Keith Miller
Encyclopedia
Keith Ross Miller MBE (28 November 1919 – 11 October 2004) was an Australian Test cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er and a Royal Australian Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
pilot during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Miller is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever all-rounder
All-rounder
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...
. Because of his ability, irreverent manner and good looks he was a crowd favourite. English journalist Ian Wooldridge
Ian Wooldridge
Ian Wooldridge, OBE was a British sports journalist. He was with the Daily Mail for nearly 50 years. He died from cancer...
called Miller "the golden boy" of cricket, leading to him being nicknamed "Nugget
Gold nugget
A gold nugget is a naturally occurring piece of native gold. Watercourses often concentrate and grow the nuggets. Nuggets are recovered by placer mining, but they are also found in residual deposits where the gold-bearing veins or lodes are weathered...
". He "was more than a cricketer ... he embodied the idea that there was more to life than cricket".
A member of the record-breaking Invincibles, at the time of his retirement from Test cricket
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 1956, Miller had the best statistics of any all-rounder in cricket history. He often batted high in the 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...
, sometimes as high as number three. He was a powerful striker of the ball, and one straight six that he hit at the Sydney Cricket Ground
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
was still rising when it hit the upper deck of the grandstand. Miller was famous for varying his bowling
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...
to bemuse batsmen: he made sparing use of slower deliveries and would often adjust his run-up, surprisingly bowling his fastest deliveries from a short run. He was also a fine fielder
Fielding (cricket)
Fielding in the sport of cricket is the action of fielders in collecting the ball after it is struck by the batsman, in such a way as to either limit the number of runs that the batsman scores or get the batsman out by catching the ball in flight or running the batsman out.Cricket fielding position...
and an especially acrobatic catcher in the slips.
Away from cricket, Miller was also a successful Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er. He played for St Kilda and was selected to represent the Victorian state team
Interstate matches in Australian rules football
Australian rules football matches between teams representing Australian colonies/states and territories have been held since 1879. For most of the 20th century, the absence of a national club competition and international matches meant that football games between state representative teams were...
. He played 50 games for St Kilda, for whom he kicked eight goals in one game against North Melbourne, during 1941.
Miller's personality—love of the contest, rather than victory, and his larger-than-life rebelliousness and carousing—helped both shape and limit his cricketing career, as he espoused the opposite of the more puritanical values of 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...
, his captain and later national selector. Neville Cardus
Neville Cardus
Sir John Frederick Neville Cardus CBE was an English writer and critic, best known for his writing on music and cricket. For many years, he wrote for The Manchester Guardian. He was untrained in music, and his style of criticism was subjective, romantic and personal, in contrast with his critical...
referred to Miller as "the Australian in excelsis"; Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
sportswriter Ian Wooldridge
Ian Wooldridge
Ian Wooldridge, OBE was a British sports journalist. He was with the Daily Mail for nearly 50 years. He died from cancer...
's response was "By God he was right". This status was reflected when Miller was made one of the ten inaugural members of the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame
Australian Cricket Hall of Fame
The Australian Cricket Hall of Fame is a part of the Australian Gallery of Sport and Olympic Museum in the National Sports Museum at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. This Hall of Fame commemorates the greatest Australian cricketers of all time....
.
Early years
Born in the western MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
suburb of Sunshine
Sunshine, Victoria
Sunshine is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia lying 11 to 13 km west of the CBD. Its Local Government Area is the City of Brimbank. At the 2006 Census, Sunshine had a population of 8,070.-History:...
, Miller was the youngest of Leslie and Edith Miller's four children. He was named after the Australian pioneer aviator brothers Keith
Keith Macpherson Smith
Sir Keith Macpherson Smith KBE, was an Australian aviator, who, along with his brother, Sir Ross Macpherson Smith and two other men, became the first people to fly from England to Australia....
and Ross Smith
Ross Macpherson Smith
Sir Ross Macpherson Smith KBE, MC & Bar, DFC & Two Bars, AFC was an Australian aviator, who, along with his brother, Sir Keith Macpherson Smith, became the first pilots to fly from England to Australia, ....
, who were half-way through their historic flight from England to Australia
England to Australia flight
In 1919 the Australian government offered a prize of £A10,000 for the first Australians in a British aircraft to fly from Great Britain to Australia. Of the six entries that started the race, the winners were two brothers and their two crew in a Vickers Vimy....
at the time Miller was born.
The three Miller boys played Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
in winter and cricket in summer. Their father had been a successful local cricketer and taught the boys to play with an orthodox and classical technique, relying on a solid defence and concentration in the mould of Bill Ponsford
Bill Ponsford
William Harold "Bill" Ponsford MBE was an Australian cricketer. Usually playing as an opening batsman, he formed a successful and long-lived partnership opening the batting for Victoria and Australia with Bill Woodfull, his friend and state and national captain...
. At the age of seven, Miller's family moved to Elsternwick
Elsternwick, Victoria
Elsternwick is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 9 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Glen Eira...
, a more central suburb of Melbourne. As a child, Miller was small for his age, which forced him to develop his technique rather than rely on power, something that held him in good stead for the future.
At the age of 12, he was selected for an under-15 Victorian schoolboys cricket team. At the time, he stood only 150 centimetres (4.9 ft) tall and wielded a sawn-off bat. His lacked power, but he impressed with his footwork and style. However, Miller reasoned that, as he appeared destined to be short, a career as a jockey was more likely than one as a cricketer or footballer.
Miller attended the selective Melbourne High School
Melbourne High School
Melbourne High School is a selective entry state school for boys in years 9 to 12 located in the Melbourne suburb of South Yarra. Being a selective school, it is known mainly for its strong academic reputation...
, where Australian Test
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...
captain Bill Woodfull
Bill Woodfull
William Maldon "Bill" Woodfull OBE was an Australian cricketer of the 1920s and 1930s. He captained both Victoria and Australia, and was best known for his dignified and moral conduct during the tumultuous bodyline series in 1932–33 that almost saw the end of Anglo-Australian cricketing ties...
was his mathematics teacher. Miller was a mediocre student, which disappointed Woodfull; however, Woodfull quickly noticed Miller's cricket skills. Aged 14, Miller was selected for the school's first XI, scoring 44. His control and solidity prompted the spectators to call him The Unbowlable—Woodfull's own nickname. In 1934, Miller failed all of his subjects, scoring zero in his final exam for Woodfull's geometry class, and was forced to repeat the year.
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Keith Truscott
Keith William "Bluey" Truscott DFC & Bar was a World War II ace fighter pilot and Australian rules footballer with the Melbourne Football Club...
, Miller's school cricket captain took him to a trial with local club side St Kilda
St Kilda Cricket Club
St Kilda Cricket Club is a cricket club in the elite club competition of Melbourne, Australia, known as Victorian Premier Cricket.Its home ground is the St Kilda Cricket Ground, often called the Junction Oval.-History:...
at the start of the 1934–35 season, but Miller could not find a place in any of its five teams. Joining the local sub-district
Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association
The Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association is a turf cricket competition based in Melbourne, Australia. There are 28 clubs each fielding four teamsplus an under 15 team in the annual R.M. Hatch shield competition which is regarded as the premier competition for the future of Victorian...
cricket club Elsternwick instead, he did not get to bat or bowl in his first match, and was dropped to the second XI for his poor fielding. Nevertheless, his team-mate, former Victoria
Victorian Bushrangers
The Victorian cricket team, nicknamed the Bushrangers, is an Australian cricket team based in Melbourne, that represents the state of Victoria. It is administered by Cricket Victoria and draws its players from Melbourne's Premier Cricket competition...
state player Hughie Carroll
Hughie Carroll
Eugene Vincent " Hughie" Carroll was an Australian cricketer who played first-class cricket for Victoria between 1905–06 and 1923–24. A specialist right-hand batsman, Carroll was born and raised in South Melbourne, and joined the local South Melbourne Cricket Club as a youth...
, spotted Miller's talent and lured him to the rival South Melbourne
Casey-South Melbourne Cricket Club
The Casey-South Melbourne Cricket Club is a cricket club located in the outer south-eastern Melbourne suburb of Cranbourne East, which plays in the Victorian Premier Cricket competition. Founded in 1862 as South Melbourne, it has produced nine Australian Test captains, more than any other cricket...
club. Miller began playing for South Melbourne the following season. It was at South Melbourne that Miller met 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...
and 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...
, his future Australia captains. Miller scored 12 not out on debut, but observers felt he would succeed with a stronger physique; Woodfull wrote in the 1936 school magazine, "Miller has Test possibilities".
In March 1936, Miller played for South Melbourne against Carlton
Carlton Cricket Club
Carlton Cricket Club is an Australian cricket team that competes in the Victorian Premier Cricket competition. The club was formed in 1864 and plays its home matches at Princes Park in North Carlton. Known as the Blues, Carlton has won eight First XI premierships, most recently in the...
, captained by Woodfull. Miller came to the crease at 6/32. He guided his team to 141, putting on a stand of 65 with the last man and finishing with 61. The crowd gave Miller a standing ovation, and newspapers him compared him to Ponsford and Alan Kippax
Alan Kippax
Alan Falconer Kippax was a cricketer for New South Wales and Australia. Regarded as one of the great stylists of Australian cricket during the era between the two World Wars, Kippax overcame a late start to Test cricket to become a regular in the Australian team between the 1928–29 and...
. The Carlton team presented him with a silver eggcup, "for sterling performance", which Woodfull presented to Miller during an algebra class.
Debuts in Sheffield Shield and Victorian Football League
During 1936, Miller underwent a sudden growth spurt, of 28 centimetres (11 in) in the year, reaching 185 centimetres (6.1 ft) in height. This thwarted his career as a jockey. With his increased height and weight, he began to play football with more physical aggression. At the end of 1936, he completed year 10 and quit high school, taking a position as a clerk.For the 1937–38 cricket season, Miller transferred to the VCA Colts
VCA Colts cricket team
The VCA Colts cricket team competed in the Melbourne district cricket competition between 1929–30 and the start of World War II. Administrated by the Victorian Cricket Association , it was a developmental team that included mainly young players with potential who were led by one or two...
, where he won the team's batting trophy for having the best average. At this stage, his method of playing was slow and steady accumulation of runs. Late in the summer, he made his first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
debut for Victoria and hit 181 against Tasmania
Tasmanian Tigers
The Tasmanian cricket team, nicknamed the Tigers, represents the Australian state of Tasmania in cricket tournaments. They compete annually in the Australian domestic senior men's cricket season, which currently consists of the first-class Sheffield Shield, the limited overs Ford Ranger Cup, and...
at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
. In 1938–39, he rejoined South Melbourne and also played four further matches for Victoria, scoring 125 runs at an average of 25.00. However, he was yet to play in the Sheffield Shield competition, having appeared only in one-off matches.
During this period, Miller achieved more success as a footballer, following his brothers in joining the Brighton Football Club
Brighton Football Club
Brighton Football Club was an Australian rules football club which played in the VFA. The club was based in the Melbourne suburb of Brighton and were nicknamed the Penguins...
in the Victorian Football Association (VFA) in 1937. A defender, Miller initially played on the half-back flank before moving to full back
Fullback (Australian rules football)
In Australian rules football, the fullback position has traditionally been a purely defensive role, with the aim of preventing the full-forward from marking the ball and scoring. However, in recent times, where the ability to move the ball out of defence and down the field quickly has become a more...
during his third season, in 1939. At this stage, he lacked the strength to hip and shoulder his opponents and relied on his running ability and accurate kicking.
Miller finally made his breakthrough in cricket in 1939–40, when he was selected to make his Sheffield Shield debut, against South Australia
Southern Redbacks
The South Australia cricket team, nicknamed the Southern Redbacks and known as the West End Redbacks due to their sponsorship agreement with local brewers West End, are an Australian first class cricket team based in Adelaide, South Australia, and represent the state of South Australia...
at the Adelaide Oval
Adelaide Oval
The Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...
. He managed just four and seven, batting at number five in the order. When Victoria fielded, Miller ran out
Run out
Run out is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket. It is governed by Law 38 of the Laws of cricket.-The rules:A batsman is out Run out if at any time while the ball is in play no part of his bat or person is grounded behind the popping crease and his wicket is fairly put down by the opposing...
his future Invincibles captain Don Bradman. One of Miller's teammates was Percy Beames
Percy Beames
Percy James Beames was an Australian rules footballer with Melbourne and first-class cricketer at state level for Victoria. He later became a distinguished journalist, covering both sports for Melbourne's The Age until 1976....
, who was also his manager at Vacuum Oil. Miller scored 41 and 47 not out in his second match to hold his place. However, against New South Wales
New South Wales Blues
The New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
, Miller made a pair of 14s, having difficulties against 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...
. In the return match against South Australia, Miller took the initiative against leg-spinner Clarrie Grimmett
Clarrie Grimmett
Clarence Victor "Clarrie" Grimmett was a cricketer; although born in New Zealand, he played most of his cricket in Australia. He is thought by many to be one of the finest early spin bowlers, and usually credited as the developer of the flipper.Grimmett was born in Caversham a suburb of Dunedin,...
, aggressively advancing down the pitch and driving. Miller reached 108, his first 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...
in Shield competition. Apart from the century, Miller had a moderate season, ending with 298 runs at 29.80.
In the Australian winter of 1940, Miller started his fourth season in the VFA. In a match against Coburg
Coburg Tigers
Coburg Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club based in Coburg, a northern suburb of Melbourne, and currently playing in the Victorian Football League. Coburg have an alignment in place with the AFL's Richmond Football Club which saw the Coburg club change its...
, he was assigned to nullify
Fullback (Australian rules football)
In Australian rules football, the fullback position has traditionally been a purely defensive role, with the aim of preventing the full-forward from marking the ball and scoring. However, in recent times, where the ability to move the ball out of defence and down the field quickly has become a more...
the greatest forward of the era, Bob Pratt
Bob Pratt
Harold Robert "Bob" Pratt was a former Australian rules footballer from Mitcham, Victoria.Pratt played with South Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League from 1930–1939 and again in 1946, and with the Coburg Football Club in the Victorian Football Association from 1940 to 1941...
. Miller restricted Pratt to just one goal for the match and was named best on ground
Man of the match
In sport, a Man of the Match or Player of the Game or Man of the Series award is given to the outstanding player, almost always the one who makes the most impact, in a particular match or series. The term was originally used more often in cricket before being adopted by other sports. This can be a...
. Scouts from top-tier Victorian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
(VFL) club St Kilda signed Miller on the spot. In a match for St Kilda against Carlton, Miller was king hit by his opponent Ron Cooper
Ron Cooper (Australian footballer)
Ronald Thomas 'Socks' Cooper was an Australian rules footballer who played for Carlton and North Melbourne in the VFL. His habit of wearing his socks knee high earned him his nickname....
at the start of the match. When the teams next met, Miller shoulder bumped Cooper in the first minute, forcing him to leave the field. St Kilda finished second-last that season.
War service
Miller's sporting career was interrupted by World War II. On 20 August 1940, he joined the MilitiaAustralian Army Reserve
The Australian Army Reserve is a collective name given to the reserve units of the Australian Army. Since the Federation of Australia in 1901, the reserve military force has been known by many names, including the Citizens Forces, the Citizen Military Forces, the Militia and, unofficially, the...
(army reserve), and was assigned to the 4th Reserve Motor Transport Company. In late September, Miller began his training. A non-conformist, he had the first of many clashes with authority in November, when he was fined for "using insulting language to a superior officer". Miller soon lived up to the traditional nickname of Dusty, for anyone called Miller, with his tendency to be involved in fist fights and his rambunctious persona.
During the summer of 1940–41, Miller was granted leave so that he could play interstate cricket. In a war-shortened season, Miller scored 140 runs at 28.00 and took his maiden first-class wicket. The 1941 VFL season also went ahead. Miller played in defence and attack, depending on match conditions. In 16 games, he kicked 28 goals, including eight in one match. He again showed his disrespect for authority and reputation, striking his boss Beames—who played for Melbourne
Melbourne Football Club
The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
—with a raised elbow at the start of a match. Miller came second in St Kilda's best and fairest for the season.
Miller's season ended early when he was recalled to duty. However, he had continued disciplinary problems, and left the Militia on 8 November 1941. Miller and a friend then attempted to join the Royal Australian Navy
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
. When the navy rejected his friend, Miller tore up his own paperwork, left the recruiting office, and walked around the corner to the Royal Australian Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
(RAAF) recruiting office, where he enlisted.
Less than two months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
in December 1941, Miller was called to active service. He trained at No. 4 Initial Training School, Victor Harbour in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, and gained his wings
Flight training
Flight training is a course of study used when learning to pilot an aircraft. The overall purpose of primary and intermediate flight training is the acquisition and honing of basic airmanship skills....
in late 1942. He played only one match during the 1942 football season, while posted in South Australia. In December, he was promoted to the rank of flight sergeant
Flight Sergeant
Flight sergeant is a senior non-commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and several other air forces which have adopted all or part of the RAF rank structure...
and, a month later, he sailed to Europe. The journey included a stopover at a training camp in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
in the United States, where Miller met his future wife Peg Wagner. In March, he was deployed to Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
, in England, where he continued his training.
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
against Warner's XI
Plum Warner
Sir Pelham Francis Warner MBE , affectionately and better known as Plum Warner, or even "the Grand Old Man" of English cricket was a Test cricketer....
, a team that featured current and future England players. Miller top-scored in the first innings with 45 and added 21 not out, with two sixes, in the second innings. The RAAF played eight matches that season and Miller's top score was 141 against Public School Wanderers. He went on to play for Dominions
Dominions cricket team
A Dominions cricket team, representing the Dominions of the British Empire, played seven cricket matches, all in England during wartime. Only once did the team play at first-class level, when it played against England at Lord's in late August 1945...
against Warner's XI in August, scoring 32 and two. The match marked the first meeting between Miller and his good friend, England batsman Denis Compton
Denis Compton
Denis Charles Scott Compton CBE was an English cricketer who played in 78 Test matches, and a footballer...
and his bowling began to attract media attention. In the final match of the season at Lord's between the RAAF and the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, Miller took 3/23 and scored 91. The success of RAAF and Dominions that season, especially the attractive batting by Miller and Keith Carmody
Keith Carmody
Douglas Keith Carmody was an Australian first class cricketer who played during the 1940s and 1950s.He was Western Australia's captain when they won their first ever Sheffield Shield and is credited as being the inventor of the 'umbrella field'.Born in Mosman, Carmody started his career with New...
, prompted Warner to begin planning for a "Test" series between the respective armed services of England and Australia.
By late 1943, Miller was based in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
. One night, he threatened to punch his commanding officer, resulting in him being sentenced for insubordination to a three-week disciplinary course with hard labour. In mid-November, he was posted to Ouston
Ouston, Stamfordham
Ouston, Stamfordham is a village in Northumberland, England.Ouston lies near the course of Hadrian's Wall, probably the most noted Roman monument in Britain. Further south, also in the North East of England is Ouston, County Durham.-References:...
near Newcastle-upon-Tyne where he trained in the used of radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
. During his stay there, Miller sustained a back injury during a wrestling match: the injury was to cause him recurring and enduring problems, particularly diminishing his ability to bowl.
In 1944, Miller was again selected for the RAAF team. In a match against the British Civil Defence Services at Lord's in July, Miller reached his century just as a V-1 flying bomb
V-1 flying bomb
The V-1 flying bomb, also known as the Buzz Bomb or Doodlebug, was an early pulse-jet-powered predecessor of the cruise missile....
landed nearby. In a match against an England XI, Miller scored 85 in 100 minutes. He then took match figures of 6/28 against the West of England at Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
.
Pilot Officer
Pilot officer is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks immediately below flying officer...
, and was posted to 12 Advanced Flying Unit in Grantham
Grantham
Grantham is a market town within the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It bestrides the East Coast Main Line railway , the historic A1 main north-south road, and the River Witham. Grantham is located approximately south of the city of Lincoln, and approximately east of Nottingham...
, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
on 15 August 1944, then moving on to Cranfield
Cranfield
Cranfield is a village and civil parish in north west Bedfordshire, England, between Bedford and Milton Keynes. It has a population of 4,909, and is in Central Bedfordshire District....
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. On a trip back to Ouston to visit former comrades, a night of drunken revelry saw Miller charged with eight offences and facing possible dishonourable discharge. Luckily for Miller, his new Commanding Officer (CO) was his old CO from Ouston; Miller escaped with a fine.
While training, Miller flew Beauforts
Bristol Beaufort
The Bristol Beaufort was a British twin-engined torpedo bomber designed by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, and developed from experience gained designing and building the earlier Blenheim light bomber....
, Beaufighters
Bristol Beaufighter
The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter, often referred to as simply the Beau, was a British long-range heavy fighter modification of the Bristol Aeroplane Company's earlier Beaufort torpedo bomber design...
and Mosquitos
De Havilland Mosquito
The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...
. He had another near death experience: mechanical problems forced him to make an emergency landing of his Beaufighter. The plane was repaired for use by others, but, on its next flight, the pilot was killed when the problem recurred. On another occasion, Miller avoided colliding with a hangar by centimetres. He then escaped death by skipping a social appointment; a V1 bomb hit the venue and killed many of the patrons. In October, he went AWL to watch a concert and was summarily discharged, but the CO revoked his decision after Miller agreed to play for his cricket team. At the end of his officer training, Miller was sent aboard a Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
destroyer as part of an exchange program between the forces. During a mission to Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, the vessel fought a German U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
, which was sunk. Upon his return to England, Miller was promoted to flying officer
Flying Officer
Flying officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence...
on 4 November 1944.
In March 1945, Miller was deployed to the RAF station at Great Massingham
Great Massingham
Great Massingham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It has a primary school , a village shop, a pub , a village hall and a church . It is also notable for the number of ponds in the village - two large ones in the village centre and more in the outskirts...
in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
. He was assigned to 169 Squadron
No. 169 Squadron RAF
No. 169 Squadron RAF was a tactical reconnaissance and later a night intruder squadron of the Royal Air Force during World War II-History:No. 169 squadron was formed on 15 June 1942 at RAF Twinwood Farm as a tactical reconnaissance squadron from 'B' flight of 613 Squadron, and took over their North...
, flying Mosquito fighter-bomber
Fighter-bomber
A fighter-bomber is a fixed-wing aircraft with an intended primary role of light tactical bombing and also incorporating certain performance characteristics of a fighter aircraft. This term, although still used, has less significance since the introduction of rockets and guided missiles into aerial...
s. Miller's squadron took part in missions against targets on mainland Europe in April and May 1945. They attacked V-1 and V-2
V-2 rocket
The V-2 rocket , technical name Aggregat-4 , was a ballistic missile that was developed at the beginning of the Second World War in Germany, specifically targeted at London and later Antwerp. The liquid-propellant rocket was the world's first long-range combat-ballistic missile and first known...
production and test launch sites on the island of Peenemünde
Peenemünde
The Peenemünde Army Research Center was founded in 1937 as one of five military proving grounds under the Army Weapons Office ....
in the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
. On 19 April, Miller took part in an attack on a German installation at Flensburg
Flensburg
Flensburg is an independent town in the north of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg is the centre of the region of Southern Schleswig...
in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. In May, his squadron was deployed in Operation Fire Bash, to attack Westerland Airfield on the island of Sylt
Sylt
Sylt is an island in northern Germany, part of Nordfriesland district, Schleswig-Holstein, and well known for the distinctive shape of its shoreline. It belongs to the North Frisian Islands and is the largest island in North Frisia...
. One of Miller's bombs failed to release and the load dangled from a wing. Miller was obliged to land the plane with the bomb still attached; fortunately for him, it failed to detonate. Miller's next mission was delayed by poor weather, by which time Germany had surrendered. His commanding officer ordered him to fly air force personnel over Germany to view the results of Allied bombing. On one flight, Miller broke away from the flying formation and returned to base late because he wanted to fly over Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
, the birthplace of Beethoven.
Miller's wartime exploits were to give him a greater sense of perspective when he returned to the sports field. When asked many years later by Michael Parkinson
Michael Parkinson
Sir Michael Parkinson, CBE is an English broadcaster, journalist and author. He presented his interview programme, Parkinson, from 1971 to 1982 and from 1998 to 2007.- Early life :...
, about pressure in cricket, Miller responded with the famous quote: "pressure is a Messerschmitt up your arse, playing cricket is not".
Victory Tests
1945 English cricket season
-Review:With Germany defeated and the war in Europe over, it was possible to arrange eleven first-class matches though none of them were part of any official competition....
. Miller returned to Lord's and scored 50 for the RAAF against a British Empire XI. Warner had organised a celebratory series of matches between England and Australian servicemen, known as the Victory Tests
Victory Tests
The Victory Tests were a series of cricket matches played in England from 19 May to 22 August 1945, between a combined Australian Services XI and an English national side...
. However, Australian cricket administrators would not accredit the three-day matches as Tests. England was close to full strength, so the Australian Imperial Force
Australian Imperial Force
The Australian Imperial Force was the name given to all-volunteer Australian Army forces dispatched to fight overseas during World War I and World War II.* First Australian Imperial Force * Second Australian Imperial Force...
and the RAAF teams merged to form the Australian Services cricket team
Australian Services cricket team
The Australian Services XI was a cricket team comprising solely military service personnel during World War II. They became active in May 1945 after the defeat of Nazi Germany. The team played matches against English cricket sides of both military and civilian origins to celebrate the end of the war...
under the leadership of Warrant Officer
Warrant Officer
A warrant officer is an officer in a military organization who is designated an officer by a warrant, as distinguished from a commissioned officer who is designated an officer by a commission, or from non-commissioned officer who is designated an officer by virtue of seniority.The rank was first...
Hassett. The First Victory Test was at Lord's and was expected to usher in a new post-war era, which cricket watchers hoped would be more attractive to watch. England batted first and Miller bowled his Great Massingham colleague 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...
to end with 1/11 and precipitate an English collapse. Miller came to the crease at and helped Australia take the lead, before cutting loose, eventually finishing with 105 in 210 minutes. The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
opined that his innings was "as good a century as has been seen at Lord's in many a long day". Australia went on to win by six wickets.
Miller warmed up for the Second Victory Test by top-scoring for the RAAF 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...
and the RAF. In the Test, played at Bramall Lane
Bramall Lane
-Cricket at the Lane:Bramall Lane opened as a cricket ground in 1855, having been leased by Michael Ellison from the Duke of Norfolk at an annual rent of £70. The site was then away from the town's industrial area, and relatively free from smoke. It was built to host the matches of local cricket...
, Miller went wicketless and scored 17 in the first innings. In the second innings, Miller bowled a fierce spell, hitting Test world record holder 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 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...
on the arm and head respectively, provoking an angry crowd reaction. At the time, Miller has a leisurely attitude towards bowling, so his success led to calls for him to start taking it seriously, instead of simply jogging in and releasing the ball. Despite this, Australia lost the match.
In the meantime, Miller earned the further ire of his CO by flying unauthorised leisure flights. Not wanting to fly tour flights over Germany, Miller lodged bogus reports saying that the Mosquitoes were malfunctioning, causing unnecessary maintenance work. Thus, the CO ordered Miller to take his plane instead, which caught fire. With one functional engine, Miller came back to the air base and bellylanded. The plane broke apart and caught fire, but Miller escaped physical injury and was playing sport an hour later.
John Dewes
John Dewes is a former English cricketer, who played for Cambridge University and Middlesex, and was chosen for five Tests between 1948 and 1950.-Life and career:...
, Donald Carr
Donald Carr
Donald Bryce Carr is a former English cricketer who played for Derbyshire from 1946 to 1967, for Oxford University from 1948 to 1951, and twice for England in 1951/52. He captained Derbyshire between 1955 and 1962, and scored over 10,000 runs for the county...
and Hutton, all bowled. He ended with 3/44. Miller was rewarded with the new ball in the second innings. He removed Dewes, Edrich and Dick Pollard
Dick Pollard
Richard "Dick" Pollard was an English cricketer born in Westhoughton, Lancashire, who played in four Tests between 1946 and 1948...
to end with 3/42. This left Australia a target of 225. Miller saw Australia to the target, unbeaten on 71. In the Fourth Test, again at Lord's, Miller scored 118 in the first innings, before an unbeaten 25 in the second innings ensured a draw. The tremendous public reception of the Victory Tests resulted in a fifth match being added to the schedule.
In the meantime Japan had surrendered, and No. 169 Squadron was disbanded. Miller had spent around 550 hours in the air with the RAF, to which his RAAF unit had been seconded. He was awarded the 1939–45 Star, France and Germany Star
France and Germany Star
The France and Germany Star was a campaign medal of the British Commonwealth, awarded for service in World War II.The medal was awarded for operational service in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Germany from 6 June 1944 to 8 May 1945...
, Defence Medal, War Medal 1939–1945
War Medal 1939–1945
The War Medal 1939–1945 was a British decoration awarded to those who had served in the Armed Forces or Merchant Navy full-time for at least 28 days between 3 September 1939 and 2 September 1945. In the Merchant Navy, the 28 days must have been served at sea...
and Australia Service Medal 1939–45
Australia Service Medal 1939-45
The Australia Service Medal 1939-45 recognises service by Australia's armed forces, Mercantile Marine and Volunteer Defence Corps during World War II....
.
In the Fifth Victory Test, under overcast conditions against a swinging and seaming ball, Miller struck 14 from his first over and finished 77 not out, in a display that featured strong cutting and driving. Australia could manage only 173, and England were on top. Miller took one wicket with the ball but managed only four in the second innings as England won, to square the series 2–2. Hassett wrote at the end of the series that "This is cricket as it should be... let's have no more talk of "war" in cricket". Miller topped the batting averages for the series, with 443 runs at 63.28. His aggregate exceeded those of Hammond and Hutton, and he also took 10 wickets at 27.70. Of Miller's batting, Hassett said that "as a strokeplayer he is second to none", and his performance earned comparisons to Jack Gregory, who had a similar breakthrough after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
The last big match of the season was a one-off match at Lord's between England and "Dominions", a scratch team
Scratch team
A scratch team is a team, usually in sport, brought together on a temporary basis, composed of players who normally play for different sides. A game played between two scratch teams may be called a scratch match....
of players from the British Commonwealth. Miller managed 26 in the Dominions' first innings of 307, before cutting loose in the second innings. After settling in, he hit Eric Hollies
Eric Hollies
William Eric Hollies was an English cricketer, who is mainly remembered for taking the wicket of Donald Bradman for a duck in Bradman's final Test match innings, in which only four was needed for a Test average of 100...
for two sixes, including one that hit the top of the roof. The next day, he registered his century in 115 minutes, clouting another five balls over the boundary in the morning session. In one 35-minute passage of play, he and Learie Constantine
Learie Constantine
Learie Nicholas Constantine, Baron Constantine MBE was a West Indian cricketer who played 18 Test matches before the Second World War. He took West Indies' first wicket in Test cricket and was the team's leading all-rounder and opening bowler for the entirety of his career...
added 91 runs, before Miller departed for 185, made in just 165 minutes. The Dominions went on to win by 45 runs in a match described by Wisden as "one of the finest ever seen". Commenting on Miller' innings, Robertson-Glasgow
R. C. Robertson-Glasgow
Raymond Charles 'Crusoe' Robertson-Glasgow was a British cricketer and cricket writer....
said "From the moment he takes guard he plays each ball just that much below its supposed merits that scratches a bowler's pride". Miller had enjoyed his visit to the home of cricket. In eight innings at Lord's for the season, he had scored 568 runs at 94.68, with three centuries.
The season ended with a few more matches against English counties. Miller struck aggressive half-centuries in wins against Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
and Leveson-Gower's XI. In first-class matches, Miller had scored 725 runs at 72.50 for the season, finishing second in both averages and aggregates. The success of the Australian Services prompted a fundraising tour of India and Ceylon on their return to Australia.
Services tour of India
Miller, the vice-captain, almost missed the trip to India after turning up late for the voyage. On arrival in India, Miller scored 46 in a draw against North ZoneNorth Zone cricket team
The North Zone cricket team is a first-class cricket team that represents northern India in the Duleep Trophy. It is a composite team of players from six first-class Indian teams from northern India competing in the Ranji Trophy: Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and...
. Miller then captained the Australians in a match against West Zone
West Zone cricket team
The West Zone cricket team is a first-class cricket team that represents western India in the Duleep Trophy. It is a composite team of players from five first-class Indian teams from western India competing in the Ranji Trophy: Baroda, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Mumbai and Saurashtra...
in Bombay, top-scoring with 106 in a high-scoring draw. In a match against India, Miller took two wickets. At this point, with most of the team suffering from dysentery and the leadership not permitting the team to travel by air, some of the RAAF personnel felt that Hassett should be removed from the captaincy, with Miller as one of the candidates to replace him. This would have increased his prospects of leading Australia. Miller refused to plot against Hassett and the dispute ended when a RAAF plane was acquired to transport the team.
East Zone cricket team
The East Zone cricket team is a first-class cricket team that represents eastern India in the Duleep Trophy. It is a composite team of five first-class Indian teams from eastern India competing in the Ranji Trophy: Assam, Bengal, Jharkand, Orissa and Tripura...
in Calcutta as the city was in the grip of deadly pro-independence riots. Miller's friend Denis Compton
Denis Compton
Denis Charles Scott Compton CBE was an English cricketer who played in 78 Test matches, and a footballer...
was batting for East Zone when rioters invaded the pitch. Their leader ran up to Compton and said: "Mr Compton, you very good player, but you must stop". In later years, whenever Miller opposed Compton, he would quote this remark when Compton came to 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...
. In 2005, the ECB
England and Wales Cricket Board
The England and Wales Cricket Board is the governing body of cricket in England and Wales. It was created on 1 January 1997 combining the roles of the Test and County Cricket Board, the National Cricket Association and the Cricket Council...
and Cricket Australia
Cricket Australia
Cricket Australia, formerly known as the Australian Cricket Board, is the governing body for professional and amateur cricket in Australia. It was originally formed in 1905 as the Australian Board of Control for International Cricket...
decided that the player adjudged the Player of the Series in the Ashes
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
would be awarded the Compton-Miller Medal
Compton-Miller medal
The 2005 Ashes Series in England saw the inauguration of the Compton-Miller medal for the Ashes Man of the Series award.The award is named after two great cricketers - the batsman Denis Compton of England and the all-rounder Keith Miller of Australia...
, recognising their friendship and rivalry.
In the second match against India, Services were 2/250 in response to India's 386 when Miller came in and scored 82, including four sixes in five balls. The match ended in a draw and Miller aggravating an injury. Miller took 3/19 against South Zone
South Zone cricket team
The South Zone cricket team is a first-class cricket team that represents southern India in the Duleep Trophy. It is a composite team of players from six first-class Indian teams from southern India competing in the Ranji Trophy: Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Hyderabad, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu...
in Madras
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
, the Australians' only win in India. He failed with the bat in the third and final match against India, scoring two and seven, but he took 2/60 in the first innings as India took the series 1–0. Overall, Miller had a disappointing series in the international matches, with 107 runs at 26.25 and four wickets at 40.50. Australia's final match was in Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
against an All Ceylon team. Miller scored 132 as Australia won by an innings.
Services in Australia
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in March 1946. Miller started his campaign with 80 against Western Australia
Western Warriors
The Western Australia cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team representing the state of Western Australia...
. He finally returned to Melbourne in January, before taking on Victoria. Miller top-scored in both innings with 37 and 59 in an innings defeat.
Miller had another difficult time against New South Wales
New South Wales Blues
The New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
, as the state side made 7/551 and Miller went wicketless. When the servicemen batted, they faced an attack featuring leading 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...
and 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...
, the fastest in Australia. Miller was on 74 as Services limped to 9/171. With only one partner left, Miller attacked, scoring 31 of the last 33 runs to end unbeaten on 105, and earning plaudits among cricket pundits on Australian soil. Former leading Test batsman Alan Kippax
Alan Kippax
Alan Falconer Kippax was a cricketer for New South Wales and Australia. Regarded as one of the great stylists of Australian cricket during the era between the two World Wars, Kippax overcame a late start to Test cricket to become a regular in the Australian team between the 1928–29 and...
opined that "Australia has unearthed a new champion", while O'Reilly said that Miller's century was "one of the best hundreds ever got against me". Miller compiled 46 in the second innings as the Servicemen fell to another innings defeat. Miller finished the season with 4/49 against Queensland
Queensland Bulls
The Queensland cricket team, nicknamed the Bulls, are the Brisbane-based Queensland representative cricket team in Australia's domestic cricket tournaments:*Sheffield Shield, 4-day matches with first-class status, since the 1926/27 season...
and a pair of fifties against Tasmania.
Test debut
At the end of the season, Miller was selected for the New Zealand tour, under the captaincy of Queensland's Bill BrownBill 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...
. Miller started the tour well, top-scoring with 139 against Auckland. Along with seven other debutants, Miller made his Test debut in the match against New Zealand
New Zealand cricket team
The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the...
at the Basin Reserve
Basin Reserve
The Basin Reserve , is a cricket ground in Wellington, New Zealand, used for Test, first-class and one-day cricket. Some argue that its proximity to the city, its Historic Place status and its age make it the most famous cricket ground in New Zealand...
in Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, a match that was retrospectively accorded Test status in 1948. On 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:...
, New Zealand won the toss and batted. Miller was not required to bowl in the first innings as O'Reilly 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...
skittled the home side for just 42. Australia made 8/199 with Miller scoring 30. He was allowed to take the new ball in the second innings, taking 2/6 in six overs before a flare-up of his back injury forced him to be removed from the attack. Australia bowled their hosts out for 54, securing an innings victory.
Despite the scare over his back complaint, Miller returned from New Zealand to play in the 1946 season, which turned out to be his last season in the VFL; St Kilda's finished second-last. Miller played with more aggression than during his pre-war years and his high leaping marks were a noted feature of a season that saw him chosen to represent Victoria against South Australia. Miller thus became one of the few players to play at the highest levels of both cricket and Australian rules football.
Miller was discharged from the RAAF on 26 June 1946, and returned to his job at Vacuum Oil. Miller resented the fact that many of his colleagues had avoided the hazards of war and moved steadily up the ladder and regarded his job as demeaning. Under such circumstances, Miller contemplated quitting Australian cricket and accepting a professional contract with Rawtenstall
Rawtenstall Cricket Club
Rawtenstall Cricket Club is a cricket club in the Lancashire League, which plays its home games at the Worswick Memorial Ground in Rawtenstall. For the 2011 season its captain is Vinny Hanson, and its professional is Sri Lankan Malinga Bandara. The club has won the league on seven occasions and won...
in the Lancashire League, valued at £1,000 per year, for three seasons. With advertising and commercial commitments likely to triple this figure, playing in England would have been approximately ten times more lucrative than continuing in Australia. However, Miller was worried that his impulsive style would be curtailed by the pressures of professionalism. At that time, the Board of Control's policy stipulated that any player that signed with a professional league in England could not represent Australia. Miller's contract would see him in England until he was 30, effectively ending his career for Australia. Furthermore, it would have prevented him from playing Australian football during the winter. Miller weighed it up and opted to sign the contract that tied him to Rawtenstall, with his duties to start with the onset of the English season in April 1947.
In the meantime, Miller had the upcoming Test series against England in 1946–47 to look forward to. He therefore approached his employers for two months leave so that he could travel to the United States to marry Wagner, which would allow him time to return in preparation for the international series. Vacuum Oil refused, so, with the comfort of job security in England, Miller resigned.
Miller left Australia at the end of the football season in late August, amid press speculation that he might not return. He was reunited in Boston with Wagner after more than three years of separation and they married on 21 September 1946. Miller and his new bride returned to Australia in November. In the meantime, his contract with Rawtenstall became public knowledge and he was threatened with his Test career being terminated if he began playing for the English team.
First Ashes series
Miller's season started amid ongoing speculation about whether he would fulfil his contract with Rawtenstall. Miller remained silent. In a Shield match in front of Bradman at the Adelaide OvalAdelaide Oval
The Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...
, Miller struck form with 188 and 2/32 with the ball. Wisden said Miller's innings was "one of the finest batting displays ever seen at Adelaide". Bradman saw Miller as a top-order batsman and as the new ball partner for Lindwall. Although Miller was a reluctant bowler, Bradman felt that he was crucial to his strategy of attacking England's strong batting line-up with express pace.
Miller made his Ashes debut in the First Test in Brisbane. Bradman opted for six front-line bowlers, with Miller as high as number five in the batting order. Australia batted first, with Miller coming in at 3/322. He played aggressively to reach his fifty in just 80 minutes, striking a six onto the roof of the members' stand at long on, the biggest hit at the ground at the time, before being trapped 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...
by 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...
for 79 as Australia made 645. Miller was given the new ball along with Lindwall and he took his first Ashes wicket, bowling Hutton as England closed at 1/21. The following day, the pitch had turned 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:...
following a heavy tropical storm. Miller bowled off breaks at medium pace and mixed in 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...
. On the unpredictable surface, Edrich was struck around 40 times on the body. Miller cut through the English top order, removing Edrich, Washbrook, Compton and Jack Ikin
Jack Ikin
John Thomas Ikin, known as Jack Ikin was an English cricketer, who played in eighteen Tests from 1946 to 1955...
on the fourth morning, finishing with 7/60 as England made 141 and were forced to follow on. Miller took two wickets, including the dismissal of Hutton with first ball of the second innings as England fell to defeat by an innings and 334 runs and Miller had match figures of 9/77.
During that first Test, an incident occurred, coloured by Miller's wartime service, that soured his relationship with Bradman and his feelings towards Test cricket. Michael Parkinson
Michael Parkinson
Sir Michael Parkinson, CBE is an English broadcaster, journalist and author. He presented his interview programme, Parkinson, from 1971 to 1982 and from 1998 to 2007.- Early life :...
described it as follows:
Keith Miller was deeply affected by the Second World War. It changed him ... In the first post-war Ashes Test ... England were caught on a sticky ... [and] Bill Edrich came in. He'd had a serious war and he survived and Miller thought, 'He's my old Services mate. The last thing he wants after five years' war is to be flattened by a cricket ball, so I eased up. Bradman came up to me and said, 'Don't slow down, Keith. Bowl quicker.' That remark put me off Test cricket. Never felt the same way about it after that.'
In the Second Test in Sydney. Miller had a quiet match, scoring 40 and taking one wicket on a spin-friendly pitch as Australia secured another innings victory, but showed he was in prime batting form when he returned to the Sheffield Shield. Playing against New South Wales, he hammered three sixes in one over and made 153 of a 271-run partnership with Merv Harvey
Merv Harvey
Mervyn Roye Harvey was a cricketer who played in one Test match for Australia in 1947. His younger brother, Neil, was one of Australia's finest batsmen since the Second World War, and the pair played together for Victoria during the latter part of Merv’s career.Merv Harvey broke into the Victorian...
in just over three hours, setting up an innings victory. Bill Ponsford
Bill Ponsford
William Harold "Bill" Ponsford MBE was an Australian cricketer. Usually playing as an opening batsman, he formed a successful and long-lived partnership opening the batting for Victoria and Australia with Bill Woodfull, his friend and state and national captain...
said that it was the hardest hitting he had ever seen. The Third Test was Miller's first in his home town. He had a mediocre game in a drawn match, scoring 33 and 34, and taking two wickets.
Off the pitch, Miller privately decided that he would not honour his Rawtenstall contract. He secretly accepted an offer to relocate to Sydney to work as a liquor salesman and play cricket. Back in a good frame of mind for the Fourth Test in Adelaide, Miller took one wicket in each innings, but he shone with the bat. After England had made 460, Miller came in at 3/207, and was 23 not out by the close of the second day. He hit the first ball of the next day for six, and accumulated 67 runs in the opening 71 minutes, to reach his maiden Test century. The Englishmen utilised 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 prevent easy scoring, but as the tail began to be dismissed, Miller accelerated, launching drives into the crowd, despite the presence of four men on the fence
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:...
. Miller ended unbeaten on 141 but the match petered out into a high-scoring draw. Before the last Test, Miller played for Victoria against England, taking 4/65.
The Fifth Test. saw Miller take a wicket in each innings. Australia were left a target of 214 runs on a wearing wicket. Wright beat Miller with three consecutive leg breaks, but Miller survived and struck consecutive boundaries on the way to reaching the target. Australia had taken the series 3–0; Miller scored 384 runs at 76.80 and took 16 wickets at 20.88, which placed him second in both the batting and bowling averages, to Bradman and Lindwall respectively. Nevertheless, Miller had become disillusioned with Bradman's ruthless mentality. Miller was impulsive and cared little for records or ruthlessly dominating his opponents, preferring to play in a flamboyant manner in close contests.
For the 1947–48 Australian season, Miller transferred to New South Wales (NSW)
New South Wales Blues
The New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
, for whom he played the remainder of his Sheffield Shield career. He also represented the New South Wales interstate football team at the 1947 Hobart Carnival
1947 Hobart Carnival
The 1947 Hobart Carnival was the tenth edition of the Australian National Football Carnival, an Australian rules football interstate competition.North Hobart Oval hosted the matches during the carnival, most of them under heavy rain...
, as vice captain. This made him one of the few players to play both football and cricket for two states.
Miller had a light workload in the 1947–48 home Test series against India, who were on their first tour to Australia. India were well beaten, losing 4–0, three of the four defeats by an innings. Miller was required to bat just once in each Test, accumulating 185 runs at 37.00, including two half-centuries, while the batsmen ahead of him plundered the bowling. His bowling duties were also light; his 72 overs yielded nine wickets at 24.78. In both his fifties, Miller featured in century partnerships with his partners, respectively Bradman and Hassett in the First and Fourth test respectively. His 58 in the First Test at Brisbane featured many big hits.
Invincibles tour
Donald BradmanDonald 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...
's 1948 touring party to England has become known to cricket history as The Invincibles, remaining undefeated in its 31 matches. Miller started the tour strongly, scoring a hard-hitting 50 not out 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 an unbeaten 202 against Leicestershire
Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Leicestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
. In the next match 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....
, Miller took 6/42, including the prized wicket of Hutton, as the home team were demolished for just 71. Australia then struggled to 101, including a counterattacking 34 from Miller, who took 3/49 in the second innings in an Australian victory.
In a later match, against Essex
Essex County Cricket Club
Essex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
, Miller was involved in a famous incident that is frequently cited when his character is discussed; it also spotlighted his differences with Bradman. On a day when the Australians set a world-record of 721 runs in a single day, Miller came to the crease with his side already dominating, with the score 2/364. He deliberately allowed himself to be 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...
first ball, much to Bradman's displeasure, in a protest against the one-sided nature of the contest.
Australia then took on the MCC
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...
at Lord's; effectively a dress rehearsal for the Tests as many of England's Test players were in the MCC team. Miller scored 163 in 250 minutes, hitting 20 fours and three sixes in another innings win. Soon after, Rawtenstall dropped the contract dispute with Miller after being offered compensation.
Following another good all-round performance against Hampshire
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
, top-scoring in the first innings and taking 5/25 in the second, Miller went into the First Test (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 fine form. On the first morning, Miller bowled Hutton and Compton on his way to 3/38, helping Australia dismiss England cheaply and seize the initiative. Miller scored a duck, but Australia took a 344-run lead on the first innings. In the second innings, he resumed his battle with Hutton and Compton, delivering five bouncers in the last over of the day. The batsmen survived, but Miller received a hostile reaction from the crowd. The next day, he bowled Hutton for 74 and then bounced
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...
Compton, causing him to fall onto 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...
for 184. Australia won by eight wickets, Miller ending with 4/125 for the second innings and 7/163 for the match.
As a batsman, Miller was out for four in the first innings, not offering a shot to 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...
. In the second innings, Miller's first ball was a hat-trick ball from English 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,...
; he survived a loud 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...
appeal and then hit a six into the grandstand, on his way to 74. Australia declared at 7/460, 595 runs ahead. Miller took three catches as Australia won by 409 runs.
After the Lord's Test, Miller enjoyed a night out and returned to the team hotel after daybreak the next morning. Australia were due to play 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...
at The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
that day. With Australia in the field, Bradman sent Miller to the fine leg boundary as a punishment—between overs, he was forced to walk the length of the field. One of the spectators felt sorry for Miller and lent him his bicycle, which Miller used to cycle around the circumference of the ground.
The efforts of Miller and Lindwall against Hutton had led the English selectors to drop the Yorkshireman for the Third Test. The Australians were surprised by the move and thought that it was a bad move by their opponents. Miller had a quiet Third Test at Old Trafford, taking one wicket and scoring 31 as the match ended in a draw. In a rain-shortened match, Miller again earned the ire of the crowd, after aiming a series of bouncers at Edrich, in apparent retaliation to the Englishman's bouncing of Lindwall. He struck Edrich on the body before Bradman ordered him to stop.
The teams moved to Headingley for the Fourth Test at Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
. Hutton had been recalled and the home team batted first. England tallied 496 and Miller took 1/43. In reply, Australia were struggling at 3/68 in reply on the third morning. 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...
, playing his first Ashes Test, joined Miller at the crease. The pair launched a counterattack, with Miller taking the lead. He hoisted 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...
's first ball over square leg for six. Miller struck consecutive sixes over long off and the sightscreen respectively. This allowed Australia to seize the initiative; Harvey joined in and hit consecutive boundaries against Laker. Miller then lifted another six over long off, and another over long on from 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,...
. He was dismissed for 58 attempting another six. The partnership had yielded 121 runs in only 90 minutes, and was described by Wisden as a "hurricane". 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...
described the innings as the most memorable that he had witnessed. He said "Miller played like an emperor ... Every stroke would have been memorable but each one had bettered its predecessor". 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...
said that he had never "known a more enjoyable hour" of "delectable cricket". The momentum swung and Australia finished at 457 on the fourth day, having added almost 396 in one day's play. Miller took 1/53 in the second innings as Australia were set a world record chase of 404 on the final day. He made only 12 but Australia broke the world record to take a 3–0 lead.
The Australians moved onto the next match against Derbyshire
Derbyshire County Cricket Club
Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the England and Wales domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire...
, where Miller scored a half-century and took 3/31 in an innings victory. Against Glamorgan
Glamorgan County Cricket Club
Glamorgan County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Glamorgan aka Glamorganshire . Glamorgan CCC is the only Welsh first-class cricket club. Glamorgan CCC have won the English County...
, Miller took two wickets before striking a hard-hitting 84 with five sixes. He struck one of the sixes with one hand, sending it 20 rows into the crowd. In a match 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...
, Jack Ikin
Jack Ikin
John Thomas Ikin, known as Jack Ikin was an English cricketer, who played in eighteen Tests from 1946 to 1955...
had reached 99 despite being repeatedly hit. Miller refused to bowl to Ikin, saying that he felt the batsman deserved a century. Lindwall was given the ball and promptly removed Ikin for 99.
The teams proceeded to 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...
for the Fifth Test. After England elected to bat, Miller bowled John Dewes
John Dewes
John Dewes is a former English cricketer, who played for Cambridge University and Middlesex, and was chosen for five Tests between 1948 and 1950.-Life and career:...
with his second ball and then removed Jack Crapp
Jack Crapp
John "Jack" Frederick Crapp was an English cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Gloucestershire between 1936 and 1956, and played for England on tour in the winter of 1948-49....
without scoring, leaving England at 4/23. Miller ended with 2/5 as Lindwall (6/20) cut down the home team for 52. In his last Test innings for the summer, Miller scored five. Australia led by 337 on the first innings and Miller dismissed Hutton and Crapp to end with 2/22 as Australia won by an innings and took a 4–0 series win. Miller ended the Tests with 184 runs at 26.28 and 13 wickets at 23.15. He took eight catches.
In a match against the Gentlemen of England at Lord's, Miller scored 69 and was dismissed attempting a third consecutive hooked boundary. Australia went through the remaining tour matches unbeaten to end the summer without a defeat.
After the tour, Bradman was full of praise for Miller, though somewhat critical of his aggressive batting: Miller totalled 1,088 runs for the tour at an average of 47.30, only the eighth highest in the squad. He took 56 wickets at 17.58 and held onto 20 catches.
Omission for South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
in the following season was announced, and Miller was omitted, despite being ranked as the best all rounder in the world. During the Australian season, which was a purely domestic one, he had scored 400 runs at 33.33 and taken 11 wickets at 24.09. He scored one century against Queensland during the season, as well as a 99 against Victoria at the SCG. The surprise omission led to much conjecturing about the reasoning. One was that Miller had stated during the season that he did not want to bowl, so the selectors only considered his batting performances. Another was that Miller's bouncing of Bradman had provoked his former captain into voting against him at the selection table. Rumours circulated that new 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...
did not want Miller on the tour because he was undisciplined, which Hassett denied. Another was that Jack Ryder, the Victorian selector and former Australian captain, had voted against Miller in retaliation for his move to New South Wales. Both Bradman and Chappie Dwyer
Chappie Dwyer
Edmund Alfred Dwyer was an Australian cricketer and national selector. Dwyer was born in Mosman, Sydney and played for the New South Wales cricket team for three first-class cricket matches as a right-handed batsmen.-Career:Dwyer played his three matches for NSW sporadically between the end of the...
claimed they voted for Miller, leading Miller to quip "somebody's telling lies", as there were only three on the selection panel.
The media stridently criticised Miller's omission, as did former players such as 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,...
and Alan Kippax
Alan Kippax
Alan Falconer Kippax was a cricketer for New South Wales and Australia. Regarded as one of the great stylists of Australian cricket during the era between the two World Wars, Kippax overcame a late start to Test cricket to become a regular in the Australian team between the 1928–29 and...
. During the off season, he worked as a journalist and played baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, but declined a trial with a Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
club, the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
. Miller captained New South Wales at the start of the 1949–50 season as his colleagues went to South Africa, his first leadership experience in the Sheffield Shield. He scored 80 and took six wickets in the first match against Queensland. After another victory over Western Australia, he received a request from the Australian Board of Control. At the request of captain Hassett, Miller was asked to tour South Africa as cover for Johnston, who had been injured in a car crash. Miller accepted the offer and resigned himself to bowling heavily. Miller almost missed the trip after arriving late at the dock in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
after a drunken night. The next boat to South Africa would not have departed for several weeks. Despite his recall, there remained tension over his initial omission, as Dwyer was the team manager.
Miller was given the responsibility of batting in the number three
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...
position when Hassett was afflicted by tonsillitis
Tonsillitis
Tonsillitis is an inflammation of the tonsils most commonly caused by viral or bacterial infection. Symptoms of tonsillitis include sore throat and fever. While no treatment has been found to shorten the duration of viral tonsillitis, bacterial causes are treatable with antibiotics...
. In the First Test at Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, Miller scored 21 and then took 5/40 in South Africa's first innings, only his second match on tour, resulting in the home side being forced to follow on and lose by an innings. In the Second Test at Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, he scored 58 and then took 3/54 in the first innings. On the third morning, Miller crashed his car and arrived late to the ground, still putting on his trousers as he entered the playing field. Despite, this he dismissed Dudley Nourse
Dudley Nourse
Arthur Dudley Nourse was a South African Test cricketer and batsmanThe son of batsman Arthur Nourse, Nourse played 34 Test matches in a long career of sixteen years...
with his third ball. He was wicketless in the second innings, and took only one in the Third Test in Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
and did not pass 10 with the bat. Australia won both matches. He returned to the form in the Fourth Test with 84, 33 not out and 3/75 in a high scoring draw. Miller took match figures of 5/66 in the Fifth Test as Australia took the series 4–0. He ended the series with 246 runs at 41.00 and 17 wickets at 22.94, placing in the top six in the Test averages for bat and ball. During the tour matches, he took match figures of 11/54 against Natal Country Districts and scored a century against Transvaal
Transvaal cricket team
Gauteng cricket team is the first-class cricket team of the province of Gauteng in South Africa....
.
Ashes in Australia
England had started the Third Test at Sydney strongly. Australia took its first wicket when Miller caught Washbrook from Johnson with a horizontal diving catch at slip. England were still in control at 1/128 when Miller came on to bowl. He removed Hutton and 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:...
before bowling Compton for a duck. In the space of four overs from Miller, England were now 4/137. Miller had contributed to all four wickets. Miller ended with 4/37 as England were bowled out for 290 on the second day. Miller batted patiently on the third day, reaching 96 by stumps with Australia at 6/362. The next day, with his century four runs away, Miller arrived late, leaving his batting partner Johnson waiting at the players' gate. Miller progressed to 145 not out despite the interruption. It has been a patient innings by his standards, taking almost a day. England collapsed for 123, leaving Australia to take an innings victory. In the first innings of the Fourth Test in Sydney, Miller scored 44 and did not take a wicket, but he was heading for consecutive Test centuries in the second innings. He reached 99 when a leg break
Leg break
A leg break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. A delivery of a right-handed leg spin bowler. Leg breaks are also colloquially known as leggies or wrist spinners, as the wrist is the body part which is primarily used to impart spin on the ball, as opposed to the fingers in the case of...
from 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...
spun across him and clipped the off bail
Bail (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a bail is one of the two smaller sticks placed on top of the three stumps to form a wicket. The bails are used to determine when the wicket is broken, which in turn is one of the critical factors in determining whether a batsman is out bowled, stumped, run out or hit wicket...
. The innings helped Australia to set England a target of 503. Miller took 3/27 on the final day, helping to cut through the middle order as Australia won by 274 runs. Miller was out for seven and a duck in the Fifth Test at the MCG. He took 4/76 in the first innings, joining Lindwall in cutting down the middle order, despite which England won by eight wickets. Miller topped the Test batting averages with 350 runs at 43.75, and for the entire first-class season, he scored 1332 runs at 78.35, the highest among all comers. His bowling was also strong, with 17 wickets at 17.70, second only to Jack Iverson
Jack Iverson
John Brian Iverson was an Australian cricketer who played in 5 Tests from 1950 to 1951. He was known for his unique "bent finger" grip, with which he briefly perplexed batsmen across Australia as well as the touring English cricket team...
(21 wickets at 15.23). However, an attack by Morris (182) and Miller (83) in a Shield match dispirited Iverson, and he never played Test cricket again.
West Indies tour Australia
The 1951–52 Australian season saw the first tour by a West Indian team in two decades. The Caribbean team had beaten England 3–1 in 1950 and were regarded as the biggest threat to Australia since BodylineBodyline
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 batting was led by the "three Ws": Everton Weekes
Everton Weekes
Sir Everton DeCourcy Weekes, KCMG, GCM, OBE is a leading former West Indian cricketer. Along with Frank Worrell and Clyde Walcott, he formed what was known as "The Three Ws" of West Indian cricket.-Youth and early career:...
, Frank Worrell
Frank Worrell
Sir Frank Mortimer Maglinne Worrell is sometimes referred to by his nickname of Tae and was a West Indies cricketer and Jamaican senator...
and Clyde Walcott
Clyde Walcott
Sir Clyde Leopold Walcott, KA, GCM was a West Indian cricketer. Walcott was a member of the "three W's", the other two being Everton Weekes and Frank Worrell: all were very successful batsmen from Barbados, born within a short distance of each other in Bridgetown, Barbados in a period of 18...
. The English had also been bamboozled by the leg spin
Leg spin
Leg spin is a type of spin bowling in the sport of cricket. A leg spinner bowls right-arm with a wrist spin action, causing the ball to spin from right to left in the cricket pitch, at the point of delivery. When the ball bounces, the spin causes the ball to deviate sharply from right to left, that...
and left arm orthodox of Sonny Ramadhin
Sonny Ramadhin
Sonny Ramadhin was a West Indian cricketer, and a dominant bowler of the 1950s. He was the first West Indian cricketers of Indian origin, and was one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1951.- Biography and career :...
and Alf Valentine
Alf Valentine
Alfred Louis Valentine, April 28, 1930–11 May 2004 , was a West Indian cricketer in the 1950s and 1960s. He is most famous for his performance in the West Indies' 1950 tour of England, which was immortalised in the Victory Calypso.-The 1950 tour:...
, who took 59 wickets between them in four Tests against England. Miller and Lindwall were charged with attacking the opposition batsmen, testing them with short-pitched bowling. The West Indies batted first in the First Test at Brisbane and were dismissed for 216; Miller dismissing their captain John Goddard. Miller came to the crease at 3/80 and could not pick Ramadhin. He decided to attack the leg spinner without picking him. He missed some, was dropped twice and hit a six before falling for 46 to Valentine. Australia scraped out a 10-run lead. Miller took another wicket in the second innings but managed only four as Australia stumbled to a three-wicket victory. Between Tests, Miller took eight wickets in the match as New South Wales beat the tourists in a tour match. In the Second Test at Sydney, Miller came to the crease at 3/106 having gone wicketless in the West Indies' first innings of 362. He began to pick Ramadhin and finished with 129 in 246 minutes. Miller and Hassett put on 235, an Australian Test record for any wicket against the West Indies. Ramadhin ended with 1/196 and was demoralised. In the second innings, Miller took 3/50 with a heavy barrage of short balls and claimed two catches to help Australia to a seven-wicket victory. Wisden decried Lindwall and Miller's "relentless bumper tactics".
Miller had a lean Third Test, taking only one wicket and scoring four and 35, as Australia lost by six wickets. In the Fourth Test at the MCG, the West Indies batted first and Miller removed both openers in the first hour, before returning to end with 5/60 as the tourists were bowled out for 272. He then scored 47 as Australia managed only 216. He took 2/49, but only scored two in Australia's run-chase of 259. The home team won by one wicket. In the Fifth Test, Miller took 5/26 in the first innings with another concentrated display of short-pitched bowling, and then scored 69 in the second innings. He took two further wickets in the second innings as Australia fell short of their target. Miller ended the series as the leading bowler, with 20 wickets at 19.90. He was second in the batting, with 362 runs at 40.22. Throughout the series, Miller and Lindwall were repeatedly successful with their concerted bouncer tactics, which were heavily criticised.
After the Test series ended, Miller captained a Commonwealth XI
Commonwealth XI cricket team
The Commonwealth XI cricket team played over 100 first-class cricket matches from 1949 to 1968. The team started out as a side made up of mostly English, Australian and West Indian cricketers, that toured the subcontinent but later on played first-class fixtures in England...
that played against a touring England team in Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
, Ceylon
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. England had been on a tour of the Indian subcontinent
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...
. Miller scored 106 as the Commonwealth compiled 517. Miller took three wickets in the first innings and led his team to a victory by an innings and 259 runs.
Captain of New South Wales
At the start of the 1952–53 season, the New South Wales Cricket AssociationNew South Wales Cricket Association
The New South Wales Cricket Association is a sporting club who administer cricket in New South Wales, based at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Their trading name is Cricket NSW....
's five-man selection panel installed Miller as captain in place of Morris. This was despite Morris leading the state to the Sheffield Shield in the previous season. Miller did not lobby for the job, but the Sydney media had campaigned for Miller, suggesting that his flamboyant style would attract more spectators and help stem the financial losses of the NSWCA. Despite this, Morris remained the Test vice-captain ahead of Miller.
In his first match as leader, Miller scored 109 against Queensland. Taking 260 minutes, it was the slowest century of his career. In another match against the touring South Africans, Miller elected to field and reduced his opponents to 3/3 and went on to win by five wickets. His players respected him, and some began to mimic his cough, voice, gait and idiosyncrasies. Richie Benaud
Richie Benaud
Richard "Richie" Benaud OBE is a former Australian cricketer who, since his retirement from international cricket in 1964, has become a highly regarded commentator on the game....
unbuttoned his shirt in Miller's mould. He captained in an unorthodox manner, often trying unusual ploys to unsettle the opposition. He encouraged the opposition to attack in an attempt to get a wicket, and often shuffled his batting order to suit the circumstances of his batsmen. He was soon called before authorities after a match against South Australia. Sid Barnes, his 12th man, had come onto the ground with drinks, dressed as a flight attendant. He also brought things such as cigars, mirrors and combs. Barnes' antics extended the break longer than usual. Miller was called before the NSWCA after the South Australian Cricket Association
South Australian Cricket Association
The South Australian Cricket Association is the peak body for the sport of cricket in South Australia. The association runs Adelaide Oval and the Southern Redbacks based in Adelaide, South Australia. SACA is the controlling body for the South Australian Grade Cricket League...
lodged a complaint, and had to give an assurance that such an incident would not be repeated.
Miller started the Test series against South Africa poorly. Suffering from a throat infection, he scored three in both innings and took 1/46 in an Australian victory. In the Second Test at the MCG, Miller performed consistently with bat and ball, taking 4/62 and 3/51 and scoring 52 and 31. In the course of the match, he passed the all-round double of 1000 Test runs and 100 Test wickets when he dismissed John Waite
John Waite
John Charles Waite is an English rock singer and musician. He was lead vocalist for The Babys and Bad English. As a solo artist, he scored several international hits, including 1984's "Missing You", a top ten hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart, reaching #1 in the...
in the second innings, but this was not enough to prevent defeat. In the Third Test, Miller scored 55, putting on 168 with Harvey, and took 3/48 and 2/33 in an innings victory. Australia's fortunes took a turn for the worse in the Fourth Test in Adelaide. Miller scored nine and injured his back after two overs with the ball. Lindwall also broke down. Without their spearheads, Australia were unable to bowl out the South Africans and match was drawn. Both were ruled out of the Fifth Test and the South Africans levelled the series despite conceding 520 runs during the first innings. Australia's bowlers were unable to stop the South African batsmen without their new ball pair.
1953 Ashes tour
Australia proceeded to the 1953 Ashes tourAustralian cricket team in England in 1953
The Australian cricket team toured England in the 1953 season to play a five-match Test series against England for The Ashes.England won the final Test to take the series 1-0 after the first four Tests were all drawn. England therefore recovered the Ashes for the first time since losing them in...
. During a stopover at Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, Miller was locked inside after entering a private opera rehearsal without authorisation, but managed to escape and rejoin the boat as it was about to leave. During his career, several cricket books were published under Miller's name, and he was embroiled in further controversy when one ghost-written tome, which was printed as the team left for England, criticised his captain Hassett as being too cautious.
The burden on Miller and Lindwall increased when Johnston broke down in an early tour game. Miller was wicketless against Worcestershire, but succeeded with the bat, scoring an unbeaten 220 in just over six hours. He then scored 159 not out against Yorkshire. At this point, Miller had scored 421 runs in the week of May, and the media began to speculate that he could score 1000 runs in one month, something that had been done on a tour only by Bradman.
Miller's love of horseracing
Thoroughbred horse race
Thoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport: Flat racing and National Hunt racing...
then interfered with his quest. Wanting to attend an afternoon race meeting, he opened the batting in the morning against Cambridge University
Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
. Not intending to play a long innings, he attacked the bowling and was out for 20, before heading for the track. He stayed at the track until late afternoon, and returned to find the Australians walking out to field. This was followed by a match against the MCC at Lord's where he took four wickets of English Test players. Miller then took match figures of 5/27 against Oxford University
Oxford University Cricket Club
Oxford University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team, representing the University of Oxford. It plays its home games at the University Parks in Oxford, England...
. In the match against Essex, Miller pulled rib muscles, meaning he could not bowl in the First Test at Trent Bridge. He scored 55 and five in a rain-affected draw.
Australia travelled to Bramall Lane
Bramall Lane
-Cricket at the Lane:Bramall Lane opened as a cricket ground in 1855, having been leased by Michael Ellison from the Duke of Norfolk at an annual rent of £70. The site was then away from the town's industrial area, and relatively free from smoke. It was built to host the matches of local cricket...
under the captaincy of Miller. Captain Hassett and his deputy Morris were rested and stayed in London with the team manager. After the first day's play, he organised a party for that lasted until the next afternoon—the rest day. He woke up with a hangover the next day just minutes before the start of play. Improvising, Miller arrived at the ground in a hearse
Hearse
A hearse is a funerary vehicle used to carry a coffin from a church or funeral home to a cemetery. In the funeral trade, hearses are often called funeral coaches.-History:...
. When it was Australia's turn to bat, Miller was the last man to be dismissed, having scored 86 despite his hangover.
The Test series moved to Lord's. Miller resumed bowling, sending down 42 overs and taking a total of 1/74. He managed 25 in the first innings, but promoted to number three in the second innings, he batted patiently to reach stumps before reaching his first Test century on English soil the following morning, but England held on for a draw. More than half of the Third Test at Old Trafford was washed out, resulting in another draw. Miller took 1/38 bowling fast off breaks and scored 17 and six. Australia then played Middlesex at Lord's, where Miller scored a hard-hitting 71.
Australia elected to field on a wet wicket in the Fourth Test at Headingley. Miller dismissed Edrich and Graveney and ended with 2/39 from 38 overs as England were bowled out for 167. Miller made only five in the first innings. In the second innings, Miller and Lindwall launched a short-pitched barrage and dismissed Watson and Simpson in consecutive balls. England were 5/177 a stumps on day four, leading by 78. The pacemen were booed from the field. The next day, Miller dismissed Evans early, before Trevor Bailey
Trevor Bailey
Trevor Edward Bailey CBE was an England Test cricketer, cricket writer and broadcaster.An all-rounder, Bailey was known for his skilful but unspectacular batting...
began his resistance. Frustrated by Bailey's defensive style and time-wasting, Miller lost his cool and aimed 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...
straight at Bailey's head, further angering the crowd. Miller ended with 4/63 from a long spell of 47 overs. England held on for another draw after more time-wasting by Bailey. The teams headed for the Fifth Test at The Oval tied 0–0. Miller's last Test performance was his least productive; he scored one and a duck and took a total of 2/89. England won the match and regained the Ashes. Miller's returns were below his career standards, with 223 runs at 24.77 and 10 wickets at 30.30. He took two catches.
Miller scored 67 against the Gentlemen of England at Lord's and then played against the Combined Services at Kingston
Sabina Park
Sabina Park is the home of the Kingston Cricket Club, and is the only Test cricket ground in Kingston, Jamaica and is often referred to as "The Holiday Home of Cricket"....
. He reached his century before lunch and then proceeded to 262 not out with 24 boundaries. This included a 377-run fourth-wicket stand by Jim de Courcy
Jim de Courcy
James Harry de Courcy was an Australian cricketer who played in three Tests on the 1953 Australian tour of England....
in only 205 minutes, in particular targeting Fred Trueman
Fred Trueman
Frederick Sewards Trueman OBE was an English cricketer, generally acknowledged as one of the greatest fast bowlers in history. A bowler of genuinely fast pace who was widely known as Fiery Fred, Trueman played first-class cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1949 until he retired in 1968...
's bowling. He then took 3/17 with the ball. He finished the English summer with 1,433 runs at 51.17, the second highest average behind Harvey among batsmen with over 200 runs. He was the only Australian to hit two double centuries and also took 45 wickets at 22.51. For his efforts that summer, Wisden Cricketers' Almanack named him one of its Five Cricketers of the Year
Wisden Cricketers of the Year
The Wisden Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, based primarily on their "influence on the previous English season"...
.
Overlooked for Test captaincy
Miller returned to Australia and led New South Wales to the Sheffield Shield title in 1953–54. He topped the Australian first-class batting averages with 71.10, but had his poorest season with the ball, taking only 16 wickets at 38.75. The season was purely domestic with no touring side and therefore no Test matches. The season was also a transition point in Australian cricket, as Hassett retired upon return to Australia. Initially, Morris and Miller were the two frontrunners for the captaincy. Miller was the state captain, but Morris was the vice-captain of the Test team ahead of Miller. At the time, Johnson had been dropped from the Australian team, but inherited the Victorian captaincy from Hassett, who accused him of not trying. Hassett told Johnson that he could become Test captain if he regained his form and his Test position. As the outgoing captain, Hassett was believed to have an influence over the selection of his successor. Miller had also criticised Hassett in his book, and there was talk that Hassett was upset about Miller's departure from South Melbourne and Victoria. Johnson returned to form with 45 wickets at 22.75 for the season.England toured Australia in the 1954–55 season. Johnson was selected to lead an Australian XI in a tour match against the Englishmen before the Tests, an indication of the selectors' inclination. He took 6/66 in England's only innings. The build-up featured a media war, with Melbourne newspapers stumping for Johnson while the Sydney journalists trumpeted Miller. Miller warmed up for the Tests with 86 for New South Wales against England. On 18 November, the Australian Board of Control selected Johnson as captain, with Morris as his deputy. Miller's irreverent nature was cited as a possible reason for the board's selection. Johnson was regarded as a superior diplomat, while Miller had a reputation for turning up late and being undisciplined. Miller had frequently been in dispute with Bradman, who was a member of the board and the chairman of selectors. Miller had also questioned where revenue that the board collected from ticket sales was being used. Others claimed that Johnson was appointed because he was part of the establishment; his father Bill
William Johnson (cricketer)
William James Johnson was a wine and spirit grocer and keen cricketer who played one first-class match for Victoria in 1924–25. He was later a selector of the Australian Test team....
was a former Australian selector. The decision was bitterly criticised by the Sydney press.
Miller scored 49 in the First Test at Brisbane as Australia amassed 8/601, before dismissing Simpson and Hutton as England fell to an innings defeat. A knee injury forced Miller to miss the Second Test at the SCG, which England won. Miller returned for the Third Test at the MCG, but was initially unavailable to bowl due to lingering knee problems. However, upon receiving an inquiry about the health of his knee before the match by Prime Minister of Australia
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
Robert Menzies
Robert Menzies
Sir Robert Gordon Menzies, , Australian politician, was the 12th and longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia....
, Miller agreed to try to bowl for a short period and lift his team. England elected to bat and Miller removed Hutton, Edrich and Compton with his outswinger. He ended up bowling for the entire first session of play and had 3/5 at lunch from nine overs, before finishing at 3/14. England were bowled out for 191. Miller struggled with the bat, scoring six and seven as Frank Tyson
Frank Tyson
Frank Holmes Tyson is an England cricketer of the 1950s who became a journalist and cricket commentator after he emigrated to Australia in 1960. Nicknamed "Typhoon Tyson" by the press he was regarded by many commentators as one of the fastest bowlers ever seen in cricket and took 76 wickets in...
's pace saw England inflict a second successive defeat on Australia. Australia needed to win the Fourth Test in Adelaide to keep the series alive. Miller scored 44 and 14 as Australia were bowled out in the second innings to leave England with 94 for victory. Miller made a late burst, removing Edrich, Hutton and Colin Cowdrey
Colin Cowdrey
Michael Colin Cowdrey, Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge, CBE , better known as Colin Cowdrey, was the Captain of Oxford University, Kent County Cricket Club and the England cricket team in a career that lasted from 1950 to 1976...
in consecutive overs to leave England at 3/18. He then took a difficult catch from Johnston to dismiss Peter May
Peter May
-External links:* * at Cricket Archive*...
. England were then 4/49 but hung on to win by five wickets and secure the Ashes. It was the first time that Australia had lost three consecutive Tests since the Bodyline series of 1932–33. Miller made 19 and 28 in the rain-affected draw in the Fifth Test. He ended the series with 167 runs at 23.86, his lowest ever at international level, and took 10 wickets at 24.30.
He had more success as domestic level. New South Wales beat Victoria in two days at the SCG to win the Sheffield Shield; Miller taking five wickets in the second innings. He also led his state in a 45-run win over the tourists, their only defeat apart from the First Test. The match was marked by a quickfire 71 in 57 minutes and his team's attacking strategy.
West Indies tour
After leading his state to another Sheffield Shield title and a win over England, Miller replaced Morris as the vice-captain for the tour of the West Indies that started in early 1955. Australia was looking for its first series win against any team in three years, having lost two consecutive series to England. Australia batted first in the opening Test at Sabina ParkSabina Park
Sabina Park is the home of the Kingston Cricket Club, and is the only Test cricket ground in Kingston, Jamaica and is often referred to as "The Holiday Home of Cricket"....
in Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. Miller came to the wicket at 2/137 and put on a 224-run partnership with Harvey. Both ended with centuries and Miller scored his highest Test score of 147, striking 15 fours. When Valentine and Ramadhin had conceded 100 runs, he respectively shook their hands. Australia finished at 9/515. Johnson had been injured when hit in the foot by a yorker
Yorker
Yorker is a term used in cricket that describes a ball bowled which hits the cricket pitch around the batsman's feet. When a batsman assumes a normal stance this generally means that the cricket ball bounces on the cricket pitch on or near the batsman's popping crease...
so Miller was left in charge of the team on the field with Australia one bowler short. Miller attempted to unsettle the batsmen by placing many men close to the bat in an attempt to insult their batting capabilities. He took the new ball at 5/239 and the hosts collapsed to be all out for 259. Miller had taken 2/36, and enforced the follow-on
Follow-on
Follow-on is a term used in the sport of cricket to describe a situation where the team that bats second is forced to take its second batting innings immediately after its first, because the team was not able to get close enough to the score achieved by the first team batting in the first innings...
, which was questioned as paceman Ron Archer
Ron Archer
This article is about the cricket player. For Ron Archer see Ted WhiteRonald Graham Archer was an Australian Test cricketer who was born in Highgate Hill, Queensland...
had broken down. With Australia two bowlers short, the West Indies moved to 1/114. When Weekes arrived at the crease, Miller unsettled him with delaying tactics, and he was out for one. He then placed two silly points and two silly mid-ons in an attempt to unsettle Walcott, who fell to Lindwall soon after. Miller then took two wickets and the hosts had lost three wickets in as many overs. The West Indies were bowled out and Australia won by nine wickets. Miller had taken 3/62 in the second innings.
Johnson resumed the leadership on the field in the Second Test at Queen's Park Oval
Queen's Park Oval
Queen's Park Oval, in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, is currently the largest capacity cricket ground in the West Indies and has hosted more Test matches than any other ground in the Caribbean. It also hosted a number of matches in the 2007 Cricket World Cup. It is privately owned by the...
in Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
. The match was a high-scoring draw, but Miller scored only three and took match figures of 1/148. In the Third Test at Georgetown, Guyana
Georgetown, Guyana
Georgetown, estimated population 239,227 , is the capital and largest city of Guyana, located in the Demerara-Mahaica region. It is situated on the Atlantic Ocean coast at the mouth of the Demerara River and it was nicknamed 'Garden City of the Caribbean.' Georgetown is located at . The city serves...
, Miller removed both openers in the first innings and then scored 33 as Australia by eight wickets. He took 3/51 for the match. In the Fourth Test at Bridgetown, Barbados, Miller came to the wicket with Australia at 3/226 on the first day. The tourists lost two more wickets to be 5/233. Miller and Archer launched a counter-attacking partnership of 206. Miller reached 137 and then walked after edging a ball, even though none of the opposition had appealed. Australia reached 668 and the West Indies were struggling at 6/147, with Miller having dismissed Weekes and Collie Smith
Collie Smith
O'Neil Gordon 'Collie' Smith was a West Indian cricketer....
in the same over. At the time, Miller was bowling at medium pace, but Johnson felt that the new batsmen Denis Atkinson
Denis Atkinson
Denis St Eval Atkinson was a West Indian cricketer who played 22 Test matches as an all-rounder, hitting 922 runs and taking 47 wickets. He also played first-class cricket for Barbados and Trinidad...
and Clairmonte Depeiaza
Clairmonte Depeiaza
Cyril Clairmonte Depeiaza was a West Indian cricketer.A wicket keeper, Depeiza played in the Barbados Cricket League....
were vulnerable to express pace. Johnson ordered Miller to bowl fast, but was turned down. Johnson replaced Miller with Lindwall, who was tired and was hit around the ground. The pair seized the initiative and compiled a world Test record of 347 for the seventh wicket and the Australians were tired after failing to break the partnership. Miller attacked Johnson in front of the other players, saying "You couldn't captain a bunch of bloody schoolboys!" Johnson then offered to resolve the dispute "out the back", implying a fisticuffs.
Miller declined the offer and stopped. The match resumed the next day and the West Indies were eventually bowled out 158 behind. Miller had been punished by the batsmen, taking 2/113 from 22 overs. Miller scored 10 and took 1/66 in the second innings as the match ended in a high-scoring draw. Miller then took 6/107 in the first innings of the Fifth Test in Jamaica. He removed John Holt, Walcott and Smith, before taking three tail-end wickets as the home team were bowled out for 357. When Australia batted, Miller arrived at the crease to join Harvey with the score at 3/302. He added his third century of the series and ended with 109 as Australia reached 8/758. He took 2/58 in the second innings as Australia completed a 3–0 win. It was Miller's most statistically successful series, with 439 runs at 73.17 and the 20 wickets at 32.05 made him the equal leading wicket-taker along with Lindwall.
Final domestic season
Miller started the 1955–56 season, which was purely domestic, with 164 against Queensland in Brisbane. On the final day, Miller set the hosts 275 for victory in three hours. He lengthened the innings break by seven minutes, by remonstrating with officials to pause the match for the running of the Melbourne CupMelbourne Cup
The Melbourne Cup is Australia's major Thoroughbred horse race. Marketed as "the race that stops a nation", it is a 3,200 metre race for three-year-olds and over. It is the richest "two-mile" handicap in the world, and one of the richest turf races...
. They agreed and the match was stopped for 13 minutes for the race. Queensland lost seven wickets but held on for a draw, aided by the 20 minutes lost by Miller's love of horseracing.
The next match was against South Australia in Sydney. New South Wales had declared at 8/215 and the visitors were 0/2 at stumps on the first day. Miller's wife gave birth to their fourth child, and Miller was drinking into the next morning. He then arrived at the SCG, having forgotten to pick up team-mate Peter Philpott
Peter Philpott
Peter Ian Philpott was a leg-spin bowler and middle order batsman for New South Wales and Australia in the 1960s. He made his debut in the West Indies in 1964-65 and took 18 wickets...
as arranged, so he had to rush back and the pair arrived late for the day's play. Miller was still in a tuxedo as play was about to start. Miller completed the unfinished over from the previous night and felt that the pitch did not offer any assistance. He then told Alan Davidson
Alan Davidson (cricketer)
Alan Keith Davidson, AM, MBE is a former Australian cricketer of the 1950s and 1960s. He was an all rounder: a hard-hitting lower-order left-handed batsman, and an outstanding left-arm fast-medium opening bowler...
to bowl the next over from his end. However, as Davidson was about to bowl, Miller changed his mind and took over. Miller bowled Les Favell
Les Favell
Leslie Ernest Favell was an Australian cricketer who played in 19 Tests from 1954 to 1961. He was a strong batsman who liked to hit the ball around the ground and was a much loved character...
in the over. He kept on bowling and finished with 7/12 from 7.3 overs, clean bowling five of his victims. The visitors had been levelled for 27, the lowest score in the history of the Sheffield Shield. Miller then asked South Australia to follow-on, but showed little interest in bowling again, delivering only six overs despite the bowler-friendly conditions. Philpott said that "this was typical Miller. He was never an accumulator of records, not particularly concerned with figures." In another incident, Miller had been making a speech at a civic reception for the New South Wales team in the town of Maitland
Maitland, New South Wales
Maitland is a city in the Lower Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia and the seat of Maitland City Council, situated on the Hunter River approximately by road north of Sydney and north-west of Newcastle...
. In front of the mayor at the town hall, he praised the hospitality, before turning around to his players and asking what the name of the town was. Miller then turned up late to a coaching clinic the next day and instead of teaching, he made a speech, advising the children to play tennis as there was more money on offer.
In January 1956, Miller injured his back in a match against Queensland. He suffered spasms that forced him to miss the rest of the season. He had scored 403 runs at 80.60 and taken 19 wickets at 14.94. New South Wales again won the Sheffield Shield.
Final Ashes tour
Miller was selected for the 1956 Ashes tourAustralian cricket team in England in 1956
The Australian cricket team toured England in the 1956 season to play a five-match Test series against England for The Ashes.England won the series 2-1 with 2 matches drawn and therefore retained The Ashes....
, but could not bowl for a month because of a back injury from the first match. Miller captained the Australians against Leicester. Coming in at 3/175, Miller made his highest first-class score of 281 not out, striking 35 fours in six and a half hours. A tougher fight awaited against Surrey at The Oval, who had England's Test spin combination of Laker and Tony Lock
Tony Lock
Graham Anthony Richard Lock was an English cricketer, who played primarily as a left-arm spinner. He played in forty nine Tests for England taking 174 wickets at 25.58 each.-Life and career:...
. Miller came in at 3/124 and struggled, scoring 18 runs in his first 120 minutes, his slowest two hours of scoring in his career. As his partners continued to fall Miller ended unbeaten on 57 as Australia were bowled out for 259; Laker taking all ten wickets. Australia lost by ten wickets, its first loss to a county since 1912. As a result, sections of the Australian media began campaigning for Miller to replace Johnson as captain.
Ken Mackay
Kenneth Donald Mackay was an Australian cricketer who played in 37 Tests from 1956 to 1963....
were called in to make their debut and support Miller with the pace duties. Australia batted first and Miller managed 28. Australia managed only 285 and Crawford injured himself, exacerbating the burden on Miller. Miller had Peter Richardson
Peter Richardson (cricketer)
Peter Edward Richardson is an English former cricketer, who played for Worcestershire, Kent and, in thirty four Tests, for England....
and then bowled Tom Graveney
Tom Graveney
Thomas William Graveney in Riding Mill, Northumberland, is a former English cricketer and was the President of the Marylebone Cricket Club for 2004/5. He went to Bristol Grammar School...
with an outswinger. England were 2/32 and their captain Peter May
Peter May
-External links:* * at Cricket Archive*...
received 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 Miller first ball, which he inside edged onto his stumps, but the bail was not dislodged. The next day, Miller beat May four times and then had Watson caught in the gully in his third over. He then removed Bailey and Trueman. Miller's 5/72 was largely responsible for England falling for 171. Australia was in difficulty at 3/69 when Miller came to bat, hitting a counterattacking 30. Australia set England 371 to win. Miller removed Graveney at the start of the run chase. Resuming the next morning, he bowled Watson, and had May and Evans both caught behind. He bowled Johnny Wardle
Johnny Wardle
Johnny Wardle was an English spin bowler of post-war cricket. His Test bowling average of 20.39, is the lowest in Test cricket by any recognised spin bowler, since World War I....
and took his only ten-wicket match haul in Tests. Australia won by 185 runs and Miller had bowled 70.1 overs for the match. His knee had taken a heavy toll and Miller was given an extended break had to play purely as a batsman in the Third Test at Headingley. Australia were caught on a wet wicket in response to England's 325, and Miller top-scored with 41 and Australia were forced to follow on. He had attempted to keep Laker and Lock at bay with his pads. In the second innings, Miller fell for 26 to Laker. Australia lost by an innings, for the first time in a Test in 18 years.
The Australian press attacked the team, and called for changes, including the omission of the captain, Johnson. Johnson, Miller and Gil Langley
Gil Langley
Gilbert Roche Andrews "Gil" Langley was an Australian Test cricketer, champion Australian rules footballer and member of parliament, serving as Speaker of the South Australian House of Assembly....
were the tour selectors. Langley and Miller were willing to omit Johnson only if the captain volunteered to stand aside. Johnson did not volunteer, so the others did not discuss the topic. Miller and Johnson had both been appointed as Members of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(MBE) in the 1956 New Year Honours
New Year Honours
The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, being a civic occasion on the New Year annually in which new members of most Commonwealth Realms honours are named. The awards are presented by the reigning monarch or head of state, currently Queen Elizabeth II...
, and between the Tests they attended their formal investiture.
The curator at Old Trafford had been ordered to prepare a dusty, spinning pitch for the Fourth Test. A win for England would see them retain the Ashes. Miller bowled 21 wicketless overs as England amassed 459. Miller was out for six and a duck and fell twice to Laker, who took a world record 19 wickets as Australia lost by an innings. Wisden reported that the Australians were said "to be extremely bitter over the condition of the pitch".
Miller then took 5/84 against Surrey, before leading the team against Warwickshire. He had received death threats in the lead-up to the game, ordering him to lose. He scored 46 not out and took 2/13 as Australia won by an innings. He then took 5/29 in the second innings against Lancashire and made 50 and took match figures of 5/78 against Essex.
On the eve of the Fifth Test at The Oval, Miller announced that the tour would be his last, so that he would retire from cricket after the tour of the Indian subcontinent
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...
on the return voyage. In his final Test on English soil, he took 4/91 in the first innings. Miller came in to bat at 5/47 and helped Australia recover to 202, top-scoring with 61. He took another one wicket in the second innings and was unbeaten on seven when stumps were drawn in the second innings. The series ended 1–2. He ended the series with 199 runs at 28.43 and topped the bowling with 21 wickets at 22.23. He topped the first-class bowling for the Australians with 50 wickets at 19.60.
Australia played Pakistan at Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
in the first Test between the two countries on a matting pitch
Cricket pitch
In the game of cricket, the cricket pitch consists of the central strip of the cricket field between the wickets - 1 chain or 22 yards long and 10 feet wide. The surface is very flat and normally covered with extremely short grass though this grass is soon removed by wear at the ends of the...
, rather than the more familiar grass pitch. Miller top-scored in the first innings with 21, as Australia fell for 80. He took 2/40 and then scored 11 in the second innings as Australia fell to defeat. It was the last Test of his career, as his knee injury deteriorated to the point that he could not play in the three Tests against India, and retired upon his return to Australia.
Style and personality
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:...
over square leg with a backhand tennis shot and once beginning the day's play in a Test match with a six. One straight six that he hit at the Sydney Cricket Ground
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
was still rising when it hit the first deck of the M.A. Noble Stand. Len Hutton said he was "the most unpredictable cricketer I have played against".
As a bowler, Miller had a classically high arm action, moving the ball sharply either way and able to make the ball rise from a good length. His action caused opposition batsmen to perceive that his deliveries were gaining pace after pitching. He was often able to generate more pace than his new ball partner, Lindwall. He was always willing to try something new if the batsman were set, varying his approach from fifteen paces to five and vice-versa. A round arm delivery often managed to capture a wicket, surprising the batsman. Compton said that Miller "often had no preconceived idea what he intended to bowl even as he turned to start his run". Miller often mixed slow leg break
Leg break
A leg break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. A delivery of a right-handed leg spin bowler. Leg breaks are also colloquially known as leggies or wrist spinners, as the wrist is the body part which is primarily used to impart spin on the ball, as opposed to the fingers in the case of...
s when he was bowling off a run. He once bowled English opening batsman David Sheppard
David Sheppard
David Stuart Sheppard, Baron Sheppard of Liverpool was the high-profile Bishop of Liverpool in the Church of England who played cricket for Sussex and England in his youth...
with a googly
Googly
In cricket, a googly is a type of delivery bowled by a right-arm leg spin bowler. It is occasionally referred to as a Bosie , an eponym in honour of its inventor Bernard Bosanquet.- Explanation :...
during a Test. Hutton opined that Miller was the bowler who was least concerned with the position of his bowling mark, and said that he "never felt physically safe against him". His use 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 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...
during the 1948 tour was seen by the English crowd as excessive, who booed him. Miller simply sat down until the barracking had subsided. He was often required to bowl through pain, pressing a disk into place at the base of his spine before sending down the next delivery.
Alan Davidson (cricketer)
Alan Keith Davidson, AM, MBE is a former Australian cricketer of the 1950s and 1960s. He was an all rounder: a hard-hitting lower-order left-handed batsman, and an outstanding left-arm fast-medium opening bowler...
, a bowling all rounder who supported Lindwall and Miller for New South Wales and Australia, said that "Ray Lindwall was the best bowler I ever saw of any type. his control was just perfect. At the other end you had Miller, who was unpredictable...It really was a perfect team." He was an acrobatic slips fielder, who would take freakish catches with nonchalant ease, often immediately returning to his discussion with those around him as if nothing was unusual.
Miller often required a contest to retain interest in the game. He deplored Bradman's ruthless attitude towards annihilating the opposition and sometimes refused to try when Australia was in an unassailable position. At Southend in 1948, as the Australians scored a world record 721 runs in a single day against Essex
Essex County Cricket Club
Essex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
, Miller, coming in to bat when the score was 2/364, allowed himself to be bowled first ball. Indeed, he "turned to the wicketkeeper and said: "Thank God that's over"." His teammate 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...
said that if Miller "had the same outlook as Bradman or Ponsford he would have made colossal scores" and become "the statisticians' greatest customer".
Miller never captained Australia in a Test, as his attitude to the game tended to alarm the authorities. About Miller, Ashley Mallett
Ashley Mallett
Ashley Alexander Mallett is a former Australian cricketer who played in 38 Tests and 9 One Day Internationals between 1968 and 1980...
wrote, "He loved tradition, but hated convention. His unstructured way of playing and living would be anathema to cricketers now... He played as he fought the war, by impulse and mood." He sometimes set his field by saying to his players: "scatter". On another occasion, he is reported turned to his players, after being told that NSW was taking the field with one player too many, and asked for one player to volunteer to "piss off".
A larger than life character, Miller is the subject of many stories, often apocryphal. One story had Don Bradman answering a knock on the door late one night to see Miller dressed in a dinner suit. Miller advised Bradman that, as demanded, he was in bed at curfew and was now going out. His relationship with Bradman was one riddled with friction and mutual antipathy, "... one a roundhead of massive influence, the other a cavalier and maverick". As Bradman moved from batting hero and team captain to selector and administrator, his influence grew; this "... almost certainly cost Miller any chance of captaining his country".
One night, following a duel with Messerschmitt
Messerschmitt
Messerschmitt AG was a famous German aircraft manufacturing corporation named for its chief designer, Willy Messerschmitt, and known primarily for its World War II fighter aircraft, notably the Bf 109 and Me 262...
s in his Mosquito
De Havilland Mosquito
The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...
, he made an unauthorised detour over Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
because it was Beethoven's birthplace and he was a lover of the classics. Despite his fame, Miller remained a humble man; when asked his favourite cricketing memory, he would recall no incident concerning himself, but "a South Australian team-mate walking onto Lord's to a thunderous ovation a few weeks after his release from a POW camp". The cricket broadcaster, 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...
said "that for all the glamour that attached to Miller, he was staunch and unaffected as a friend".
When asked how he managed to take seven wickets for just 12 runs against South Australia, Miller replied:
There's three reasons, First, I bowled bloody well. Second, I, errr ... second ..." [pause]. "You can forget about the other two reasons."
Later life
After retirement, Miller remained in the public eye, augmented by persistent "unsubstantiated rumours of an affair with Princess Margaret". He made a living as a journalist and columnist, employed by the Daily ExpressDaily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
as a "special cricket writer" for twenty years. As during his career, Miller was a proponent of attacking and bright play. He praised the aggressive leadership of his protege Richie Benaud
Richie Benaud
Richard "Richie" Benaud OBE is a former Australian cricketer who, since his retirement from international cricket in 1964, has become a highly regarded commentator on the game....
but criticised the style of play pursued by Australia under Benaud's successors Bob Simpson
Bob Simpson (cricketer)
Robert Baddeley Simpson AO is a former cricketer who played for New South Wales, Western Australia and Australia, captaining the national team from 1963–64 until 1967–68, and again in 1977–78. He later had a highly successful term as the coach of the Australian team...
and Bill Lawry
Bill Lawry
William Morris "Bill" Lawry, AM is a former cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia. He captained Australia in 25 Tests, winning nine, losing eight and drawing eight, and led Australia in the inaugural One Day International match, played in 1971...
. In the mid-1980s, when Australia was struggling, Miller called for the removal of Allan Border
Allan Border
Allan Robert Border AO is a former Australian cricketer. A batsman, Border was for many years the captain of the Australian team. His playing nickname was "A.B.". He played 156 Test matches in his career, a record until it was passed by fellow Australian Steve Waugh...
, an obdurate and defensive batsman, from the captaincy.
He later worked for Vernons Pools
Football pools
A football pool, often collectively referred to as "the pools", is a betting pool based on predicting the outcome of top-level association football matches set to take place in the coming week. The pools are typically cheap to enter, with the potential to win huge money. Entries were traditionally...
, owned by the millionaire horseracing entrepreneur, Robert Sangster
Robert Sangster
Robert Edmund Sangster was a British businessman, thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder. He was British flat racing Champion Owner five times and his horses won many major races, including two Epsom Derbys, four Irish Derbys, two French Derbys, three Prix de l'Arc de Triomphes and a Melbourne...
. However, Miller "was happiest at the cricket or at the races". He also worked as the head of a lobby group in promoting Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
in his adopted New South Wales in the 1980s. At the time, the VFL was the dominant league and there were no top-flight teams in his adopted state or Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
.
Miller's later life was plagued by ill health. In November 1991, he was hospitalised with a stroke, and soon after fell over and broke his hip, necessitating two further operations. He had skin cancer
Skin cancer
Skin neoplasms are skin growths with differing causes and varying degrees of malignancy. The three most common malignant skin cancers are basal cell cancer, squamous cell cancer, and melanoma, each of which is named after the type of skin cell from which it arises...
, caused by his insistence on always displaying his mop of hair and not wearing a hat. He accepted these vicissitudes equably. "Some grieved to see him reduced, but not him; these were life's deliveries. He knew only that one would get him out eventually." He had an earlobe removed. The cancer also attacked his legs, and coupled with his hip injury, severely curtailed his mobility, forcing him to use walking frames and wheelchairs. Asked at 75 about death, he said: "Never think about it. No regrets. I've had a hell of a good life. Been damned lucky."
Despite his illnesses, he continued to travel to England in the 1990s to watch cricket and meet up with Compton, Edrich and other war and cricket colleagues on an annual basis, although he became increasingly isolated as he outlasted his friends, both English and Australian.
In late-2002, Miller divorced his wife Peg, with whom he had four sons. He did so to marry his long-term mistress Marie Challman, with whom he had been living since 1999. Challman was a hospital receptionist and Miller reasoned that he would receive more effective medical treatment by moving to Melbourne to live with her, as his specialist doctors also live there. He had other long-term mistresses, including an Australian beauty queen with whom he was photographed in public. During his later years, his illness contributed to what his family felt was a deteriorating attitude and he fell out with his sons, but they reconciled shortly before his death.
Miller died in October 2004 after being in persistent poor health. He was given a state funeral by the Government of Victoria
Government of Victoria
The Government of Victoria, under the Constitution of Australia, ceded certain legislative and judicial powers to the Commonwealth, but retained complete independence in all other areas...
, which saw hundreds of mourners stand outside the packed cathedral, and was broadcast across the nation on ABC Radio.
Legacy and statistical analysis
Miller's achievements were recognised by a host of awards during his lifetime and posthumously. Miller was one of the ten inaugural inductees into the Australian Cricket Hall of FameAustralian Cricket Hall of Fame
The Australian Cricket Hall of Fame is a part of the Australian Gallery of Sport and Olympic Museum in the National Sports Museum at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. This Hall of Fame commemorates the greatest Australian cricketers of all time....
in 1996. In 2000, he was named in the Australian Cricket Board Team of the Century
Australian Cricket Board Team of the Century
The Australian Cricket Board Team of the Century was a theoretical cricket team selected by the Australian Cricket Board in 2000 as the best team of Australian cricketers in the 20th century.- Team :# Bill Ponsford# Arthur Morris# Don Bradman...
as its vice-captain. In January 2010, Miller was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame
ICC Cricket Hall of Fame
The ICC Cricket Hall of Fame "recognises the achievements of the legends of the game from cricket's long and illustrious history". A hall of fame, it was launched by the International Cricket Council on 2 January 2009, in association with the Federation of International Cricketers'...
.
He is also one of only four Australian cricketers, (the others being Bradman, Victor Trumper
Victor Trumper
Victor Thomas Trumper was an Australian cricketer known as the most stylish and versatile batsman of the Golden Age of cricket, capable of playing match-winning innings on wet wickets his contemporaries found unplayable. Archie MacLaren said of him, "Compared to Victor I was a cab-horse to a Derby...
and Shane Warne
Shane Warne
Shane Keith Warne is a former Australian international cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. In 2000, he was selected by a panel of cricket experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, the only specialist bowler selected in the quintet...
) to be honoured with a portrait in the Long Room at Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
in London. Miller is one of only three men (the others being M.H. "Vinoo" Mankad and G.StA. "Garry" Sobers
Garfield Sobers
Sir Garfield St Aubrun Sobers AO, OCC is a former cricketer who captained West Indies. His first name of Garfield is variously abbreviated as Gary or Garry. He is widely regarded as one of cricket's greatest ever all-rounders, having excelled at all the essential skills of batting, bowling and...
) to have his name on both the batting and bowling honours boards in the visitors' dressing-room there, for scoring both a century and for taking five wickets in a test at the ground.
Miller's abilities as an all-rounder led to enormous success as both batsman and bowler. The ICC player rankings have been applied retrospectively to cricket history and Miller achieved top ten rankings with both bat and ball. As a batsman, he peaked at ninth in the world in 1952, and was a top 20 player from shortly after début and for the rest of the duration of his career. Miller's bowling abilities led to even greater success. By the end of 1946, he was already ranked sixth in the world and thereafter never slipped lower than ninth; for much of his career, he was the second best bowler in the world according to the ratings, remarkably, for a 36-year-old, peaking at the number 1 slot for a few months in 1956. As an all-rounder, therefore, it is unsurprising to find that he was peerless for most of his career, ranked as number one in the world for most of his career, including an unbroken eight year run from June 1948 until his retirement.
Miller's statistics are an inexact measure of his worth to the side. Many of the Australia teams he played in featured very strong batting line-ups, restricting his opportunities as a middle-order player. His verve and enthusiasm were also important contributors to Australian success, as was his ability to produce the unexpected (particularly with the ball) and help break partnerships. It is for this reason that he is remembered for his personality and his one-off feats, more than statistical accomplishment, in Ian Chappell
Ian Chappell
Ian Michael Chappell is a former cricketer who played for South Australia and Australia. He captained Australia between 1971 and 1975 before taking a central role in the breakaway World Series Cricket organisation...
's words "People who saw it still talk of Keith Miller's monster shot that hit the Members Stand clock at the SCG in the 1950s".
Honours and awards
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- Member of the Order of AustraliaOrder of AustraliaThe Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(AM): Awarded 26 January 2005 for service to sport, particularly cricket as a player, journalist and commentator - Member of the Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(MBE): Awarded 2 January 1956 for services to cricket - 1939–1945 Star
- Air Crew Europe StarAir Crew Europe StarThe Air Crew Europe Star was a campaign medal of the British Commonwealth, awarded for service in World War II. Specifically, the medal was awarded to Commonwealth aircrew who participated in operational flights over Europe, from UK bases....
- Defence Medal
- War Medal 1939–1945War Medal 1939–1945The War Medal 1939–1945 was a British decoration awarded to those who had served in the Armed Forces or Merchant Navy full-time for at least 28 days between 3 September 1939 and 2 September 1945. In the Merchant Navy, the 28 days must have been served at sea...
- Australia Service Medal 1939–45Australia Service Medal 1939-45The Australia Service Medal 1939-45 recognises service by Australia's armed forces, Mercantile Marine and Volunteer Defence Corps during World War II....
- Centenary MedalCentenary MedalThe Centenary Medal is an award created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the Centenary of Federation of Australia and to honour people who have made a contribution to Australian society or government...
Test match performance
| Batting | Bowling | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition | Matches | Runs | Average | High Score | 100 / 50 | Runs | Wickets | Average | Best (Inns) |
| England | 29 | 1511 | 33.57 | 145* | 3/6 | 1949 | 87 | 22.40 | 7/60 |
| India | 5 | 185 | 37.00 | 67 | 0/2 | 223 | 9 | 24.77 | 2/25 |
| New Zealand | 1 | 30 | 30.00 | 30 | 0/0 | 6 | 2 | 3.00 | 2/6 |
| Pakistan | 1 | 32 | 16.00 | 21 | 0/0 | 58 | 2 | 29.00 | 2/40 |
| South Africa | 9 | 399 | 33.25 | 84 | 0/4 | 631 | 30 | 21.03 | 5/40 |
| West Indies | 10 | 801 | 53.40 | 147 | 4/1 | 1039 | 40 | 25.97 | 6/107 |
| Overall | 55 | 2958 | 36.97 | 147 | 7/13 | 3906 | 170 | 22.97 | 7/60 |
External links
- Player Profile: Keith Miller from Cricket Archive
- Player Profile and Statistics: Keith Miller in the AFLAustralian Football LeagueThe Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...