowled a quicker ball to Jack Ryder a former Australian captain and Test batsman, who was now a Victorian and national selector. This prompted Ryder to wage a personal campaign to induce Johnston to become a pace bowler. Johnston took a total of 1/84 in a ten-wicket win.
As opportunities for slow bowling became infrequent, he contemplated retirement. Johnston ended the season with only 12 wickets at 33.16 from six matches. taking 2/17 as India fell for 58 in the first innings and 1/11 in the second as India fell for 98 following on, resulting in an innings defeat. Johnston missed the Fourth Test in Adelaide due to injury but returned for the Fifth Test in Melbourne where he scored 23 not out and took match figures of 2/29 in another innings victory and Australia ended the summer with a 4–0 win. He showed his credentials by bowling a total of 84 overs to help Australia to grind out a victory. England batted first and with strike bowler Ray Lindwall breaking down on the first day, Johnston removed Bill Edrich and Joe Hardstaff junior in one over to leave England at 4/46. He returned later in the innings to take 5/36 from 25 overs as England were bowled out for 165. After scoring an unbeaten 17 in a last-wicket partnership of 33, in both innings. In an effective containing performance, Johnston took 3/67 in the first innings of the Third Test at Old Trafford in 45.5 overs, before the match ended in a rain-affected draw. After supporting Lindwall in a 48-run partnership in the first innings of the Fourth Test, Johnston took 4/95 in the second innings, including three in the space of 16 runs. Australia went on to break the world record Test run-chases record to take a 3–0 lead. Johnston rounded off the series with match figures of 6/60 in the Fifth Test at The Oval from 43.3 overs. Johnston took the last three wickets in the match as Australia completed a 4–0 series result with an innings victory. equal to Lindwall. and the last Australian to take a century of wickets on an Ashes tour. After a few hours, medical help arrived and Johnston was hospitalised.
Keith Miller was called to South Africa as emergency cover, but luckily for the Australians, there were almost two months of warm-up matches before the Tests started. He removed Owen Wynne and Jack Cheetham in both innings. On an erratic surface, six of his victims were bowled or lbw. The entire first-class campaign was even more successful; Johnston took a total of 7/37 as the Australians ended their tour with an innings victory over a South African XI. Johnston ended the African summer with 53 wickets at 14.09. He then took 2/30 in the second innings, removing Evans and Compton for a second time as Australia won the match to take a 1–0 lead. Johnston had quiet Third Test with only a total of 1/82 in an innings victory, He did much of the heavy lifting in the second innings, removing the top four English batsmen, Hutton, Simpson, Washbrook and Compton. as Australia took a 4–1 series triumph. and Johnston again led the wicket takers with 23 at 22.08, as Australia won the series 4–1. It was in this match that Johnston passed 100 Test wickets, the fastest player to do so. Johnston took 6/62 in the first innings as 22 wickets fell on the first day in treacherous batting conditions; however he was unable to stop an Australian defeat, taking only 1/50 in the second innings as the tourists reached their target of 233 with six wickets in hand. However, the Richmond teammates had other ideas and put together a last wicket partnership of 38, which sealed an Australian victory by one wicket. The West Indian captain John Goddard placed his fielders halfway to the boundary, allowing Johnston to easily take singles, while Ring was able to clear the infield easily. The Richmond pair thought that Goddard's captaincy was poor. leaving Australia two bowlers short. In their absence, Johnston took 5/110 and 2/67 but Australia were unable to force a win. but his average of 35.10 was substantially higher than in previous seasons, Johnston missed the first six first-class matches, Between Tests, he removed Hutton in both innings of a match against Yorkshire, but it came at a cost; he ended with 4/186. He then had an operation to remove cartilage in his right knee; this allowed him more leg movement but also destabilised his knee. The same surgeon had operated on Compton's knee. and hauls of 4/51, 6/63 and 6/39 against Surrey, Glamorgan and Essex respectively, saw Johnston return for the Fifth Test at The Oval. Although the pitch was helpful for spin, a total of 74 overs in the match yielded 3/146, as Johnston was unable rekindle the form of 1948 following his knee injury. Compton and Edrich batted cautiously to ensure the victory that saw England reclaim the Ashes 1–0.
1953–54 season
Johnston returned to Australia and participated in the 1953–54 season, which was purely domestic. They put together a stubborn 39 run tenth-wicket partnership in 40 minutes, which gave Australia hope of an unlikely victory with Harvey still attacking. However, a Tyson ball that was aimed at the ribcage saw Johnston fend at the ball; he was caught behind for 11, giving England a dramatic victory. He removed Edrich for 13 and Peter May for 91 before cleaning up the tail with three quick wickets. Johnston then took match figures of 4/80 in the Fourth Test at Adelaide, in what was to be his last Test on Australian soil. These were to be his last Test wickets as he took a total of 0/60 in the Second Test in Trinidad. He was retained for the Third Test but injured himself early in the match while fielding and neither batted nor bowled.
His feet position were peculiar in that his front foot was parallel to the crease and his back foot perpendicular, the opposite of the conventional posture. This inhibited his follow through and put more stress on his ankles and shins. Ian Johnson described him as "the finest team man and tourist" in cricket and valued his personality, In 1954–55 he made 39 for the last wicket with Neil Harvey as they chased 78 for victory before he edged Frank Tyson to the wicket-keeper Godfrey Evans.
<blockquote>
"Bill Johnston did his bit for his team with true Aussie grit. His speciality stroke was a right-handed, one-handed, back-handed, glancing scoop off the line of his bum – cricket's equivalent of tennis' back-handed retrieve. It bought him a dozen runs – plus a considerable amount of pain when he failed to make contact and the ball clipped his maximus gluteus!" – Frank Tyson, In the Eye of the Typhoon.
</blockquote>
Life after cricket
Johnston had a varied career after cricket, holding a variety of jobs. These included acting as a sales representative for Dunlop sports goods and shoes, a publican and an apartment building manager. In his later working career, he ran a post office on the Gold Coast of Queensland after he and his wife moved there. He won the world's junior championship for throwing a distance of , and he broke the national baseball long-distance record with a throw in September 1945.
After the death of his wife in 2004, Johnston moved from the Gold Coast to a Sydney nursing home to be close to his son Peter. He died peacefully there on 25 May 2007.
!colspan=4| Bowling
|-
! style="text-align:left;" | Opposition
!| Matches
!| Runs
!| Average
!| High Score
!| 100 / 50
!| Runs
!| Wickets
!| Average
!| Best (Inns)
|- style="text-align:right;"
| style="text-align:left;" |
|| 17
|| 138
|| 10.61
|| 29
|| 0/0
|| 1818
|| 75
|| 24.24
|| 5/35
|- style="text-align:right;"
| style="text-align:left;" |
|| 4
|| 31
|| 15.50
|| 23*
|| 0/0
|| 182
|| 16
|| 11.37
|| 4/44
|- style="text-align:right;"
| style="text-align:left;" |
|| 10
|| 39
|| 7.80
|| 12
|| 0/0
|| 1129
|| 44
|| 25.65
|| 6/44
|- style="text-align:right;"
| style="text-align:left;" |
|| 9
|| 65
|| 16.25
|| 28
|| 0/0
|| 697
|| 25
|| 27.88
|| 6/62
|- style="text-align:right; border-top:solid 2px grey;"
| style="text-align:left;" | Overall
|| 40
|| 273
|| 11.37
|| 29
|| 0/0
|| 3826
|| 160
|| 23.91
|| 6/44
|}
Notes
References
External links
- Obituary, The Daily Telegraph, 27 May 2007