Bill Johnston With The Australian Cricket Team in England in 1948 - First Test

First Test

Johnston was not in Bradman's planned Test team. However, the Australian skipper changed his mind on the morning of the First Test in Trent Bridge when rain was forecast. Johnston was played in the hope of exploiting a wet wicket. Johnston had taken 10/40 against Yorkshire and 11/117 against Hampshire on similar surfaces. He showed his credentials by taking a match total of 9/183 from 84 overs to help Australia to grind out a victory by eight wickets. England elected to bat first and after strike bowler Ray Lindwall broke down on the first day, the burden on Johnston grew.

England had reached 2/46 when Johnston was brought into the attack for his first over. He bowled Bill Edrich, knocking out the off stump while the batsman was on the front foot. Two balls later, Johnston removed Joe Hardstaff junior without scoring, caught by Miller in slips after attempting a cut shot; the catch was described by Wisden as "dazzling". Miller dived and balanced himself on his spine before catching the ball to leave England at 4/46. Journalist and former Australian Test leg spinner Bill O'Reilly said: "Johnston had trimmed and embroidered the efforts of his opening bowlers and had swung the fortunes of the game completely in Australia's favour".

Johnston then knocked over Charlie Barnett's stumps as the batsman leaned onto the front foot and inside edged the ball into his stumps for eight; this brought Godfrey Evans—who was given two lives—to the crease at 6/60. Evans hit Johnston hard in the air to cover, where the ball went through Bradman for a boundary. The second catching opportunity went in the same direction before traveling through Bradman's hand and striking him in the abdomen. However, Johnston eventually snared Evans, who hit a ball strongly, but straight to short leg where Arthur Morris took the catch close in, as England reached 8/74.

However, a rearguard action took England to a total of 165, before Johnston removed Alec Bedser to end the innings. Johnston finished with 5/36, in a display characterised by his accuracy and variations in pace and swing. When Australia batted, Johnston and Ernie Toshack wagged a last-wicket partnership of 33 runs in only 18 minutes. They played in a free-wheeling manner before Bedser trapped Toshack lbw to end the home team’s innings on 509, leaving the tourists with a 344-run lead and Johnston unbeaten on 17.

Johnston took the new ball with Miller and delivered 59 overs in the second innings to take 4/147 in Lindwall's absence. Johnston bowled without success in the first half of the innings; the closest he came to a wicket on the third afternoon when Len Hutton and Denis Compton were putting on a century partnership was when Compton aimed an uppish square drive from Johnston that flew in the air wide of cover point. On the fourth day, England continued to make steady progress and Johnston was unsuccessful although he was able to make the ball move sideways in the morning under cloudy conditions. He was then attacked by Hardstaff, who drove several fours through the off side and forced Bradman to removed Johnston. He returned to remove Barnett and English captain Norman Yardley late on the fourth day as the hosts’ neared 300. Barnett was caught by Miller in the slips and Johnston took a return catch to remove the English skipper. Johnston bowled 30 overs, the most of any bowler for the day, as England reached the penultimate evening on 345/6, a lead of one run. The next morning, Johnston removed Evans and bowled Jack Young to end England's innings at 441 on the final day. Johnston bowled the most overs of any player and was the leading wicket-taker for the match as Australia took a 1–0 lead—the Australian batsmen reached the target of 98 with eight wickets in hand.

After the First Test, Johnston was the leading wicket-taker as Australia completed an innings victory over Northamptonshire. He took 3/25 in the first innings, before dismissing the home side's top four batsmen in the second innings to reduce them to 4/108; they were eventually bowled out for 169. Johnston ended with 4/49. This was followed by a drawn match against Yorkshire, in which Johnston scored an unbeaten 15, before bowling almost unchanged in the home side's first innings. Johnston bowled 41.1 out of 90.1 overs and ended with 3/101, including the wickets of Test players Alec Coxon and Watson. The match ended in a draw. Johnston bowled three overs for 15 in the second innings; Bradman chose not to push for a win and declared late in the second innings so that his bowlers would not have to exert themselves to any significant extent before the next Test.