Keith Miller With The Australian Cricket Team in England in 1948 - Second Test

Second Test

After a day of rest following the second Yorkshire match, Australia proceeded to the Second Test at Lord's, with Miller still unable to bowl. He came in to bat in the first innings with Australia at 3/166 on the first afternoon after electing to bat. Bedser bowled three consecutive outswingers; the fourth ball swung the other way, and Miller was hit on the pads not offering a shot, believing that the ball would have curved away past the stumps. The umpire upheld England’s appeal for leg before wicket (lbw) and Miller was out for four. O'Reilly said that Miller's display was more akin to that of a tail-ender with minimal skill than that of a frontline batsman, and blamed his poor form with the bat on an excessive bowling workload imposed on him by Bradman. Australia went on to make 350, but suffered a blow when Lindwall's injury flared up in the first over. However, Lindwall continued through the pain. Bradman threw Miller the ball, hoping that the all rounder would reverse his decision not to bowl and take inspiration from Lindwall. The injured bowler returned the ball, citing his back. His gesture generated news headlines among journalists who believed that he had disobeyed Bradman.

Although Bradman claimed that the exchange had been amicable, others disputed this. Teammate Barnes later claimed that Miller had retorted by suggesting that Bradman—a very occasional slower bowler—bowl himself. Barnes said that the captain "was as wild as a battery-stung brumby" and warned his unwilling bowler that there would be consequences for his defiance. According to unpublished writings in Fingleton's personal collection, Bradman chastised his players in the dressing room at the end of the play, saying "I'm 40 and I can do my full day's work in the field." Miller reportedly snapped "So would I—if I had fibrositis"; Bradman had been discharged from the armed services during World War II on health grounds, whereas most of the team had been sent into battle. Miller had crash-landed while serving as a fighter pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force in England and had suffered chronic back trouble since then.

England fell to 4/46 after Lindwall and Johnston's new ball burst, but Compton and Yardley fought back to take the score to 133 without further loss. Compton edged Johnston into the slips, where Miller took a low catch, dismissing the batsman for 53. Soon after, Johnston removed Evans for nine, caught by a diving Miller after lashing out at a wide ball outside off stump to leave the hosts at 7/145.

Australia bowled England out for 215 at the beginning of the third day to take a 135-run first innings lead. This had increased to 431 when Miller came to the crease with the score at 3/296 during the afternoon. English captain Yardley was on a hat-trick, having removed Hassett first ball after the fall of Barnes. Miller survived a loud lbw appeal on the hat-trick ball before hitting a six into the grandstand and reaching stumps on 22, with Australia at 4/329. He resumed on the fourth morning with Brown and reached lunch on 63 with the tourists at 4/409. Miller was reprieved when he lofted a ball high into the air; Tom Dollery stood right under it and dropped the catch. During this time, the new ball became available, but England opted not to use it immediately, as the wet conditions had made it slippery. However, after a period of spin, the new ball was taken, and Miller hit three boundaries to pass 50, and the run rate lifted. It appeared that aside from the need to score quickly in preparation for the declaration, Miller found the new ball easier to see than its muddied predecessor. Miller hooked Coxon repeatedly, and drove Bedser for many runs. After lunch, Miller proceeded to attack at every opportunity before the declaration. He was out for 74, playing a hook shot that was caught by Bedser at square leg from Laker. Australia declared at 7/460 to set England a target of 596.

England reached 3/106 by stumps on the fourth day, but the final day started poorly when Compton edged the second ball of the day—bowled by Johnston—to a diving Miller at second slip. Compton aimed a square drive, but the delivery was Johnston's variation ball, which went away instead of into the batsman. It took the outside edge and flew to a diving Miller, who knocked the ball upwards before falling on his back and completing the catch as the ball went down. Compton stood his ground and waited for the umpire to confirm whether Miller had caught the ball cleanly, and was duly given out by the unhesitating umpire. O'Reilly described Miller's effort as "perhaps the very best slips catch of the whole series and...a real match-winner." Just as in the first innings, Compton’s dismissal precipitated a collapse, and Australia dismissed England for 186 to complete victory by 409 runs.

After the end of the Lord's Test, Miller attended a concert and party, before returning to the team hotel after dawn the next morning, just before breakfast. Bradman noticed this and addressed him as "Keith", rather than his nickname Nugget. Australia was due to play Surrey at The Oval on the same day. Bradman won the toss and elected to field. Instead of deploying him to his usual slips position, the Australian skipper sent Miller to field on the fine leg boundary as a punishment for his late night out. Between overs, the banished player had to walk to the opposite end of the ground to be in position for the bowler from the other end. One of the spectators felt sorry for him and lent his bicycle, which the Australian used to cycle around the edge of the ground between overs. Soon after, Bradman brought his all rounder into a fielding position closer to the playing centre. Miller eventually scored nine in his only innings and was asked to bowl just one over in the second innings, as Australia completed victory by ten wickets. He had a quiet period on the cricket field during July, which generated less media stories than his celebrity appearances at social functions and classical music concerts during this time. The match against Surrey was immediately followed by a match against Gloucestershire in Bristol, where Miller scored 51, featuring in a partnership of 136 with Morris (290). Australia piled on 7/774 declared, its largest score of the season, before proceeding to victory by an innings and 363 runs. Acting captain Hassett allowed Miller to rest and he did not bowl during the match.