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Bill Brown (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
William Alfred "Bill" Brown, OAM
(31 July 1912 – 16 March 2008) was an Australian cricket
er who played 22 Tests
between 1934 and 1948, captaining
his country in one Test. A right-handed opening batsman, his partnership with Jack Fingleton
in the 1930s is regarded as one of the finest in Australian Test history. After the interruption of World War II
, Brown was a member of Don Bradman's Invincibles, who toured England in 1948 without defeat. In a match in November 1947, Brown was the unwitting victim of the first instance of "Mankading".
Raised in New South Wales
, Brown initially struggled in both work and cricket, before gradually rising through the cricket ranks. He made his first-class
debut for New South Wales
in the 1932–33 season and forced his way into the national side during the 1934 tour of England
. When long-term openers Bill Ponsford
and Bill Woodfull
retired at the end of the tour, Brown and his state opening partner Fingleton took over. After poor form made his selection for the 1938 tour of England
controversial, Brown responded with a total of 1,854 runs, including an unbeaten
206 that saved Australia from defeat in the second Test, and was honoured as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year
.
The outbreak of the Second World War cost Brown his peak years, which he spent in the Royal Australian Air Force
. Cricket resumed in 1945–46 and Brown, in Bradman's absence, captained an Australian eleven in a match that was retrospectively awarded Test status. Brown missed the entirety of the following season because of injury. Upon his return, he was unable to repeat his previous success and was ousted from the opening positions by Arthur Morris
and Sid Barnes
. Selected for the Invincibles tour, he performed reasonably well in the tour matches but, with Morris and Barnes entrenched as openers, he batted out of position in the middle order during the first two Tests. He struggled and was dropped from the Test team, never to return. Upon returning to Australia, Brown continued playing for Queensland until the end of the 1949–50 season.
In retirement, Brown briefly served as a Test selector
and sold cars and, later, sports goods. In 2000, he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia
for his services to cricket and, at the time of his death, was Australia's oldest Test cricketer.
. Aged three, business failure hit the family, and they moved to Marrickville
in inner Sydney
. The family's poor financial position meant that they lived in a one-bedroom home, with Brown and his brother sharing a bed. Educated at Dulwich Hill and Petersham High Schools in Sydney, Brown started playing cricket as a wicket-keeper
, before changing his focus to opening the batting. He left high school after two years, but was unable to find regular full-time work amid the Great Depression
. In 1929–30, Brown played grade cricket
for Marrickville Cricket Club, but was unable to hold down a regular place. He was on the verge of leaving Sydney when an innings of 172 for his Shire
team reinvigorated his career. He progressed through the grades and reached the club's First XI, where he performed steadily to earn selection for New South Wales
in 1932–33.
Making his first-class debut for New South Wales in a Sheffield Shield match against Queensland
on 11 November 1932, Brown was run out
for a duck
without facing a ball, while opening with Jack Fingleton
. however, the match ended happily with Brown's team winning decisively by an innings and 274 runs. The highlights of Brown's first season were his 79 against South Australia
, and 69 against Douglas Jardine
's England. However, neither Harold Larwood
nor Bill Voce
, the Bodyline
spearheads, played in the match. During his first season, Brown earned the ire of Don Bradman, who was displeased with Brown's poor communication with batting partners when running between the wickets, with the ensuing risk of falling foul of run outs. Brown ended his debut season with 269 runs at 29.88.
The following season, in the opening match of the season against Queensland at Brisbane
in November 1933, Brown made 154, partnering Bradman in a stand of 294 in just three hours. This set up at total of 4/494 declared and an innings victory. He followed this with 205 in an opening stand
of 340 against Victoria
. Brown amassed two further half-centuries to end with 878 runs for the season at an average of 67.53, which placed him second behind Bradman in the first-class run-scoring aggregates. When the selectors met to discuss the tour party for the 1934 tour of England, Brown and Fingleton had similar figures, but with the incumbent Victorian opening pair of Bill Ponsford
and captain Bill Woodfull
firmly in place, there was only one spot available for a reserve opener. The selectors asked Bradman—Australia's leading batsman—for advice. Bradman nominated Brown, believing that his style was better suited to English pitches. A disappointed Fingleton disagreed and wrote to Woodfull, saying "You have chosen chaps who do not like fast bowling". Brown justified his selection before departure with a pair of 90s in two matches for a combined Australian XI against Tasmania
.
Brown missed selection for the tour opener against Worcestershire
—in which Australia traditionally fielded its first-choice XI—before making his debut in the second match against Leicestershire
. He made a century against Cambridge University
in his second tour match, making 105 in the middle order. Batting at number 3 against Lancashire
in the final tour match before the Tests, Brown scored 119. After compiling 351 runs at 43.88 in the opening tour matches, Brown was selected for the Test side. Playing in all five Tests, Brown made his debut at Trent Bridge
, Nottingham and scored 22 in his first innings. After Australia lost three early wickets in the second innings, Brown scored 73 to help secure a winning lead. Brown then made a century while opening the batting against Northamptonshire
, and an unbeaten 62 in the second innings, guiding Australia to an eight-wicket victory over the Gentlemen of England. He was promoted to open in the Second Test at Lord's with Woodfull, after Ponsford was unavailable due to illness. At the home of cricket, Brown made his maiden Test century, scoring 105 in the first innings. His innings was an unhurried one; he tended to wait for the ball to come onto the bat rather than attacking the leather. However, he was unable to prevent Australia from being forced to follow-on
and made two the match ended in an innings defeat. He was retained as opener upon Ponsford's return for the Third Test, with Woodfull dropping down the order in a reshuffled batting line-up. Brown made 72 and a duck. The match ended in a draw after both teams passed 490 in the first innings.
It was the start of a barren month for Brown, who passed 30 only once in 11 first-class innings, totalling 171 runs at 15.55. He ended the unproductive sequence with an unbeaten 100 against Nottinghamshire
. This came after Bill Voce
had bowled Bodyline at the start of the Australian innings, in contravention of a prior agreement. After an Australian protest, Voce missed the remainder of the match and Brown's innings was punctuated by angry heckling by the local supporters.
He was unable to pass 20 in the final two Tests and ended the series with 300 runs at 33.33. Despite his inability to make a substantial contribution, Australia won the Fifth Test by 562 runs to reclaim the Ashes 2–1. Brown scored three consecutive half-centuries after the Tests and ended with 1287 first-class runs at 36.77.
Brown's strong form continued upon returning to Australia, compiling 683 runs at 45.53, including three centuries, to be the second highest run-scorer for the 1934–35 domestic season. He started the season with the testimonial match for Woodfull, who retired upon returning to Australia. Brown scored 102 in the second innings to help Woodfull's men defeat Victor Richardson's XI by seven wickets. He started the Sheffield Shield season with 11 in an innings victory over South Australia, and scored fifties in three consecutive matches, before rounding off the season with 116 in the final match against Western Australia.
With the retirement of Woodfull and Ponsford after the tour of England, Brown and his state partner Fingleton became Australia's opening pair for the 1935–36 tour of South Africa. It was one the most productive phases of both men's career. In Australia's warm-up match against Western Australia before sailing across the Indian Ocean
, Brown struck 55 in an innings win.
Brown started the tour consistently, scoring 148, 58, 31 and 28 not on out in the three warm-up matches. In the first match of the tour against Natal, both Brown and Fingleton made centuries; the first two matches were won by an innings and the third by ten wickets.
Brown scored three consecutive half-centuries in the first two Tests in Durban
and Johannesburg
. Australia won the first by nine wickets and were 124 runs from victory with eight wickets in hand in the second when bad light stopped play. In the Third Test at Cape Town
, the pair set a new Australian opening record of 233, which laid the foundation for a large Australian total and an innings victory. It was Australia's first double-century opening stand in Test cricket, and remains an Australian Test record for the first wicket against South Africa. Brown posted 121, his highest Test score at the time. He scored 34 and 84 in Australia's only innings of the Fourth and Fifth Tests in Johannesburg and Durban, making solid opening stands with Fingleton, who scored three consecutive centuries. The pair laid the platform for two further innings victories, as Australia took the five-Test series 4–0. His compiled 417 runs at 59.57 for the series. Brown scored a further four fifties in the remaining tour matches to end with 1065 runs at 62.65.
In 1936, Brown accepted a coaching position and employment as a car salesman to move back to Queensland, representing his state of birth from 1936–37 onwards. He was appointed captain the following season. Brown started the new season strongly, scoring 111 for Victor Richardson's XI in a testimonial match against Bradman's XI, in the opening match of summer. In November, Brown played for an Australian XI and Queensland in two matches against the touring England team, scoring 71 and 74 the two drawn matches.
His 1936–37 season was interrupted by injury and he appeared in only the Third and Fourth Tests against England. They were relatively unsuccessful, yielding only 95 runs at 23.75 in four innings without passing fifty. Nevertheless, Australia won the two matches. His debut season for Queensland was moderately successful, with 557 runs at an average of 37.13, including one century and four fifties. Brown did not taste victory with his home state during the season; the closest Queensland came was a one-wicket loss to New South Wales.
Although Brown compiled two centuries, he was only twelfth in the aggregates during an Australian season with no international tours. As a result, his selection for the 1938 tour to England was criticised in some quarters.
Brown started the tour patchily, although Australia won their first four matches by an innings. In his first four innings, Brown passed five only once, scoring 72 against Oxford University
. He returned to form with an unbeaten 194 against Northamptonshire
, helping to set up an innings win, before adding another 96 in the next match against Surrey
. Brown entered the Tests with 504 runs at 56.00 in the lead-in tour matches.
After adding 48 in Australia's first innings of 411, Brown scored 133 in the second innings of the First Test at Nottingham after the tourists were forced to follow-on, helping Bradman (144 not out) to save the Test. The Australians reached 6/427 in the second innings when the match ended in the draw.
Brown's most celebrated innings came in the Second Test at Lord's, carrying his bat to score 206 in the first televised Test match. England batted first and amassed 494, largely on the back of Wally Hammond
's 240. Brown featured in an opening stand of 69 before Fingleton was dismissed. Hedley Verity
then bowled Bradman for 18, leaving the score at 101, before Stan McCabe
fell after a quickfire 38 with the score at 3/152. Brown registered his century in 193 minutes, during an innings highlighted by his driving on both sides of the wicket. After Lindsay Hassett
was dismissed for 56 following a 134-run partnership, Australia reached stumps at 5/299, with Brown on 140. The following day, Brown set about ensuring that Australia would avoid the follow on, featuring in an aggressive eighth-wicket stand with tailender Bill O'Reilly
. The pair added 85 runs in just 46 minutes, with Brown recalling "It was a nice day, and a nice wicket. O'Reilly came in, and I told him I'd take the quicks—Wellard
and Farnes
—and Tiger [O'Reilly] took Verity." Brown continued past his double century and remained unbeaten on 206 from just 375 minutes when his last partner fell, leaving Australia all out for 422. Brown's innings was the 100th century by an Australian against England, and the highest Test score for batsman carrying his bat; it stood until Glenn Turner
made an unbeaten 223 in 1972. Ray Robinson
quipped that Brown's performance "did not cause smoke to rise from the back of those [television] sets but the charm of his style gave viewers a favourable impression of Australian batsmanship". They went on to draw the match, which was crucial in Australia's eventual retention of the Ashes. Brown's uninterrupted batting meant that he was on the field from the first morning until late on the fourth day.
Immediately after the making his highest Test score at Lord's, Brown recorded his highest first-class score of 265 not out against Derbyshire
, in six hours of batting. Australia amassed 4/441 declared and won by an innings and 234 runs. He then made it three centuries in a row, scoring 101 against Warwickshire
, setting up another innings win.
The Third Test was washed out without a ball being bowled, and Australia won the Fourth Test by five wickets in a low-scoring match to retain The Ashes. Brown made 22 and nine as Australia scored 242 and 5/107. It was the start of a quiet month for the opener, who scored only 194 runs in eight completed innings. He was the top Australian scorer in both innings of the Fifth Test at The Oval
, scoring 69 and 15. This was the match in which Len Hutton
scored a world Test record 364 and England compiled 7/903, before winning by an innings and 579 runs, which remains a world record winning margin in a Test match. Throughout the Tests, Brown aggregated 512 runs at 73.14, totaling 1854 runs at 59.57 in all first-class matches for the tour. This placed Brown second to Bradman in both aggregates and average. He was named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year
for his performances in 1938. Wisden described him as a "cricketer of remarkable powers" who batted with "a charming skill, coolness, thoughtfulness and certainty".
Upon returning to Australia, Brown scored 1,057 runs at 105.70 in the 1938–39 Australian season, including 990 at 110.00 in six Sheffield Shield matches. Brown started the season well, scoring 84 as Queensland amassed 501 against New South Wales. His old state were still 27 runs from making Queensland bat again, but time ran out with one wicket intact, with Brown yet to taste victory with his new state. Nevertheless, he continued to perform strongly as passed 50 in each of his first four innings. In the fourth of these, he was out for 99 and then declared at 5/510 to leave Victoria a victory target of 319. Brown then narrowly missed out on a milestone for the second time in the match when Victoria scraped home by three wickets to deny him a maiden victory with his home state. In the next match, he carried his bat to make an unbeaten 174 against South Australia
at the Adelaide Oval
, as his team fell to an innings defeat.
After twelve matches for his state of origin, Brown was still to end up on the winning side. This changed in the next match against New South Wales. After their opponents had made 214, Brown top-scored with 95 as Queensland replied with 200. New South Wales made 264 to leave Brown's men 279 for victory. The captain led the way, combining with Geoff Cook
in Queensland's then record first-wicket partnership of 265. Brown was out for 168, but his team held on to secure an eight-wicket victory over New South Wales. It was Brown's first win in Queensland colours. He then scored 81 in a ten-wicket defeat to South Australia, before adding a second victory, this time over Victoria. Brown ended the season by amassing 215 as Queensland reached 7/575 declared before completing an innings win. Brown topped the aggregates with 1,057 runs and was the only player to pass 1,000 runs for the season.
Brown had another strong campaign in the following year, netting 857 runs at 61.21, including three centuries. Despite this, Queensland had another poor season, losing five of their six matches. Brown started the season strongly, scoring 87 and 137, but he was unable to stop New South Wales winning the opening match by three wickets. After a seven-wicket loss to Victoria, Brown made 156, but was unable to prevent an innings defeat to South Australia. After an innings loss to New South Wales, he made 111 to steer Queensland to its only win of the season, a two-wicket victory over South Australia. He finished the season with 35 and 97 as The Rest of Australia lost to New South Wales by two wickets.
Due to World War II
, cricket in Australia was scaled down and in a shortened season in 1940–41, Brown made 307 runs at 30.70 in five matches, with two half-centuries. In 1941–42, he played his one match, his last first-class fixture during the war, scoring 56 and 69 in a narrow 19-run win over New South Wales.
Brown was a flight lieutenant
with the Royal Australian Air Force
, serving in New Guinea
and the Philippines
during the Second World War
, losing his prime years from the age of 27 to 33. During the pre-war years, he had averaged 49.02 in Test cricket.
First-class cricket resumed in 1945–46 after the Allied victory, and Brown began the post-war phase of his career with a steady season, scoring 604 runs at 46.46 with five half-centuries in seven matches. This placed him second to Sid Barnes
in the run-scoring aggregates. His best effort was a 98 against South Australia, denied a century by a run out. Queensland lost more than they won, with two victories and three losses.
At the end of the season, Brown captained an Australian side on a tour of New Zealand, and all five matches resulted in convincing victories.
Australia played its inaugural Test against New Zealand
in Wellington
, a match that was retrospectively given Test status. The uncertain status of the tour saw the players wearing blazers that were labelled ABC (Australian Board of Control
), rather than the Australian coat of arms. Brown led from the front, topping the tour aggregates and averages, with 443 runs at 73.83 in five matches. In the opening tour match against Auckland, Brown elected to bat and opened with 68 as Australia amassed 579 and took victory by an innings and 180 runs. This was followed by a match against Canterbury
in Christchurch
, in which Brown top-scored with 137. This laid the foundation for a total of 8/415 and another innings victory. Brown made his second consecutive century in the third match against Otago at Carisbrook
in Dunedin
, again top-scoring with 106 in an eight-wicket victory. Brown made 34 in the final tour match as Australia defeated Wellington in another innings victory.
The tour culminated in a match against New Zealand at the Basin Reserve
in Wellington. With regular captain Don Bradman missing, Brown led a team that included seven Test debutants. The hosts won the toss and elected to bat first on a wet wicket
, which came about after a week of rain before the match. New Zealand managed to reach 4/37 at lunch, before the sun emerged and caused the wicket to turn into a sticky with unpredictable bounce. Leg spin
ner Bill O'Reilly—in his last Test—and debutant Ernie Toshack
, took 5/14 and 4/12 respectively as New Zealand were bowled out for only 42, losing their last six wickets for five runs. In reply, Australia were 1/9 when Ken Meuleman
was dismissed. Having been dropped on 13, Brown then combined in a 109-run first-wicket stand with Barnes, before falling for the innings top-score of 67. It was the only partnership for the Test that went beyond 32. Barnes' dismissal triggered a collapse of 6/57, prompting Brown to declare Australia's innings closed at 8/199. Australia then dismissed New Zealand for 54 in the second innings in just two hours, resulting in victory by an innings and 54 runs in just two days. As the hosts' batsmen fell quickly, many of the Australian bowlers had limited opportunities. With one wicket left in the match, Brown used the toss of a coin to determine which of the debutants Colin McCool
and Ian Johnson
would bowl in Tests for the first time. McCool was given the ball and ended the match on his second delivery. Brown's solitary Test as captain makes him the first and the only native Queenslander to have led Australia.
Brown missed the entire 1946–47 Test series against England due to a thumb injury. This allowed young New South Wales opener Arthur Morris
to make his Test debut. Morris' performance in the series eventually displaced Brown from his position as a first-choice opening batsman alongside Barnes. The injury meant that Brown was unable to play a single match for Queensland.
. The selectors initially dropped Barnes to pair Brown with Morris to open the batting. Apart from two Tests during the 1936–37 season against England, Brown had not played Test cricket on Australian soil. He had only one opportunity with the bat in the First Test in Brisbane, making 11 as India fell to an innings defeat. It was to be his only innings and Test match on his home ground. Brown's participation in the series was overshadowed by his controversial run out
by Indian left arm orthodox spinner Vinoo Mankad in the Second Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground
in December 1947. Brown was run out for 18, when in the act of delivering the ball, Mankad held on to it and whipped the bail
s off at the non-striker's end. Brown was well out of his crease while he was backing-up the striker, so that he could get a head start in case he attempted a run. This was the second time during the season that Mankad had dismissed Brown in this fashion—as he had previously done so a match against an Australian XI in November. On that occasion, Mankad had warned Brown before running him out. The local press strongly accused Mankad of being unsportsmanlike, although some Australians—including Bradman—defended Mankad's actions. For his part, Brown took full blame and made light of the incident through humorous gestures in later matches, which referred to the event. After this incident, if a batsman is given out this way, he is said to have been "Mankaded".
The dismissal ended another low-scoring innings, and Australia batted only once in a shortened match. Brown was omitted from the team in favour of Barnes for the next two Tests. Morris—who had established himself as one of Australia's first-choice opening batsmen during Brown's injury layoff during the previous season—was rested for the Fifth Test as the Australian Board trialled potential candidates for the 1948 tour of England. Morris was omitted after losing a coin toss to Barnes. Brown partnered Barnes, making 99 in the first innings before being run out. Brown had survived a confident appeal for caught behind before he had scored, and Barnes was convinced that his partner had edged the ball. Barnes claimed that had Brown failed to make an impact in the innings, he would have been overlooked for the 1948 tour.
During the first innings, Brown captained Australia while Bradman was absent with fibrositis. The tourists fell for 331, with debutants Sam Loxton
and Doug Ring
taking three wickets apiece. India eventually fell to another innings defeat, so Brown did not have another opportunity to score a Test century on home soil. His Test aggregate in Australia stood at 223 runs at only 33.86, in contrast to his away average of 1,369 runs at 50.70. His first-class batting average of 43.58 for the season was inferior to that of Barnes and Morris, both of whom averaged more than 50.
In any case, Brown had done enough to be chosen to tour England with the Invincibles in 1948, although Barnes and Morris were the first-choice opening combination. Brown made a strong start in the tour matches preceding the Tests. In the fifth fixture, which was against Cambridge University
, Brown top-scored with 200 in an innings victory. In the following match against Essex
, Brown combined with Bradman in a second-wicket partnership of 219 in 90 minutes, ending with 153 as Australia scored a world-record 721 runs in one day. Australia proceeded to another innings victory, and Brown completed his third century in as many innings with 108 against Oxford University
. He preceded to add a fourth century in less than three weeks, with 122 against Nottinghamshire
, and made an unbeaten 81 against Hampshire
. In contrast, middle-order batsman Neil Harvey
had struggled in the initial stages of his first tour of England, failing to pass 25 in his first six innings. Thus, Brown gained selection in the First Test at Trent Bridge, batting out of position in the middle order, whereas Harvey was dropped despite making a century in Australia's most recent Test against India.
Brown made 17 in his only innings as Australia won by eight wickets. Between Tests, Brown scored 113 in a slow innings against Yorkshire
to retain his middle-order position for the Second Test at Lord's. He was unable to replicate the Test centuries he made in the preceding tours, scoring 24 and 32. It was to be his last Test, as Sam Loxton
top-scored with 159 not out against Gloucestershire
in the match before the Third Test, ousting Brown from his middle-order position. Barnes was injured in the Third Test, but Brown was not recalled for the Fourth Test; instead, Lindsay Hassett
was promoted to open with Morris, while the teenaged Harvey came into the middle-order and struck 112. Brown then scored 140 against Derbyshire immediately after the Fourth Test, in a dour display that displeased spectators, and then scored consecutive centuries against Kent
and the Gentlemen of England after the Tests. He ended with eight centuries and a total of 1,448 runs on the tour at an average of 57.92, behind only Bradman, Hassett and Morris, with the 200 against Cambridge University his highest score. Brown took 4/16 against the South of England in his only bowling assignment of the tour. It was his best career bowling figures, having amassed only six wickets in his first-class career. In three visits to England, Brown scored 18 centuries.
Upon returning to Australia, Bradman retired and Barnes took a break from cricket, thereby opening two vacancies in the Test team. Brown had a reasonable domestic season in 1948–1949 to press his claim for a Test recall. He scored 626 runs at 41.73, the sixth highest aggregate of the season, with a century and three fifties. Queensland won two and lost three games. Despite this, the 37-year-old Brown was not named in the touring party for the Test tour of South Africa in 1949–50. In the absence of the Test players, Brown scored 507 runs at 50.70 in the Sheffield Shield season, with a top score of 190, making him the third highest run-getter. In their first five matches of the season, Queensland lost three times, before Brown's 190 in the last match against South Australia set up a nine-wicket win. It was his only century of the season after previously falling for 94 twices.
With his opportunities diminishing, he retired after captaining the Australian Second XI to New Zealand on an end-of-season tour, during which the team went undefeated. Most of the matches were not first-class but Brown scored his final first-class century against Otago, scoring 184 in an innings victory. He had been less effective in his later years, averaging 38.29 in Tests following World War II.
Brown was regarded as a cautious starter who was reluctant to use his full array of strokes. He had an upright stance and was known for his trademark leg glancing and placement of the ball. He hooked occasionally and scored the majority of his off-side runs with the cut shot. Johnnie Moyes said that "even when slow, he never wearied, as some do, because his style was cultured and free from jarring faults". Moyes felt that Brown's superior record on English soil was a result of the crowd attitude, which was more respectful. At Australian grounds, impatient spectators who disliked Brown's cautious batting frequently heckled him, blaming Brown for delaying Bradman's arrival to the crease. Moyes felt that the more serene English gallery allowed Brown to play to his game plan without hastening to placate impatient spectators. "A placid chap was Brown, and he liked to play in peaceful surroundings. When on the job he was as emotionless as a stoic." Moyes said that Brown was "always cool and thoughtful, he preferred finesse to force". The English journalist Neville Cardus
commented "His cricket is perpetually keeping an appointment leisurely with moments to spare. Does the bat have an engagement this over with a half-volley? Very well, then, put it down in the book. We'll be there for it. Plenty of time." Bradman also noted Brown's ability to quickly get into position to play the ball, writing "One hallmark of good batting is that the player appears to have plenty of time in which to play his strokes. Bill Brown was an outstanding case of one who never seemed to be in a hurry for any stroke." Ray Robinson
said that Brown was "the most serene batsman I ever saw play for Australia". Robinson said that "for artistry, Brown's leg-glancing could be mentioned in the same breath as Archie Jackson
's". Brown's placid nature extended to his observations of modern cricket—he disliked the emotional displays made by contemporary players.
Brown's partnership with Fingleton was regarded as one of the great opening pairings in Australian Test cricket history. In ten Tests as an opening combination, the pair averaged 63.75 for the first wicket, higher than any other Australian duo with more than 1000 runs. Brown was known for his self-effacing nature and was well liked among teammates and opponents alike. Of his batting, Brown joked that "My wife said you could always tell when I was batting by the number of people leaving the ground". During a domestic match at the Adelaide Oval
in December 1938, he deflected a ball onto his stumps without dislodging a bail. He added a further 147 runs to end unbeaten on 174, eternally apologising for his luck.
In addition to his batting, Brown was a highly regarded fieldsman known for his fitness. He developed his skills through persistent training with professional sprinters in order to improve his anticipation and speed off the mark. Brown often fielded at slip or in the covers. With Australia boasting the leg spin
pairing of O'Reilly and Grimmett in the 1930s, close-catchers were frequently used. Along with Fingleton, Brown often fielded in the leg trap position.
. The couple had three sons, whom Brown self-deprecatingly noted were "well spaced ... like my centuries". Outside cricket, Brown worked in a variety of jobs. When Bradman relocated from New South Wales to South Australia in 1935, Brown took his job at the men's clothing store FJ Palmer. Following his relocation to Queensland, Brown was a Brisbane car salesman, selling Chevrolet
s for Egars, later running a sports store.
Brown was a Queensland selector from 1950–51 to 1959–60, and an Australian selector in 1952–53 after defeating New South Wales' Chappie Dwyer
in an election. He was the first Queenslander in 23 years to serve as a national selector. His brief tenure as a national selector was marked by abuse and harassment from parochial Queenslanders, upset that he did not include his fellow statesmen in the Test team. Brown's sports store was vandalised and he resigned as a selector within a year. In 1992, Brown was elected a life member of the Queensland Cricket Association, and in 2000 was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia
for his services to cricket.
Upon Bradman's death in February 2001, Brown became the oldest living Australian Test cricketer, greatly amused by the fame that came with the title. Highly regarded by Australian cricketers of the modern era, Steve Waugh
invited Brown to present Test debutant Adam Gilchrist
with his baggy green
. The humble Brown was surprised, thinking himself an unworthy choice. Waugh disagreed, opining that "Bill is a baggy green icon who represents all that is good about playing for your country. He is humble, self-effacing and respectful, proud to have been afforded the honour of being an Australian Test cricketer, and a man who always looks for the positive in people." In March 2008, Brown died in Brisbane at the age of 95. He was the last surviving Invincible to have played Test cricket before World War II and his death leaves only four living members of Bradman's 1948 team.
Key: *–not out
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(31 July 1912 – 16 March 2008) was an Australian cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er who played 22 Tests
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
between 1934 and 1948, captaining
Captain (cricket)
The captain of a cricket team often referred to as the skipper is the appointed leader, having several additional roles and responsibilities over and above those of a regular player...
his country in one Test. A right-handed opening batsman, his partnership with Jack Fingleton
Jack Fingleton
John "Jack" Henry Webb Fingleton OBE was an Australian cricketer who was trained as a journalist and became a political and cricket commentator after the end of his playing career...
in the 1930s is regarded as one of the finest in Australian Test history. After the interruption of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Brown was a member of Don Bradman's Invincibles, who toured England in 1948 without defeat. In a match in November 1947, Brown was the unwitting victim of the first instance of "Mankading".
Raised in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Brown initially struggled in both work and cricket, before gradually rising through the cricket ranks. He made his first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
debut for New South Wales
New South Wales Blues
The New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
in the 1932–33 season and forced his way into the national side during the 1934 tour of England
Australian cricket team in England in 1934
Australia won the 1934 Ashes series against England, winning two of the matches and losing one, with the other two tests drawn. The Australian tourists were captained by Bill Woodfull, while the home side were led by Bob Wyatt, with Cyril Walters deputising for Wyatt in the first Test.In the second...
. When long-term openers Bill Ponsford
Bill Ponsford
William Harold "Bill" Ponsford MBE was an Australian cricketer. Usually playing as an opening batsman, he formed a successful and long-lived partnership opening the batting for Victoria and Australia with Bill Woodfull, his friend and state and national captain...
and Bill Woodfull
Bill Woodfull
William Maldon "Bill" Woodfull OBE was an Australian cricketer of the 1920s and 1930s. He captained both Victoria and Australia, and was best known for his dignified and moral conduct during the tumultuous bodyline series in 1932–33 that almost saw the end of Anglo-Australian cricketing ties...
retired at the end of the tour, Brown and his state opening partner Fingleton took over. After poor form made his selection for the 1938 tour of England
Australian cricket team in England in 1938
The 1938 Ashes series between Australia and England was drawn. England and Australia won a Test each, with two of the other Tests drawn and the third game of the series, scheduled for Manchester, abandoned without a ball being bowled, only the second instance of this in more than 60 years of Test...
controversial, Brown responded with a total of 1,854 runs, including an unbeaten
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
206 that saved Australia from defeat in the second Test, and was honoured as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year
Wisden Cricketers of the Year
The Wisden Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, based primarily on their "influence on the previous English season"...
.
The outbreak of the Second World War cost Brown his peak years, which he spent in the Royal Australian Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
. Cricket resumed in 1945–46 and Brown, in Bradman's absence, captained an Australian eleven in a match that was retrospectively awarded Test status. Brown missed the entirety of the following season because of injury. Upon his return, he was unable to repeat his previous success and was ousted from the opening positions by Arthur Morris
Arthur Morris
Arthur Robert Morris MBE is a former Australian cricketer who played 46 Test matches between 1946 and 1955. An opener, Morris is regarded as one of Australia's greatest left-handed batsmen. He is best known for his key role in Don Bradman's Invincibles side, which made an undefeated tour of...
and Sid Barnes
Sid Barnes
Sidney George Barnes was an Australian cricketer and cricket writer, who played 13 Test matches between 1938 and 1948. Able to open the innings or bat down the order, Barnes was regarded as one of Australia's finest batsmen in the period immediately following the Second World War...
. Selected for the Invincibles tour, he performed reasonably well in the tour matches but, with Morris and Barnes entrenched as openers, he batted out of position in the middle order during the first two Tests. He struggled and was dropped from the Test team, never to return. Upon returning to Australia, Brown continued playing for Queensland until the end of the 1949–50 season.
In retirement, Brown briefly served as a Test selector
Selector (sport)
In many team sports, a selection panel consist of selectors who choose teams or individuals to represent a country or club in sporting competitions.Selectors tend to be past players....
and sold cars and, later, sports goods. In 2000, he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
for his services to cricket and, at the time of his death, was Australia's oldest Test cricketer.
Early years
The son of a dairy farmer and hotel owner, Brown was born in Toowoomba, QueenslandQueensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. Aged three, business failure hit the family, and they moved to Marrickville
Marrickville, New South Wales
Marrickville, a suburb of Sydney's Inner West is located 7 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district in the state of New South Wales, Australia and is the largest suburb in the Marrickville Council local government area...
in inner Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. The family's poor financial position meant that they lived in a one-bedroom home, with Brown and his brother sharing a bed. Educated at Dulwich Hill and Petersham High Schools in Sydney, Brown started playing cricket as a wicket-keeper
Wicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike...
, before changing his focus to opening the batting. He left high school after two years, but was unable to find regular full-time work amid the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. In 1929–30, Brown played grade cricket
Sydney Grade Cricket
Sydney Grade Cricket is a cricket competition played in Sydney, Australia. The competition began in 1893 when a number of clubs, which had been playing for many years on an ad hoc basis, voted to create a formal competition structure....
for Marrickville Cricket Club, but was unable to hold down a regular place. He was on the verge of leaving Sydney when an innings of 172 for his Shire
Sutherland Shire
The Sutherland Shire is a Local Government Area in the Southern Sydney region of Sydney, Australia. Geographically, it is the area to the south of Botany Bay and the Georges River...
team reinvigorated his career. He progressed through the grades and reached the club's First XI, where he performed steadily to earn selection for New South Wales
New South Wales Blues
The New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
in 1932–33.
Pre-war career
Queensland Bulls
The Queensland cricket team, nicknamed the Bulls, are the Brisbane-based Queensland representative cricket team in Australia's domestic cricket tournaments:*Sheffield Shield, 4-day matches with first-class status, since the 1926/27 season...
on 11 November 1932, Brown was run out
Run out
Run out is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket. It is governed by Law 38 of the Laws of cricket.-The rules:A batsman is out Run out if at any time while the ball is in play no part of his bat or person is grounded behind the popping crease and his wicket is fairly put down by the opposing...
for a duck
Duck (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a duck refers to a batsman's dismissal for a score of zero.-Origin of the term:The term is a shortening of the term "duck's egg", the latter being used long before Test cricket began...
without facing a ball, while opening with Jack Fingleton
Jack Fingleton
John "Jack" Henry Webb Fingleton OBE was an Australian cricketer who was trained as a journalist and became a political and cricket commentator after the end of his playing career...
. however, the match ended happily with Brown's team winning decisively by an innings and 274 runs. The highlights of Brown's first season were his 79 against South Australia
Southern Redbacks
The South Australia cricket team, nicknamed the Southern Redbacks and known as the West End Redbacks due to their sponsorship agreement with local brewers West End, are an Australian first class cricket team based in Adelaide, South Australia, and represent the state of South Australia...
, and 69 against Douglas Jardine
Douglas Jardine
Douglas Robert Jardine was an English cricketer and captain of the England cricket team from 1931 to 1933–34.When describing cricket seasons, the convention used is that a single year represents an English cricket season, while two years represent a southern hemisphere cricket season because it...
's England. However, neither Harold Larwood
Harold Larwood
Harold Larwood was an English cricket player, an extremely accurate fast bowler best known for his key role as the implementer of fast leg theory in the infamous "bodyline" Ashes Test series of 1932–33....
nor Bill Voce
Bill Voce
Bill Voce was an English cricketer. He played for the Nottinghamshire and England, and was an instrumental part of England's infamous Bodyline tour of Australia in 1932–1933.-Life and career:...
, the Bodyline
Bodyline
Bodyline, also known as fast leg theory bowling, was a cricketing tactic devised by the English cricket team for their 1932–33 Ashes tour of Australia, specifically to combat the extraordinary batting skill of Australia's Don Bradman...
spearheads, played in the match. During his first season, Brown earned the ire of Don Bradman, who was displeased with Brown's poor communication with batting partners when running between the wickets, with the ensuing risk of falling foul of run outs. Brown ended his debut season with 269 runs at 29.88.
The following season, in the opening match of the season against Queensland at Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
in November 1933, Brown made 154, partnering Bradman in a stand of 294 in just three hours. This set up at total of 4/494 declared and an innings victory. He followed this with 205 in an opening stand
Partnership (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, two batsmen always bat in partnership, although only one is on strike at any time. The partnership between two batsmen will come to an end when one of them is dismissed or retires, or the innings comes to a close In the sport of cricket, two batsmen always bat in...
of 340 against Victoria
Victorian Bushrangers
The Victorian cricket team, nicknamed the Bushrangers, is an Australian cricket team based in Melbourne, that represents the state of Victoria. It is administered by Cricket Victoria and draws its players from Melbourne's Premier Cricket competition...
. Brown amassed two further half-centuries to end with 878 runs for the season at an average of 67.53, which placed him second behind Bradman in the first-class run-scoring aggregates. When the selectors met to discuss the tour party for the 1934 tour of England, Brown and Fingleton had similar figures, but with the incumbent Victorian opening pair of Bill Ponsford
Bill Ponsford
William Harold "Bill" Ponsford MBE was an Australian cricketer. Usually playing as an opening batsman, he formed a successful and long-lived partnership opening the batting for Victoria and Australia with Bill Woodfull, his friend and state and national captain...
and captain Bill Woodfull
Bill Woodfull
William Maldon "Bill" Woodfull OBE was an Australian cricketer of the 1920s and 1930s. He captained both Victoria and Australia, and was best known for his dignified and moral conduct during the tumultuous bodyline series in 1932–33 that almost saw the end of Anglo-Australian cricketing ties...
firmly in place, there was only one spot available for a reserve opener. The selectors asked Bradman—Australia's leading batsman—for advice. Bradman nominated Brown, believing that his style was better suited to English pitches. A disappointed Fingleton disagreed and wrote to Woodfull, saying "You have chosen chaps who do not like fast bowling". Brown justified his selection before departure with a pair of 90s in two matches for a combined Australian XI against Tasmania
Tasmanian Tigers
The Tasmanian cricket team, nicknamed the Tigers, represents the Australian state of Tasmania in cricket tournaments. They compete annually in the Australian domestic senior men's cricket season, which currently consists of the first-class Sheffield Shield, the limited overs Ford Ranger Cup, and...
.
Brown missed selection for the tour opener against Worcestershire
Worcestershire County Cricket Club
Worcestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Worcestershire...
—in which Australia traditionally fielded its first-choice XI—before making his debut in the second match against Leicestershire
Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Leicestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
. He made a century against Cambridge University
Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
in his second tour match, making 105 in the middle order. Batting at number 3 against Lancashire
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
in the final tour match before the Tests, Brown scored 119. After compiling 351 runs at 43.88 in the opening tour matches, Brown was selected for the Test side. Playing in all five Tests, Brown made his debut at Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge is a Test, One-day international and County cricket ground located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England and is also the headquarters of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. As well as International cricket and Nottinghamshire's home games, the ground has hosted the Finals Day of...
, Nottingham and scored 22 in his first innings. After Australia lost three early wickets in the second innings, Brown scored 73 to help secure a winning lead. Brown then made a century while opening the batting against Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
, and an unbeaten 62 in the second innings, guiding Australia to an eight-wicket victory over the Gentlemen of England. He was promoted to open in the Second Test at Lord's with Woodfull, after Ponsford was unavailable due to illness. At the home of cricket, Brown made his maiden Test century, scoring 105 in the first innings. His innings was an unhurried one; he tended to wait for the ball to come onto the bat rather than attacking the leather. However, he was unable to prevent Australia from being forced to follow-on
Follow-on
Follow-on is a term used in the sport of cricket to describe a situation where the team that bats second is forced to take its second batting innings immediately after its first, because the team was not able to get close enough to the score achieved by the first team batting in the first innings...
and made two the match ended in an innings defeat. He was retained as opener upon Ponsford's return for the Third Test, with Woodfull dropping down the order in a reshuffled batting line-up. Brown made 72 and a duck. The match ended in a draw after both teams passed 490 in the first innings.
It was the start of a barren month for Brown, who passed 30 only once in 11 first-class innings, totalling 171 runs at 15.55. He ended the unproductive sequence with an unbeaten 100 against Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
. This came after Bill Voce
Bill Voce
Bill Voce was an English cricketer. He played for the Nottinghamshire and England, and was an instrumental part of England's infamous Bodyline tour of Australia in 1932–1933.-Life and career:...
had bowled Bodyline at the start of the Australian innings, in contravention of a prior agreement. After an Australian protest, Voce missed the remainder of the match and Brown's innings was punctuated by angry heckling by the local supporters.
He was unable to pass 20 in the final two Tests and ended the series with 300 runs at 33.33. Despite his inability to make a substantial contribution, Australia won the Fifth Test by 562 runs to reclaim the Ashes 2–1. Brown scored three consecutive half-centuries after the Tests and ended with 1287 first-class runs at 36.77.
Brown's strong form continued upon returning to Australia, compiling 683 runs at 45.53, including three centuries, to be the second highest run-scorer for the 1934–35 domestic season. He started the season with the testimonial match for Woodfull, who retired upon returning to Australia. Brown scored 102 in the second innings to help Woodfull's men defeat Victor Richardson's XI by seven wickets. He started the Sheffield Shield season with 11 in an innings victory over South Australia, and scored fifties in three consecutive matches, before rounding off the season with 116 in the final match against Western Australia.
Opening in Tests with Fingleton
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
, Brown struck 55 in an innings win.
Brown started the tour consistently, scoring 148, 58, 31 and 28 not on out in the three warm-up matches. In the first match of the tour against Natal, both Brown and Fingleton made centuries; the first two matches were won by an innings and the third by ten wickets.
Brown scored three consecutive half-centuries in the first two Tests in Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
and Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
. Australia won the first by nine wickets and were 124 runs from victory with eight wickets in hand in the second when bad light stopped play. In the Third Test at Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, the pair set a new Australian opening record of 233, which laid the foundation for a large Australian total and an innings victory. It was Australia's first double-century opening stand in Test cricket, and remains an Australian Test record for the first wicket against South Africa. Brown posted 121, his highest Test score at the time. He scored 34 and 84 in Australia's only innings of the Fourth and Fifth Tests in Johannesburg and Durban, making solid opening stands with Fingleton, who scored three consecutive centuries. The pair laid the platform for two further innings victories, as Australia took the five-Test series 4–0. His compiled 417 runs at 59.57 for the series. Brown scored a further four fifties in the remaining tour matches to end with 1065 runs at 62.65.
In 1936, Brown accepted a coaching position and employment as a car salesman to move back to Queensland, representing his state of birth from 1936–37 onwards. He was appointed captain the following season. Brown started the new season strongly, scoring 111 for Victor Richardson's XI in a testimonial match against Bradman's XI, in the opening match of summer. In November, Brown played for an Australian XI and Queensland in two matches against the touring England team, scoring 71 and 74 the two drawn matches.
His 1936–37 season was interrupted by injury and he appeared in only the Third and Fourth Tests against England. They were relatively unsuccessful, yielding only 95 runs at 23.75 in four innings without passing fifty. Nevertheless, Australia won the two matches. His debut season for Queensland was moderately successful, with 557 runs at an average of 37.13, including one century and four fifties. Brown did not taste victory with his home state during the season; the closest Queensland came was a one-wicket loss to New South Wales.
Wisden Cricketer of the Year
Brown's form started to deteriorate in 1937–38; scoring only 400 runs at 36.36 for the season. Queensland played five matches under his watch, losing three, and went without victory. Of the two draws, one was washed out and in the other, Queensland hung on with two wickets in hand when time ran out.Although Brown compiled two centuries, he was only twelfth in the aggregates during an Australian season with no international tours. As a result, his selection for the 1938 tour to England was criticised in some quarters.
Brown started the tour patchily, although Australia won their first four matches by an innings. In his first four innings, Brown passed five only once, scoring 72 against Oxford University
Oxford University Cricket Club
Oxford University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team, representing the University of Oxford. It plays its home games at the University Parks in Oxford, England...
. He returned to form with an unbeaten 194 against Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
, helping to set up an innings win, before adding another 96 in the next match against Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
. Brown entered the Tests with 504 runs at 56.00 in the lead-in tour matches.
After adding 48 in Australia's first innings of 411, Brown scored 133 in the second innings of the First Test at Nottingham after the tourists were forced to follow-on, helping Bradman (144 not out) to save the Test. The Australians reached 6/427 in the second innings when the match ended in the draw.
Brown's most celebrated innings came in the Second Test at Lord's, carrying his bat to score 206 in the first televised Test match. England batted first and amassed 494, largely on the back of Wally Hammond
Wally Hammond
Walter Reginald "Wally" Hammond was an English Test cricketer who played for Gloucestershire in a career that lasted from 1920 to 1951. Beginning his career as a professional, he later became an amateur and was appointed captain of England...
's 240. Brown featured in an opening stand of 69 before Fingleton was dismissed. Hedley Verity
Hedley Verity
Hedley Verity was a professional cricketer who played first-class cricket for Yorkshire and England between 1930 and 1939. A slow left arm orthodox bowler, he took 1,956 wickets in first-class cricket at an average of 14.90 and in 40 Tests he took 144 wickets at an average of 24.37...
then bowled Bradman for 18, leaving the score at 101, before Stan McCabe
Stan McCabe
Stanley Joseph McCabe was an Australian cricketer who played 39 Test matches for Australia from 1930 to 1938. A short, stocky right-hander,...
fell after a quickfire 38 with the score at 3/152. Brown registered his century in 193 minutes, during an innings highlighted by his driving on both sides of the wicket. After Lindsay Hassett
Lindsay Hassett
Arthur Lindsay Hassett MBE was a cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia. The diminutive Hassett was an elegant middle-order batsman, described by Wisden as, "... a master of nearly every stroke ... his superb timing, nimble footwork and strong wrists enabled him to make batting look a...
was dismissed for 56 following a 134-run partnership, Australia reached stumps at 5/299, with Brown on 140. The following day, Brown set about ensuring that Australia would avoid the follow on, featuring in an aggressive eighth-wicket stand with tailender Bill O'Reilly
Bill O'Reilly (cricketer)
William Joseph "Bill" O'Reilly , often known as Tiger O'Reilly, was an Australian cricketer, rated as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. Following his retirement from playing, he became a well-respected cricket writer and broadcaster.O'Reilly was one of the best spin bowlers to...
. The pair added 85 runs in just 46 minutes, with Brown recalling "It was a nice day, and a nice wicket. O'Reilly came in, and I told him I'd take the quicks—Wellard
Arthur Wellard
Arthur William Wellard was a cricketer who played for Somerset and England. A late starter in county cricket, having been told by his native county, Kent, that he would be better off taking up a career as a policeman, Wellard played on into his late 40s...
and Farnes
Ken Farnes
Kenneth Farnes was an English cricketer. He played in 15 Tests from 1934 to 1939.Farnes was born in Leytonstone, Essex, and was educated at the Royal Liberty School in Gidea Park. He made his first-class debut for Essex in 1930, aged only 19. He took 5-36 in his second county match against Kent...
—and Tiger [O'Reilly] took Verity." Brown continued past his double century and remained unbeaten on 206 from just 375 minutes when his last partner fell, leaving Australia all out for 422. Brown's innings was the 100th century by an Australian against England, and the highest Test score for batsman carrying his bat; it stood until Glenn Turner
Glenn Turner
Glenn Maitland Turner played cricket for New Zealand and was one of the country's best and most prolific batsmen. He is the current head of the New Zealand Cricket selection panel....
made an unbeaten 223 in 1972. Ray Robinson
Ray Robinson (cricket writer)
Raymond John Robinson was an Australian journalist and author, best known for his writings on the sport of cricket. Born in Melbourne, Robinson attended Brighton State school and joined the Melbourne's The Herald as a copyboy. Given a cadetship with the paper, he reported on Australian football...
quipped that Brown's performance "did not cause smoke to rise from the back of those [television] sets but the charm of his style gave viewers a favourable impression of Australian batsmanship". They went on to draw the match, which was crucial in Australia's eventual retention of the Ashes. Brown's uninterrupted batting meant that he was on the field from the first morning until late on the fourth day.
Immediately after the making his highest Test score at Lord's, Brown recorded his highest first-class score of 265 not out against Derbyshire
Derbyshire County Cricket Club
Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the England and Wales domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire...
, in six hours of batting. Australia amassed 4/441 declared and won by an innings and 234 runs. He then made it three centuries in a row, scoring 101 against Warwickshire
Warwickshire County Cricket Club
Warwickshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Warwickshire. Its limited overs team is called the Warwickshire Bears. Their kit colours are black and gold and the shirt sponsor...
, setting up another innings win.
The Third Test was washed out without a ball being bowled, and Australia won the Fourth Test by five wickets in a low-scoring match to retain The Ashes. Brown made 22 and nine as Australia scored 242 and 5/107. It was the start of a quiet month for the opener, who scored only 194 runs in eight completed innings. He was the top Australian scorer in both innings of the Fifth Test at The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
, scoring 69 and 15. This was the match in which Len Hutton
Len Hutton
Sir Leonard "Len" Hutton was an English Test cricketer, who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England in the years around the Second World War as an opening batsman. He was described by Wisden Cricketer's Almanack as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket...
scored a world Test record 364 and England compiled 7/903, before winning by an innings and 579 runs, which remains a world record winning margin in a Test match. Throughout the Tests, Brown aggregated 512 runs at 73.14, totaling 1854 runs at 59.57 in all first-class matches for the tour. This placed Brown second to Bradman in both aggregates and average. He was named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year
Wisden Cricketers of the Year
The Wisden Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, based primarily on their "influence on the previous English season"...
for his performances in 1938. Wisden described him as a "cricketer of remarkable powers" who batted with "a charming skill, coolness, thoughtfulness and certainty".
Upon returning to Australia, Brown scored 1,057 runs at 105.70 in the 1938–39 Australian season, including 990 at 110.00 in six Sheffield Shield matches. Brown started the season well, scoring 84 as Queensland amassed 501 against New South Wales. His old state were still 27 runs from making Queensland bat again, but time ran out with one wicket intact, with Brown yet to taste victory with his new state. Nevertheless, he continued to perform strongly as passed 50 in each of his first four innings. In the fourth of these, he was out for 99 and then declared at 5/510 to leave Victoria a victory target of 319. Brown then narrowly missed out on a milestone for the second time in the match when Victoria scraped home by three wickets to deny him a maiden victory with his home state. In the next match, he carried his bat to make an unbeaten 174 against South Australia
Southern Redbacks
The South Australia cricket team, nicknamed the Southern Redbacks and known as the West End Redbacks due to their sponsorship agreement with local brewers West End, are an Australian first class cricket team based in Adelaide, South Australia, and represent the state of South Australia...
at the Adelaide Oval
Adelaide Oval
The Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...
, as his team fell to an innings defeat.
After twelve matches for his state of origin, Brown was still to end up on the winning side. This changed in the next match against New South Wales. After their opponents had made 214, Brown top-scored with 95 as Queensland replied with 200. New South Wales made 264 to leave Brown's men 279 for victory. The captain led the way, combining with Geoff Cook
Geoff Cook
Geoff Cook is a former English cricketer, who played in seven Tests and six ODIs from 1981 to 1983...
in Queensland's then record first-wicket partnership of 265. Brown was out for 168, but his team held on to secure an eight-wicket victory over New South Wales. It was Brown's first win in Queensland colours. He then scored 81 in a ten-wicket defeat to South Australia, before adding a second victory, this time over Victoria. Brown ended the season by amassing 215 as Queensland reached 7/575 declared before completing an innings win. Brown topped the aggregates with 1,057 runs and was the only player to pass 1,000 runs for the season.
Brown had another strong campaign in the following year, netting 857 runs at 61.21, including three centuries. Despite this, Queensland had another poor season, losing five of their six matches. Brown started the season strongly, scoring 87 and 137, but he was unable to stop New South Wales winning the opening match by three wickets. After a seven-wicket loss to Victoria, Brown made 156, but was unable to prevent an innings defeat to South Australia. After an innings loss to New South Wales, he made 111 to steer Queensland to its only win of the season, a two-wicket victory over South Australia. He finished the season with 35 and 97 as The Rest of Australia lost to New South Wales by two wickets.
Second World War and post-war career
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, cricket in Australia was scaled down and in a shortened season in 1940–41, Brown made 307 runs at 30.70 in five matches, with two half-centuries. In 1941–42, he played his one match, his last first-class fixture during the war, scoring 56 and 69 in a narrow 19-run win over New South Wales.
Brown was a flight lieutenant
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
with the Royal Australian Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
, serving in New Guinea
New Guinea campaign
The New Guinea campaign was one of the major military campaigns of World War II.Before the war, the island of New Guinea was split between:...
and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, losing his prime years from the age of 27 to 33. During the pre-war years, he had averaged 49.02 in Test cricket.
First-class cricket resumed in 1945–46 after the Allied victory, and Brown began the post-war phase of his career with a steady season, scoring 604 runs at 46.46 with five half-centuries in seven matches. This placed him second to Sid Barnes
Sid Barnes
Sidney George Barnes was an Australian cricketer and cricket writer, who played 13 Test matches between 1938 and 1948. Able to open the innings or bat down the order, Barnes was regarded as one of Australia's finest batsmen in the period immediately following the Second World War...
in the run-scoring aggregates. His best effort was a 98 against South Australia, denied a century by a run out. Queensland lost more than they won, with two victories and three losses.
At the end of the season, Brown captained an Australian side on a tour of New Zealand, and all five matches resulted in convincing victories.
Australia played its inaugural Test against New Zealand
New Zealand cricket team
The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the...
in Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, a match that was retrospectively given Test status. The uncertain status of the tour saw the players wearing blazers that were labelled ABC (Australian Board of Control
Cricket Australia
Cricket Australia, formerly known as the Australian Cricket Board, is the governing body for professional and amateur cricket in Australia. It was originally formed in 1905 as the Australian Board of Control for International Cricket...
), rather than the Australian coat of arms. Brown led from the front, topping the tour aggregates and averages, with 443 runs at 73.83 in five matches. In the opening tour match against Auckland, Brown elected to bat and opened with 68 as Australia amassed 579 and took victory by an innings and 180 runs. This was followed by a match against Canterbury
Canterbury Wizards
The Canterbury Wizards are a New Zealand first class cricket team based in Canterbury, New Zealand. It is one of six teams that make up New Zealand Cricket and has been the most successful domestic team in New Zealand history...
in Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
, in which Brown top-scored with 137. This laid the foundation for a total of 8/415 and another innings victory. Brown made his second consecutive century in the third match against Otago at Carisbrook
Carisbrook
Carisbrook was a major sporting venue in Dunedin, New Zealand. The city's main domestic and international rugby union venue, it has also been used for other sports such as cricket, football, rugby league and motocross. Carisbrook has also hosted a Joe Cocker concert and frequently hosted pre-game...
in Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
, again top-scoring with 106 in an eight-wicket victory. Brown made 34 in the final tour match as Australia defeated Wellington in another innings victory.
The tour culminated in a match against New Zealand at the Basin Reserve
Basin Reserve
The Basin Reserve , is a cricket ground in Wellington, New Zealand, used for Test, first-class and one-day cricket. Some argue that its proximity to the city, its Historic Place status and its age make it the most famous cricket ground in New Zealand...
in Wellington. With regular captain Don Bradman missing, Brown led a team that included seven Test debutants. The hosts won the toss and elected to bat first on a wet wicket
Sticky wicket
Sticky wicket is a metaphor used to describe a difficult circumstance; it originates from difficult circumstances in the sport of cricket.-Origins:...
, which came about after a week of rain before the match. New Zealand managed to reach 4/37 at lunch, before the sun emerged and caused the wicket to turn into a sticky with unpredictable bounce. Leg spin
Leg spin
Leg spin is a type of spin bowling in the sport of cricket. A leg spinner bowls right-arm with a wrist spin action, causing the ball to spin from right to left in the cricket pitch, at the point of delivery. When the ball bounces, the spin causes the ball to deviate sharply from right to left, that...
ner Bill O'Reilly—in his last Test—and debutant Ernie Toshack
Ernie Toshack
Ernest Raymond Herbert Toshack was an Australian cricketer who played in 12 Tests from 1946 to 1948. A left arm medium paced bowler who was known for his accuracy and stamina in his application of leg theory, Toshack was best known for being as member of Don Bradman's Invincibles that toured...
, took 5/14 and 4/12 respectively as New Zealand were bowled out for only 42, losing their last six wickets for five runs. In reply, Australia were 1/9 when Ken Meuleman
Ken Meuleman
Kenneth Douglas Meuleman was an Australian cricketer who played in one Test in 1946....
was dismissed. Having been dropped on 13, Brown then combined in a 109-run first-wicket stand with Barnes, before falling for the innings top-score of 67. It was the only partnership for the Test that went beyond 32. Barnes' dismissal triggered a collapse of 6/57, prompting Brown to declare Australia's innings closed at 8/199. Australia then dismissed New Zealand for 54 in the second innings in just two hours, resulting in victory by an innings and 54 runs in just two days. As the hosts' batsmen fell quickly, many of the Australian bowlers had limited opportunities. With one wicket left in the match, Brown used the toss of a coin to determine which of the debutants Colin McCool
Colin McCool
Colin Leslie McCool was an Australian cricketer who played in 14 Tests from 1946 to 1950. McCool, born in Paddington, New South Wales, was an all-rounder who bowled leg spin and googlies with a round arm action and as a lower order batsman was regarded as effective square of the wicket and against...
and Ian Johnson
Ian Johnson (cricketer)
Ian William Geddes Johnson CBE was an Australian cricketer who played 45 Test matches as a slow off-break bowler between 1946 and 1956. Johnson captured 109 Test wickets at an average of 29.19 runs per wicket and as a lower order batsman made 1,000 runs at an average of...
would bowl in Tests for the first time. McCool was given the ball and ended the match on his second delivery. Brown's solitary Test as captain makes him the first and the only native Queenslander to have led Australia.
Brown missed the entire 1946–47 Test series against England due to a thumb injury. This allowed young New South Wales opener Arthur Morris
Arthur Morris
Arthur Robert Morris MBE is a former Australian cricketer who played 46 Test matches between 1946 and 1955. An opener, Morris is regarded as one of Australia's greatest left-handed batsmen. He is best known for his key role in Don Bradman's Invincibles side, which made an undefeated tour of...
to make his Test debut. Morris' performance in the series eventually displaced Brown from his position as a first-choice opening batsman alongside Barnes. The injury meant that Brown was unable to play a single match for Queensland.
Mankad
Brown returned to first-class cricket in 1947–48, scoring 192 runs at 38.40 in the first three matches of the season. The season saw an Indian tour of AustraliaIndian cricket team in Australia in 1947-48
The India national cricket team toured Australia in the 1947–48 season to play a five-match Test series against Australia. Australia won the series 4-0, with one match drawn....
. The selectors initially dropped Barnes to pair Brown with Morris to open the batting. Apart from two Tests during the 1936–37 season against England, Brown had not played Test cricket on Australian soil. He had only one opportunity with the bat in the First Test in Brisbane, making 11 as India fell to an innings defeat. It was to be his only innings and Test match on his home ground. Brown's participation in the series was overshadowed by his controversial run out
Run out
Run out is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket. It is governed by Law 38 of the Laws of cricket.-The rules:A batsman is out Run out if at any time while the ball is in play no part of his bat or person is grounded behind the popping crease and his wicket is fairly put down by the opposing...
by Indian left arm orthodox spinner Vinoo Mankad in the Second Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
in December 1947. Brown was run out for 18, when in the act of delivering the ball, Mankad held on to it and whipped the bail
Bail (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a bail is one of the two smaller sticks placed on top of the three stumps to form a wicket. The bails are used to determine when the wicket is broken, which in turn is one of the critical factors in determining whether a batsman is out bowled, stumped, run out or hit wicket...
s off at the non-striker's end. Brown was well out of his crease while he was backing-up the striker, so that he could get a head start in case he attempted a run. This was the second time during the season that Mankad had dismissed Brown in this fashion—as he had previously done so a match against an Australian XI in November. On that occasion, Mankad had warned Brown before running him out. The local press strongly accused Mankad of being unsportsmanlike, although some Australians—including Bradman—defended Mankad's actions. For his part, Brown took full blame and made light of the incident through humorous gestures in later matches, which referred to the event. After this incident, if a batsman is given out this way, he is said to have been "Mankaded".
The dismissal ended another low-scoring innings, and Australia batted only once in a shortened match. Brown was omitted from the team in favour of Barnes for the next two Tests. Morris—who had established himself as one of Australia's first-choice opening batsmen during Brown's injury layoff during the previous season—was rested for the Fifth Test as the Australian Board trialled potential candidates for the 1948 tour of England. Morris was omitted after losing a coin toss to Barnes. Brown partnered Barnes, making 99 in the first innings before being run out. Brown had survived a confident appeal for caught behind before he had scored, and Barnes was convinced that his partner had edged the ball. Barnes claimed that had Brown failed to make an impact in the innings, he would have been overlooked for the 1948 tour.
During the first innings, Brown captained Australia while Bradman was absent with fibrositis. The tourists fell for 331, with debutants Sam Loxton
Sam Loxton
Samuel John Everett "Sam" Loxton OBE is a former Australian cricketer, footballer and politician. Among these three pursuits, his greatest achievements were attained on the cricket field; he played in 12 Tests for Australia from 1948 to 1951...
and Doug Ring
Doug Ring
Douglas Thomas Ring was an Australian cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia in 13 Tests from 1948 to 1953...
taking three wickets apiece. India eventually fell to another innings defeat, so Brown did not have another opportunity to score a Test century on home soil. His Test aggregate in Australia stood at 223 runs at only 33.86, in contrast to his away average of 1,369 runs at 50.70. His first-class batting average of 43.58 for the season was inferior to that of Barnes and Morris, both of whom averaged more than 50.
Invincibles tour
Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
, Brown top-scored with 200 in an innings victory. In the following match against Essex
Essex County Cricket Club
Essex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
, Brown combined with Bradman in a second-wicket partnership of 219 in 90 minutes, ending with 153 as Australia scored a world-record 721 runs in one day. Australia proceeded to another innings victory, and Brown completed his third century in as many innings with 108 against Oxford University
Oxford University Cricket Club
Oxford University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team, representing the University of Oxford. It plays its home games at the University Parks in Oxford, England...
. He preceded to add a fourth century in less than three weeks, with 122 against Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
, and made an unbeaten 81 against Hampshire
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
. In contrast, middle-order batsman Neil Harvey
Neil Harvey
Robert Neil Harvey MBE is a former Australian cricketer who represented the Australian cricket team between 1948 and 1963, playing in 79 Test matches. He was the vice-captain of the team from 1957 until his retirement...
had struggled in the initial stages of his first tour of England, failing to pass 25 in his first six innings. Thus, Brown gained selection in the First Test at Trent Bridge, batting out of position in the middle order, whereas Harvey was dropped despite making a century in Australia's most recent Test against India.
Brown made 17 in his only innings as Australia won by eight wickets. Between Tests, Brown scored 113 in a slow innings against Yorkshire
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
to retain his middle-order position for the Second Test at Lord's. He was unable to replicate the Test centuries he made in the preceding tours, scoring 24 and 32. It was to be his last Test, as Sam Loxton
Sam Loxton
Samuel John Everett "Sam" Loxton OBE is a former Australian cricketer, footballer and politician. Among these three pursuits, his greatest achievements were attained on the cricket field; he played in 12 Tests for Australia from 1948 to 1951...
top-scored with 159 not out against Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
in the match before the Third Test, ousting Brown from his middle-order position. Barnes was injured in the Third Test, but Brown was not recalled for the Fourth Test; instead, Lindsay Hassett
Lindsay Hassett
Arthur Lindsay Hassett MBE was a cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia. The diminutive Hassett was an elegant middle-order batsman, described by Wisden as, "... a master of nearly every stroke ... his superb timing, nimble footwork and strong wrists enabled him to make batting look a...
was promoted to open with Morris, while the teenaged Harvey came into the middle-order and struck 112. Brown then scored 140 against Derbyshire immediately after the Fourth Test, in a dour display that displeased spectators, and then scored consecutive centuries against Kent
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
and the Gentlemen of England after the Tests. He ended with eight centuries and a total of 1,448 runs on the tour at an average of 57.92, behind only Bradman, Hassett and Morris, with the 200 against Cambridge University his highest score. Brown took 4/16 against the South of England in his only bowling assignment of the tour. It was his best career bowling figures, having amassed only six wickets in his first-class career. In three visits to England, Brown scored 18 centuries.
Upon returning to Australia, Bradman retired and Barnes took a break from cricket, thereby opening two vacancies in the Test team. Brown had a reasonable domestic season in 1948–1949 to press his claim for a Test recall. He scored 626 runs at 41.73, the sixth highest aggregate of the season, with a century and three fifties. Queensland won two and lost three games. Despite this, the 37-year-old Brown was not named in the touring party for the Test tour of South Africa in 1949–50. In the absence of the Test players, Brown scored 507 runs at 50.70 in the Sheffield Shield season, with a top score of 190, making him the third highest run-getter. In their first five matches of the season, Queensland lost three times, before Brown's 190 in the last match against South Australia set up a nine-wicket win. It was his only century of the season after previously falling for 94 twices.
With his opportunities diminishing, he retired after captaining the Australian Second XI to New Zealand on an end-of-season tour, during which the team went undefeated. Most of the matches were not first-class but Brown scored his final first-class century against Otago, scoring 184 in an innings victory. He had been less effective in his later years, averaging 38.29 in Tests following World War II.
Style
Neville Cardus
Sir John Frederick Neville Cardus CBE was an English writer and critic, best known for his writing on music and cricket. For many years, he wrote for The Manchester Guardian. He was untrained in music, and his style of criticism was subjective, romantic and personal, in contrast with his critical...
commented "His cricket is perpetually keeping an appointment leisurely with moments to spare. Does the bat have an engagement this over with a half-volley? Very well, then, put it down in the book. We'll be there for it. Plenty of time." Bradman also noted Brown's ability to quickly get into position to play the ball, writing "One hallmark of good batting is that the player appears to have plenty of time in which to play his strokes. Bill Brown was an outstanding case of one who never seemed to be in a hurry for any stroke." Ray Robinson
Ray Robinson (cricket writer)
Raymond John Robinson was an Australian journalist and author, best known for his writings on the sport of cricket. Born in Melbourne, Robinson attended Brighton State school and joined the Melbourne's The Herald as a copyboy. Given a cadetship with the paper, he reported on Australian football...
said that Brown was "the most serene batsman I ever saw play for Australia". Robinson said that "for artistry, Brown's leg-glancing could be mentioned in the same breath as Archie Jackson
Archie Jackson
Archibald "Archie" Jackson , occasionally known as Archibald Alexander Jackson, was an Australian cricketer who played eight Test matches as a specialist batsman between 1929 and 1931. A teenage prodigy, he played first grade cricket at only 15 years of age and was selected for New South Wales at 17...
's". Brown's placid nature extended to his observations of modern cricket—he disliked the emotional displays made by contemporary players.
Brown's partnership with Fingleton was regarded as one of the great opening pairings in Australian Test cricket history. In ten Tests as an opening combination, the pair averaged 63.75 for the first wicket, higher than any other Australian duo with more than 1000 runs. Brown was known for his self-effacing nature and was well liked among teammates and opponents alike. Of his batting, Brown joked that "My wife said you could always tell when I was batting by the number of people leaving the ground". During a domestic match at the Adelaide Oval
Adelaide Oval
The Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...
in December 1938, he deflected a ball onto his stumps without dislodging a bail. He added a further 147 runs to end unbeaten on 174, eternally apologising for his luck.
In addition to his batting, Brown was a highly regarded fieldsman known for his fitness. He developed his skills through persistent training with professional sprinters in order to improve his anticipation and speed off the mark. Brown often fielded at slip or in the covers. With Australia boasting the leg spin
Leg spin
Leg spin is a type of spin bowling in the sport of cricket. A leg spinner bowls right-arm with a wrist spin action, causing the ball to spin from right to left in the cricket pitch, at the point of delivery. When the ball bounces, the spin causes the ball to deviate sharply from right to left, that...
pairing of O'Reilly and Grimmett in the 1930s, close-catchers were frequently used. Along with Fingleton, Brown often fielded in the leg trap position.
Off the field
In 1940, Brown married Barbara Hart, a receptionistReceptionist
A receptionist is an employee taking an office/administrative support position. The work is usually performed in a waiting area such as a lobby or front office desk of an organization or business...
. The couple had three sons, whom Brown self-deprecatingly noted were "well spaced ... like my centuries". Outside cricket, Brown worked in a variety of jobs. When Bradman relocated from New South Wales to South Australia in 1935, Brown took his job at the men's clothing store FJ Palmer. Following his relocation to Queensland, Brown was a Brisbane car salesman, selling Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
s for Egars, later running a sports store.
Brown was a Queensland selector from 1950–51 to 1959–60, and an Australian selector in 1952–53 after defeating New South Wales' Chappie Dwyer
Chappie Dwyer
Edmund Alfred Dwyer was an Australian cricketer and national selector. Dwyer was born in Mosman, Sydney and played for the New South Wales cricket team for three first-class cricket matches as a right-handed batsmen.-Career:Dwyer played his three matches for NSW sporadically between the end of the...
in an election. He was the first Queenslander in 23 years to serve as a national selector. His brief tenure as a national selector was marked by abuse and harassment from parochial Queenslanders, upset that he did not include his fellow statesmen in the Test team. Brown's sports store was vandalised and he resigned as a selector within a year. In 1992, Brown was elected a life member of the Queensland Cricket Association, and in 2000 was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
for his services to cricket.
Upon Bradman's death in February 2001, Brown became the oldest living Australian Test cricketer, greatly amused by the fame that came with the title. Highly regarded by Australian cricketers of the modern era, Steve Waugh
Steve Waugh
Stephen Rodger "Steve" Waugh, AO is a former Australian cricketer and fraternal twin of cricketer Mark Waugh. A right-handed batsman, he was also a successful medium-pace bowler...
invited Brown to present Test debutant Adam Gilchrist
Adam Gilchrist
Adam Craig Gilchrist AM , nicknamed "Gilly" or "Churchy", is an Australian international cricketer who currently captains Kings XI Punjab and recently captained Middlesex. He is an attacking left-handed batsman and record-breaking wicket-keeper, who redefined the role for the Australian national...
with his baggy green
Baggy green
The baggy green is the evolution of a cricket cap of green colour, which has been worn by Australian Test cricketers since around the turn of the twentieth century. The cap was not originally baggy as evidenced by photographs of early players...
. The humble Brown was surprised, thinking himself an unworthy choice. Waugh disagreed, opining that "Bill is a baggy green icon who represents all that is good about playing for your country. He is humble, self-effacing and respectful, proud to have been afforded the honour of being an Australian Test cricketer, and a man who always looks for the positive in people." In March 2008, Brown died in Brisbane at the age of 95. He was the last surviving Invincible to have played Test cricket before World War II and his death leaves only four living members of Bradman's 1948 team.
Test match performance
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
| Batting | Bowling | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition | Matches | Runs | Average | High Score | 100 / 50 | Runs | Wickets | Average | Best (Inns) |
| England | 13 | 980 | 42.60 | 206* | 3/3 | – | – | – | – |
| India | 3 | 128 | 42.66 | 99 | 0/1 | – | – | – | – |
| New Zealand | 1 | 67 | 67.00 | 67 | 0/1 | – | – | – | – |
| South Africa | 5 | 417 | 59.57 | 121 | 1/4 | – | – | – | – |
| Overall | 22 | 1592 | 46.82 | 206* | 4/9 | – | – | – | – |