First Test, 1948 Ashes series - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The First Test of the 1948 Ashes series was one of five 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...

in a 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...

series

1948 Ashes series

The 1948 Ashes series was that year's edition of the long-standing cricket rivalry between England and Australia. Starting on 10 June 1948, England and Australia played five Tests. Australia had not lost a Test since the Second World War and were strong favourites...

between Australia and England. The match was played 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...

in Nottingham

Nottingham

Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...

from 10 to 15 June with a rest day on 13 June. Australia won the match by eight wickets to take a 1–0 series lead.

The Australians started the match as firm favourites, having won the previous series against England 3–0; in the lead-up to the 1948 series, they had won 10 of their 12 tour matches in England, mostly by large margins. This included a crushing innings defeat in a match over the Marylebone Cricket Club

Marylebone Cricket Club

Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...

—a team consisting almost entirely of Test-capped and current England players. England captain Norman Yardley

Norman Yardley

Norman Walter Dransfield Yardley was an English cricketer who played for Cambridge University, Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England, as a right-handed batsman and occasional bowler. An amateur, he captained Yorkshire from 1948 to 1955 and England on fourteen occasions between 1947 and 1950,...

won the toss and elected to bat on a cloudy day. After the first morning was interrupted by inclement weather, the Australian fast bowlers

Fast bowling

Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...

quickly made inroads into the English batting. Despite the loss of leading Australian paceman Ray Lindwall

Ray Lindwall

Raymond Russell Lindwall MBE was a cricketer who represented Australia in 61 Tests from 1946 to 1960. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time. He also played top-flight rugby league football with St...

with a groin injury, the hosts had difficulty against his colleagues and fell to be 74 runs for the loss of eight wickets (74/8). However, a rearguard action by tail-enders Alec Bedser

Alec Bedser

Sir Alec Victor Bedser, CBE was a professional English cricketer. He was the chairman of selectors for the English national cricket team, and the president of Surrey County Cricket Club...

and Jim Laker

Jim Laker

James "Jim" Charles Laker was a cricketer who played for England in the 1950s, known for "Laker's match" in 1956 at Old Trafford, when he took nineteen wickets in England's victory against Australia...

saw England reach 165, Bill Johnston

Bill Johnston (cricketer)

William Arras Johnston was an Australian cricketer who played in forty Test matches from 1947 to 1955. A left arm pace bowler, as well as a left arm orthodox spinner, Johnston was best known as a spearhead of Don Bradman's undefeated 1948 touring team, well known as "The Invincibles"...

taking five wickets for 36 runs (5/36) for Australia, while compatriot Keith Miller

Keith Miller

Keith Ross Miller MBE was an Australian Test cricketer and a Royal Australian Air Force pilot during World War II. Miller is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever all-rounder. Because of his ability, irreverent manner and good looks he was a crowd favourite...

took 3/38. Laker top-scored for the hosts with 63. The tourists then reached 17 without loss by stumps.

On the second day, Yardley attempted to slow the Australian batsmen by employing leg theory

Leg theory

Leg theory is a bowling tactic in the sport of cricket. The term leg theory is somewhat archaic and seldom used any more, but the basic tactic still plays a part in modern cricket....

, a defensive strategy that sought more to contain the opposition than to attack. As England had batted poorly in the first innings, allowing Australia to take the lead quickly, the home team sought to slow the tourists' momentum and force a drawn match. Despite the tactics, Australia reached 293/4 at the end of the day's play, captain Donald Bradman

Donald Bradman

Sir Donald George Bradman, AC , often referred to as "The Don", was an Australian cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time...

having registered his 28th Test century

Century (cricket)

In the sport of cricket, a batsman reaches his century when he scores 100 or more runs in a single innings. The term is also included in "century partnership" which occurs when two batsmen add 100 runs to the team total when they are batting together. A century is regarded as a landmark score for...

. Although Bradman and his batsmen made gestures indicating frustration at England's stifling tactics, they remained patient as there was still much time left in the match for them to convert their dominance into a victory. The next morning, Bradman departed for 138, the first in a series of dismissals in the leg trap, but his vice-captain 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...

continued, making 137 and putting on a century partnership with Lindwall as Australia were eventually out for 509, giving them a 344-run first innings lead. Laker was the leading bowler, taking 4/138. England reached 121/2 by stumps on the third day, which ended with a hostile crowd reaction to Miller, who bowled a large amount of bouncers

Bouncer (cricket)

In the sport of cricket, a bouncer is a type of delivery, usually bowled by a fast bowler. It is pitched short so that it bounces on the pitch well short of the batsman and rears up to chest or head height as it reaches the batsman.Bouncers are used tactically to drive the batsman back on to his...

at 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...

and Denis Compton

Denis Compton

Denis Charles Scott Compton CBE was an English cricketer who played in 78 Test matches, and a footballer...

.

After the rest day, play resumed in poor visibility, with frequent interruptions due to rain and bad light. England's batsmen progressed steadily as Australia struggled in Lindwall's absence, which forced his fellow bowlers to bear a greater workload. Hutton made 74 and Compton batted through the entire day to be unbeaten on 154, with England one run ahead at the close of play, on 345/6. Compton's innings in the difficult conditions was highly praised and his team still had a chance of hanging on for a draw if the lower order

Batting order (cricket)

In cricket, the batting order is the sequence in which batsmen play through their team's innings, there always being two batsmen taking part at any one time...

could bat for a large part of the final day. The next day, Australia prised out the remaining wickets and England were dismissed for 441, with Compton out for 184 after falling on his stumps

Hit wicket

Hit wicket is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket. This method of dismissal is governed by Law 35 of the laws of cricket. The striker is out "hit wicket" if, after the bowler has entered his delivery stride and while the ball is in play, his wicket is put down by his bat or his person...

. Miller and Johnston had both taken four wickets. Australia then made the 98 runs required for victory with the loss of two wickets; opener 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...

made his second half-century for the match in the pursuit.

Background

Prior to the First Test, Australia had played 12 first-class matches since arriving in England and starting their campaign in late-April, winning ten and drawing two. Eight of the victories were by an innings, and another was by eight wickets. One of the drawn matches, 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...

, was rain-affected, with the first day washed out entirely.

One of the tour matches was against the Marylebone Cricket Club

Marylebone Cricket Club

(MCC), which fielded a team composed almost entirely of Test players. In what was effectively a dress rehearsal for the Tests, Australia fielded their full-strength team and won by an innings. The difference in Australia's team for the First Test was the omission of 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 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...

, who had been struggling from a torn callus

Callus

A callus is an especially toughened area of skin which has become relatively thick and hard in response to repeated friction, pressure, or other irritation. Rubbing that is too frequent or forceful will cause blisters rather than allow calluses to form. Since repeated contact is required, calluses...

on his spinning finger, which prevented him from bowling long spells. It was thought that Bradman would play another leg spinner—Doug Ring

Doug Ring

Douglas Thomas Ring was an Australian cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia in 13 Tests from 1948 to 1953...

—in McCool's place, but the Australian captain changed his mind on the first morning when rain was forecast. Bill Johnston

Bill Johnston (cricketer)

was played in the hope of exploiting 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:...

. In previous rain-affected matches on the tour, Johnston had been highly effective, taking match figures of 10/40 and 11/117 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....

and 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...

respectively. Bill Brown

Bill Brown (cricketer)

William Alfred "Bill" Brown, OAM was an Australian cricketer 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...

, the reserve opener, played out of position in the middle-order, as he had 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...

and the MCC. Aside from Brown and Johnston's inclusion, Australia's team was the same as that which started the previous Ashes series in 1946–47, which they won 3–0.

England lost their leg spinner Doug Wright

Doug Wright (cricketer)

Douglas Vivian Parson Wright, better known as Doug Wright was an English cricketer. A leg-spinner for Kent and England from 1932 to 1957 he took a record seven hat-tricks in first class cricket. He played for Kent for 25 years and was their first professional captain from late 1953 to 1956...

before the match to lumbago, so the off spin

Off spin

Off spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket which is bowled by an off spinner, a right-handed spin bowler who uses his or her fingers and/or wrist to spin the ball from a right-handed batsman's off side to the leg side...

of Jim Laker

Jim Laker

was brought in at late notice. Laker had struggled when he had played for 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...

and the MCC against Australia in the lead-up matches, taking 1/137 and 3/127 respectively. In the MCC match, the Australians had attacked him, taking nine sixes from his bowling in one 82-minute passage of play. Of the team that took to the field for the MCC, Len Hutton

Len Hutton

, Bill Edrich

Bill Edrich

William John "Bill" Edrich DFC was a distinguished cricketer who played for Middlesex, MCC, Norfolk and England.Edrich's three brothers, Brian, Eric and Geoff, and also his cousin, John, all played first-class cricket...

, Denis Compton

Denis Compton

Denis Charles Scott Compton CBE was an English cricketer who played in 78 Test matches, and a footballer...

, captain Norman Yardley

Norman Yardley

, Laker and Jack Young

Jack Young (cricketer)

John Albert "Jack" Young was an English cricketer, who played for Middlesex and England. His first-class cricket career lasted from 1933 to 1956....

were also selected for the First Test. Hutton scored 52 and 64 in the MCC match but nobody else managed to pass 26 in either innings. Young had bowled 55.2 overs in Australia's only innings, taking 4/155. Opener Jack Robertson

Jack Robertson

Jack Robertson was an English cricketer, who played county cricket for Middlesex, and in eleven Tests for England....

was left out after scoring six and 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...

, and Cyril Washbrook

Cyril Washbrook

Cyril Washbrook was an English cricketer, who played for Lancashire and England. He had a long career, split by World War II, and ending when he was aged 44. Washbrook, who is most famous for opening the batting for England with Len Hutton, which he did fifty one times, played a total of 592...

, who had played against Australia in the 1946–47 series, partnered Hutton. Joe Hardstaff junior

Joe Hardstaff junior

Joseph Hardstaff junior was an English cricketer, who played in twenty three Tests for England from 1935 to 1948...

had scored 107 for 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...

, the only century

Century (cricket)

made against Australia in the lead-up matches, earning himself Test selection. Paceman Alec Bedser

Alec Bedser

Sir Alec Victor Bedser, CBE was a professional English cricketer. He was the chairman of selectors for the English national cricket team, and the president of Surrey County Cricket Club...

did not play in the MCC match, but had been a regular during England's last series against Australia in 1946–47, and had taken 4/104 for Surrey in their match against the tourists. Godfrey Evans

Godfrey Evans

Thomas Godfrey Evans CBE was an English cricketer who played for Kent and England.Described by Wisden as 'arguably the best wicket-keeper the game has ever seen', Evans collected 219 dismissals in 91 Test match appearances between 1946 and 1959 and a total of 1066 in all first-class matches...

, who kept wickets

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...

in the previous Ashes series, also gained Test selection. According to former England bowler Bill Bowes

Bill Bowes

Bill Bowes was one of the best bowlers of the interwar period and, for a time, the most important force behind Yorkshire's dominance of the County Championship...

, England went into the match with the intention of securing a draw through the selection of defensive bowlers. The home team's bowlers would tie down the Australians, forcing the batsmen to take risks to score runs and thereby increasing the chances of dismissal; however, if rain produced a sticky 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:...

, the England attack might be able to dismiss Australia relatively easily. As such, England filled their team with batsmen and only played three frontline bowlers, Laker, Bedser and Young, and relied on Yardley, Edrich and Charlie Barnett

Charlie Barnett (cricketer)

Charles John Barnett was an English cricketer, who played in 20 Tests from 1933 to 1948...

to support them with their occasion seam bowling

Seam bowling

Seam bowling is a phrase used for a bowling technique in cricket whereby the ball is deliberately bowled on to its seam, to cause a random deviation. Practitioners are known as seam bowlers or seamers....

. It was speculated that England would use only two specialist bowlers; the all-rounder George Pope was in the squad and it was thought he would be used in place of one of the bowlers, but in the end, he was omitted, as was Reg Simpson

Reg Simpson

Reginald Thomas Simpson is an English former cricketer, who played in twentry seven Tests from 1948 to 1955.-Life and career:...

. The latter had made 74 and 70 for Nottinghamshire against Australia and had impressed observers with his display, and was made twelfth man.

Before the start of the match, much of the attention was placed on the weather forecast and the prospects of rain. In their 12 tour matches leading up to the Tests, Australia had been almost completely untroubled by the opposition except in the two matches against Yorkshire and Hampshire on rain-affected pitches. In these two matches they came close to defeat after heavy batting collapses before recovering to victory. It was thus thought that the toss could be of great importance, especially if the team batting first had accumulated a substantial total by the time rain came.O'Reilly, pp. 30–31. The match was the first Ashes Test to be played on English soil since the end of World War II.

Scorecard


Umpires	F. Chester Frank Chester (umpire) Frank Chester was an English first-class cricketer and notable international cricket umpire.Chester was an all-rounder, a left-handed middle-order batsman and a slow left-arm bowler, who played 55 first-class matches for county side Worcestershire as a teenager from 1912 to 1914... E. Cooke Ernest Cooke Ernest Cooke was a test match umpire . Born in 1899 he joined the Nottinghamshire ground staff but did not make a first class appearance. He turned to umpiring in 1936 and stood in the Ashes test at Trent Bridge in 1948. He retired from the first class list in 1956 and died the following year in...
Toss	elected to bat first
Result	won by eight wickets
Series impact	lead 5-match series 1–0

England innings

	First innings		Second innings
Batsman	Method of dismissal Dismissal (cricket) In the sport of cricket, a dismissal occurs when the batsman is out . Colloquially, the fielding team is also said to have snared, bagged or captured a wicket. At this point a batsman must discontinue batting and leave the field permanently for the innings...	Runs Run (cricket) In the sport of cricket, a run is the basic unit of scoring. Runs are scored by a batsman, and the aggregate of the scores of a team's batsmen constitutes the team's score. A batsman scoring 50 or 100 runs , or any higher multiple of 50 runs, is considered a particular achievement...	Method of dismissal Dismissal (cricket) In the sport of cricket, a dismissal occurs when the batsman is out . Colloquially, the fielding team is also said to have snared, bagged or captured a wicket. At this point a batsman must discontinue batting and leave the field permanently for the innings...	Runs Run (cricket) In the sport of cricket, a run is the basic unit of scoring. Runs are scored by a batsman, and the aggregate of the scores of a team's batsmen constitutes the team's score. A batsman scoring 50 or 100 runs , or any higher multiple of 50 runs, is considered a particular achievement...
L. 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...	b Bowled Bowled is a method of dismissing a batsman in the sport of cricket. This method of dismissal is covered by Law 30 of the Laws of cricket.A batsman is out bowled if his wicket is put down by a ball delivered by the bowler... Miller Keith Miller Keith Ross Miller MBE was an Australian Test cricketer and a Royal Australian Air Force pilot during World War II. Miller is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever all-rounder. Because of his ability, irreverent manner and good looks he was a crowd favourite...	3	b Miller Keith Miller Keith Ross Miller MBE was an Australian Test cricketer and a Royal Australian Air Force pilot during World War II. Miller is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever all-rounder. Because of his ability, irreverent manner and good looks he was a crowd favourite...	74
C. Washbrook Cyril Washbrook Cyril Washbrook was an English cricketer, who played for Lancashire and England. He had a long career, split by World War II, and ending when he was aged 44. Washbrook, who is most famous for opening the batting for England with Len Hutton, which he did fifty one times, played a total of 592...	c Caught Caught is a method of dismissing a batsman in the sport of cricket. Being caught out is the most common method of dismissal at higher levels of competition... Brown Bill Brown (cricketer) William Alfred "Bill" Brown, OAM was an Australian cricketer 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... b Lindwall Ray Lindwall Raymond Russell Lindwall MBE was a cricketer who represented Australia in 61 Tests from 1946 to 1960. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time. He also played top-flight rugby league football with St...	6	c Tallon Don Tallon Donald "Don" Tallon was an Australian cricketer who played 21 Test matches as a wicket-keeper between 1946 and 1953... b Miller Keith Miller Keith Ross Miller MBE was an Australian Test cricketer and a Royal Australian Air Force pilot during World War II. Miller is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever all-rounder. Because of his ability, irreverent manner and good looks he was a crowd favourite...	1
W. J. Edrich Bill Edrich William John "Bill" Edrich DFC was a distinguished cricketer who played for Middlesex, MCC, Norfolk and England.Edrich's three brothers, Brian, Eric and Geoff, and also his cousin, John, all played first-class cricket...	b Johnston Bill Johnston (cricketer) William Arras Johnston was an Australian cricketer who played in forty Test matches from 1947 to 1955. A left arm pace bowler, as well as a left arm orthodox spinner, Johnston was best known as a spearhead of Don Bradman's undefeated 1948 touring team, well known as "The Invincibles"...	18	c Tallon Don Tallon Donald "Don" Tallon was an Australian cricketer who played 21 Test matches as a wicket-keeper between 1946 and 1953... b 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...	13
D. C. S. Compton Denis Compton Denis Charles Scott Compton CBE was an English cricketer who played in 78 Test matches, and a footballer...	b Miller Keith Miller Keith Ross Miller MBE was an Australian Test cricketer and a Royal Australian Air Force pilot during World War II. Miller is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever all-rounder. Because of his ability, irreverent manner and good looks he was a crowd favourite...	19	hit wicket Hit wicket Hit wicket is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket. This method of dismissal is governed by Law 35 of the laws of cricket. The striker is out "hit wicket" if, after the bowler has entered his delivery stride and while the ball is in play, his wicket is put down by his bat or his person... b Miller Keith Miller Keith Ross Miller MBE was an Australian Test cricketer and a Royal Australian Air Force pilot during World War II. Miller is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever all-rounder. Because of his ability, irreverent manner and good looks he was a crowd favourite...	184
J. Hardstaff jnr Joe Hardstaff junior Joseph Hardstaff junior was an English cricketer, who played in twenty three Tests for England from 1935 to 1948...	c Miller Keith Miller Keith Ross Miller MBE was an Australian Test cricketer and a Royal Australian Air Force pilot during World War II. Miller is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever all-rounder. Because of his ability, irreverent manner and good looks he was a crowd favourite... b Johnston Bill Johnston (cricketer) William Arras Johnston was an Australian cricketer who played in forty Test matches from 1947 to 1955. A left arm pace bowler, as well as a left arm orthodox spinner, Johnston was best known as a spearhead of Don Bradman's undefeated 1948 touring team, well known as "The Invincibles"...	0	c 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... b 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...	43
C. J. Barnett Charlie Barnett (cricketer) Charles John Barnett was an English cricketer, who played in 20 Tests from 1933 to 1948...	b Johnston Bill Johnston (cricketer) William Arras Johnston was an Australian cricketer who played in forty Test matches from 1947 to 1955. A left arm pace bowler, as well as a left arm orthodox spinner, Johnston was best known as a spearhead of Don Bradman's undefeated 1948 touring team, well known as "The Invincibles"...	8	c Miller Keith Miller Keith Ross Miller MBE was an Australian Test cricketer and a Royal Australian Air Force pilot during World War II. Miller is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever all-rounder. Because of his ability, irreverent manner and good looks he was a crowd favourite... b Johnston Bill Johnston (cricketer) William Arras Johnston was an Australian cricketer who played in forty Test matches from 1947 to 1955. A left arm pace bowler, as well as a left arm orthodox spinner, Johnston was best known as a spearhead of Don Bradman's undefeated 1948 touring team, well known as "The Invincibles"...	6
* 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... N. W. D. Yardley Norman Yardley Norman Walter Dransfield Yardley was an English cricketer who played for Cambridge University, Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England, as a right-handed batsman and occasional bowler. An amateur, he captained Yorkshire from 1948 to 1955 and England on fourteen occasions between 1947 and 1950,...	lbw Leg before wicket In the sport of cricket, leg before wicket is one of the ways in which a batsman can be dismissed. An umpire will rule a batsman out LBW under a series of circumstances which primarily include the ball striking the batsman's body when it would otherwise have continued on to hit the batsman's... b 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...	3	c & b Johnston Bill Johnston (cricketer) William Arras Johnston was an Australian cricketer who played in forty Test matches from 1947 to 1955. A left arm pace bowler, as well as a left arm orthodox spinner, Johnston was best known as a spearhead of Don Bradman's undefeated 1948 touring team, well known as "The Invincibles"...	22
+ 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... T. G. Evans Godfrey Evans Thomas Godfrey Evans CBE was an English cricketer who played for Kent and England.Described by Wisden as 'arguably the best wicket-keeper the game has ever seen', Evans collected 219 dismissals in 91 Test match appearances between 1946 and 1959 and a total of 1066 in all first-class matches...	c 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... b Johnston Bill Johnston (cricketer) William Arras Johnston was an Australian cricketer who played in forty Test matches from 1947 to 1955. A left arm pace bowler, as well as a left arm orthodox spinner, Johnston was best known as a spearhead of Don Bradman's undefeated 1948 touring team, well known as "The Invincibles"...	12	c Tallon Don Tallon Donald "Don" Tallon was an Australian cricketer who played 21 Test matches as a wicket-keeper between 1946 and 1953... b Johnston Bill Johnston (cricketer) William Arras Johnston was an Australian cricketer who played in forty Test matches from 1947 to 1955. A left arm pace bowler, as well as a left arm orthodox spinner, Johnston was best known as a spearhead of Don Bradman's undefeated 1948 touring team, well known as "The Invincibles"...	50
J. C. Laker Jim Laker James "Jim" Charles Laker was a cricketer who played for England in the 1950s, known for "Laker's match" in 1956 at Old Trafford, when he took nineteen wickets in England's victory against Australia...	c Tallon Don Tallon Donald "Don" Tallon was an Australian cricketer who played 21 Test matches as a wicket-keeper between 1946 and 1953... b Miller Keith Miller Keith Ross Miller MBE was an Australian Test cricketer and a Royal Australian Air Force pilot during World War II. Miller is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever all-rounder. Because of his ability, irreverent manner and good looks he was a crowd favourite...	63	b Miller Keith Miller Keith Ross Miller MBE was an Australian Test cricketer and a Royal Australian Air Force pilot during World War II. Miller is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever all-rounder. Because of his ability, irreverent manner and good looks he was a crowd favourite...	4
A. V. Bedser Alec Bedser Sir Alec Victor Bedser, CBE was a professional English cricketer. He was the chairman of selectors for the English national cricket team, and the president of Surrey County Cricket Club...	c Brown Bill Brown (cricketer) William Alfred "Bill" Brown, OAM was an Australian cricketer 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... b Johnston Bill Johnston (cricketer) William Arras Johnston was an Australian cricketer who played in forty Test matches from 1947 to 1955. A left arm pace bowler, as well as a left arm orthodox spinner, Johnston was best known as a spearhead of Don Bradman's undefeated 1948 touring team, well known as "The Invincibles"...	22	not out 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...	3
J. A. Young Jack Young (cricketer) John Albert "Jack" Young was an English cricketer, who played for Middlesex and England. His first-class cricket career lasted from 1933 to 1956....	not out 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...	1	b Johnston Bill Johnston (cricketer) William Arras Johnston was an Australian cricketer who played in forty Test matches from 1947 to 1955. A left arm pace bowler, as well as a left arm orthodox spinner, Johnston was best known as a spearhead of Don Bradman's undefeated 1948 touring team, well known as "The Invincibles"...	9
Extras Extra (cricket) In the sport of cricket, an extra is a run scored by a means other than a batsman hitting the ball.Other than runs scored off the bat from a no ball, a batsman is not given credit for extras and the extras are tallied separately on the scorecard and count only towards the team's score...	b 5; lb Leg bye In the sport of cricket, a leg bye is a run scored by the batting team when the batsman has not hit the ball with his bat, but the ball has hit the batsman's body or protective gear.-Scoring leg byes:... 5	10	b; 12 lb Leg bye In the sport of cricket, a leg bye is a run scored by the batting team when the batsman has not hit the ball with his bat, but the ball has hit the batsman's body or protective gear.-Scoring leg byes:... ; 17 nb No ball In the sport of cricket a no ball is a penalty against the fielding team, usually as a result of an illegal delivery by the bowler. The delivery of a no ball results in one run to be added to the batting team's score, and an additional ball must be bowled... 3	32
Total	(79 overs Over (cricket) In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate.... )	165	(183 overs)	441

	First innings				Second innings
Bowler	Overs Over (cricket) In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate....	Maidens Over (cricket) In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate....	Runs Run (cricket) In the sport of cricket, a run is the basic unit of scoring. Runs are scored by a batsman, and the aggregate of the scores of a team's batsmen constitutes the team's score. A batsman scoring 50 or 100 runs , or any higher multiple of 50 runs, is considered a particular achievement...	Wicket Wicket In the sport of cricket the word wicket has several distinct meanings:-Definitions of wicket:Most of the time, the wicket is one of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at either end of the pitch... s	Overs Over (cricket) In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate....	Maidens Over (cricket) In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate....	Runs Run (cricket) In the sport of cricket, a run is the basic unit of scoring. Runs are scored by a batsman, and the aggregate of the scores of a team's batsmen constitutes the team's score. A batsman scoring 50 or 100 runs , or any higher multiple of 50 runs, is considered a particular achievement...	Wicket Wicket In the sport of cricket the word wicket has several distinct meanings:-Definitions of wicket:Most of the time, the wicket is one of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at either end of the pitch... s
R. R. Lindwall Ray Lindwall Raymond Russell Lindwall MBE was a cricketer who represented Australia in 61 Tests from 1946 to 1960. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time. He also played top-flight rugby league football with St...	13	5	30	1	–	–	–	–
K. R. Miller Keith Miller Keith Ross Miller MBE was an Australian Test cricketer and a Royal Australian Air Force pilot during World War II. Miller is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever all-rounder. Because of his ability, irreverent manner and good looks he was a crowd favourite...	19	8	38	3	44	10	125	4
W. A. Johnston Bill Johnston (cricketer) William Arras Johnston was an Australian cricketer who played in forty Test matches from 1947 to 1955. A left arm pace bowler, as well as a left arm orthodox spinner, Johnston was best known as a spearhead of Don Bradman's undefeated 1948 touring team, well known as "The Invincibles"...	25	11	36	5	59	12	147	4
E. R. H. 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...	14	8	28	1	33	14	60	1
I. W. G. 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...	5	1	19	0	42	15	66	1
A. R. 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...	3	1	4	0	–	–	–	–
S. G. 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...	–	–	–	–	5	2	11	0

Australia innings

	First innings		Second innings
Batsman	Method of dismissal Dismissal (cricket) In the sport of cricket, a dismissal occurs when the batsman is out . Colloquially, the fielding team is also said to have snared, bagged or captured a wicket. At this point a batsman must discontinue batting and leave the field permanently for the innings...	Runs Run (cricket) In the sport of cricket, a run is the basic unit of scoring. Runs are scored by a batsman, and the aggregate of the scores of a team's batsmen constitutes the team's score. A batsman scoring 50 or 100 runs , or any higher multiple of 50 runs, is considered a particular achievement...	Method of dismissal Dismissal (cricket) In the sport of cricket, a dismissal occurs when the batsman is out . Colloquially, the fielding team is also said to have snared, bagged or captured a wicket. At this point a batsman must discontinue batting and leave the field permanently for the innings...	Runs Run (cricket) In the sport of cricket, a run is the basic unit of scoring. Runs are scored by a batsman, and the aggregate of the scores of a team's batsmen constitutes the team's score. A batsman scoring 50 or 100 runs , or any higher multiple of 50 runs, is considered a particular achievement...
S. G. 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...	c Evans Godfrey Evans Thomas Godfrey Evans CBE was an English cricketer who played for Kent and England.Described by Wisden as 'arguably the best wicket-keeper the game has ever seen', Evans collected 219 dismissals in 91 Test match appearances between 1946 and 1959 and a total of 1066 in all first-class matches... b Bowling (cricket) In the sport of cricket, bowling is the action of propelling the ball toward the wicket defended by a batsman. A player skilled at bowling is called a bowler; a bowler who is also a competent batsman is known as an all-rounder... Laker Jim Laker James "Jim" Charles Laker was a cricketer who played for England in the 1950s, known for "Laker's match" in 1956 at Old Trafford, when he took nineteen wickets in England's victory against Australia...	62	not out 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...	64
A. R. 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...	b Laker Jim Laker James "Jim" Charles Laker was a cricketer who played for England in the 1950s, known for "Laker's match" in 1956 at Old Trafford, when he took nineteen wickets in England's victory against Australia...	31	b Bedser Alec Bedser Sir Alec Victor Bedser, CBE was a professional English cricketer. He was the chairman of selectors for the English national cricket team, and the president of Surrey County Cricket Club...	9
* 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... D. G. Bradman Donald Bradman Sir Donald George Bradman, AC , often referred to as "The Don", was an Australian cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time...	c 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... b Bedser Alec Bedser Sir Alec Victor Bedser, CBE was a professional English cricketer. He was the chairman of selectors for the English national cricket team, and the president of Surrey County Cricket Club...	138	c 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... b Bedser Alec Bedser Sir Alec Victor Bedser, CBE was a professional English cricketer. He was the chairman of selectors for the English national cricket team, and the president of Surrey County Cricket Club...	0
K. R. Miller Keith Miller Keith Ross Miller MBE was an Australian Test cricketer and a Royal Australian Air Force pilot during World War II. Miller is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever all-rounder. Because of his ability, irreverent manner and good looks he was a crowd favourite...	c Edrich Bill Edrich William John "Bill" Edrich DFC was a distinguished cricketer who played for Middlesex, MCC, Norfolk and England.Edrich's three brothers, Brian, Eric and Geoff, and also his cousin, John, all played first-class cricket... b Laker Jim Laker James "Jim" Charles Laker was a cricketer who played for England in the 1950s, known for "Laker's match" in 1956 at Old Trafford, when he took nineteen wickets in England's victory against Australia...	0
W. A. Brown Bill Brown (cricketer) William Alfred "Bill" Brown, OAM was an Australian cricketer 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...	lbw b Yardley Norman Yardley Norman Walter Dransfield Yardley was an English cricketer who played for Cambridge University, Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England, as a right-handed batsman and occasional bowler. An amateur, he captained Yorkshire from 1948 to 1955 and England on fourteen occasions between 1947 and 1950,...	17
A. L. 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...	b Bedser Alec Bedser Sir Alec Victor Bedser, CBE was a professional English cricketer. He was the chairman of selectors for the English national cricket team, and the president of Surrey County Cricket Club...	137	[4] not out 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...	21
I. W. G. 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...	b Laker Jim Laker James "Jim" Charles Laker was a cricketer who played for England in the 1950s, known for "Laker's match" in 1956 at Old Trafford, when he took nineteen wickets in England's victory against Australia...	21
+ 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... D. Tallon Don Tallon Donald "Don" Tallon was an Australian cricketer who played 21 Test matches as a wicket-keeper between 1946 and 1953...	c & b Young Jack Young (cricketer) John Albert "Jack" Young was an English cricketer, who played for Middlesex and England. His first-class cricket career lasted from 1933 to 1956....	10
R. R. Lindwall Ray Lindwall Raymond Russell Lindwall MBE was a cricketer who represented Australia in 61 Tests from 1946 to 1960. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time. He also played top-flight rugby league football with St...	c Evans Godfrey Evans Thomas Godfrey Evans CBE was an English cricketer who played for Kent and England.Described by Wisden as 'arguably the best wicket-keeper the game has ever seen', Evans collected 219 dismissals in 91 Test match appearances between 1946 and 1959 and a total of 1066 in all first-class matches... b Yardley Norman Yardley Norman Walter Dransfield Yardley was an English cricketer who played for Cambridge University, Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England, as a right-handed batsman and occasional bowler. An amateur, he captained Yorkshire from 1948 to 1955 and England on fourteen occasions between 1947 and 1950,...	42
W. A. Johnston Bill Johnston (cricketer) William Arras Johnston was an Australian cricketer who played in forty Test matches from 1947 to 1955. A left arm pace bowler, as well as a left arm orthodox spinner, Johnston was best known as a spearhead of Don Bradman's undefeated 1948 touring team, well known as "The Invincibles"...	not out 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...	17
E. R. H. 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...	lbw b Bedser Alec Bedser Sir Alec Victor Bedser, CBE was a professional English cricketer. He was the chairman of selectors for the English national cricket team, and the president of Surrey County Cricket Club...	19
Extras Extra (cricket) In the sport of cricket, an extra is a run scored by a means other than a batsman hitting the ball.Other than runs scored off the bat from a no ball, a batsman is not given credit for extras and the extras are tallied separately on the scorecard and count only towards the team's score...	b 9; lb Leg bye In the sport of cricket, a leg bye is a run scored by the batting team when the batsman has not hit the ball with his bat, but the ball has hit the batsman's body or protective gear.-Scoring leg byes:... 4; nb No ball In the sport of cricket a no ball is a penalty against the fielding team, usually as a result of an illegal delivery by the bowler. The delivery of a no ball results in one run to be added to the batting team's score, and an additional ball must be bowled... 1; w 1	15	lb Leg bye In the sport of cricket, a leg bye is a run scored by the batting team when the batsman has not hit the ball with his bat, but the ball has hit the batsman's body or protective gear.-Scoring leg byes:... 2; nb No ball In the sport of cricket a no ball is a penalty against the fielding team, usually as a result of an illegal delivery by the bowler. The delivery of a no ball results in one run to be added to the batting team's score, and an additional ball must be bowled... 1; w 1	4
Total	(216.2 overs Over (cricket) In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate.... )	509	(28.3 overs)	98/2

	First innings				Second innings
Bowler	Overs Over (cricket) In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate....	Maidens Over (cricket) In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate....	Runs Run (cricket) In the sport of cricket, a run is the basic unit of scoring. Runs are scored by a batsman, and the aggregate of the scores of a team's batsmen constitutes the team's score. A batsman scoring 50 or 100 runs , or any higher multiple of 50 runs, is considered a particular achievement...	Wicket Wicket In the sport of cricket the word wicket has several distinct meanings:-Definitions of wicket:Most of the time, the wicket is one of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at either end of the pitch... s	Overs Over (cricket) In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate....	Maidens Over (cricket) In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate....	Runs Run (cricket) In the sport of cricket, a run is the basic unit of scoring. Runs are scored by a batsman, and the aggregate of the scores of a team's batsmen constitutes the team's score. A batsman scoring 50 or 100 runs , or any higher multiple of 50 runs, is considered a particular achievement...	Wicket Wicket In the sport of cricket the word wicket has several distinct meanings:-Definitions of wicket:Most of the time, the wicket is one of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at either end of the pitch... s
W. J. Edrich Bill Edrich William John "Bill" Edrich DFC was a distinguished cricketer who played for Middlesex, MCC, Norfolk and England.Edrich's three brothers, Brian, Eric and Geoff, and also his cousin, John, all played first-class cricket...	18	1	72	0	4	0	20	0
A. V. Bedser Alec Bedser Sir Alec Victor Bedser, CBE was a professional English cricketer. He was the chairman of selectors for the English national cricket team, and the president of Surrey County Cricket Club...	44.2	12	113	3	14.3	4	46	2
C. J. Barnett Charlie Barnett (cricketer) Charles John Barnett was an English cricketer, who played in 20 Tests from 1933 to 1948...	17	5	36	0	–	–	–	–
J. A. Young Jack Young (cricketer) John Albert "Jack" Young was an English cricketer, who played for Middlesex and England. His first-class cricket career lasted from 1933 to 1956....	60	28	79	1	10	3	28	0
J. C. Laker Jim Laker James "Jim" Charles Laker was a cricketer who played for England in the 1950s, known for "Laker's match" in 1956 at Old Trafford, when he took nineteen wickets in England's victory against Australia...	55	14	138	4	–	–	–	–
D. C. S. Compton Denis Compton Denis Charles Scott Compton CBE was an English cricketer who played in 78 Test matches, and a footballer...	5	0	24	0	–	–	–	–
N. W. D. Yardley Norman Yardley Norman Walter Dransfield Yardley was an English cricketer who played for Cambridge University, Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England, as a right-handed batsman and occasional bowler. An amateur, he captained Yorkshire from 1948 to 1955 and England on fourteen occasions between 1947 and 1950,...	17	6	32	2	–	–	–	–

10 June: Day One

England captain Norman Yardley

Norman Yardley

won the toss and elected to bat despite the dull light; Trent Bridge had reputation for being favourable to batsmen, and in the previous Test between Australia and England at the ground in 1938, four Englishmen scored centuries as the hosts made 658, 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,...

of Australia made 232 runs himself. The first innings set the pattern of the series as the English top order struggled against Australia's pace attack. Only twenty minutes of play was possible before lunch on the first day due to inclement weather, and the opening pair of Washbrook and Hutton had to deal with the contrasting bowling actions of Lindwall—with a low, somewhat round-arm

Roundarm bowling

In cricket, roundarm bowling is a style that was introduced in the first quarter of the 19th century and had largely superseded underarm bowling by the 1830s. Using a roundarm action, the bowler has his arm extended at about 90 degrees from his body at the point where he releases the ball...

action—and Miller, who extracted more bounce from a higher arm at the point of delivery. In the first two overs, the Australian pairing extracted little bounce and it seemed as though the hosts would be in a strong position to make a large score on a placid track if they made a solid start. Lindwall bowled the first ball of the match at a moderate pace, and Hutton pushed it square of the wicket on the off side for a single to start proceedings. Gradually, the Australian bowlers got into their rhythm and began to raise their pace. Miller induced an edge from Washbrook in his first over

Over (cricket)

In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate....

, but it bounced before reaching a fielder. In his second over, Miller bowled

Bowled

Bowled is a method of dismissing a batsman in the sport of cricket. This method of dismissal is covered by Law 30 of the Laws of cricket.A batsman is out bowled if his wicket is put down by a ball delivered by the bowler...

Hutton for three with a faster ball that skidded off the pitch to leave England at 9/1. The ball went between bat and pads

Pads

Pads are protective equipment used by batters in the sports of cricket and baseball, and by goaltenders in hockey, bandy and lacrosse. They serve to protect the legs from impact by a hard ball or puck at high speed which could otherwise cause injuries to the lower leg.In cricket, pads fall into...

as Hutton moved forward onto his front foot.O'Reilly, p. 31. The journalist and former Australian Test leg spinner 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...

criticised Hutton for not moving his leg across to the pitch of the ball, thereby leaving a gap between bat and pad.O'Reilly, p. 32.

During the lunch interval, heavy rain fell, before the sun began to dry the pitch, making the ball skid through upon England's resumption at 13/1. Miller beat Washbrook's bat twice in one over soon after the resumption, but was unable to extract an edge. Lindwall reached his peak speed and Edrich edged to first slip, where 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...

got both hands to the ball above his head, but failed to hold on. Edrich was on four at the time and this was part of a 20-minute passage of play during which England was unable to score. The next ball from Lindwall, Washbrook was caught on the run by Brown on the fine leg boundary after attempting to hook a bouncer

Bouncer (cricket)

pitched on the line of leg stump. It was to be the first of several times that Washbrook was dismissed while hooking, attracting substantial criticism. Washbrook's fall left England at 15/2 after 41 minutes of batting and brought Compton to the crease to join Edrich. Compton square drove Miller to the boundary for four, which prompted a retaliatory bouncer

Bouncer (cricket)

and a negative crowd reaction. Edrich was not scoring quickly but he defied the bowling of Miller and Lindwall as the English pair took the score to 46. Likewise, Compton was restraining his natural inclination to attack in an attempt to rebuild the innings after the two early wickets. During this period Brown made a series of one-handed run-saving stops in the field. The rain had also softened up the pitch and as a result, the playing surface did not offer much bounce.O'Reilly, p. 34.

Bradman then made a double change and brought on the two left-arm pacemen, Bill Johnston

Bill Johnston (cricketer)

and 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...

. In his first over, Johnston bowled Edrich with a delivery that knocked the off stump out of the ground as the batsman leaned forward on the front foot. Two balls later, Johnston removed Hardstaff for a duck

Duck (cricket)

, caught by Miller in slips after attempting a cut. Wisden
Wisden
The Wisden Group was a group of companies formed by John Wisden & Co Ltd, publishers of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. As well as John Wisden & Co, the group included the The Wisden Cricketer magazine, Cricinfo – the world's highest traffic cricket website – and the Hawk-Eye computerised...

described the catch as "dazzling". Miller dived and balanced himself on his spine as he caught the ball heels over head. O'Reilly said: "Johnston had trimmed and embroidered the efforts of his opening bowlers and had swung the fortunes of the game completely in Australia's favour".

Bradman then decided to bring Miller back in place of Toshack. Two runs later, Compton was bowled attempting a leg sweep against Miller, his leg stump knocked out of the ground as he moved across his wickets. Five English wickets had fallen with only 48 runs on the board after 100 minutes of play; three batsmen had been dismissed in just ten minutes. O'Reilly said "There was nothing whatsoever to suggest that the pitch had been instrumental in the English debacle. It was purely and simply an exhilarating display of splendid bowling fit to be classed with any match-winning bowling performance in the story of Test cricket."

The collapse left Barnett and captain Yardley as the new men at the crease. Both players attacked the bowling but could not get their shots through the field for runs. Soon after, Lindwall was forced to leave the field due to a groin injury and did not bowl again. Barnett hit one four before Johnston bowled him for eight off the inside edge as he leaned onto the front foot. This brought Evans to the crease with the score at 60/6, and he attempted to disrupt the Australians' line and length by counter-attacking with a series of shots in front of the wicket. He drove the ball forward of point to the boundary for four, and was then given two lives. He hit Johnston hard to cover, but the catch went through Bradman for another boundary. The second chance of a catch went through Bradman's hand and struck the Australian captain in the abdomen. However, the missed opportunities cost the tourists little; Evans hit a ball strongly but it was caught at close range at short leg by Morris. Without further addition to the score, Toshack trapped Yardley, who had lingered at the crease for 26 minutes in accumulating three runs, leg before wicket

Leg before wicket

In the sport of cricket, leg before wicket is one of the ways in which a batsman can be dismissed. An umpire will rule a batsman out LBW under a series of circumstances which primarily include the ball striking the batsman's body when it would otherwise have continued on to hit the batsman's...

(lbw) with a ball that straightened after pitching, leaving the score at 74/8.

England was facing the prospect of setting a new record for the lowest Test innings score at Trent Bridge, worse than the 112 made by England against Warwick Armstrong

Warwick Armstrong

Warwick Windridge Armstrong was an Australian cricketer who played 50 Test matches between 1902 and 1921. An all-rounder, he captained Australia in ten Test matches between 1920 and 1921 and was undefeated, winning eight Tests and drawing two...

's Australians in 1921. However, a late fightback averted the unwanted record. Laker and Bedser, both from Surrey

Surrey County Cricket Club

, joined forces and scored more than half of England's total, adding 89 runs in only 73 minutes. Laker's innings was highlighted by hooking and driving, while Bedser defended stoutly and drove in front of the wicket, much to the delight of the Nottingham crowd, who had appeared to have become depressed by the collapse of England's batsmen. At first, Bradman did not appear concerned by the partnership between the two bowlers from Surrey—it was thought the Australian captain may have been happy for England to continue batting so his top order would not have to bat in fading light towards the end of the afternoon, but he became anxious as the total continued to mount and both Bedser and Laker appeared comfortable. O'Reilly speculated that both players had batted confidently as their home ground in Surrey—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...

—had a reputation for being batsman-friendly, and that as they would have had to contend with opposition batsmen who had the benefit of consistently favourable conditions, then they should also prepare so they too could capitalise on their opportunities with the willow.O'Reilly, p. 36. According to English commentator John Arlott

John Arlott

Leslie Thomas John Arlott OBE was an English journalist, author and cricket commentator for the BBC's Test Match Special. He was also a poet, wine connoisseur and former police officer in Hampshire...

, the playing surface was easier for batting than it had been at the start of the day, "but the difference was not such as to cause hesitation in the best batsmen in England".

Eventually, Australia was forced to take the second new ball, and Bedser was finally removed by Johnston and Miller had Laker caught behind two runs later, ending England's innings at 165. Laker top-scored with 63 in 101 minutes, with six boundaries

Boundary (cricket)

Boundary has two distinct meanings in the sport of cricket:# the edge or boundary of the playing field, and# a manner of scoring runs.-Edge of the field:...

, having reached his first 50 in only 60 minutes. O'Reilly said "There was nothing about his batting to suggest that luck was going his way or that he was short of batting experience." Johnston ended with 5/36, a display characterised with his accuracy and variations in pace and swing

Swing bowling

Swing bowling is a technique used for bowling in the sport of cricket. Practitioners are known as swing bowlers. Swing bowling is generally classed as a subtype of fast bowling.-Physics of swing bowling:...

. Miller took 3/38 and a catch, while Lindwall and Toshack took one wicket each. Spin was not used in abundance, as Johnson bowled five overs and Morris three. Following England's struggles in the first innings, many pundits criticised Yardley's decision to bat first.

Australia had less than 15 minutes of batting before the scheduled close of play. Barnes made an appeal against the light after the first ball of the innings, which was a wide by Edrich. Barnes walked down the pitch and reportedly muttered to umpire Frank Chester

Frank Chester (umpire)

Frank Chester was an English first-class cricketer and notable international cricket umpire.Chester was an all-rounder, a left-handed middle-order batsman and a slow left-arm bowler, who played 55 first-class matches for county side Worcestershire as a teenager from 1912 to 1914...

in a casual tone "Eh, the light!", which allegedly shocked the arbiter. During the previous Ashes series in Australia, Barnes had continuously made time-wasting appeals against the light, which forced cricket administrators to limit the batting team to one appeal; if this was declined it would be up to the umpires to offer an adjournment. Despite the appeal against the light, the Australians showed little desire to be watchful against Edrich's bowling, scoring 11 runs from his two overs.Arlott, pp. 33–34. Morris and Barnes successfully negotiated the new ball

Cricket ball

A cricket ball is a hard, solid leather ball used to play cricket. Constructed of cork and leather, a cricket ball is heavily regulated by cricket law at first class level...

bowling of Edrich and Bedser. They reached stumps at 17 without loss, with Morris on 10 and Barnes on six. Barnes had been fortunate, edging both Edrich and Bedser through the slip cordon, and Yardley's decision to place his bowlers Young and Bedser in that region raised surprise; bowlers tend to lack the agility and reflexes needed for such positions. At this stage, following their tail-end resistance, England were in a good position with runs on the board if rain struck overnight and caused a sticky wicket, forcing the Australians to bat in hostile conditions the following day.

11 June: Day Two

Ideal batting conditions and clear weather greeted the players on the second day. After only four overs had been bowled in total the previous afternoon, Edrich was relieved of the new ball, which was given to Barnett, who accompanied Bedser. Both bowlers swung the ball into the right-handed Barnes and away from the left-handed Morris.Arlott, p. 34. Not a frontline bowler, Barnett focused on bowling defensively at medium pace, and the Australians wanted to make a safe start, so they decided to play him watchfully. This prompted some commentators to claim Barnett had allowed the Australians to settle into their rhythm by not trying to pressure them.Arlott, p. 35.

Barnes batted assuredly, while Morris was hesitant and shuffled around the crease

Crease (cricket)

In the sport of cricket, the crease is a certain area demarcated by white lines painted or chalked on the field of play.The term crease also refers to any of the lines themselves, particularly the popping crease. Law 9 of the Laws of Cricket governs the size and position of the crease markings...

. At one stage, Morris scored only seven runs in 55 minutes. Barnes was involved in some interplay with umpire Chester when the umpire failed to evade a drive from Morris and stopped it with his foot. Barnes picked the ball off the ground and handed it

Handled the ball

Handled the ball is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket.-Definition:Law 33 of the Laws of cricket provides that:"Either batsman is out Handled the ball if he wilfully touches the ball while in play with a hand or hands not holding the bat unless he does so with the consent of the opposing...

to the bowler, prompting a finger-wagging from Chester, to which Barnes responded by admonishing the umpire for blocking the ball. Morris unnecessarily played at a ball outside off stump from Bedser and edged it to wicket-keeper Evans, who dropped the catch. The batsman recomposed himself and hit Young's first ball—a full toss

Full toss

A full toss is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It describes any delivery that reaches the batsman without bouncing on the pitch first....

—for runs as Australia passed 50 without loss. After the wayward start, Young began to bowl with consistent accuracy.

Barnes and Morris took the score to 73 before the latter was bowled for 31 by Laker after two hours of batting. Morris tried to force a ball from Laker away, but hit it from the middle of his bat into his back pad, and the ball rebounded onto the stumps.O'Reilly, p. 37. Bradman came in and Yardley set a defensive field, employing leg theory

Leg theory

Leg theory is a bowling tactic in the sport of cricket. The term leg theory is somewhat archaic and seldom used any more, but the basic tactic still plays a part in modern cricket....

to slow the scoring. The English leader packed the leg side

Leg side

The leg side, or on side, is defined to be a particular half of the field used to play the sport of cricket.From the point of view of a right-handed batsman facing the bowler, it is the left hand side of the cricket field...

with fielders, including two short legs, and ordered Bedser to bowl at leg stump. Bradman almost inside-edged the second ball onto his stumps, before defending uneasily for a period. With Laker stopping the scoring at the other end, Bradman managed only four runs in his first 20 minutes of batting. The Australian captain regarded Bedser as the finest seam bowler he faced in his career, and he batted in a circumspect manner as he sought to establish himself.O'Reilly, p. 38. At the other end, Bradman misjudged a ball from Laker and an incorrectly executed cut shot narrowly went wide of the slip fielder. Now aged 40, Bradman's reflexes had slowed and he no longer started his innings as confidently as he had done in the past. Barnes then reached his half-century after 135 minutes, pulling Barnett for four, and the Australians passed 100 before lunch after 125 minutes of batting. At the adjournment, the tourists were 104/1.

The score had progressed to 121 when Barnes tried to cut Laker, but only edged it onto the thigh of wicket-keeper Evans. The ball bounced away and the gloveman turned around and took a one-handed diving catch to dismiss Barnes for 62. Umpire Cooke was unsure of whether Barnes had hit the ball into the ground before Evans took the catch, and consulted with Chester, who had been standing at point on the other side of the field, before ruling the batsman out. Miller came in and was dismissed for a duck in Laker's next over without further addition to Australia's total. He failed to pick Laker's arm ball

Arm ball

An arm ball is a type of delivery in cricket. It is a variation delivery bowled by an off spin bowler or slow left-arm orthodox bowler. It is the finger spin equivalent of a wrist spinner's slider or zooter....

, which drifted away and went straight on instead of turning inwards, thereby clipping the outside edge of his bat. The ball flew to slip where Edrich completed the catch. The hard-hitting Miller had come in at No. 4, a position usually occupied by vice-captain Lindsay Hassett

Lindsay Hassett

, a more sedate batsman, indicating that Bradman may have been looking to attack, but the change in batting order failed.

Laker to this point had taken 3/22 from 12.4 overs, having also top-scored in the first innings. All the while, Australia had been scoring slowly, as they would for most of the day. Brown came in at No. 5, but he had played most of his career as an opening batsman and looked unaccustomed to playing in the middle order, but Bradman brought him in ahead of Hassett as the new ball was due and Brown was used to starting his innings against pace bowlers and a new ball. The Australian captain decided to hasten the new ball by using his feet to get to the pitch of the ball to attack the spinners, hitting them through the off side. Yardley removed Laker—who was bowling effectively—from the attack and took the second new ball, bringing back Bedser and Edrich. However, this move backfired as Bradman struck his first boundary in over 80 minutes, and in the first 40 minutes after lunch, 43 runs were added. Yardley brought back his two spinners,Arlott, p. 37. and Australia passed England's total before the English captain brought himself on to bowl, trapping Brown—who was attempting to push the ball to mid-on—lbw with an off cutter

Off cutter

An off cutter is a type of delivery in the game of cricket. It is bowled by fast bowlers.A bowler releases a normal fast delivery with the wrist locked in position and the first two fingers positioned on top of the cricket ball, giving it spin about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the length of...

in his first over. This ended a 64-run stand in 58 minutes and Hassett came in at 185/4. The Australian vice-captain came close to being caught when he knocked a ball from Bedser into the air, narrowly evading the grasp of Evans. Following the departure of Brown, the Australian scoring slowed as Bradman changed the team strategy to one of attempting to bat only once.

Yardley continued to employ a leg side field as he and Barnett bowled outside leg stump. During one over, Bradman did not attempt a single shot and then put his hands on his hips to express his displeasure at England's tactics. During the 15 minutes before tea, the Australian captain did not add a single run and was heckled by the crowd. Bradman reached tea on 78, and 55 minutes after the resumption of play, he cover drove Bedser to reach his century

Century (cricket)

in 218 minutes. It was his 28th Test century, and his 18th in Ashes Tests. The last 29 runs took 70 minutes to accumulate, and it was one of Bradman's slower innings as Yardley focused on stopping runs rather than taking wickets. Nevertheless Bradman had appeared comfortable after the early stages of his innings, and patiently scored most of his runs between mid-off and mid-on, often from the back foot.Arlott, pp. 37–38. After Bradman had reached his milestone, many of the spectators began to leave the ground, content with what they had seen.Arlott, p. 38.

Bradman added a further 30 in the last hour to end with 130. Hassett also batted patiently, with one period of 20 minutes during which his score remained on 30. Australia batted to stumps on the second day without further loss, ending at 293/4, a lead of 128, with Hassett on 41. Young had bowled 32 overs to a leg side field, conceding only 53 runs. Fingleton described the afternoon day's play as a "very shrewd display of tactics" and said that although the proceedings and the progress of the Australian batsmen had been slow, they were "never ... dull". He added: "Bradman was on top by virtue of the facts that his side was well ahead of England, his own score was 130 and he was also unconquered." However, O'Reilly disagreed and said the Australians had not made enough progress as they should or could have. He said the batsmen failed to capitalise on the fatigue of the bowlers late in the day by not going on the attack in search of quick runs, instead of their "monotonously dull" strategy of patient attrition. O'Reilly claimed that in containing the opposition batsmen, the English attack had "shared the honours of the day with—if they did not actually steal them from—Bradman." Bradman and Hassett had made physical gestures indicating their displeasure at England's tactics, but O'Reilly felt Yardley had no choice after his team had squandered the initiative with their poor batting, and claimed it was up to the Australians to turn their advantage into a decisive, match-winning position.O'Reilly, p. 40. Arlott disagreed with O'Reilly, and said Australia "had time to build ... without risk or hurry on a gentle and accommodating ... wicket. Given a winning opportunity, it is characteristic of the Australians that they will never dissipate it by over-anxiety or by carelessness."

After the day's play, O'Reilly—a former teammate of Bradman who was covering the tour as a journalist—consulted Bedser on his use of leg theory. During his career O'Reilly had often attacked leg stump, and had devised a plan to ensnare Bradman.

12 June: Day Three

On the third morning, amid sunshine, Bradman resumed on 130, before progressing to 132 and becoming the first player to pass 1,000 runs for the English season. The Australian captain was not aware of the reason for the spontaneous crowd applause until being notified by wicket-keeper Evans.

Bedser was bowling and he soon implemented O'Reilly's plans. Hutton was moved from leg slip to a squarer position at short fine leg, around 11 metres from the bat. Two short legs and a mid-on were put in place. Bradman drove Bedser through cover for a boundary, but on the next ball, his innings terminated at 138 when he glanced an inswinger

Inswinger

An inswinger is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is bowled by swing bowlers.-Grip:An inswinger is bowled by holding the cricket ball with the seam vertical and the first two fingers slightly across the seam so that it is angled a little to the leg side...

from Bedser straight to Hutton at short fine leg, who caught the ball without having to move. Bradman had batted for 290 minutes and faced 321 balls and as Johnson walked in to replace him with Australia at 305/5, Bedser waved to O'Reilly in the press box. When former Australian Test opener 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...

—a teammate of both Bradman and O'Reilly who was also working as a journalist—reported what his colleague had done, there was some debate as to whether O'Reilly's actions were treacherous.

Johnson made 21, including an edge over the slips cordon, before being bowled by Laker. He inside edged the ball onto his foot and it rolled back into his stumps. At the same time, Yardley pinned Hassett down with more leg theory. Laker bowled with one slip, while Young had none and had all of his fielders evenly spread in a circular formation. Tallon came in and took 39 minutes to compile 10 before hitting a return catch to the left-arm orthodox spin

Left-arm orthodox spin

Left-arm orthodox spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket.Left-arm orthodox spin is bowled by a left arm bowler using the fingers to spin the ball from right to left of the cricket pitch...

of Young. The scoring was very slow during this passage of play—Young delivered 11 consecutive maiden overs

Over (cricket)

and his 26-over spell conceded only 14 runs. Hassett conducted himself in a humorous way, and Arlott said: "only his grace and concealed humour made his innings tolerable". He mainly scored from deflections and was for the most part prepared to take his time.Arlott. p. 39.

The injured Lindwall came out to bat at 365/7 without a runner

Runner (cricket)

In cricket, a runner is a team member who runs between the wickets for an injured batsman.When a runner is used, the batsman stands in position and plays shots as normal, but does not attempt to run between the wickets: the runner runs for him...

to join Hassett, and appeared to be able to run twos and threes without significant difficulty.O'Reilly, p. 42. Hassett, who had scored only 30 runs in the first 75 minutes of the day, swept Laker for four and then hit him for the first six of the match. The Australian vice-captain added 53 in the two hours of the morning session to reach lunch at 94. The tourists were unhurried and remained patient as they had bowled England out quickly on the first day and there was still sufficient time to force a result with less than half the playing time elapsed.

After the break, Hassett reached his century after 305 minutes of batting, his first in Tests in England. He then accelerated, adding a further 37 runs in 49 minutes before being bowled by Bedser, having struck 20 fours and a six. The dismissal ended an eighth-wicket partnership of 107 with Lindwall, who was caught by Evans down the leg side four runs later, having scored 42 with seven fours. Australia's last-wicket pair of Johnston and Toshack wagged a further 33 runs in only 18 minutes, batting in a carefree and freewheeling manner,Arlott, pp. 40–41. before Bedser trapped Toshack to end the innings at 509, leaving the tourists with a 344-run lead. Australia had batted for 216.2 overs, the longest innings in terms of overs and the highest total in the series. Yardley placed the majority of the bowling load on his spinners

Spin bowling

Spin bowling is a technique used for bowling in the sport of cricket. Practitioners are known as spinners or spin bowlers.-Purpose:The main aim of spin bowling is to bowl the cricket ball with rapid rotation so that when it bounces on the pitch it will deviate, thus making it difficult for the...

; Young (1/79) and Laker (4/138) delivered 60 and 55 overs respectively. Bedser bowled 44.2 overs, taking 3/113. The part-time seam bowlers

Seam bowling

, Edrich, Barnett and Yardley, bowled 18, 17 and 17 overs respectively. Australia had scored slowly but they had no need to take risks when there was so much time remaining. Yardley's leg theory tactics failed to coax them into losing their patience.

England thus started their second innings still 344 runs in arrears. Although Lindwall was able to run between the wickets, he did not take to the field in the second innings and the 12th man 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...

took his place. Fingleton called Harvey "by far the most brilliant fieldsman of both sides". Yardley was sceptical as to whether Lindwall was sufficiently injured to be forced from the field, but did not formally object to Harvey's presence on the field. O'Reilly said Lindwall had demonstrated his mobility during his innings, was in no way "incapacitated" and that the English captain "must be condemned for carrying his concepts of sportsmanship too far" when no substitute was justified. O'Reilly decried the benefit Australia derived through the substitution, agreeing with Fingleton's judgement of Harvey was the tourists' best fielder by far. Arlott went further, calling Harvey the best fielder in the world.Arlott, p. 41.

Four of the first five runs were leg byes; Miller then removed Washbrook for one from a top-edged hook shot that was caught by Tallon. The batsman was displeased with the umpire's decision and gestured to a red mark on his shirt, indicating he felt the ball had touched his body and not the bat.O'Reilly, p. 44. Edrich came in and while he continued to struggle, he defiantly held up his end of the pitch. After scoring 13 from 43 minutes, Edrich was caught behind attempting a cut from the off spin of Johnson. He did not read the arm ball

Arm ball

, which went straight on and took the outside edge, leaving England 39/2. Johnson was extracting a substantial amount of spin from the surface.O'Reilly, p. 43.

This brought together England's leading batsmen, Hutton and Compton. The latter, coming in upon the fall of Edrich, ran down the pitch before the ball was bowled and had to quickly play a defensive shot on the run. He clipped the next ball to the leg side for two runs before surviving a confident leg before wicket

Leg before wicket

appeal

Appeal (cricket)

In the sport of cricket, an appeal is the act of a player on the fielding team asking an umpire for a decision regarding whether a batsman is out or not. According to the Laws of Cricket, an umpire may not rule a batsman out unless the fielding side appeals...

from Johnson when he was on eight. Compton appeared ready to walk off, but umpire Chester declined the appeal, much to his surprise. England reached 50 in 65 minutes and with Lindwall missing, Bradman had difficulties in spreading the workload among his depleted bowling resources. The part-time leg spin of Barnes was brought on as the fifth bowling option to give the others some time to rest, and Miller resumed bowling late in the day, delivering slow off spin

Off spin

to conserve energy. Hutton and Compton exploited the depleted bowling attack and began to score freely, using their placement to bisect the gaps between the fielders.O'Reilly, p. 45. The pair did not give a chance apart from when Compton aimed an uppish square drive from Johnston that flew in the air wide of cover point.

Hutton then leg glanced Miller, before cover driving and square cutting him in another over. All three shots went for four and he reached his fifty in 110 minutes. Miller responded to the spate of boundaries with a series of bouncers

Bouncer (cricket)

, including five in the last over of the day. One of these struck Hutton high on his left arm. The batsmen survived, but Miller received a hostile reaction from the crowd throughout his short-pitched barrage, including shouts of "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...

". The original practitioners of Bodyline, 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....

and 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:...

, were both from Nottinghamshire and played at Trent Bridge, and were later excluded from selection for England after being blamed for the ill-feeling caused by Bodyline. The Nottinghamshire supporters were still angry with how their players had been removed and were not happy that Miller was able to do something they saw to be equivalent. For his part, Miller appeared to be amused by the crowd reaction and revelled in it, grinning and flicking his hair.Arlott, p. 42. However, Hutton had the last word, glancing Miller down to fine leg for a four from the final ball of the day. England were 121/2, with Hutton and Compton on 63 and 36 respectively. Miller was widely jeered and heckled as he walked off the field, and the crowded surged towards him as he walked up the steps into the dressing room.Arlott, p. 43. O'Reilly defended Miller's use of short-pitched deliveries, pointing out that he had not employed a packed leg side field and had allowed the batsman the opportunity to score from hook and pull shots if he was willing to try; in contrast the packed Bodyline field meant batsmen would find little reward for such shots and defensive play would only lead to dismissal.O'Reilly, pp. 45–47.

14 June: Day Four

The third day was followed by a rest day on Sunday and play resumed on the fourth morning, a Monday, with England still 223 runs in arrears. Before the start of play, the Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club

Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club

(NCCC) secretary, H. A. Brown, broadcast an appeal to the gallery over the public address system to refrain from their heckling of Miller.
The crowd responded by clapping as the Australians took to the field. The chairman of the NCCC reportedly apologised to Bradman in private for the crowd reaction to Miller.
As the new ball was due soon after the start of the play, Johnson and Toshack opened the attack as Bradman saved Johnston and Miller. In his first over, Johnson extracted sharp turn from one delivery that pitched outside off stump; not expecting much spin, Compton did not play a shot and was hit on the pads, but the umpire rejected the loud appeal for lbw. Otherwise, Hutton and Compton progressed steadily before the light deteriorated, although Johnson and Toshack were able to make the ball deviate regularly. Despite this, Bradman opted to have Miller take the new ball in the fifth over of the day as soon as it was available. Mindful of recent events, Miller refrained from bouncers during the morning. In the overcast conditions, Miller bowled a relatively full length and swung the ball; one of his deliveries beat Hutton and narrowly missed his stumps.O'Reilly, p. 48. At the other end, Johnston was also able to make the ball move sideways.Arlott, p. 45. Meanwhile, Compton appeared to be untroubled by the bowling. After half an hour of play, an unsuccessful appeal against the light was made as dark clouds hovered overhead. The rejection of the appeal made little difference, as a thunderstorm stopped proceedings for five minutes soon after. Shortly after the resumption, Miller bowled Hutton with an off cutter

Off cutter

in the dark conditions, ending the 111-run partnership at 150/3. Hutton had made 74 runs in 168 minutes with 11 fours, and as in the first innings, he played forward to a ball without getting his front foot close to the bat, resulting in the delivery moving through the gap into the stumps. The wicket prompted the entrance of Hardstaff, and on the third ball he aimed a cut at a wide Miller delivery, and it again went low to second slip as in the first innings. However, this time Morris was in the position and the catch was dropped. It was part of an eventful over during which Hardstaff had many near-misses. He played and missed at one ball, inside edged another into his pads and edged another through the slips for two runs. Hardstaff had a reputation for being an uncertain starter, especially as he had a tendency to poke at deliveries outside his off stump, and the poor visibility further hindered him.

At 12:35, bad light stopped proceedings, and after two inspections the umpires resumed play, although Arlott claimed that visibility was "barely more than a half candle-power better". Hardstaff then batted aggressively, walking towards the bowling and hitting three cover drives for four from Miller and Johnston, in one period in which he outscored Compton 23 to four. He then edged through slips for another boundary before Compton swept Toshack to the fence. In the final over before the lunch break, Hardstaff square drove Johnston for four off the back foot and England adjourned at 191/3 with Compton on 63 and Hardstaff 31, still 153 in arrears. During the session, Bradman used Miller for 11 overs in a row in an attempt to pressure the Englishmen, while Toshack bowled defensively from the other end.O'Reilly, p. 50.

After lunch, the light was again poor, but England did not appeal to the umpires for an adjournment. Yardley wanted to bat now in poor visibility in order to eradicate the deficit and build a lead, so that if a shower came later and turned the pitch into a sticky 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:...

, Australia would have to chase a target on an erratic surface. Bradman anticipated rain, so he utilised Toshack and Johnson to bowl defensively to slow England's progress in the hope that the hosts would not have a lead by the time a sticky wicket materialised. As the umpires were obliged to not call off play unless the light was so poor as to endanger the batsman, the lack of pace of Johnson and Toshack forced play to continue as they posed no physical threat to the batsmen. In foggy and misty conditions, Hardstaff brought up England's 200 with a strongly-hit hook that almost hit Barnes. Compton then hit a boundary from Toshack, prompting Bradman to further stack the leg side with fielders in defensive positions. Scoring was slow as Toshack pinned down the batsmen with an effective leg stump line.

The innings was interrupted by bad light and upon the resumption of proceedings, poor visibility intervened for a second time with Compton on 97. After 55 minutes of delay, the umpires called the players back onto the field. Wisden said: "rarely can a Test Match have been played under such appalling conditions as on this day." Fingleton said the conditions were "pitiable" and lamented the "utmost gloom in which batsmen and fieldsmen had intense difficulty in sighting the ball". O'Reilly said it was "without doubt the worst light" under which he had seen a first-class match proceed. Compton brought up his third consecutive century at Trent Bridge by hitting a single to square leg, a "lovely century of stroke-play and patience" according to Fingleton. The innings had taken 227 minutes and included 12 fours, and Compton had regularly hit the ball in the middle of his bat despite the poor visibility, which meant the batsmen could not see the ball once it was close to the boundary. O'Reilly described the innings as "one of the greatest batting efforts in the story of Anglo-Australian Tests",O'Reilly, p. 51. adding that "his hundred runs was but a poor measure by which to estimate the value of his magnificent innings", deeming Compton's innings equivalent to a double century under normal conditions. Arlott said "In its manner, its style and its context it must rank with any innings he has ever played ... his innings will remain a Test classic."

Soon after, Compton edged to the slips from the bowling of Miller, but Johnson spilled the catch. Hardstaff fell for 43, lofting Toshack to Hassett on the leg side, having put on 93 with Compton. The ball looped up in the air and travelled half-way to the square leg boundary, but Hassett managed to keep track of its trajectory through the fog. Barnett came in and together with Compton added 21 runs in 33 minutes before edging Johnston to Miller, who completed a difficult catch in slips. Yardley came out to bat at 264/5 and Compton drove Miller square for four, provoking the bowler's first bouncer of the day. Compton hooked it away for two and Miller's next delivery slipped out of his hand and cleared Compton's head on the full to some jeering in the crowd. Such a ball is known as a beamer

Beamer (cricket)

In the terminology of the game of cricket, a beamer is a type of delivery in which the ball , without bouncing, passes above the batsman's waist height. Such a ball is often dangerously close to the batsman's head, due to the lack of control a bowler has over high full tosses...

and is illegal because of the physical danger it poses to the batsman. Compton and Yardley put on a 57-run partnership in 66 minutes before Johnston held a return catch to dismiss Yardley for 22. England reached stumps at 345/6, just one run ahead of Australia, with Compton on 154 and Evans on 10. During the day, Johnston bowled the most overs, 30.

15 June: Day Five

Compton and Evans continued to resist the Australians on the final morning, the latter being the more aggressive, and proceedings were briefly interrupted by rain less than 30 minutes after the start of play. At the time, it appeared the downpour might cause the match to end in a draw. After half an hour of stoppages, play resumed and Evans attacked, hitting two fours in quick succession. England's wicket-keeper played Johnston and Johnson confidently, but Bradman nevertheless persisted in giving Compton easy singles in order to bring Evans on strike so he could be targeted. For his part, Compton thought his partner could be relied upon and accepted the runs gifted to him by the Australian captain, while Evans continued to attack the bowling. The batsmen appealed against the light after the first stoppage of the day, but were turned down. Australia took the new ball, but the home team's batsmen continued to proceed steadily, Evans being particularly aggressive.Arlott, p. 49. After a second interruption for poor light, this time for ten minutes, play resumed, and England had added a further 60 runs to their overnight total to reach 405/6.

Miller bowled a fast and very short bouncer at Compton, who moved into position to hook before changing his mind and attempting to evade the ball. He lost balance and threw his legs apart, trying to avoid stepping onto his stumps. However, he was unsuccessful and was out hit wicket

Hit wicket

for 184, having batted for 413 minutes and hit 19 fours. Wisden said: "No praise could be too high for the manner in which Compton carried the side's responsibilities and defied a first-class attack in such trying circumstances." Fingleton said it was "a most depressing end to an innings that will live always". O'Reilly described it as "an unsavoury ending to one of the greatest fighting knocks in Test history". Compton's fall at 405/7 exposed the English tail and Australia quickly finished off the rest of the batsmen in 36 minutes. Miller bowled Laker—who played outside the line of the ball—for four, Evans reached 50 and was caught behind from Johnston, who then castled

Bowled

Young for nine. England were all out for 441 after 183 overs, leaving Australia a target of 98 in three hours. Lindwall's absence throughout the England innings meant the remaining four Australian frontline bowlers had bowled more than 32 overs each—Johnston delivered 59 and ended with 4/147 while Miller took 4/125 from 44 overs. Toshack and Johnson took a wicket each from 33 and 42 overs respectively.

Australia progressed quickly at the start of the chase. Barnes took 13 runs, including three boundaries, from the opening over, bowled by Bedser, while Morris again lacked fluency. However, Barnes continued to score quickly, and 24 runs came from the first four overs. Yardley tried to stop the run-scoring by bringing on Young, but Morris hit him for four and the bowler was promptly taken off.Arlott, p. 50. The tourists proceeded steadily to 38 from 32 minutes before Bedser bowled Morris for nine; after bowling several balls that moved away, Bedser caught out Morris with an inswinger. Morris had developed a habit of trying to defend the ball to the leg side while shuffling towards the off, and was not in a position to deal with a ball that hurried off the pitch. Bradman came to the crease and batted for 12 minutes without getting off the mark. From the 10th ball he faced, the Australian skipper was out for a duck, again caught by Hutton at short fine leg in Bedser's leg trap. Bradman showed obvious displeasure at allowing himself to be dismissed by the same trap in consecutive innings, and his departure left Australia at 48/2. It was the first time in four tours to England that Bradman had made a duck in a Test.Arlott, p. 51.

Upon Bradman's dismissal, dark clouds began to close in on the ground, and rain appeared to be a possible saviour for England. However, it never came, and meanwhile Hassett joined Barnes. The pair attacked, Hassett twice driving Bedser over the infield for boundaries, and later pulling another ball in the air for another four. Barnes gave Young an opportunity for a return catch, but the ball was dropped. The pair reached the target without further loss after 87 minutes of batting. Barnes ended on 64 with 11 boundaries, having been prolific on the square cut. He tied the scores with a swept boundary, and having taken a stump as souvenir, ran off the ground believing the match was over. Barnes tossed his souvenir back into the playing arena and returned to the field after noticing the reaction of the amused crowd and Hassett promptly hit the winning run.

Aftermath

The First Test was a continuation of the trend of English batsmen being largely unable to cope with Australia's pacemen. Hutton was the only Englishman to pass 50 in the MCC match, and at Trent Bridge only he and Compton managed this feat. Apart from Hardstaff, none of the remaining batsmen passed 25. Wisden's verdict was that England fought back very well, but that avoiding defeat was almost impossible after their poor batting on the first day. Bowes considered the defensive English bowling display worthy of a draw, and blamed the first innings batting for the failure to prevenet defeat. However, he believed the English tactics to be justified and should have been continued.

Australia's success came at a cost, with Lindwall injured and unable to bowl in the lead-up to the Second Test, missing the intervening matches against Northamptonshire and Yorkshire. The heavy workload on Miller caused by Lindwall's breaking down mid-Test generated severe back pain, and he was still not fully recovered by the start of the Second Test at Lord's. Lindwall was subjected to a thorough fitness test on the first morning of the Lord's Test. Bradman was not convinced of Lindwall's fitness, but the bowler's protestations were sufficient to convince his captain to risk his inclusion. Australia won the toss and elected to bat, allowing Lindwall further time to recover from his injury. Miller also played, but still nursing his back, was unfit to bowl.

Content with their convincing win at Trent Bridge, Australia made no changes to their team, while England made three, omitting Barnett, Hardstaff and Young due to a combination of injury and poor form. Barnett and Hardstaff never played another Test. Despite his injury, Lindwall played a key role in a heavy 409-run Australian victory, taking eight wickets. His bowling also led to the controversial omission of Hutton, who performed poorly at Lord's, for the Third Test. The reason was said to be Hutton's struggles with Lindwall's short-pitched bowling. This decision pleased the Australians, who regarded Hutton as their most formidable opponent with the bat.

On the field, the Australians continued to flourish. The Third Test was a rain-affected draw, and between the First and Fourth Tests, they won four of their five county matches, drawing the other. On the final day of the Fourth Test, Australia's batsmen set a world Test cricket record by scoring 404 to win the match, thereby taking a series-winning 3–0 lead.

After the historic win in the Fourth Test, Australia had five tour matches before the final Test. They won three while two ended in rain-curtailed draws. Australia then completed the series with an innings victory in the Fifth Test at The Oval

The Oval

to complete a 4–0 result. The Fifth Test was the last international match of the tour, and the tourists had seven further matches to negotiate in order to fulfil Bradman's aim of going through the English season undefeated. Apart from two washed-out matches, Bradman's men had little difficulty, winning the remaining five fixtures by an innings. They thus became the first touring Test team to complete an English season undefeated, earning themselves the sobriquet The Invincibles.

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