Famous Cricketers No 70 - Keith Miller

201. New South Wales v Queensland, Sydney, December 31, January 2, 3, 4 (Match drawn) c A.T.W.Grout b J.D.Bratchford 5 220 22 3 70 3 A.T.W.Grout lbw 419 P.J.P.Burge c R.B.Simpson R.G.Archer b retired hurt 59 410-7d - - - - 84-4 202. Australian XI v Tasmania, Launceston, March 17, 19, 20 (Australian XI won by 229 runs) st T.R.Davidson b T.J.Cowley 40 196 123 c B.J.Hyland b K.E.Schmidt 46 249 93 1 203. Australian XI v Tasmania, Hobart, March 22, 23, 24 (Match drawn) c T.R.Davidson b T.J.Cowley 43 357 137 c and b N.V.Diprose 106 344 149-9 1 SEASON’S AVERAGES Batting and Fielding M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct Sheffield Shield 6 6 1 403 164 80.60 2 1 2 Other matches 2 4 0 235 106 58.75 1 - 2 Season 8 10 1 638 164 70.88 3 1 4 Career 203 292 28 13144 262* 49.78 39 58 123 Bowling O M R W BB Ave 5i 10m Strike RunR Sheffield Shield (8-b) 94.3 20 272 19 7-12 14.31 1 - 39.73 36.02 Career (8-ball) 2055.4 306 } 9962 442 7-12 22.53 12 - 57.42 39.24 (6-ball) 1489.5 412 1956 – Australians in England The 1956 Australian tour of England was Miller’s final full season of first-class cricket. The team was plagued throughout the summer by the off-spin of Surrey’s Jim Laker who took forty six wickets in the Test series including a record 19-90 in the Fourth Test at Old Trafford. Miller fell to him six times in his ten Test innings but he did play three valuable knocks scoring 41 and 26 in two low Australian scores on a turning wicket at Headingley and 61 at Kennington Oval where he gave the Australian innings respectablity. But the Tests will be remembered where Miller is concerned for his wonderful bowling at Lord’s where he bowled Australia to their only victory of the series taking ten wickets for 152 runs in 70.1 overs. Seven of the victims were from the top six of the order. He also bowled 33 overs at Trent Bridge taking four for 69 and forty overs at Kennington Oval to take four for 91. His 21 Test wickets cost 22.23 each. Five-wicket hauls against Derbyshire and Surrey took his tour tally to 50 and he led the Australian bowling averages taking his wickets at 19.60 each. He was third in the tour batting averages scoring 843 runs at 36.65 per innings. This included the highest score of his career, a mammoth 281 not out against Leicestershire when Australia, settling for batting practice rather than attempting to win the match, ground out a total of 694-6. Against Surrey at Kennington Oval he was the only Australian not to fall to Laker, who took 10-88, scoring 57 not out as his colleagues fell around him. The tour was a triumphant one for Miller even if, in a wet summer, often on poor wickets, the team’s achievements fell short of those of 1948 and 1953. Own Team O M R W Opp Ct Total Total 204. Australians v Leicestershire, Leicester, May 5, 7, 8 (Match drawn) not out 281 694-6 298 1 205. Australians v Nottinghamshire, Trent Bridge, May 12, 14, 15 (Match drawn) run out 10 547-8d 345 did not bat - 53-1 206. Australians v Surrey, Kennington Oval, May 16, 17, 18 (Surrey won by ten wickets) not out 57 259 347 1 c R.Swetman b G.A.R.Lock 2 107 20-0 33