Sam Loxton - First-class and Test Debut

First-class and Test Debut

An attacking right-handed middle-order batsman and a right-arm fast-medium bowler, Loxton spent much of his cricket career in the shadow of Miller, who played the same type of role. Upon Miller's death in 2004, he said "I was in Keith's shadow all my career ... and it was a pretty big shadow." First-class cricket resumed in 1945–46 after the end of the war, but Loxton failed to gain state selection during the season. He played his final VFL season in 1946 and was chosen in 12 of St Kilda’s 19 games, kicking 40 goals. However, his team only won two of these 12 matches, and finished second last. Loxton had a strong start to his final season, kicking 34 goals in the first 8 rounds. This included a career best of eight goals in another away win over Geelong. He also added six goals apiece against Footscray and Collingwood, but it was not enough to prevent defeats. However, Loxton missed three matches after the eighth round and upon his return, struggled and managed only six goals in his last four matches for St Kilda.

Having retired from top-tier football, Loxton soon broke into first-class cricket. He was selected for Victoria to make his debut in the match against Queensland in December 1946 because five players, including Miller, were playing in a Test match for Australia against England during their Test tour. The debutant scored 232 not out, sharing a Victorian record sixth-wicket partnership of 289 with Doug Ring, who made 145. When he had scored 183, Loxton hit himself on the head with his bat in attempting a hook shot, but continued batting until the end of Victoria’s innings and then opened the bowling in Queensland’s innings. He took the first wicket before going off to hospital with concussion. Recovering in time to bowl in the second innings, he took 2 wickets for 40 runs (2/40) in an innings win. Loxton's 232 not out remains a record debut score in Australian first-class cricket. His debut performance was enough for him to keep his place when the Test players returned, and he scored 73 and took a total of 3/17 in the next match against arch-rivals New South Wales, which Victoria won by an innings. He compiled 87 in the next match against Queensland, and Victoria won all but one of the five Sheffield Shield matches in which he played—the only draw was washed out—to claim the title. The all-rounder finished the season atop Victoria's batting averages, with 429 runs at a batting average of 143.00. He also headed the bowling averages with 8 wickets at 14.00 runs apiece.

The following season, Loxton's record was less spectacular despite playing in all but one of Victoria’s matches. He hit 77 and 35 not out in the opening match of the summer against the Indian tourists, and was rewarded with selection in an Australian XI to play the visitors ahead of the Tests. In what was effectively a Test trial, the uncapped all-rounder failed to impress with the bat, making a duck and six. He bowled extensively, sending down 47 overs and taking a total of 4/113 as the Australians fell to a defeat. Loxton was passed over for Test selection and returned to domestic competition, scoring 53 and taking a total of 4/56 in the next match against New South Wales, which the Victorians won by nine wickets. He then went into an unproductive sequence, failing to pass 31 and taking only three wickets in his next four matches over a two-month period. His seven wickets in the Sheffield Shield games cost almost 49 runs each. Despite this, the Australian captain Don Bradman had been impressed by what he saw of Loxton at domestic level, and the Victorian all-rounder was chosen for the Fifth and final Test against India. With the series already convincingly won 3–0, Australia decided to rest several players in order to trial up and coming cricketers ahead of the 1948 tour of England. Len Johnson, Loxton and fellow Victorian Ring were thus given their Test debuts.

Australia batted first and Loxton came in to bat in front of a supportive home crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. He made 80, putting on 159 with fellow Victorian Neil Harvey, who made his first Test century in his second international match, as Australia amassed 8/575. The debutant all-rounder said that he was nervous but Harvey "was going along merrily and he soon settled me down". Bradman fell ill and Bill Brown led the Australians in the field during the first innings. Understanding that one of the objectives was to give the new players an opportunity to show their talent, Brown threw the ball to his debutants. Johnson was given the ball first change, but failed to make an impact, so Loxton was handed his chance. He had a catch dropped early on but ended with 2/61 in the first innings, removing Hemu Adhikari and then Vinoo Mankad. In the words of Brown, the Victorian all-rounder "looked twice the bowler Johnson did". The Victorian debutant took the wicket of Adhikari in the second innings as Australia enforced the follow on and skittled India by 67 to win by an innings. The Test debut performance won Loxton a place on the Invincibles tour to England in 1948. He reflected that "It's not the fellow who gets the opportunity it's the fellow who puts his hands around it and grabs it. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time." After his position in the touring party was confirmed, he continued his late-season resurgence, scoring two fifties for the Australians in two matches against Tasmania before they departed for England.