Arthur Morris - Australia's Decline

Australia's Decline

The 1952–53 season started poorly for Morris. He was replaced by Keith Miller as state captain, despite having scored almost 700 runs at a fast rate in the previous Shield season at an average above 50, and leading his state to another title. As was the norm for the era, Morris was not informed personally and learned of his demotion second-hand. No official reason was given by the New South Wales Cricket Association, but it was speculated among the media that his penchant for wearing brightly coloured rubber-soled shoes could have upset the conservative administrators, and that Morris was too genial to be captain. The media made Morris a scapegoat for dwindling public attendances following the retirement of Bradman and lobbied for Miller, who they deemed to be more appealing to the public. Morris had led his state to two Shield triumphs, but remained national vice-captain ahead of Miller. Richie Benaud said that Morris "led the side just as well as Miller but in a less flamboyant manner".

In spite of this, Morris started the new season consistently, scoring four fifties in his first five innings, including 55 and 39 in his state's victory over the touring South Africans ahead of the Tests. The on-field action against the South Africans brought no immediate upturn in Morris's Test fortunes. He made only one half-century and a total of 149 runs in the first three Tests as Australia took the series lead 2–1. In the Second Test, he had progressed to 42 when he drove Hugh Tayfield into a close fielder. The ball ballooned to mid-off and Tayfield ran back and dived parallel to the ball's trajectory and caught it. By the standards of the era, the catch was regarded as miraculous. He ended the series strongly, with 77 in the second innings of the Fourth Test in Adelaide, before making his best performances of 99 and 44 in Melbourne in the Fifth Test, which Australia lost by six wickets. Morris' 99 occurred when he was involved in a mix-up while batting with debutant Ian Craig, Australia's youngest ever Test cricketer. Morris decided to sacrifice his wicket for Craig's in a run out. His action meant that he had not scored a Test century for two years, and would have to wait another two years to reach the milestone again. Morris was widely praised for his unselfishness and his sacrifice for his new team-mate. He ended the series with 370 runs at 41.11 and took his maiden Test wicket in Adelaide, that of John Watkins. The series ended 2–2, the first Test series in Morris' career that Australia had not won. Morris ended the season with 105 in a warm-up match before the tour of England and totalled 913 runs at 45.65 for the summer.

In 1953, Morris returned to England, the setting for his three Test centuries five years earlier, for another Ashes series. In a tour opening festival match against East Molesey, Morris made 103 in eighty minutes. After the modest run scoring of the previous three Test seasons, Morris warmed up in 10 lead-in matches that yielded a moderate return of 347 runs at 34.70. However, his performances in the first two drawn Tests, in which he struck three half centuries, indicated that might be returning to his earlier form. He was unable to maintain his form however, and did not pass 40 in the last three Tests, ending the series with 337 runs at a modest average of 33.70. The teams were locked at 0–0 heading into the Fifth Test, and Hassett and Morris thought that the pitch at The Oval would favour fast bowling. However, they were mistaken, and Morris could manage only 16 and 26 as the hosts' spinners cut down the tourists, while their Australian counterparts watched from the stands. Denis Compton pulled Morris's spin for four to seal an English win by eight wickets. This meant that the hosts regained the Ashes for the first time in two decades with a 1–0 triumph, and Morris thus tasted a series defeat for the first time in his career. It was a low-scoring series, and Morris placed third in the Australian Test averages and aggregates, behind Hassett with 365 at 36.50. Morris's batting was regarded by commentators as being more carefree than during the Invincibles tour. He took his second and final wicket in Test cricket, that of Alec Bedser, in the Third Test at Old Trafford. Morris also struggled in the first-class matches, making 1,302 runs at 38.09 with only one century, which did not come until almost four months had elapsed on tour, against the Gentlemen of England. Morris placed third in the aggregates but only ranked sixth in the averages. He made many starts, with 11 fifties, but was only able to capitalise and reached triple figures only once.

Speculation linked his difficulties on the field to his personal relationships: during the tour Morris had fallen in love with English showgirl Valerie Hudson; he spotted her when she was performing in the Crazy Gang vaudeville show at London's Victoria Palace. The team was also hindered by tension brought on by a generational divide. The senior players, Morris among them, were retired servicemen who were drinkers, while the younger players tended to abstain from alcohol. The seniors frequently stopped the team bus to drink at pubs, leaving their younger colleagues disgruntled at the fact that the squad travelled at around 16 km/h.