Bill Brown with the Australian cricket team in England in 1948
Encyclopedia
Bill Brown
was a member of Donald Bradman
's famous Australian cricket team, which toured England in 1948. Bradman's men went through their 34 matches without defeat; this unprecedented feat by a Test side touring England earned them the sobriquet The Invincibles.
An experienced right-handed opening
batsman, Brown was on his third visit to England, having first toured in 1934 before World War II
. However, Brown's best years were lost to the war and by 1948 Sid Barnes
and Arthur Morris
had superseded him in the pecking order to become Australia's first-choice opening pair. Brown was selected as a reserve opener; this decision generated controversy among critics who believed he was past his best.
Bradman rotated the three openers in the tour matches, but Morris and Barnes were preferred in the Tests. Bradman accommodated Brown in his first-choice team by playing him out of position in the middle order
in the Tests. However, Brown appeared uncomfortable in the unfamiliar role, and was dropped after making 73 runs at a batting average
of 24.33 in the first two Tests.
Despite his struggles in the Test arena, Brown had success in the tour matches as an opener. He scored 1,448 runs at 57.92 in all first-class matches
, ranking fourth in both the aggregates and averages. He scored eight centuries
, second only to Bradman, including 200 against Cambridge University
. However, Brown gained criticism for his slow batting. Following his omission from the Test team, Brown batted in a highly circumspect manner to increase the reliability and volume of his scoring. A very occasional off spin
bowler, Brown took his career first-class best of 4/16 in his only stint with the ball, against the South of England
.
, he captained Australia in the inaugural Test against New Zealand
. However, he was sidelined by injury in 1946–47 and Sid Barnes
and Arthur Morris
opened in the Tests, averaging 73.83 and 71.85 respectively. Brown resumed his Test career in the following season, replacing Barnes, but he was dropped after scoring 29 runs in two Tests. Barnes then came in and made 139 runs in the next two Tests, including a 112 in the Fourth Test. Morris was then rested for the Fifth Test to allow Brown another chance to show his ability and make a case for continued national selection, and he made 99. In the Tests against India during the season, Barnes, Morris and Brown had shared the opening duties; their batting averages were 43.00, 52.25 and 42.66 respectively. In any case, Brown had done enough to tour England with The Invincibles in 1948, his third trip there, although Barnes and Morris were the first-choice opening combination.
. Brown gained selection, although Bradman batted him out of position in the middle order while Barnes and Morris opened. Brown came in 6/335 and scored 25 at a typically placid pace, accumulating his runs at a lower strike rate
than the other recognised batsmen. He was out with the score at 6/402 as Australia went on to declare
at 8/462 and win by an innings.
In the next match against Leicestershire
, Bradman rested Morris, so Brown opened with Barnes. Brown scored 26 in an opening stand
of 46, as Australia amassed 448 and won by an innings.
The Australians proceeded to play Yorkshire
at Bradford
, on a damp pitch
suitable for slower bowling
. In the first innings, Brown took three catches from the bowling of Keith Miller
—who had resorted to bowling off spin
—as Yorkshire were bowled out for 71 in difficult batting conditions. Opening with Morris while Barnes was rested, Brown made 13 as the match remained finely balanced after Australia was bowled out for 101. Brown took another catch from Miller in the second innings as the hosts were bowled out for 89. Chasing 60 for victory, Brown fell to Frank Smailes
for two as the Australian top order collapsed to 6/31—effectively seven wickets down with the injured Sam Loxton
unable to bat—before scraping home by four wickets.
Brown was rested for the next match against Surrey
, which Australia won by an innings. After the first four matches, five Australians hade made centuries, and another had passed fifty. Brown had scored only 66 runs with a highest score of 26, while Morris and Barnes, the incumbent openers, had scored 223 and 298 runs with a century and fifty apiece.
Brown was recalled for the match against Cambridge University
, opening with Morris while Barnes rested. After putting on 64 for the opening wicket with Morris, Brown added 176 for the second wicket with Ron Hamence
. He added a further 140 for the fourth wicket with Lindsay Hassett
, who was captaining the team while Bradman rested himself. Brown top-scored with 200 and Hassett declared when his double-centurion was out with the score at 4/414. Australia went on to win by an innings. In the following match against Essex
, Brown opened with Barnes while Morris was rested. The pair put on 145 in 97 minutes—the highest opening stand by the Australians on the tour to that point—before Barnes was out hit wicket
. In the meantime, Brown had reached 50 in 90 minutes. Bradman came in and he and Brown accelerated to put on a second-wicket partnership of 219 in 90 minutes, before the latter was out for 153 from three hours of batting with the score at 2/364. Brown had scored his last 100 runs in less than 90 minutes. Australia went on to score 721 runs on the first day, the highest number of runs amassed in one day of first-class cricket, before completing victory by an innings and 451 runs, their largest winning margin for the tour. Opening with Morris while Barnes was rested, Brown completed his third century in as many innings with 108 against Oxford University
, after putting on an opening stand of 139. This meant that he had scored 461 runs in eight days of cricket, and put him atop the batting aggregates, ahead of Bradman. Australia went on to complete their fourth successive innings victory.
The next match was against the Marylebone Cricket Club
(MCC) at Lord's. The MCC fielded seven players who would represent England in the Tests, and were basically a full strength Test team, while Australia fielded their first-choice team. Bradman installed Barnes and Morris as his preferred opening pair, while Brown batted out of position at No. 6. Barring one change in the bowling department, the same team lined up in the First Test, with the top six batsmen in the same positions. It was a chance for players from both sides to gain a psychological advantage, but Brown failed to capitalise. He came to the crease with the score at 4/280 to join Keith Miller
and scored 26 in a stand of 63 before being dismissed as Australia amassed 552 and won by an innings. This was followed by Australia's first non-victory of the tour, against Lancashire
, a draw for which Brown was rested.
Brown returned for the following match, which was against Nottinghamshire
, and added 122 to register his fourth century in less than three weeks. Australia made 400 but the hosts hung on for a draw in the second innings. In the next match against Hampshire
, Brown opened with Barnes and made a duck
as Australia were dismissed for 117 on a damp pitch in reply to the home side's 195. It was the first time the tourists had conceded a first innings during the summer. Hampshire were subsequently bowled out in their second innings for 103 to leave Australia a target of 182. This time Barnes fell for a duck, and Brown anchored Australia to an eight-wicket win with an unbeaten 81 after a century second-wicket partnership with Ian Johnson
. The final match before the First Test was against Sussex
. Opening with Morris, Brown played second fiddle, accumulating 44 as the pair put on an opening stand of 153. Morris went on to 184 and Australia declared at 5/549 before completing another innings victory.
, In contrast, middle-order batsman Neil Harvey
struggled in the initial stages of his first tour of England. Harvey failed to pass 25 in his first six innings, and although he had scored an unbeaten 100 against Sussex, he had totalled only 296 runs at 42.29. As a result, Brown gained selection in the First Test at Trent Bridge
, batting out of position in the middle order while Barnes and Morris opened, whereas Harvey was dropped despite making a century in Australia's most recent Test against India.
England batted first and made 165, with Brown prominent in the field. Early on the first day of play, Brown caught England opener Cyril Washbrook
on the run at the fine leg boundary after the batsman had attempted to hook a Ray Lindwall
bouncer
, leaving England at 2/15 after 41 minutes of play. He later made a series of one-handed stops in the field, helping to keep the pressure on the batsmen. Brown took his second catch of the innings to remove Alec Bedser
, who had featured in a rearguard fightback to help take England to 165 after they had fallen to 8/74.
On the second day, Barnes and Bradman took the score to 1/121 before Barnes and Miller were dismissed without further addition to the score. All the while, Australia had been scoring slowly, as they would throughout the day. Brown came in at No. 5 to join Bradman, but he had played most of his career as an opening batsman and he looked uncomfortable in the middle order, but Bradman brought him in ahead of Hassett as the new ball was due and Brown was used to starting his innings against pace bowlers and a new ball. English captain Norman Yardley
removed Jim Laker
from the attack and took the second new ball. Bradman struck his first boundary in over 80 minutes and the run rate
picked up somewhat, prompting England to revert to slower bowling. Australia passed England's total before Yardley brought himself on to bowl and trapped Brown—who was attempting to push the ball to mid-on—leg before wicket
(lbw) with an off cutter
in his first over. This ended a 64-run stand in 58 minutes and left Australia at 4/185. Following the departure of Brown, the scoring slowed as Bradman changed the team strategy to one of attempting to bat only once. Australia eventually reached 509, and after England compiled 441 in their second innings, Brown was not needed as Australia made the 98 runs required victory for the loss of only two wickets.
Between Tests, Brown was rested for the match against Northamptonshire
, which Australia won by an innings. He returned for the second fixture against Yorkshire
. Opening with Barnes, Brown made 19 as Australia took a 43-run first innings lead. In the second innings, Brown top-scored with 113. He combined with Bradman to add 154 runs for the second wicket as the match petered into a draw. In a patient and restrained display, Brown took four hours to make his century. Following his controversial selection for the tour, Brown was attempting to justify his position in the team by accumulating a large amount of runs, but earned criticism for being too dour. However, the century was enough to see him retain his middle-order position for the Second Test at Lord's, where Australia fielded an unchanged team. Former Test leg spinner and teammate Bill O'Reilly
—who was in England as a journalist&mdsah;criticised the selection of Brown, who had appeared to be noticeably uncomfortable in the unfamiliar role. He said that despite Brown's unbeaten double century in his previous Test at Lord's in 1938, Sam Loxton
and Neil Harvey
had better claims to selection.
rebuild the innings after the two quick wickets. Both men scored slowly, averaging more than three and half minutes for each run. After putting on a partnership of 43, Hassett was bowled by Yardley, who then trapped Brown for 24 to leave Australia stumbling at 6/225. Brown had hit two consecutive half-volleys off his pads through the leg side for four, and attempted a third boundary in a row to a similar delivery. However, this third delivery came off the pitch more quickly and beat Brown for pace. Australia managed to avoid further collapse a counterattack from the tail saw them to 350 before they bowled England out for 215. The tourists batted much more productively in the second innings in ideal weather on the third day. Brown joined Miller after Bradman fell at 4/329; Australia had lost 3/33 but steadied to reach stumps at 343 without further loss, with Brown on seven. After the rest day, Australia resumed with a lead of 478 runs and six wickets in hand. The morning was punctuated by three rain stoppages. Just ten minutes after the start, heavy rain intervened. The weather cleared and Miller and Brown moved to lunch on 63 and 32 respectively, with Australia at 4/409. In 88 minutes of play, Australia had added 117 runs. Brown was caught behind from Alec Coxon
after lunch without adding to his score for 32, after an 87-run partnership with Miller, with the score at 5/416. Bradman eventually declared at 7/460, 595 runs ahead. It would take a world record chase from England to win the match. The home team lost wickets regularly and fell for 186 to lose by 409 runs. Although part of a successful team, Brown was unable to replicate the centuries he made in each of his two previous Tests at Lord’s on the preceding tours, and it was to be the last Test of his career.
The next match was against Surrey
and started the day after the Test. Brown injured a finger while fielding in the first innings, so he was unable to bat in Australia's first innings. In the second innings, Australia's makeshift openers Harvey and Sam Loxton
chased down the 122 runs for victory to complete a 10-wicket win in less than an hour.
before the Third Test. Loxton scored 159 not out, featuring in two century partnerships and propelling Australia to 7/774 declared, which was its highest score of the tour and laid the foundation for an innings victory. Loxton’s effort was enough to oust Brown from his middle-order position for the Third Test at Old Trafford. According to O’Reilly, Brown had appeared out of place in the middle-order because he was used to the opener’s classical role of defending against and wearing down the opening bowlers, rather than attacking. During the Test, which was drawn, Barnes was injured and off spin
ner Ian Johnson
was used as a makeshift opener as Morris was the only specialist left after Brown’s omission. Afterwards, Brown managed only eight as Australia defeated Middlesex
by ten wickets in their only county match between Tests.
Barnes was still unavailable for the Fourth Test, but Brown was not recalled to open with Morris; instead, Hassett was promoted to open with Morris, while the teenaged Harvey came into the middle-order. Although Hassett failed with only 13 and 17 in his two innings, Harvey struck 112 in the first innings, before Australia chased down 404 on the final day to set a world record for the highest successful run-chase in Test cricket and won by seven wickets.
Brown partnered the recovered Barnes and patiently scored 140, before being the fifth man out with the score at 344, as Australia amassed 456 and defeated Derbyshire
by an innings immediately after the Fourth Test. Looking to regain his Test position by sheer weight of runs, Brown started slowly; Barnes made 24 of the first 29 runs. He took 185 minutes to reach 50, much to the displeasure of the restless spectators, before accelerating and scoring his next 50 runs in 37 minutes.
In the next match against Glamorgan
, Brown scored 16 in a rain-affected draw that did not reach the second innings. He scored 33 and seven in the following match, falling both times to the leg spin
of Eric Hollies
as Australia defeated Warwickshire
by nine wickets. Brown was then rested as Australia faced and drew with Lancashire for the second time on the tour. He returned for the non-first-class match against Durham
, scoring 49 out of Australia's 282 in a weather-affected draw that failed to reach the second innings. Brown was overlooked for selection in the Fifth Test at The Oval
. Barnes returned to the team and Australia crushed England by an innings and 149 runs to take the series 4–0 after cutting them down for only 52 in the first innings.
Seven matches remained on Bradman's quest to go through a tour of England without defeat. Australia batted first against Kent
and Brown top-scored with 106. After putting on 64 with Morris for the first wicket, he put on 104 each for the next two partnerships with Bradman and Harvey respectively, before falling at 3/272. Brown again batted slowly; he took 255 minutes to reach triple figures and was greeted by ironic clapping as he slowly accumulated runs while his partners attacked. Brown's dismissal triggered a collapse; Australia lost their last seven wickets for 89 to end at 361. Despite this, they completed another innings victory. In the next match against the Gentlemen of England, which was held at Lord's, Brown scored 120, featuring in a 180-run second wicket partnership with Bradman, as Australia amassed 5/610 and won by an innings. Former Australian Test opener and batting partner Jack Fingleton
said "Brown has always looked the class batsman that he is when playing at Lord's, and this superb century, so different in conception and execution to the one at Canterbury
[against Kent], made one reflect what a grand opening batsman this series of Tests had done without". Fingleton made a duck in the next match but Australia nevertheless defeated Somerset
by an innings and 374 runs. He then made 13 against the South of England
in his last first-class match of the season. The match was washed out, but not before Brown took 4/16 from 4.1 overs in his only first-class bowling effort of the tour, cleaning up the tail.
Australia's biggest challenge in the post-Test tour matches was against the Leveson-Gower's XI. During the last Australian tour in 1938, the team was effectively a full-strength England outfit, but this time Bradman insisted only six England players from the season's Tests be allowed to compete. After his opponents had finalised their team, Bradman fielded a full-strength team, and Brown missed out. The match ended in a draw after multiple rain delays.
The tour ended with two non-first-class matches against Scotland. In the first match, Brown was rested as the Australians claimed an innings victory. In the second match, Brown scored 24 not out batting at No. 8 and took a wicket in the second innings as Australia ended the tour with another innings victory.
. However, Brown's best years were lost to the war and by 1948, Barnes and Morris had risen above him in the pecking order and become Australia's first-choice opening pair. Brown was selected as the reserve opener, a decision that generated controversy among pundits who believed he was past his best.
During the tour matches, which were usually played consecutively with only one or no days between fixtures, Bradman rotated the trio of openers, so one would generally be rested while the other two opened,N- but in the Tests, Morris and Barnes were preferred. Bradman accommodated Brown in his first-choice team by playing him out of position in the middle order in the first two Tests and against Worcestershire and the MCC, when he fielded the strongest XI. However, Brown appeared uncomfortable in the unfamiliar role, and after making 73 runs at 24.33 in the first two Tests, he was dropped.
Nevertheless, Brown was successful in the tour matches when he played as an opener. He ended the tour with eight centuries and a total of 1,448 first-class runs at an average of 57.92, behind only Bradman, Hassett and Morris in the runs and averages, with a highest score of 200 against Cambridge University. Brown's tally of eight centuries was second only to Bradman, and took his tally on English soil to 18 first-class tons. Excluding the matches against Worcestershire, the MCC and the first two Tests, in which Brown had scored 25, 26, 17, 24 and 32 batting in the middle order while Barnes and Morris opened, Brown scored 1,324 runs at 66.20 while opening in the other matches, which would have put him in a clear fourth place on the batting averages. Following his omission from the Test team midway through the tour, Brown batted in a slow and conservative manner in order to score more runs and regain his position, much to the chagrin of the crowds.
A very occasional off spin
ner, Brown took 4/16 against the South of England in his only first-class bowling assignment of the tour. It was his best career bowling figures—he accumulated only six wickets in his first-class career. He also took 18 catches in the first-class fixtures.
Bill Brown (cricketer)
William Alfred "Bill" Brown, OAM was an Australian cricketer who played 22 Tests between 1934 and 1948, captaining his country in one Test. A right-handed opening batsman, his partnership with Jack Fingleton in the 1930s is regarded as one of the finest in Australian Test history...
was a member 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...
's famous Australian cricket team, which toured England in 1948. Bradman's men went through their 34 matches without defeat; this unprecedented feat by a Test side touring England earned them the sobriquet The Invincibles.
An experienced right-handed opening
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...
batsman, Brown was on his third visit to England, having first toured in 1934 before 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...
. However, Brown's best years were lost to the war and by 1948 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...
and Arthur Morris
Arthur Morris
Arthur Robert Morris MBE is a former Australian cricketer who played 46 Test matches between 1946 and 1955. An opener, Morris is regarded as one of Australia's greatest left-handed batsmen. He is best known for his key role in Don Bradman's Invincibles side, which made an undefeated tour of...
had superseded him in the pecking order to become Australia's first-choice opening pair. Brown was selected as a reserve opener; this decision generated controversy among critics who believed he was past his best.
Bradman rotated the three openers in the tour matches, but Morris and Barnes were preferred in the Tests. Bradman accommodated Brown in his first-choice team by playing him out of position in the middle 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...
in the Tests. However, Brown appeared uncomfortable in the unfamiliar role, and was dropped after making 73 runs at a batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of 24.33 in the first two Tests.
Despite his struggles in the Test arena, Brown had success in the tour matches as an opener. He scored 1,448 runs at 57.92 in all first-class matches
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...
, ranking fourth in both the aggregates and averages. He scored eight centuries
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...
, second only to Bradman, including 200 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...
. However, Brown gained criticism for his slow batting. Following his omission from the Test team, Brown batted in a highly circumspect manner to increase the reliability and volume of his scoring. A very occasional off spin
Off spin
Off spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket which is bowled by an off spinner, a right-handed spin bowler who uses his or her fingers and/or wrist to spin the ball from a right-handed batsman's off side to the leg side...
bowler, Brown took his career first-class best of 4/16 in his only stint with the ball, against the South of England
South of England cricket team
The South of England appeared in first-class cricket between 1836 and 1961, most often in the showcase North v. South matches against the North of England although there were also games against touring teams, MCC and others....
.
Background
Brown had been a regular member of the Australian Test team since his debut in 1934, and immediately after World War IIWorld 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...
, he captained Australia in the inaugural Test against New Zealand
New Zealand cricket team
The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the...
. However, he was sidelined by injury in 1946–47 and Sid Barnes
Sid Barnes
Sidney George Barnes was an Australian cricketer and cricket writer, who played 13 Test matches between 1938 and 1948. Able to open the innings or bat down the order, Barnes was regarded as one of Australia's finest batsmen in the period immediately following the Second World War...
and Arthur Morris
Arthur Morris
Arthur Robert Morris MBE is a former Australian cricketer who played 46 Test matches between 1946 and 1955. An opener, Morris is regarded as one of Australia's greatest left-handed batsmen. He is best known for his key role in Don Bradman's Invincibles side, which made an undefeated tour of...
opened in the Tests, averaging 73.83 and 71.85 respectively. Brown resumed his Test career in the following season, replacing Barnes, but he was dropped after scoring 29 runs in two Tests. Barnes then came in and made 139 runs in the next two Tests, including a 112 in the Fourth Test. Morris was then rested for the Fifth Test to allow Brown another chance to show his ability and make a case for continued national selection, and he made 99. In the Tests against India during the season, Barnes, Morris and Brown had shared the opening duties; their batting averages were 43.00, 52.25 and 42.66 respectively. In any case, Brown had done enough to tour England with The Invincibles in 1948, his third trip there, although Barnes and Morris were the first-choice opening combination.
Early tour
Australia traditionally fielded its first-choice team in the tour opener, which was customarily against WorcestershireWorcestershire 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...
. Brown gained selection, although Bradman batted him out of position in the middle order while Barnes and Morris opened. Brown came in 6/335 and scored 25 at a typically placid pace, accumulating his runs at a lower strike rate
Strike rate
Strike rate refers to two different statistics in the sport of cricket. Batting strike rate is a measure of how frequently a batsman achieves the primary goal of batting, namely scoring runs. Bowling strike rate is a measure of how frequently a bowler achieves the primary goal of bowling, namely...
than the other recognised batsmen. He was out with the score at 6/402 as Australia went on to declare
Declaration and forfeiture
In the sport of cricket a declaration occurs when a captain declares his team's innings closed and a forfeiture is when a captain chooses to forfeit an innings. Declaration and forfeiture are covered in Law 14 of the Laws of cricket...
at 8/462 and win by an innings.
In the next match against Leicestershire
Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Leicestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
, Bradman rested Morris, so Brown opened with Barnes. Brown scored 26 in an opening stand
Partnership (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, two batsmen always bat in partnership, although only one is on strike at any time. The partnership between two batsmen will come to an end when one of them is dismissed or retires, or the innings comes to a close In the sport of cricket, two batsmen always bat in...
of 46, as Australia amassed 448 and won by an innings.
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....
at Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, on a damp pitch
Sticky wicket
Sticky wicket is a metaphor used to describe a difficult circumstance; it originates from difficult circumstances in the sport of cricket.-Origins:...
suitable for slower bowling
Spin bowling
Spin bowling is a technique used for bowling in the sport of cricket. Practitioners are known as spinners or spin bowlers.-Purpose:The main aim of spin bowling is to bowl the cricket ball with rapid rotation so that when it bounces on the pitch it will deviate, thus making it difficult for the...
. In the first innings, Brown took three catches from the bowling of Keith Miller
Keith Miller
Keith Ross Miller MBE was an Australian Test cricketer and a Royal Australian Air Force pilot during World War II. Miller is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever all-rounder. Because of his ability, irreverent manner and good looks he was a crowd favourite...
—who had resorted to bowling off spin
Off spin
Off spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket which is bowled by an off spinner, a right-handed spin bowler who uses his or her fingers and/or wrist to spin the ball from a right-handed batsman's off side to the leg side...
—as Yorkshire were bowled out for 71 in difficult batting conditions. Opening with Morris while Barnes was rested, Brown made 13 as the match remained finely balanced after Australia was bowled out for 101. Brown took another catch from Miller in the second innings as the hosts were bowled out for 89. Chasing 60 for victory, Brown fell to Frank Smailes
Frank Smailes
Frank Smailes was an English cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Yorkshire, and one Test for England...
for two as the Australian top order collapsed to 6/31—effectively seven wickets down with the injured Sam Loxton
Sam Loxton
Samuel John Everett "Sam" Loxton OBE is a former Australian cricketer, footballer and politician. Among these three pursuits, his greatest achievements were attained on the cricket field; he played in 12 Tests for Australia from 1948 to 1951...
unable to bat—before scraping home by four wickets.
Brown was rested for the next match against Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
, which Australia won by an innings. After the first four matches, five Australians hade made centuries, and another had passed fifty. Brown had scored only 66 runs with a highest score of 26, while Morris and Barnes, the incumbent openers, had scored 223 and 298 runs with a century and fifty apiece.
Brown was recalled for the match 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...
, opening with Morris while Barnes rested. After putting on 64 for the opening wicket with Morris, Brown added 176 for the second wicket with Ron Hamence
Ron Hamence
Ronald Arthur Hamence was a cricketer who played for South Australia and Australia. A short and compact right-handed batsman, Hamence excelled in getting forward to drive and had an array of attractive back foot strokes...
. He added a further 140 for the fourth wicket with 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...
, who was captaining the team while Bradman rested himself. Brown top-scored with 200 and Hassett declared when his double-centurion was out with the score at 4/414. Australia went on to win by an innings. In the following match against Essex
Essex County Cricket Club
Essex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
, Brown opened with Barnes while Morris was rested. The pair put on 145 in 97 minutes—the highest opening stand by the Australians on the tour to that point—before Barnes was out hit wicket
Hit wicket
Hit wicket is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket. This method of dismissal is governed by Law 35 of the laws of cricket. The striker is out "hit wicket" if, after the bowler has entered his delivery stride and while the ball is in play, his wicket is put down by his bat or his person...
. In the meantime, Brown had reached 50 in 90 minutes. Bradman came in and he and Brown accelerated to put on a second-wicket partnership of 219 in 90 minutes, before the latter was out for 153 from three hours of batting with the score at 2/364. Brown had scored his last 100 runs in less than 90 minutes. Australia went on to score 721 runs on the first day, the highest number of runs amassed in one day of first-class cricket, before completing victory by an innings and 451 runs, their largest winning margin for the tour. Opening with Morris while Barnes was rested, Brown completed his third century in as many innings with 108 against Oxford University
Oxford University Cricket Club
Oxford University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team, representing the University of Oxford. It plays its home games at the University Parks in Oxford, England...
, after putting on an opening stand of 139. This meant that he had scored 461 runs in eight days of cricket, and put him atop the batting aggregates, ahead of Bradman. Australia went on to complete their fourth successive innings victory.
The next match was against the Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
(MCC) at Lord's. The MCC fielded seven players who would represent England in the Tests, and were basically a full strength Test team, while Australia fielded their first-choice team. Bradman installed Barnes and Morris as his preferred opening pair, while Brown batted out of position at No. 6. Barring one change in the bowling department, the same team lined up in the First Test, with the top six batsmen in the same positions. It was a chance for players from both sides to gain a psychological advantage, but Brown failed to capitalise. He came to the crease with the score at 4/280 to join Keith Miller
Keith Miller
Keith Ross Miller MBE was an Australian Test cricketer and a Royal Australian Air Force pilot during World War II. Miller is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever all-rounder. Because of his ability, irreverent manner and good looks he was a crowd favourite...
and scored 26 in a stand of 63 before being dismissed as Australia amassed 552 and won by an innings. This was followed by Australia's first non-victory of the tour, 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...
, a draw for which Brown was rested.
Brown returned for the following match, which was 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 added 122 to register his fourth century in less than three weeks. Australia made 400 but the hosts hung on for a draw in the second innings. In the next match 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...
, Brown opened with Barnes and made a duck
Duck (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a duck refers to a batsman's dismissal for a score of zero.-Origin of the term:The term is a shortening of the term "duck's egg", the latter being used long before Test cricket began...
as Australia were dismissed for 117 on a damp pitch in reply to the home side's 195. It was the first time the tourists had conceded a first innings during the summer. Hampshire were subsequently bowled out in their second innings for 103 to leave Australia a target of 182. This time Barnes fell for a duck, and Brown anchored Australia to an eight-wicket win with an unbeaten 81 after a century second-wicket partnership with 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...
. The final match before the First Test was against Sussex
Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
. Opening with Morris, Brown played second fiddle, accumulating 44 as the pair put on an opening stand of 153. Morris went on to 184 and Australia declared at 5/549 before completing another innings victory.
First Test
Up to this point, Brown—who was on his third tour of England—had scored 800 runs on tour at an average of 72.72, with a double century, three other centuries and 81 not outNot out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
, In contrast, middle-order batsman Neil Harvey
Neil Harvey
Robert Neil Harvey MBE is a former Australian cricketer who represented the Australian cricket team between 1948 and 1963, playing in 79 Test matches. He was the vice-captain of the team from 1957 until his retirement...
struggled in the initial stages of his first tour of England. Harvey failed to pass 25 in his first six innings, and although he had scored an unbeaten 100 against Sussex, he had totalled only 296 runs at 42.29. As a result, Brown gained selection in 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...
, batting out of position in the middle order while Barnes and Morris opened, whereas Harvey was dropped despite making a century in Australia's most recent Test against India.
England batted first and made 165, with Brown prominent in the field. Early on the first day of play, Brown caught England opener 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 run at the fine leg boundary after the batsman had attempted to hook a 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...
bouncer
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...
, leaving England at 2/15 after 41 minutes of play. He later made a series of one-handed stops in the field, helping to keep the pressure on the batsmen. Brown took his second catch of the innings to remove Alec Bedser
Alec Bedser
Sir Alec Victor Bedser, CBE was a professional English cricketer. He was the chairman of selectors for the English national cricket team, and the president of Surrey County Cricket Club...
, who had featured in a rearguard fightback to help take England to 165 after they had fallen to 8/74.
On the second day, Barnes and Bradman took the score to 1/121 before Barnes and Miller were dismissed without further addition to the score. All the while, Australia had been scoring slowly, as they would throughout the day. Brown came in at No. 5 to join Bradman, but he had played most of his career as an opening batsman and he looked uncomfortable in the middle order, but Bradman brought him in ahead of Hassett as the new ball was due and Brown was used to starting his innings against pace bowlers and a new ball. 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,...
removed 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...
from the attack and took the second new ball. Bradman struck his first boundary in over 80 minutes and the run rate
Run rate
In cricket, the run rate , or runs per over is the number of runs a batsman scores in an over of 6 balls. It includes all runs, even the so-called extras awarded due to errors by the bowler. Without extras and overthrows, the maximum run rate is 36 – if every ball were struck for six and, as...
picked up somewhat, prompting England to revert to slower bowling. Australia passed England's total before Yardley brought himself on to bowl and trapped Brown—who was attempting to push the ball to mid-on—leg before wicket
Leg before wicket
In the sport of cricket, leg before wicket is one of the ways in which a batsman can be dismissed. An umpire will rule a batsman out LBW under a series of circumstances which primarily include the ball striking the batsman's body when it would otherwise have continued on to hit the batsman's...
(lbw) with an off cutter
Off cutter
An off cutter is a type of delivery in the game of cricket. It is bowled by fast bowlers.A bowler releases a normal fast delivery with the wrist locked in position and the first two fingers positioned on top of the cricket ball, giving it spin about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the length of...
in his first over. This ended a 64-run stand in 58 minutes and left Australia at 4/185. Following the departure of Brown, the scoring slowed as Bradman changed the team strategy to one of attempting to bat only once. Australia eventually reached 509, and after England compiled 441 in their second innings, Brown was not needed as Australia made the 98 runs required victory for the loss of only two wickets.
Between Tests, Brown was rested for the match against Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
, which Australia won by an innings. He returned for the second fixture 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....
. Opening with Barnes, Brown made 19 as Australia took a 43-run first innings lead. In the second innings, Brown top-scored with 113. He combined with Bradman to add 154 runs for the second wicket as the match petered into a draw. In a patient and restrained display, Brown took four hours to make his century. Following his controversial selection for the tour, Brown was attempting to justify his position in the team by accumulating a large amount of runs, but earned criticism for being too dour. However, the century was enough to see him retain his middle-order position for the Second Test at Lord's, where Australia fielded an unchanged team. Former Test leg spinner and teammate 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...
—who was in England as a journalist&mdsah;criticised the selection of Brown, who had appeared to be noticeably uncomfortable in the unfamiliar role. He said that despite Brown's unbeaten double century in his previous Test at Lord's in 1938, Sam Loxton
Sam Loxton
Samuel John Everett "Sam" Loxton OBE is a former Australian cricketer, footballer and politician. Among these three pursuits, his greatest achievements were attained on the cricket field; he played in 12 Tests for Australia from 1948 to 1951...
and Neil Harvey
Neil Harvey
Robert Neil Harvey MBE is a former Australian cricketer who represented the Australian cricket team between 1948 and 1963, playing in 79 Test matches. He was the vice-captain of the team from 1957 until his retirement...
had better claims to selection.
Second Test
Australia won the toss and batted first at the home of cricket. Centurion Morris fell at 3/166 and new batsman Miller was trapped lbw for four shortly after. Brown came in at 4/173 and helped Lindsay HassettLindsay 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...
rebuild the innings after the two quick wickets. Both men scored slowly, averaging more than three and half minutes for each run. After putting on a partnership of 43, Hassett was bowled by Yardley, who then trapped Brown for 24 to leave Australia stumbling at 6/225. Brown had hit two consecutive half-volleys off his pads through the leg side for four, and attempted a third boundary in a row to a similar delivery. However, this third delivery came off the pitch more quickly and beat Brown for pace. Australia managed to avoid further collapse a counterattack from the tail saw them to 350 before they bowled England out for 215. The tourists batted much more productively in the second innings in ideal weather on the third day. Brown joined Miller after Bradman fell at 4/329; Australia had lost 3/33 but steadied to reach stumps at 343 without further loss, with Brown on seven. After the rest day, Australia resumed with a lead of 478 runs and six wickets in hand. The morning was punctuated by three rain stoppages. Just ten minutes after the start, heavy rain intervened. The weather cleared and Miller and Brown moved to lunch on 63 and 32 respectively, with Australia at 4/409. In 88 minutes of play, Australia had added 117 runs. Brown was caught behind from Alec Coxon
Alec Coxon
Alexander "Alec" Coxon is a former English cricketer who played for Yorkshire. He also played one Test match for England in 1948. Cricket writer, Colin Bateman stated, "Coxon's Test career was abrupt - much like the man himself...
after lunch without adding to his score for 32, after an 87-run partnership with Miller, with the score at 5/416. Bradman eventually declared at 7/460, 595 runs ahead. It would take a world record chase from England to win the match. The home team lost wickets regularly and fell for 186 to lose by 409 runs. Although part of a successful team, Brown was unable to replicate the centuries he made in each of his two previous Tests at Lord’s on the preceding tours, and it was to be the last Test of his career.
The next match was against Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
and started the day after the Test. Brown injured a finger while fielding in the first innings, so he was unable to bat in Australia's first innings. In the second innings, Australia's makeshift openers Harvey and Sam Loxton
Sam Loxton
Samuel John Everett "Sam" Loxton OBE is a former Australian cricketer, footballer and politician. Among these three pursuits, his greatest achievements were attained on the cricket field; he played in 12 Tests for Australia from 1948 to 1951...
chased down the 122 runs for victory to complete a 10-wicket win in less than an hour.
Dropped
Brown was rested for the following match against GloucestershireGloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
before the Third Test. Loxton scored 159 not out, featuring in two century partnerships and propelling Australia to 7/774 declared, which was its highest score of the tour and laid the foundation for an innings victory. Loxton’s effort was enough to oust Brown from his middle-order position for the Third Test at Old Trafford. According to O’Reilly, Brown had appeared out of place in the middle-order because he was used to the opener’s classical role of defending against and wearing down the opening bowlers, rather than attacking. During the Test, which was drawn, Barnes was injured and off spin
Off spin
Off spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket which is bowled by an off spinner, a right-handed spin bowler who uses his or her fingers and/or wrist to spin the ball from a right-handed batsman's off side to the leg side...
ner 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...
was used as a makeshift opener as Morris was the only specialist left after Brown’s omission. Afterwards, Brown managed only eight as Australia defeated Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex 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 Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
by ten wickets in their only county match between Tests.
Barnes was still unavailable for the Fourth Test, but Brown was not recalled to open with Morris; instead, Hassett was promoted to open with Morris, while the teenaged Harvey came into the middle-order. Although Hassett failed with only 13 and 17 in his two innings, Harvey struck 112 in the first innings, before Australia chased down 404 on the final day to set a world record for the highest successful run-chase in Test cricket and won by seven wickets.
Brown partnered the recovered Barnes and patiently scored 140, before being the fifth man out with the score at 344, as Australia amassed 456 and defeated 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...
by an innings immediately after the Fourth Test. Looking to regain his Test position by sheer weight of runs, Brown started slowly; Barnes made 24 of the first 29 runs. He took 185 minutes to reach 50, much to the displeasure of the restless spectators, before accelerating and scoring his next 50 runs in 37 minutes.
In the next match 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...
, Brown scored 16 in a rain-affected draw that did not reach the second innings. He scored 33 and seven in the following match, falling both times to 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...
of 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...
as Australia defeated Warwickshire
Warwickshire County Cricket Club
Warwickshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Warwickshire. Its limited overs team is called the Warwickshire Bears. Their kit colours are black and gold and the shirt sponsor...
by nine wickets. Brown was then rested as Australia faced and drew with Lancashire for the second time on the tour. He returned for the non-first-class match against Durham
Durham County Cricket Club
Durham 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 Durham. Its limited overs team is called the Durham Dynamos. Their kit colours are blue with yellow trim and the shirt sponsor was...
, scoring 49 out of Australia's 282 in a weather-affected draw that failed to reach the second innings. Brown was overlooked for selection in the Fifth Test at The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
. Barnes returned to the team and Australia crushed England by an innings and 149 runs to take the series 4–0 after cutting them down for only 52 in the first innings.
Later tour matches
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
and Brown top-scored with 106. After putting on 64 with Morris for the first wicket, he put on 104 each for the next two partnerships with Bradman and Harvey respectively, before falling at 3/272. Brown again batted slowly; he took 255 minutes to reach triple figures and was greeted by ironic clapping as he slowly accumulated runs while his partners attacked. Brown's dismissal triggered a collapse; Australia lost their last seven wickets for 89 to end at 361. Despite this, they completed another innings victory. In the next match against the Gentlemen of England, which was held at Lord's, Brown scored 120, featuring in a 180-run second wicket partnership with Bradman, as Australia amassed 5/610 and won by an innings. Former Australian Test opener and batting partner 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 "Brown has always looked the class batsman that he is when playing at Lord's, and this superb century, so different in conception and execution to the one at Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
[against Kent], made one reflect what a grand opening batsman this series of Tests had done without". Fingleton made a duck in the next match but Australia nevertheless defeated Somerset
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset 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 Somerset...
by an innings and 374 runs. He then made 13 against the South of England
South of England cricket team
The South of England appeared in first-class cricket between 1836 and 1961, most often in the showcase North v. South matches against the North of England although there were also games against touring teams, MCC and others....
in his last first-class match of the season. The match was washed out, but not before Brown took 4/16 from 4.1 overs in his only first-class bowling effort of the tour, cleaning up the tail.
Australia's biggest challenge in the post-Test tour matches was against the Leveson-Gower's XI. During the last Australian tour in 1938, the team was effectively a full-strength England outfit, but this time Bradman insisted only six England players from the season's Tests be allowed to compete. After his opponents had finalised their team, Bradman fielded a full-strength team, and Brown missed out. The match ended in a draw after multiple rain delays.
The tour ended with two non-first-class matches against Scotland. In the first match, Brown was rested as the Australians claimed an innings victory. In the second match, Brown scored 24 not out batting at No. 8 and took a wicket in the second innings as Australia ended the tour with another innings victory.
Role
An experienced right-handed opening batsman, Brown was on his third campaign in England, having first toured in 1934 before the World War IIWorld 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...
. However, Brown's best years were lost to the war and by 1948, Barnes and Morris had risen above him in the pecking order and become Australia's first-choice opening pair. Brown was selected as the reserve opener, a decision that generated controversy among pundits who believed he was past his best.
During the tour matches, which were usually played consecutively with only one or no days between fixtures, Bradman rotated the trio of openers, so one would generally be rested while the other two opened,N- but in the Tests, Morris and Barnes were preferred. Bradman accommodated Brown in his first-choice team by playing him out of position in the middle order in the first two Tests and against Worcestershire and the MCC, when he fielded the strongest XI. However, Brown appeared uncomfortable in the unfamiliar role, and after making 73 runs at 24.33 in the first two Tests, he was dropped.
Nevertheless, Brown was successful in the tour matches when he played as an opener. He ended the tour with eight centuries and a total of 1,448 first-class runs at an average of 57.92, behind only Bradman, Hassett and Morris in the runs and averages, with a highest score of 200 against Cambridge University. Brown's tally of eight centuries was second only to Bradman, and took his tally on English soil to 18 first-class tons. Excluding the matches against Worcestershire, the MCC and the first two Tests, in which Brown had scored 25, 26, 17, 24 and 32 batting in the middle order while Barnes and Morris opened, Brown scored 1,324 runs at 66.20 while opening in the other matches, which would have put him in a clear fourth place on the batting averages. Following his omission from the Test team midway through the tour, Brown batted in a slow and conservative manner in order to score more runs and regain his position, much to the chagrin of the crowds.
A very occasional off spin
Off spin
Off spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket which is bowled by an off spinner, a right-handed spin bowler who uses his or her fingers and/or wrist to spin the ball from a right-handed batsman's off side to the leg side...
ner, Brown took 4/16 against the South of England in his only first-class bowling assignment of the tour. It was his best career bowling figures—he accumulated only six wickets in his first-class career. He also took 18 catches in the first-class fixtures.