Neil Harvey - Struggles in 1956

Struggles in 1956

The 1956 Ashes tour to England was a disappointment for Harvey individually as well for the Australians collectively. It was an English summer dominated by off spinner Jim Laker and his Surrey teammate Tony Lock, who repeatedly dismantled the tourists on dusty spinning pitches specifically tailored to their cater for them.

The tour started poorly for Harvey. In five innings in the first three weeks, he scored only 36 runs at 7.20, and this included a ten-wicket defeat at the hands of Laker and Lock's Surrey. It was Australia's first loss to a county side since 1912. Harvey began to run into some form after that, scoring 45 against Cambridge University before the match against the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), which fielded a virtual England Test team in what was effectively a dress rehearsal for the Tests. Harvey made 225 in Australia's 413 and the hosts made 9/203 to draw the match. However, he was unable to replicate this form in the Tests.

In the First Test at Nottingham Harvey scored 64 and three in a rain-affected draw. He then made a duck and ten as Australia took the series lead in the Second Test at Lord's. Despite Australia's success, Harvey was having an extended run-drought; he had made only 23 runs in three weeks.

Then came the two Australian capitulations against Laker and Lock in the Tests. Harvey made 11 as Australia were bowled out for 143 and forced to follow on in the Third Test played on a turning pitch at Headingley. He then contributed 69 of 140 in the second innings of the Third Test at Headingley, when the rest of the team struggled to deal with Laker and Lock, who spun England to an innings victory. It was the first time Australia had suffered an innings defeat in a Test since 1938. However, Harvey was unable to repeat his defiant form over the next three weeks. The Fourth Test in Manchester was the low point, when Harvey managed a pair, falling both times to Laker, who took a world record 19 wickets. Australia were routed by an innings in what is known as "Laker's match" to concede the Ashes 2–1. The debacle at Old Trafford was part of a three week trough during which Harvey scored only 11 runs, including three consecutive ducks in a 17-day period that yielded not a solitary run.

Harvey then returned to productivity with 145 against Warwickshire and added a further half-century in the remaining matches. He also took 5/57 in an innings to help set up a seven-wicket win over the Minor Counties, although the match was not first-class. Harvey compiled 197 runs at 19.70 in five Tests with two half centuries. It was by far his most unproductive summer in England, with 976 runs at 31.48. Such was the dominance of the Laker-Lock-led attack that Harvey was Australia's fifth-highest runscorer in the Tests and fourth in the first-class matches.

On the return to Australia, the team stopped on the Indian subcontinent to play their first Tests on Pakistani and Indian soil respectively. In a short tour, the four Tests were the only fixtures. Harvey failed to pass double figures in a one off Test against Pakistan in Karachi, the first between the two countries. Moving to India, he scored 140 in the drawn Second Test in Bombay, scoring runs all around the ground. Due to injuries and illness to many of the bowlers, the Australians were unable to dismiss their hosts twice. In the final match, Australia were in trouble after taking a 41-run first innings lead. In the second innings they were struggling on a sticky wicket caused by flooding, but made 69 out of 9/189 in the low-scoring Third Test in Calcutta to help Australia to a 2–0 series win. He ended with 253 runs at 63.25 for the series. His performances on the subcontinent were marked by his aggressive footwork in moving down to meet the pitch of the ball. After seven months away, the Australians returned home.