Bill Brown With The Australian Cricket Team in England in 1948 - Role

Role

An experienced right-handed opening batsman, Brown was on his third campaign in England, having first toured in 1934 before the World War II. 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 spinner, 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.