Famous Cricketers No 40 - Neil Harvey

Bowling O M R W BB Ave Tests 6 1 11 0 - - Other matches 22 2 93 3 2/46 31.00 1949/50 (8-ball) 28 3 104 3 2/46 34.66 Career (8-ball) 40.7 3 } 184 7 2/11 26.28 (6-ball) 10 3 1950/51 Harvey scored 1000 runs in an Australian season for the first time. In his first Shield match of the season and his fifteenth altogether he made his first Shield century - 141 scored in 228 minutes with one six and 12 fours against South Australia at Adelaide adding 192 in 148 minutes with E.A.D.Kerr (104) for the fifth wicket (63.36% of the Victorian total). His second century followed at Brisbane where he and K.D.Meuleman added 180 for the sixth wicket. Meuleman (123) batted doggedly while Harvey hit strongly, scoring his 106 in 173 minutes. The next match at Sydney was virtually a decider for the Shield with New South Wales needing to win to retain it. Harvey, who could have been caught by the bowler F.B.Johnston when he had scored one, held them up on the last day with an admirable innings of 146 in 225 minutes with 9 fours adding 117 with H.W.Turner (40). Victoria clinched the Shield by beating Western Australia in their last match. A.L.Hassett (770 at 77.00) and Harvey (609 at 55.36) led the Shield aggregates but K.R.Miller (607 at 121.00) led the averages. This was the first Test series against England since 1928/29 that D.G. Bradman was no longer a participant and Harvey took his place at number three. At Brisbane he came to the wicket after J.Moroney had been dismissed by T.E.Bailey off the fourth ball. While not as solid as Bradman in defence he attacked the bowling from the start and reached his fifty out of ninety in 111 minutes with six fours. When he was dismissed leg-glancing a ball from A.V.Bedser to be brilliantly caught down the leg side by T.G.Evans he had scored 74 out of 128 in 136 minutes with ten fours. During the innings he reached 1000 Test runs in his fourteenth innings and he had the highest average (103.30) of anybody reaching that target; Bradman was second with 99.66. Saturday’s play was lost after a typical Brisbane thunderstorm had flooded the ground. On Monday twenty wickets fell for 130 runs; England 68-7d, Australia 32-8d and England 30-6. Australia batted for an hour in their second innings and Harvey showed his ability to bat on such a wicket, batting calmly for twenty-five minutes for 12 runs. Next day despite a brilliant innings of 62* by L.Hutton England were dismissed for 122. At Melbourne Harvey played two bright but risky innings and his 39 at Sydney was a combination of snicks and good shots. His 43 at Adelaide was in the same mould but his second innings of 68 was a delightful innings lasting 108 minutes and containing nine fours. He and K.R.Miller (99) added 99 together which up till then was only the third Australian Test partnership that had ended at that score. His soundest innings of the series was his 52 scored in 94 minutes with five fours in the final match at Melbourne. Although he scored 362 runs at an average of 40 he was not as successful as one might have expected, but his fielding was, as always, outstanding. Own Team O M R W Opp Ct Total Total 66. Victoria v M.C.C., Melbourne, November 3, 4, 6, 8 (Match drawn) c D.S.Sheppard b T.E.Bailey 7 331 1 0 4 1 D.S.Sheppard c C.C.McDonald 306-9d 1 - - - - 79-4 67. Victoria v South Australia, Adelaide, November 10, 11, 13, 14 (Victoria won by 193 runs) st G.R.A.Langley b G.B.Hole 7 264 188 c P.L.Ridings b J.W.Wilson 141 303 186 1 68. Victoria v New South Wales, Melbourne, November 17, 18, 20, 21 (Match drawn) lbw b F.B.Johnston 35 374 346 lbw b F.B.Johnston 11 295 69. AUSTRALIA v ENGLAND, Brisbane, December 1, (2), 4, 5 (Australia won by 70 runs) c T.G.Evans b A.V.Bedser 74 228 68-7d c R.T.Simpson b A.V.Bedser 12 32-7d 122 1 12