Famous Cricketers No 70 - Keith Miller

1955 – Australians in the West Indies Miller’s only tour of the West Indies was a triumphant one. Australia beat the host nation by three victories to none in the Test rubber. There was some massive scoring by the Australians who posted scores of 515-9 dec, 600-9dec, 668, and 758-8 dec in the course of a series in which they only needed to bat twice on three occasions. Miller made a substantial contribution scoring hundreds in the first, fourth and fifth Tests. In the first Test he shared a stand of 224 with Neil Harvey for the third wicket and in the fourth one of 206 with Ron Archer. Altoghether he made 439 runs in the Test series at an average of 73.16 finishing second to Harvey in the averages. But he did not neglect his bowling as he took twenty wickets, more than any other Australian, in the series at an average of 32.00. Included in these figures was a return of 6-107 in the first West Indies innings of the Fifth Test this being the only time that Miller scored a hundred and took five wickets in an innings of the same Test. For a man approaching his thirty-sixth birthday it was not bad going. Own Team O M R W Opp Ct Total Total 188. Australians v Jamaica, Melbourne Park, Kingston, March 19, 21, 22, 23 (Match drawn) lbw b L.C.Mullings 13 453 21 4 65 0 474 c L.C.Mullings b F.M.M.Worrell 39 319 2 0 4 0 28-0 189. AUSTRALIA v WEST INDIES, Sabina Park, Kingston, March 26, 28, 29, 30, 31 (Australia won by nine wickets) lbw b C.L.Walcott 147 515-9d 16 5 36 2 C.L.Walcott c R.Benaud 259 D.St E.Atkinson c R.N.Harvey did not bat - 20-1 28 9 62 3 A.P.Binns lbw 275 O.G.Smith c R.N.Harvey D.St E.Atkinson c R.Benaud 190. AUSTRALIA v WEST INDIES, Port-of-Spain, April 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 (Match drawn) run out 3 600-9d 28 9 96 1 C.A.McWatt c R.Benaud 382 12 0 52 0 273-4 191. Australians v British Guiana, Georgetown, April 20, 21, 22 (Australians won by an innings and 134 runs) c R.B.Kanhai b N.Wight 33 476-7d 6 3 9 1 B.H.Pairaudeau c L.V.Maddocks 177 5 1 15 1 G.Gibbs c R.G.Archer 165 192. AUSTRALIA v WEST INDIES, Georgetown, April 26, 27, 28, 29 (Australia won by eight wickets) c C.C.Depeiza b G.St A.Sobers 33 257 9 1 33 2 J.K.Holt c and b 182 1 J.B.Stollmeyer c R.G.Archer did not bat - 133-2 9 3 18 1 J.K.Holt c G.R.A.Langley 207 193. Australians v Barbados, Bridgetown, May 7, 9, 10, 11 (Australians won by three wickets) lbw b D.St E.Atkinson 36 333 17 3 51 4 C.C.Hunte c R.G.Archer 305 C.W.Smith c J.C.Hill G.St A.Sobers b E.D.Weekes c A.K.Davidson lbw b C.B.Williams 17 204-7 5 3 7 0 230 194. AUSTRALIA v WEST INDIES, Bridgetown, May 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 (Match drawn) c C.C.Depeiza b D.T.Dewdney 137 668 22 2 113 2 E.D.Weekes c G.R.A.Langley 510 O.G.Smith c G.R.A.Langley lbw b D.St E.Atkinson 10 249 21 3 66 1 F.M.M.Worrell c R.G.Archer 234-6 195. AUSTRALIA v WEST INDIES, Sabina Park, Kingston, June 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 (Australia won by an innings and 82 runs) c F.M.M.Worrell b D.St E.Atkinson 109 758-8d 25.2 3 107 6 J.K.Holt c G.R.A.Langley 357 C.L.Walcott c G.R.A.Langley O.G.Smith c G.R.A.Langley C.C.Depeiza c G.R.A.Langley F.M.King b D.T.Dewdney b 19 3 58 2 H.A.Furlonge c sub 319 C.C.Depeiza b 31