Arthur Morris With The Australian Cricket Team in England in 1948 - Background

Background

During the Australian season of 1947–48, which preceded the tour of England, Morris played in the first four Tests against the touring Indians, scoring 45 and an unbeaten 100 in the Third Test victory in Melbourne. He was omitted for the Fifth Test because the selectors wanted to trial other candidates for the 1948 tour of England. Morris ended the series with 209 runs at a batting average of 52.25, making him the third highest scorer as Australia won 4–0. During the series, he had opened with both Bill Brown, the veteran who had been a mainstay of Australian teams of the 1930s, and New South Wales teammate Sid Barnes. The Australian selectors chose Brown for the first two Tests against the Indians, but he struggled and made only 18 and 11—Australia batted once in both Tests—and was then dropped for Barnes, who made only 12 and 15 in the Third Test. Retained for the Fourth Test, Barnes made 112 in an Australian victory. Morris—whose place was secure—was rested for the Fifth Test to give Brown another chance to show that he was worthy of selection. Barnes made 33 while Brown made 99 run out as Australia completed a 4–0 series win. In the end, all three were selected for the England tour. As specialist opening batsmen, the trio were competing for the two opening positions in Bradman's first-choice team.

Morris—recently appointed co-captain of New South Wales—greatly impressed Australian captain Don Bradman, to the extent that Bradman made himself, Morris and vice-captain Lindsay Hassett the three on-tour selectors for the 1948 visit to England. Morris was a key part of Bradman's inner circle during the planning of the tour. Bradman had long harboured an ambition to tour England without losing a match; his team would become the first to achieve this feat, earning themselves the sobriquet, The Invincibles.