Famous Cricketers No 70 - Keith Miller

b M.G.Waite 16 161-7 - - - - 245-3d 14. S.J.McCabe’s XI v D.G.Bradman’s XI, Melbourne, January 1, (2), 3, 4 (S.J.McCabe’s XI won by an innings and 103 runs) b R.B.Scott 29 449-9d - - - - 205 1 6 0 24 1 K.L.Ridings c D.Tallon 141 SEASON’S AVERAGES Batting and Fielding M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct Sheffield Shield 1 2 0 79 63 39.50 - 1 - Other matches 2 3 0 61 29 20.33 - - 2 Season 3 5 0 140 63 28.00 - 1 2 Career 14 24 3 744 181 35.42 2 2 11 Bowling O M R W BB Ave 5i 10m Strike RunR Sheffield Shield 1 0 3 0 - - - - - 37.50 Other matches 6 0 24 1 1-24 24.00 - - 48.00 50.00 Season 7 0 27 1 1-24 27.00 - - 56.00 48.21 1945 - Australian Services in England In 1945, Miller joined the Australian Services side which toured England and played a series of five “Victory Tests” against England, three of them at Lord’s and one each at Bramall Lane and Old Trafford. It was not a fully representative Australian side - only Hassett, apart from Miller himself played Test Cricket after the war. England were led by Walter Hammond and he was supported by such stars as Len Hutton, Bill Edrich, Cyril Washbrook, Les Ames and Doug Wright. In the first “Test” at Lord’s Miller put Australia on top with an innings of 105 made in three and a half hours with six fours. He bowled Edrich but he was still only the fifth bowler used by Australia. The tourists won by six wickets. In the Bramall Lane “Test” which followed, Wisden comments on Miller’s bowling after he had hit both Hutton and Washbrook “bowling short at great speed”. He dismissed Washbrook and Robertson for 28 runs in the England second innings. Returning to Lord’s for the third “Test”, Miller had a fine all-round match taking six wickets and steering Australia to a four wicket win with an innings of 71 not out. At Lord’s in the fourth “Test” he hit another century and opened the bowling as he had done in the second innings of the third game. At Old Trafford in the final match he was the only Australian batsman to make any impression with an innings of 77 not out. But Miller’s finest hour that summer came in the Dominions match with England at the end of August when he played an innings of 185 with seven 6’s and thirteen 4’s in a display that The Times said “which, in the opinion of one who has known the ground for more than 60 years, has never been seen before” and would “be remembered by all who saw it”. It brought his aggregate for the season at Lord’s to 568 runs and his average to 94.68. Own Team O M R W Opp Ct Total Total 15. Australia v England, Lord’s, May 19, 21, 22 (Australia won by six wickets) c L.E.G.Ames b J.W.A.Stephenson 105 455 9 2 11 1 W.J.Edrich b 267 run out 1 107-4 9 1 23 0 294 16. Australia v England, Bramall Lane, June 23, 25, 26, (England won by 41 runs) run out 17 147 13 3 19 0 286 b R.Pollard 8 288 13 2 28 2 C.Washbrook c S.G.Simsey 190 J.D.B.Robertson lbw 17. Australia v England, Lord’s, July 14, 16, 17 (Australia won by four wickets) b R.Pollard 7 194 18 3 44 3 L.Hutton b 254 J.G.Dewes b D.B.Carr b not out 71 225-6 16 2 42 3 J.G.Dewes b 164 W.J.Edrich b R.Pollard b 8