Famous Cricketers No 40 - Neil Harvey

260. AUSTRALIA v WEST INDIES, Melbourne, February 10, 12, 13, 14, 15 (Australia won by two wickets) c F.C.M.Alexander b G.St A.Sobers 5 356 292 1 c C.W.Smith b F.M.M.Worrell 12 258-8 321 SEASON’S AVERAGES Batting and Fielding M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct Tests 4 8 0 143 85 17.87 - 1 6 Sheffield Shield 3 3 0 380 229 126.66 2 - 3 Other matches 3 4 0 326 109 81.50 1 3 3 1960/61 10 15 0 849 229 56.60 3 4 12 Career 260 388 31 18715 229 52.42 59 82 189 Bowling O M R W BB Ave Sheffield Shield (8-ball) 4 0 15 0 - - Career (8-ball) 164.2 25 } 983 26 3/9 37.80 (6-ball) 144 46 1961 - Australians in England On his fourth and final tour of England Harvey had a successful tour as batsman and proved a capable vice-captain. The beginning of the tour was marred by bad weather, the first glimpse of the sun being at Old Trafford in the fourth match of the tour. On a firm pitch under a cloudless sky Harvey looked like the batsman of old sharing a partnership of 170 with N.C.O’Neill (74); he hit fourteen fours in a stay of three and a quarter hours for his 120. In the match at Fenner’s against Cambridge University the first four batsmen, W.M.Lawry (100), C.C.McDonald (100), B.C.Booth (113) and K.D.Mackay (106*) all hit centuries, the first time an Australian side had achieved this feat (the 1946 Indians had done it against Sussex at Hove). Due to injuries to R.A.Gaunt and R.Benaud in the University second innings Harvey was called upon to do his longest stint of bowling in first-class cricket - 27 overs. Another elegant display came at Cardiff where his 117 out of 194 while he was at the wicket came in three hours and contained a six and fifteen fours, sharing a third wicket stand of 106 with N.C.O’Neill (124). These two players shared yet another partnership at Edgbaston in the First Test, this time 146. Harvey’s twentieth Test century, containing fifteen fours, took him three and a half hours, his only mistake being at 97 when he was dropped in the covers off a short ball from J.B.Statham. Benaud was unable to play at Lord’s and Harvey achieved his ambition of captaining Australia in a Test: it was his 71st Test. He captained the side well and Australia inflicted the first defeat on England since Melbourne 1959 - a run by England of eighteen Tests without a defeat. Benaud was fit to return at Headingley in what will be remembered as Trueman’s match. In two devastating spells of bowling he caused Australia to collapse twice. In the first innings Australia had reached 182-3 when in the course of six overs Trueman took 5-16 and in the second innings he came on with Australia at 98-2; O’Neill took a single off him and then Trueman took five wickets for no runs in 24 balls to end the match with 11-88. During the match Harvey played two superb innings of 73 and 53, playing with great judgement, watching the ball carefully until the bowlers overpitched when he hit hard and when they underpitched he looked for runs square. In the first innings he was brilliantly caught by Lock, off a hard hit, at backward short-leg and in the second innings Trueman bowled a cutter, pitched on a dusty spot and Harvey spooned a catch to Dexter at cover. In the next match against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge only seventy-five minutes’ play were possible on the first day. Not out with eleven Harvey took his score to 134 before lunch on the second day as the Australians added 183 to their score; he hit 140 out of 222 with a six and eighteen fours. In contrast to this he finished the Middlesex game by taking three wickets in six deliveries to record his best bowling figures of 4-8 in 14.3 overs. The best Test of the series was the Fourth at Old Trafford where R.Benaud snatched victory for Australia by taking 6-70 in the final innings. Harvey’s second century at Edgbaston was against Warwickshire where he played the major role in a stand of 202 with R.B.Simpson (132*) for the second wicket, with Harvey hitting a six and eighteen fours. His final Test innings in England came at 37