Bill Johnston with the Australian cricket team in England in 1948
Encyclopedia
Bill Johnston
was a key member of Donald Bradman
's famous Australian cricket team, which toured England in 1948. The Australians went undefeated in their 34 matches during the English summer; this unprecedented feat by a Test side touring England earned them the sobriquet The Invincibles.
Johnston was a left-arm bowler who engaged in fast bowling
when the ball was new and conducive to pacemen, before reverting to orthodox spin
when the ball became old. He was Australia's third fast bowler in the Tests, reinforcing the new ball
attack of Keith Miller
and Ray Lindwall
, who were regarded as one of the finest pace pairings of all time. Bradman typically used Miller and Lindwall in short bursts against the English batsmen with the new ball. The hosts had agreed to make a new ball available every 55 overs, more frequently than usual. This allowed the Australian pacemen more frequent use of a shiny ball that swung
at high pace. Johnston typically delivered pace after the Lindwall and Miller had first use of the new ball, before resorting to spin later in the innings. In order to keep Lindwall and Miller fresh, Bradman had Johnston deliver the most overs
by any bowler.
Johnston was the equal-leading wicket-taker
in the Tests
(27 along with Lindwall) and Australia's most prolific wicket-taker in the first-class
matches with 102. The latter feat made him the last Australian to take a century of wickets on an Ashes tour. In recognition of his achievements, Johnston was chosen as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year
. Wisden
said "no Australian made a greater personal contribution to the playing success of the 1948 side".
. He was a major part in Australia's 4–0 series win; the second highest wicket-taker with 16 scalps, Johnston had the best bowling average
of 11.37. Ray Lindwall
led the wicket-takers with 18. As a result, Johnston was selected for the 1948 tour of England. During the trip, Johnston roomed with Doug Ring
who was a team-mate in the Richmond
and Victorian cricket teams. As Ring was a leg spin
ner, he and Johnston were in direct competition for a place in the playing XI
.
. When Johnston was omitted for the opening match, it appeared he would not be in Bradman's Test plans. Australia went on to win by an innings, setting the tone for their tour.
Bradman brought Johnston into the team for the second tour match against Leicestershire
. He made 12 runs and was the last man out as Australia ended on 448. After a lower order collapse of 5/38 against the local spin attack
, Johnston came in and put on 37 in partnership
with Keith Miller
, allowing his colleague to reach his double century. Johnston bowled six wicketless overs for 15 as the hosts fell for 130. Made to follow on, Leicestershire made 147 to lose by an innings. Johnston took his first wicket of the tour, trapping Jack Walsh
leg before wicket
(lbw) to end with 1/42 from 27 overs. Johnston played a leading role in Australia's victory in the next match, against Yorkshire
, on a damp pitch
favourable to slower bowling. In this match, Johnston resorted to bowling left arm orthodox spin. The hosts elected to bat and he bowled almost unchanged, sending down 26 of the 54.3 overs, 14 of which were maidens
. He took 4/18 as Yorkshire were bowled out in difficult batting conditions for 71. His wickets included batsmen Alec Coxon
and Willie Watson
, who went on to become England Test cricketers. The match remained finely balanced after Australia made 101, with Johnston unbeaten
on five. He was again miserly in the second innings, bowling 15.2 overs with seven maidens and taking 6/18. His victims included leading English batsman Len Hutton
, and Coxon and Watson for the second time as the hosts were bowled out for 89. Johnston had ended the match with 10/40. After collapsing to 6/31—effectively seven wickets down as Sam Loxton
was injured and unable to bat—Australia scraped home by four wickets. It was the closest Australia would come to defeat for the whole tour.
The tourists travelled to London to play Surrey
at The Oval
, and they amassed 632 after batting first. Johnston bowled without success in the first innings. In the second innings he claimed both openers to reduce the hosts to 2/11 after Bradman had forced them to follow on. He returned later in the innings to remove Alec Bedser
and Jim Laker
, ending with 4/40 as Surrey were defeated by an innings. Johnston was rested for the following match against Cambridge University
, which Australia won by an innings.
Johnston returned as Australia crushed Essex
by an innings and 451 runs, their largest winning margin for the summer. After setting a world record for the most number of first-class runs in one day’s play (721), of which Johnston contributed nine, Bradman’s men bowled Essex out for 83 and 187 after enforcing the follow on. Johnston managed a match total of only 1/36. This was followed by another innings victory, this time over Oxford University
. After scoring 13 in Australia's 431, Johnston bowled the most overs by an Australian in the match, taking 2/40 and 2/44 across a total of 42 overs.
Johnston was the left out for the next fixture, which was against the Marylebone Cricket Club
(MCC) at Lord's. The MCC fielded seven players who would represent England in the Tests, and were basically a full strength Test team, while Australia fielded their first-choice team, with Johnston omitted. It was a chance for the Australian bowlers to gain a psychological advantage, with Len Hutton
, Denis Compton
and Bill Edrich
—three of England's first four batsmen—all playing. Australia won by an innings to give an indication of their strength.
Four county matches remained before the Tests, givng the players more chances to press their claims for selection. Johnston was recalled for Australia'a first non-victory of the tour, which was against Lancashire
. After the first day was washed out, Johnston made 24 in a 25-run ninth-wicket partnership with wicket-keeper Ron Saggers
, which took Australia from 8/170 to 9/195. The tourists were eventually bowled out for 204. During his innings, Johnston swung lustily and hit three sixes. In reply, Lancashire reached 4/144 before Johnston took five of the last six wickets to help dismiss the home side for 182, securing a slender lead for the tourists. Johnston ended with 5/49 from 29 overs, the most by any of the Australians, and was not required to bat in the second innings.
Johnston was rested for the subsequent match against Nottinghamshire
at Trent Bridge
, which was drawn. He returned against Hampshire
and played a major role in Australia's eight-wicket win. The home team were put into bat on a drying pitch by vice-captain Lindsay Hassett
—Bradman had rested himself for the match. Johnston bowled for almost the whole innings, sending down 38.4 of 85.4 overs. He took wickets at regular intervals to end with 6/74 as Hampshire were bowled out for 195. Johnston was unbeaten on two as Australia lost 8/47 and collapsed to 117 all out, trailing by 78 runs. It was the first time tha the tourists had conceded a first innings lead for the season. In the second innings, Johnston bowled unchanged at his end for the entire innings, providing steady breakthroughs to end with 5/43 as Hampshire were bowled out for 103. This left Australia a target of 182, and they batted fluently in their second innings to win by eight wickets. Johnston ended with match figures of 11/117. He was rested in the innings win over Sussex
, in the last fixture before the First Test.
when rain was forecast. Johnston was played in the hope of exploiting a wet wicket
. Johnston had taken 10/40 against Yorkshire and 11/117 against Hampshire on similar surfaces. He showed his credentials by taking a match total of 9/183 from 84 overs to help Australia to grind out a victory by eight wickets. England elected to bat first and after strike bowler Ray Lindwall
broke down on the first day, the burden on Johnston grew.
England had reached 2/46 when Johnston was brought into the attack for his first over. He bowled Bill Edrich
, knocking out the off stump
while the batsman was on the front foot. Two balls later, Johnston removed Joe Hardstaff junior
without scoring, caught by Miller in slips after attempting a cut shot; the catch was described by Wisden
as "dazzling". Miller dived and balanced himself on his spine before catching the ball to leave England at 4/46. Journalist and former Australian Test leg spinner Bill O'Reilly
said: "Johnston had trimmed and embroidered the efforts of his opening bowlers and had swung the fortunes of the game completely in Australia's favour".O'Reilly, p. 34.
Johnston then knocked over Charlie Barnett
's stumps as the batsman leaned onto the front foot and inside edged the ball into his stumps for eight; this brought Godfrey Evans
—who was given two lives—to the crease at 6/60. Evans hit Johnston hard in the air to cover, where the ball went through Bradman for a boundary
. The second catching opportunity went in the same direction before traveling through Bradman's hand and striking him in the abdomen. However, Johnston eventually snared Evans, who hit a ball strongly, but straight to short leg where Arthur Morris
took the catch close in,Fingleton, p. 87. as England reached 8/74.
However, a rearguard action took England to a total of 165, before Johnston removed Alec Bedser
to end the innings. Johnston finished with 5/36, in a display characterised by his accuracy and variations in pace and swing. When Australia batted, Johnston and Ernie Toshack
wagged a last-wicket partnership of 33 runs in only 18 minutes. They played in a free-wheeling manner before Bedser trapped Toshack lbw to end the home team’s innings on 509, leaving the tourists with a 344-run lead and Johnston unbeaten on 17.
Johnston took the new ball with Miller and delivered 59 overs in the second innings to take 4/147 in Lindwall's absence. Johnston bowled without success in the first half of the innings; the closest he came to a wicket on the third afternoon when Len Hutton
and Denis Compton
were putting on a century partnership was when Compton aimed an uppish square drive from Johnston that flew in the air wide of cover point.Arlott, p. 41. On the fourth day, England continued to make steady progress and Johnston was unsuccessful although he was able to make the ball move sideways in the morning under cloudy conditions.Arlott, p. 45. He was then attacked by Hardstaff, who drove several fours through the off side and forced Bradman to removed Johnston. He returned to remove Barnett and English captain Norman Yardley
late on the fourth day as the hosts’ neared 300. Barnett was caught by Miller in the slips and Johnston took a return catch to remove the English skipper. Johnston bowled 30 overs, the most of any bowler for the day, as England reached the penultimate evening on 345/6, a lead of one run. The next morning, Johnston removed Evans and bowled Jack Young
to end England's innings at 441 on the final day. Johnston bowled the most overs of any player and was the leading wicket-taker for the match as Australia took a 1–0 lead—the Australian batsmen reached the target of 98 with eight wickets in hand.
After the First Test, Johnston was the leading wicket-taker as Australia completed an innings victory over Northamptonshire
. He took 3/25 in the first innings, before dismissing the home side's top four batsmen in the second innings to reduce them to 4/108; they were eventually bowled out for 169. Johnston ended with 4/49. This was followed by a drawn match against Yorkshire, in which Johnston scored an unbeaten 15, before bowling almost unchanged in the home side's first innings. Johnston bowled 41.1 out of 90.1 overs and ended with 3/101, including the wickets of Test players Alec Coxon
and Watson. The match ended in a draw. Johnston bowled three overs for 15 in the second innings; Bradman chose not to push for a win and declared late in the second innings so that his bowlers would not have to exert themselves to any significant extent before the next Test.
before the latter fell to Bedser. He was joined by last man Toshack and they put on 30 before Johnston was stumped—having overbalanced while leaning onto the front foot and trying to hit a ball for six—from the bowling of Doug Wright
to end Australia's innings at 350. Both Johnston and Toshack threw the bat at the ball, which often went in vastly different directions compared to where they had aimed their shots. Both men—not known for their batting ability—played without inhibitions, joyfully revelling in their luck. One sequence of two overs from Edrich was taken for 28 runs, with many balls being unintentionally spooned over the slips or the covers.
With Keith Miller
injured and playing purely as a batsman, Johnston took the new ball, sharing it with Lindwall. He was unable to take a wicket initially, but the English openers were uncomfortable when he and Lindwall were taking the new ball. Following the tea break, he returned with the second new ball after Compton and Yardley had put on an 87-run partnership to stabilise the middle-order. Johnston took Compton's outside edge and Miller completed the catch in slips. The left armer then claimed Evans, caught by a diving Miller after the Englishman had taken a swing of the bat wide outside off stump; this left the hosts at 7/145. Johnston ended with 2/43 from 22 overs as England were bowled for at 215 early on the third morning. After Australia declared at 7/460 on the fourth afternoon to leave the home side a target of 596, Johnston troubled the English openers with the new ball, but did not take a wicket.
Lindwall and Johnston extracted steep bounce with the new ball, troubling the English batsmen. Fielding in the slips, Lindwall dropped Hutton from Johnston's bowling before the English batsman had scored. Johnston usually moved the ball into the right-handed batsmen, but on this occasion the ball went straight on and took the outside of the edge of Hutton's bat. Hutton had trouble with both Australian pacemen, and played and missed multiple times in the deteriorating light. In a fidgety display, he played loosely outside the off stump and missed four times in one Johnston over, before Lindwall dismissed him.
Yardley’s men resumed at 3/106 on the final day. On the second ball of the final morning, bowled by Johnston, Compton aimed a square drive, but the delivery was Johnston's variation ball, which went away instead of into the batsman. The ball flew off the outside edge to a diving Miller, who knocked the ball up before falling on his back and completing the catch as the ball came down. Compton stood his ground and waited for the umpire to confirm whether Miller had caught the ball cleanly, and was duly given out by the unhesitating official. O'Reilly described Miller's effort as "perhaps the very best slips catch of the whole series and ... a real match-winner." Johnston then removed Bedser for nine to end with 2/62 as Australia won by 409 runs and took a 2–0 series lead.
After 16 days of cricket in 20 days, from the First to the Second Test, Johnston was rested from the next two matches against Surrey
and Gloucestershire
, which Australia won by ten wickets and an innings respectively.
with a yorker
to leave England at 1/22. Johnston had been bowling from over the wicket, and his left-arm deliveries had generally been swinging back into the right-handed Washbrook. However, the opening batsman did not detect Johnston’s variation ball, which was released from wide of the crease and angled across more sharply without curling back in. Washbrook played inside the line of the ball, which hit his stumps. Australia nearly had two wickets in the same over as the new batsman Edrich struggled. He played loosely outside the off stump to the first ball from Johnston but did not get an edge, and on the third delivery, Edrich survived again. Receiving a ball on middle and leg stump, he tried to defend it straight back down the pitch, rather than the conventional stroke to the leg side, and managed to edge the ball past the slips for four.O'Reilly, p. 88. Johnston repeatedly hurried Edrich with his pace, forcing the batsman to make many last-moment movements to either hit the ball or withdraw from a shot during the formative stage of his innings.Fingleton, p. 131.
Johnston returned with the second new ball after lunch to remove Tom Dollery
with another yorker, leaving England at 4/97. This dismissal mirrored that of Washbrook’s in that Dollery failed to detect Johnston’s variation ball, and thus played for swing when there was none. Late in the day, Johnston took the catch as Lindwall removed Evans, who had taken a wild slash to leave England at 7/216. In the final minutes of play, Johnston extracted an edge from Compton on 64, but Tallon dropped the catch. On the second morning, Tallon dropped Compton—then on 73—for the third time, off the bowling of Johnston, who eventually ended the England innings on 363 by removing Young. Compton had added a further 81 after being dropped from Johnston's bowling to end unbeaten on 145. Johnston had bowled the most overs of the Australians and been the most economical.
In reply, Australia were in trouble at 7/208 when Johnston came to the crease to join Lindwall, with five more runs needed to avoid the follow on. As Sid Barnes
was unable to bat due to injury, Australia were effectively eight wickets down. Johnston helped Lindwall advance Australia beyond the follow-on before Bedser removed both. Johnston was reprieved in his brief innings when he edged a delivery from Dick Pollard
in the direction of Edrich at first slip, but Evans dived across, trying to catch the ball at full stretch in his right hand. The wicket-keeper could not hold onto the ball, and the resulting deflection further to the right wrong-footed Edrich, who was moving the other way, and it went past him. From second slip, Jack Crapp
dived left behind Edrich but the ball landed a few centimetres beyond his fingers. However, in the next over Bedser, Johnston edged the ball in the same manner and Crapp caught the ball easily.Arlott, p. 91. Johnston was out for three as Australia ended with 221 to narrowly avoid the follow on by eight runs. He was wicketless in the second innings, taking 0/34 as England declared at 3/174 and set Australia 317 for victory on the last day after the fourth day was completely washed out by rain. The match ended in a draw with Australia at 1/92, after many rain interruptions.
Johnston played in Australia's only match before the Fourth Test, which was against Middlesex
. He dismissed Jack Robertson
, Edrich and John Dewes
to leave the hosts at 4/92 and ended with 3/43 as they were bowled out for 203. In the second innings, he took two early wicket—including Compton—to reduce the hosts to 3/27 before ending with 2/28 as Australia bowled Middlesex out for 135. Bradman’s men went on to win by ten wickets.
regarded as being ideal for strokeplay, and Australia's bowlers had little success on the first day. Early in the day, Johnston appeared to be having back problems. He had bowled the most overs of any bowler on the tour and his loss would have meant a heavy workload for his remaining colleagues. His apparent discomfort led onlookers to opine that he should have been given more rest in the county matches. After an opening partnership of 143, England consolidated to reach 1/268 in the last over of the day before Johnston removed Washbrook for 143. Johnston did not taste further success in the first innings and ended with 1/86 from 38 overs as the home team ended on 496, their highest score of the series.
In reply, Australia were still more than 100 runs behind when Johnston joined Lindwall with the score at 8/355, late on the third day. Lindwall hit out, scoring 77 in an innings marked by powerful driving and pulling, dominating the stand
of 48 with Johnston, who made only 13. Johnston accompanied Lindwall for 80 minutes, before the injured Ernie Toshack
survived the last 50 minutes until stumps, with Johnston running
for him. Despite Toshack and Johnston’s lack of familiarity with having and acting as a runner respectively, and the resulting disorders in running between the wickets, Lindwall was able to manipulate the strike so he faced most of the balls. Johnston able to survive against the English pacemen with relative ease when he was batting, leading O’Reilly to lament the absence of leg spinner Doug Wright
, whose guile and flight was held in high regard by the Australians. Lindwall was the last man out on the fourth morning with the total on 458, leaving Australia 38 runs in arrears on the first innings.
Australia lost the services of Toshack after he broke down with a knee injury in the first innings, increasing the burden on the remaining bowlers as England sought to extend their lead on the fourth day. For the second time in the match, Washbrook and Hutton put on a century opening partnership. After reaching 50, Washbrook hooked a short ball from Johnston and top edged it, but Bradman failed to take the catch.Fingleton, p. 170. However, Washbrook soon repeated the shot from the bowling of Johnston with fatal results. The ball again went in the air, and Neil Harvey
quickly ran across the ground and bent over to catch it at feet height while on the run, removing the opener for 65. Fingleton said that Harvey’s effort "was the catch of the season—or, indeed, would have been had Harvey not turned on several magnificent aerial performances down at The Oval
[in the match against Surrey]". O’Reilly doubted "whether any other player on either side could have made the distance to get to the ball, let alone make a neat catch of it". He further said the "hook was a beauty and the catch was a classic".
England moved to 4/277 when a mini-collapse occurred. Yardley made seven before he was removed by Johnston, caught by a leaping Harvey while attempting a big shot.Fingleton, p. 172. Johnston then removed Ken Cranston
, caught behind for a duck
to leave England at 6/278. When Johnston removed Compton for 66, caught by Miller at cover, the hosts were 7/293 with no recognised batsmen remaining, having lost 4/33. England recovered to reach 8/362 at the close of the fourth day. The next day, Yardley declared
at 8/365, leaving Johnston with the pick of the bowling figures, 4/95 from 29 overs. This left the tourists a target of 404 from 345 minutes. Australia went on to break the world record Test run-chase record by scoring 3/404 to take a 3–0 lead with 15 minutes to spare.
Johnston went on to play in the match against Derbyshire
immediately after the Headingley Test, taking 3/41 and 1/35 as Australia enforced the follow on and won by an innings. He was rested for the next game against Glamorgan
, which ended in a rain-affected draw without reaching the second innings. Johnston returned and took 2/41 in the first innings against Warwickshire
, before taking 4/32 in the second innings, including three of the last five wickets, as the hosts fell from 5/118 to 155 all out. The left armer bowled almost unchanged during the second innings, sending down 39 of the 85.5 overs, including 16 maidens. His wickets included New Zealand
Test batsman Martin Donnelly
and Indian and Pakistani dual international Abdul Hafeez Kardar, as Australia went on to win by nine wickets. Johnston was then rested from two consecutive matches, against Lancashire and Durham
, both of which were rain-affected draws.
. English skipper Norman Yardley
elected to bat on a rain-affected pitch, a decision many regarded as surprising. Precipitation in the past week rendered play before midday impossible. Former Australian Test batsman and leading commentator Jack Fingleton
speculated that the tourists would have bowled if they had won the toss.Fingleton, p. 183.
The damp conditions meant required a large amount of sawdust to be laid down to help the players keep their grip. Along with the rain, the humid conditions assisted the Australian bowlers, who were able to make the ball bounce at variable heights.
After Miller removed John Dewes
with the score at 1/2, Bradman made an early bowling change and introduced Johnston. Edrich joined Hutton and they played cautiously until the former attempted to hook a short ball
from Johnston. He failed to get the ball in the middle of the bat and it looped up and travelled around 10 metres (32.8 ft). Lindsay Hassett
caught the ball just behind square leg, after diving sideways and getting both hands to the ball.Fingleton, p. 184. This left England at 2/10. After the lunch break, Johnston dismissed debutant Allan Watkins
without scoring after the batsman played across the line to be trapped lbw, leaving England at 6/42. Johnston ended with 2/20 from 16 overs as England were skittled for 52. After being unbeaten without scoring in Australia's innings of 389, Johnston was again among the wickets when England's second innings late on the second day.
England started their second innings with a deficit of 337 runs and reached 1/54 by the premature end of the second day due to bad light. The following morning, they made slow and steady progress as Johnston bowled his finger spin from around the wicket with a well-protected off side.O'Reilly, p. 154. The four men in the off side ring had much work to do as Hutton hit the ball there repeatedly. The English batsmen progressed and Johnston had one confident appeal for lbw against Compton¸ but there were few scares.O'Reilly, p. 155.
They reached 2/125 after lunch, when Compton—who was on 39—aimed a hard cut shot from Johnston's bowling, which flew off the edge into Lindwall's left hand at second slip for a "freak slip catch".Fingleton, p. 189. This triggered a collapse late in the afternoon, which saw the hosts lose 4/25 to end the third day at 7/178. England resumed on the fourth morning with only three wickets in hand, still needing 159 runs to make Bradman’s men bat again. Johnston quickly removed the last three wickets, Alec Bedser
, Yardley and Eric Hollies
to seal an Australian victory by an innings and 149 runs. Only ten runs were added in the brief morning session; Hollies fell for a golden duck after skying a ball to Morris, immediately after Yardley became the ninth man to fall. Johnston ended with 4/40 from 27.3 overs and he was the most economical of the bowlers. Given the time lost to inclement weather on the first day, Australia had won the match in less than three days of playing time. Overall, Johnston finished with 27 Test wickets at an average
of 23.33, equal to Lindwall but at a higher average.
and made 361. Johnston then took three wickets with the new ball to help reduce the hosts to 5/16, before ending with 3/10 from six overs. Forced to follow on after being bowled out for 51 in 23 overs, Kent were reduced to 4/37 by three early Lindwall wickets. Johnston ended with 1/28 as the home team capitulated for 124 and lost by an innings. The victory over Kent was followed by a match against the Gentlemen of England. Johnston was rested as Australia completed another innings victory. He returned for the match against Somerset
, which resulted in a third consecutive innings win. After Australia had declared at 5/560, Johnston took the opening wicket of Harold Gimblett
before returning to take the last two scalps of the first innings from consecutive balls, bowling his finger spin. He ended with 3/34 as Somerset fell for 115 and were forced to follow on. Johnston bowled the second over of the second innings. As Johnston had taken wickets with his last two balls in the first innings, his first delivery was the hat-trick
ball. Gimblett negotiated the first ball safely, before being trapped lbw for a duck on the next. Johnston had thus taken three wickets in four balls. He bowled unchanged throughout the innings to end with 5/34 from 17.4 overs as Somerset were bowled out for 71. Johnston took the final wicket to fall—Horace Hazell
—trapped for a duck, which brought up his 100th first-class wicket for the tour.
In the match against the South of England
, Johnston took 1/63—Edrich being his only wicket—after Australia declared at 7/522. Bradman’s men dismissed the hosts for 298 and rain ended the match before the second innings could start.
Australia's biggest challenge in the post-Test tour matches was against the Leveson-Gower's XI. During the last tour in 1938, this team was effectively a full-strength England outfit, but this time Bradman insisted that only six current England Test players be allowed to represent the hosts. After his opponents had finalised their players, Bradman named a full-strength team. In a rain-interrupted match, Johnston bowled Edrich for 15. He ended with 1/20 as the hosts folded for 177. Johnston made an unbeaten 26 in a partnership of 30 with Lindsay Hassett
as Australia replied with 8/489 declared. Time ran out with the Leveson-Gower's XI at 0/75 in the second innings.
The tour ended with two non-first-class matches against Scotland. In the first, Australia scored 236 before Johnston took 6/15 from 12.5 overs. He took the last four wickets as the home team fell from 6/81 to be all out for 85. Johnston bowled four wicketless overs in the second innings as Australia completed victory without needing to bat for a second time. In the second match, he signed off on his tour in a low key manner, taking a wicket in each innings to end with a match total of 2/48 as Australia completed another innings triumph.
Johnston played as a left-arm fast bowler
when the ball was new and conducive to pace bowling, before reverting to finger spin
when it became old and lost its shine. He was Australia's third fast bowler in the Tests, reinforcing the new ball pairing of Keith Miller
and Ray Lindwall
, who were regarded as one of the finest pace duos of all time. Bradman typically used Miller and Lindwall in short and sharp new ball bursts against the local batsmen. England had agreed that a new ball would be available every 55 overs, a milestone that usually came more frequently than the old regulation of 200 runs for every ball. This allowed Australia—who had the superior pace attack—more frequent use of a shiny ball, which swung
at high pace. Johnston typically bowled pace after the first-choice pair had finished their new ball spell, before reverting to spin when the ball was worn. He took 27 wickets at 23.33 in the Tests, making him the equal-leading wicket-taker along with Lindwall, who averaged 19.62. The Australian pacemen’s tally was substantially more than the next best, recorded by England's Alec Bedser
, who took 18 wickets at 38.22.
In both the Test and county matches during the 1948 tour, Johnston carried the heaviest workload, bowling nearly 200 overs more than any other squad member. He was the leading wicket-taker in all first-class matches with 102 wickets at 16.42, and the last Australian to take a century of wickets on a tour of England. His average was only slightly inferior to that of Lindwall, who took 86 wickets at 15.68. The roles Johnston fulfilled are borne out in his economy rate and strike rate
. He was more economical than Miller and Lindwall, who took wickets more frequently.
Johnston's performances prompted Bradman to call him "Australia's greatest left-hand bowler". As a result of his ability to bowl spin and pace, teammate Neil Harvey
thought the team effectively had 13 players, saying "we reckoned Bradman was worth two [batsmen] and Bill Johnston was worth two [bowlers]". Harvey rated Johnston the best team man in the squad, and Bill Brown
praised Johnston's work ethic in bowling for long periods after Lindwall and Miller had been given the best opportunities with the new ball. Spin bowling teammate Ian Johnson
described him as "the finest team man and tourist" in cricket and valued his personality, while Miller described him as "the most popular man in cricket". Johnston sometimes amused his colleagues by demonstrating his double jointedness, wrapping his feet around the back of his neck. He was reputed to have nearly drowned when he attempted this in the communal bath at Lord's.
After carrying a heavy workload in the early stages of the tour, Johnston was used more sparingly in the latter stages. As the tour progressed, Johnston improved his control and restrained England's batsmen between the new ball bursts of Lindwall and Miller. Johnston was chosen as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year
. Wisden
said "no Australian made a greater personal contribution to the playing success of the 1948 side". Fingleton wrote that Australia had never sent a greater left-hander to England.
During the tour, Johnston had few opportunities with the bat, invariably batting at either No. 10 and No. 11 alongside Toshack, another tail-ender with little batting ability.N- Neither player ever passed 30 in their first-class career, and they were the only two Australians who failed to pass 50 during the tour. As Australia's other frontline bowlers were Miller, Lindwall, Colin McCool
, Ian Johnson
and Doug Ring
, all of whom scored centuries
and more than 20 fifties each during their first-class career, Toshack and Johnston were rooted at the bottom of the batting order
. As Australia often won by an innings, and declared in the first innings many time due to their batting strength, Johnston only had 18 innings in his 21 first-class fixtures and scored 188 runs at 18.80, the third lowest average and aggregate. He scored 62 runs in the Tests at 20.66, including his highest first-class score of 29 in the Second Test at Lord’s.
Bill Johnston (cricketer)
William Arras Johnston was an Australian cricketer who played in forty Test matches from 1947 to 1955. A left arm pace bowler, as well as a left arm orthodox spinner, Johnston was best known as a spearhead of Don Bradman's undefeated 1948 touring team, well known as "The Invincibles"...
was a key member of Donald Bradman
Donald Bradman
Sir Donald George Bradman, AC , often referred to as "The Don", was an Australian cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time...
's famous Australian cricket team, which toured England in 1948. The Australians went undefeated in their 34 matches during the English summer; this unprecedented feat by a Test side touring England earned them the sobriquet The Invincibles.
Johnston was a left-arm bowler who engaged in fast bowling
Fast bowling
Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
when the ball was new and conducive to pacemen, before reverting to orthodox spin
Left-arm orthodox spin
Left-arm orthodox spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket.Left-arm orthodox spin is bowled by a left arm bowler using the fingers to spin the ball from right to left of the cricket pitch...
when the ball became old. He was Australia's third fast bowler in the Tests, reinforcing the new ball
Cricket ball
A cricket ball is a hard, solid leather ball used to play cricket. Constructed of cork and leather, a cricket ball is heavily regulated by cricket law at first class level...
attack of Keith Miller
Keith Miller
Keith Ross Miller MBE was an Australian Test cricketer and a Royal Australian Air Force pilot during World War II. Miller is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever all-rounder. Because of his ability, irreverent manner and good looks he was a crowd favourite...
and Ray Lindwall
Ray Lindwall
Raymond Russell Lindwall MBE was a cricketer who represented Australia in 61 Tests from 1946 to 1960. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time. He also played top-flight rugby league football with St...
, who were regarded as one of the finest pace pairings of all time. Bradman typically used Miller and Lindwall in short bursts against the English batsmen with the new ball. The hosts had agreed to make a new ball available every 55 overs, more frequently than usual. This allowed the Australian pacemen more frequent use of a shiny ball that swung
Swing bowling
Swing bowling is a technique used for bowling in the sport of cricket. Practitioners are known as swing bowlers. Swing bowling is generally classed as a subtype of fast bowling.-Physics of swing bowling:...
at high pace. Johnston typically delivered pace after the Lindwall and Miller had first use of the new ball, before resorting to spin later in the innings. In order to keep Lindwall and Miller fresh, Bradman had Johnston deliver the most overs
Over (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate....
by any bowler.
Johnston was the equal-leading wicket-taker
Wicket
In the sport of cricket the word wicket has several distinct meanings:-Definitions of wicket:Most of the time, the wicket is one of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at either end of the pitch...
in the Tests
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
(27 along with Lindwall) and Australia's most prolific wicket-taker in the first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
matches with 102. The latter feat made him the last Australian to take a century of wickets on an Ashes tour. In recognition of his achievements, Johnston was chosen as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year
Wisden Cricketers of the Year
The Wisden Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, based primarily on their "influence on the previous English season"...
. Wisden
Wisden
The Wisden Group was a group of companies formed by John Wisden & Co Ltd, publishers of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. As well as John Wisden & Co, the group included the The Wisden Cricketer magazine, Cricinfo – the world's highest traffic cricket website – and the Hawk-Eye computerised...
said "no Australian made a greater personal contribution to the playing success of the 1948 side".
Background
During the Australian summer of 1947–48, Johnston played in four of the five Tests against the touring Indian cricket teamIndian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
. He was a major part in Australia's 4–0 series win; the second highest wicket-taker with 16 scalps, Johnston had the best bowling average
Bowling average
Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowlers divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. It is similar to earned...
of 11.37. Ray Lindwall
Ray Lindwall
Raymond Russell Lindwall MBE was a cricketer who represented Australia in 61 Tests from 1946 to 1960. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time. He also played top-flight rugby league football with St...
led the wicket-takers with 18. As a result, Johnston was selected for the 1948 tour of England. During the trip, Johnston roomed with Doug Ring
Doug Ring
Douglas Thomas Ring was an Australian cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia in 13 Tests from 1948 to 1953...
who was a team-mate in the Richmond
Richmond Cricket Club
This article concerns the Richmond club in Australia. For the English club of the same name, see Richmond Cricket Club, SurreyThe Richmond Cricket Club is an Australian cricket club based in Richmond, an inner suburb of Melbourne, Victoria....
and Victorian cricket teams. As Ring was a leg spin
Leg spin
Leg spin is a type of spin bowling in the sport of cricket. A leg spinner bowls right-arm with a wrist spin action, causing the ball to spin from right to left in the cricket pitch, at the point of delivery. When the ball bounces, the spin causes the ball to deviate sharply from right to left, that...
ner, he and Johnston were in direct competition for a place in the playing XI
First eleven
First eleven or first XI may refer to the eleven players in an organisation's leading team, particularly a cricket team or association football team....
.
Early tour
Australia traditionally fielded its first-choice team in the tour opener, which was customarily against WorcestershireWorcestershire County Cricket Club
Worcestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Worcestershire...
. When Johnston was omitted for the opening match, it appeared he would not be in Bradman's Test plans. Australia went on to win by an innings, setting the tone for their tour.
Bradman brought Johnston into the team for the second tour match against Leicestershire
Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Leicestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
. He made 12 runs and was the last man out as Australia ended on 448. After a lower order collapse of 5/38 against the local spin attack
Spin bowling
Spin bowling is a technique used for bowling in the sport of cricket. Practitioners are known as spinners or spin bowlers.-Purpose:The main aim of spin bowling is to bowl the cricket ball with rapid rotation so that when it bounces on the pitch it will deviate, thus making it difficult for the...
, Johnston came in and put on 37 in partnership
Partnership (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, two batsmen always bat in partnership, although only one is on strike at any time. The partnership between two batsmen will come to an end when one of them is dismissed or retires, or the innings comes to a close In the sport of cricket, two batsmen always bat in...
with Keith Miller
Keith Miller
Keith Ross Miller MBE was an Australian Test cricketer and a Royal Australian Air Force pilot during World War II. Miller is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever all-rounder. Because of his ability, irreverent manner and good looks he was a crowd favourite...
, allowing his colleague to reach his double century. Johnston bowled six wicketless overs for 15 as the hosts fell for 130. Made to follow on, Leicestershire made 147 to lose by an innings. Johnston took his first wicket of the tour, trapping Jack Walsh
Jack Walsh
John Edward "Jack" Walsh, born at Walcha, New South Wales on 4 December 1912 and died at Wallsend, New South Wales on 20 May 1980, was an Australian cricketer who played nearly all of his cricket in England....
leg before wicket
Leg before wicket
In the sport of cricket, leg before wicket is one of the ways in which a batsman can be dismissed. An umpire will rule a batsman out LBW under a series of circumstances which primarily include the ball striking the batsman's body when it would otherwise have continued on to hit the batsman's...
(lbw) to end with 1/42 from 27 overs. Johnston played a leading role in Australia's victory in the next match, against Yorkshire
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
, on a damp pitch
Sticky wicket
Sticky wicket is a metaphor used to describe a difficult circumstance; it originates from difficult circumstances in the sport of cricket.-Origins:...
favourable to slower bowling. In this match, Johnston resorted to bowling left arm orthodox spin. The hosts elected to bat and he bowled almost unchanged, sending down 26 of the 54.3 overs, 14 of which were maidens
Over (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate....
. He took 4/18 as Yorkshire were bowled out in difficult batting conditions for 71. His wickets included batsmen Alec Coxon
Alec Coxon
Alexander "Alec" Coxon is a former English cricketer who played for Yorkshire. He also played one Test match for England in 1948. Cricket writer, Colin Bateman stated, "Coxon's Test career was abrupt - much like the man himself...
and Willie Watson
Willie Watson (England cricketer)
William "Willie" Watson, was an English cricketer, who played for Yorkshire, Leicestershire and England. He was a double international, as Watson was also a footballer who played for England's national team.-Cricket career:...
, who went on to become England Test cricketers. The match remained finely balanced after Australia made 101, with Johnston unbeaten
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
on five. He was again miserly in the second innings, bowling 15.2 overs with seven maidens and taking 6/18. His victims included leading English batsman Len Hutton
Len Hutton
Sir Leonard "Len" Hutton was an English Test cricketer, who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England in the years around the Second World War as an opening batsman. He was described by Wisden Cricketer's Almanack as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket...
, and Coxon and Watson for the second time as the hosts were bowled out for 89. Johnston had ended the match with 10/40. After collapsing to 6/31—effectively seven wickets down as Sam Loxton
Sam Loxton
Samuel John Everett "Sam" Loxton OBE is a former Australian cricketer, footballer and politician. Among these three pursuits, his greatest achievements were attained on the cricket field; he played in 12 Tests for Australia from 1948 to 1951...
was injured and unable to bat—Australia scraped home by four wickets. It was the closest Australia would come to defeat for the whole tour.
The tourists travelled to London to play Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
at The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
, and they amassed 632 after batting first. Johnston bowled without success in the first innings. In the second innings he claimed both openers to reduce the hosts to 2/11 after Bradman had forced them to follow on. He returned later in the innings to remove Alec Bedser
Alec Bedser
Sir Alec Victor Bedser, CBE was a professional English cricketer. He was the chairman of selectors for the English national cricket team, and the president of Surrey County Cricket Club...
and Jim Laker
Jim Laker
James "Jim" Charles Laker was a cricketer who played for England in the 1950s, known for "Laker's match" in 1956 at Old Trafford, when he took nineteen wickets in England's victory against Australia...
, ending with 4/40 as Surrey were defeated by an innings. Johnston was rested for the following match against Cambridge University
Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
, which Australia won by an innings.
Johnston returned as Australia crushed Essex
Essex County Cricket Club
Essex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
by an innings and 451 runs, their largest winning margin for the summer. After setting a world record for the most number of first-class runs in one day’s play (721), of which Johnston contributed nine, Bradman’s men bowled Essex out for 83 and 187 after enforcing the follow on. Johnston managed a match total of only 1/36. This was followed by another innings victory, this time over Oxford University
Oxford University Cricket Club
Oxford University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team, representing the University of Oxford. It plays its home games at the University Parks in Oxford, England...
. After scoring 13 in Australia's 431, Johnston bowled the most overs by an Australian in the match, taking 2/40 and 2/44 across a total of 42 overs.
Johnston was the left out for the next fixture, which was against the Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
(MCC) at Lord's. The MCC fielded seven players who would represent England in the Tests, and were basically a full strength Test team, while Australia fielded their first-choice team, with Johnston omitted. It was a chance for the Australian bowlers to gain a psychological advantage, with Len Hutton
Len Hutton
Sir Leonard "Len" Hutton was an English Test cricketer, who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England in the years around the Second World War as an opening batsman. He was described by Wisden Cricketer's Almanack as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket...
, Denis Compton
Denis Compton
Denis Charles Scott Compton CBE was an English cricketer who played in 78 Test matches, and a footballer...
and Bill Edrich
Bill Edrich
William John "Bill" Edrich DFC was a distinguished cricketer who played for Middlesex, MCC, Norfolk and England.Edrich's three brothers, Brian, Eric and Geoff, and also his cousin, John, all played first-class cricket...
—three of England's first four batsmen—all playing. Australia won by an innings to give an indication of their strength.
Four county matches remained before the Tests, givng the players more chances to press their claims for selection. Johnston was recalled for Australia'a first non-victory of the tour, which was against Lancashire
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
. After the first day was washed out, Johnston made 24 in a 25-run ninth-wicket partnership with wicket-keeper Ron Saggers
Ron Saggers
Ronald Arthur Saggers was an Australian cricketer who played for New South Wales. He played briefly for the Australian team, playing six Tests between 1948 and 1950...
, which took Australia from 8/170 to 9/195. The tourists were eventually bowled out for 204. During his innings, Johnston swung lustily and hit three sixes. In reply, Lancashire reached 4/144 before Johnston took five of the last six wickets to help dismiss the home side for 182, securing a slender lead for the tourists. Johnston ended with 5/49 from 29 overs, the most by any of the Australians, and was not required to bat in the second innings.
Johnston was rested for the subsequent match against Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
at Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge is a Test, One-day international and County cricket ground located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England and is also the headquarters of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. As well as International cricket and Nottinghamshire's home games, the ground has hosted the Finals Day of...
, which was drawn. He returned against Hampshire
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
and played a major role in Australia's eight-wicket win. The home team were put into bat on a drying pitch by vice-captain Lindsay Hassett
Lindsay Hassett
Arthur Lindsay Hassett MBE was a cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia. The diminutive Hassett was an elegant middle-order batsman, described by Wisden as, "... a master of nearly every stroke ... his superb timing, nimble footwork and strong wrists enabled him to make batting look a...
—Bradman had rested himself for the match. Johnston bowled for almost the whole innings, sending down 38.4 of 85.4 overs. He took wickets at regular intervals to end with 6/74 as Hampshire were bowled out for 195. Johnston was unbeaten on two as Australia lost 8/47 and collapsed to 117 all out, trailing by 78 runs. It was the first time tha the tourists had conceded a first innings lead for the season. In the second innings, Johnston bowled unchanged at his end for the entire innings, providing steady breakthroughs to end with 5/43 as Hampshire were bowled out for 103. This left Australia a target of 182, and they batted fluently in their second innings to win by eight wickets. Johnston ended with match figures of 11/117. He was rested in the innings win over Sussex
Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
, in the last fixture before the First Test.
First Test
Johnston was not in Bradman's planned Test team. However, the Australian skipper changed his mind on the morning of the First Test in Trent BridgeTrent Bridge
Trent Bridge is a Test, One-day international and County cricket ground located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England and is also the headquarters of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. As well as International cricket and Nottinghamshire's home games, the ground has hosted the Finals Day of...
when rain was forecast. Johnston was played in the hope of exploiting a wet wicket
Sticky wicket
Sticky wicket is a metaphor used to describe a difficult circumstance; it originates from difficult circumstances in the sport of cricket.-Origins:...
. Johnston had taken 10/40 against Yorkshire and 11/117 against Hampshire on similar surfaces. He showed his credentials by taking a match total of 9/183 from 84 overs to help Australia to grind out a victory by eight wickets. England elected to bat first and after strike bowler Ray Lindwall
Ray Lindwall
Raymond Russell Lindwall MBE was a cricketer who represented Australia in 61 Tests from 1946 to 1960. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time. He also played top-flight rugby league football with St...
broke down on the first day, the burden on Johnston grew.
England had reached 2/46 when Johnston was brought into the attack for his first over. He bowled Bill Edrich
Bill Edrich
William John "Bill" Edrich DFC was a distinguished cricketer who played for Middlesex, MCC, Norfolk and England.Edrich's three brothers, Brian, Eric and Geoff, and also his cousin, John, all played first-class cricket...
, knocking out the off stump
Stump (cricket)
Stump is a term used in the sport of cricket where it has three different meanings:# part of the wicket# a manner of dismissing a batsman# the end of the day's play .-Part of the wicket:...
while the batsman was on the front foot. Two balls later, Johnston removed Joe Hardstaff junior
Joe Hardstaff junior
Joseph Hardstaff junior was an English cricketer, who played in twenty three Tests for England from 1935 to 1948...
without scoring, caught by Miller in slips after attempting a cut shot; the catch was described by Wisden
Wisden
The Wisden Group was a group of companies formed by John Wisden & Co Ltd, publishers of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. As well as John Wisden & Co, the group included the The Wisden Cricketer magazine, Cricinfo – the world's highest traffic cricket website – and the Hawk-Eye computerised...
as "dazzling". Miller dived and balanced himself on his spine before catching the ball to leave England at 4/46. Journalist and former Australian Test leg spinner Bill O'Reilly
Bill O'Reilly (cricketer)
William Joseph "Bill" O'Reilly , often known as Tiger O'Reilly, was an Australian cricketer, rated as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. Following his retirement from playing, he became a well-respected cricket writer and broadcaster.O'Reilly was one of the best spin bowlers to...
said: "Johnston had trimmed and embroidered the efforts of his opening bowlers and had swung the fortunes of the game completely in Australia's favour".O'Reilly, p. 34.
Johnston then knocked over Charlie Barnett
Charlie Barnett (cricketer)
Charles John Barnett was an English cricketer, who played in 20 Tests from 1933 to 1948...
's stumps as the batsman leaned onto the front foot and inside edged the ball into his stumps for eight; this brought Godfrey Evans
Godfrey Evans
Thomas Godfrey Evans CBE was an English cricketer who played for Kent and England.Described by Wisden as 'arguably the best wicket-keeper the game has ever seen', Evans collected 219 dismissals in 91 Test match appearances between 1946 and 1959 and a total of 1066 in all first-class matches...
—who was given two lives—to the crease at 6/60. Evans hit Johnston hard in the air to cover, where the ball went through Bradman for a boundary
Boundary (cricket)
Boundary has two distinct meanings in the sport of cricket:# the edge or boundary of the playing field, and# a manner of scoring runs.-Edge of the field:...
. The second catching opportunity went in the same direction before traveling through Bradman's hand and striking him in the abdomen. However, Johnston eventually snared Evans, who hit a ball strongly, but straight to short leg where Arthur Morris
Arthur Morris
Arthur Robert Morris MBE is a former Australian cricketer who played 46 Test matches between 1946 and 1955. An opener, Morris is regarded as one of Australia's greatest left-handed batsmen. He is best known for his key role in Don Bradman's Invincibles side, which made an undefeated tour of...
took the catch close in,Fingleton, p. 87. as England reached 8/74.
However, a rearguard action took England to a total of 165, before Johnston removed Alec Bedser
Alec Bedser
Sir Alec Victor Bedser, CBE was a professional English cricketer. He was the chairman of selectors for the English national cricket team, and the president of Surrey County Cricket Club...
to end the innings. Johnston finished with 5/36, in a display characterised by his accuracy and variations in pace and swing. When Australia batted, Johnston and Ernie Toshack
Ernie Toshack
Ernest Raymond Herbert Toshack was an Australian cricketer who played in 12 Tests from 1946 to 1948. A left arm medium paced bowler who was known for his accuracy and stamina in his application of leg theory, Toshack was best known for being as member of Don Bradman's Invincibles that toured...
wagged a last-wicket partnership of 33 runs in only 18 minutes. They played in a free-wheeling manner before Bedser trapped Toshack lbw to end the home team’s innings on 509, leaving the tourists with a 344-run lead and Johnston unbeaten on 17.
Johnston took the new ball with Miller and delivered 59 overs in the second innings to take 4/147 in Lindwall's absence. Johnston bowled without success in the first half of the innings; the closest he came to a wicket on the third afternoon when Len Hutton
Len Hutton
Sir Leonard "Len" Hutton was an English Test cricketer, who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England in the years around the Second World War as an opening batsman. He was described by Wisden Cricketer's Almanack as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket...
and Denis Compton
Denis Compton
Denis Charles Scott Compton CBE was an English cricketer who played in 78 Test matches, and a footballer...
were putting on a century partnership was when Compton aimed an uppish square drive from Johnston that flew in the air wide of cover point.Arlott, p. 41. On the fourth day, England continued to make steady progress and Johnston was unsuccessful although he was able to make the ball move sideways in the morning under cloudy conditions.Arlott, p. 45. He was then attacked by Hardstaff, who drove several fours through the off side and forced Bradman to removed Johnston. He returned to remove Barnett and English captain Norman Yardley
Norman Yardley
Norman Walter Dransfield Yardley was an English cricketer who played for Cambridge University, Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England, as a right-handed batsman and occasional bowler. An amateur, he captained Yorkshire from 1948 to 1955 and England on fourteen occasions between 1947 and 1950,...
late on the fourth day as the hosts’ neared 300. Barnett was caught by Miller in the slips and Johnston took a return catch to remove the English skipper. Johnston bowled 30 overs, the most of any bowler for the day, as England reached the penultimate evening on 345/6, a lead of one run. The next morning, Johnston removed Evans and bowled Jack Young
Jack Young (cricketer)
John Albert "Jack" Young was an English cricketer, who played for Middlesex and England. His first-class cricket career lasted from 1933 to 1956....
to end England's innings at 441 on the final day. Johnston bowled the most overs of any player and was the leading wicket-taker for the match as Australia took a 1–0 lead—the Australian batsmen reached the target of 98 with eight wickets in hand.
After the First Test, Johnston was the leading wicket-taker as Australia completed an innings victory over Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
. He took 3/25 in the first innings, before dismissing the home side's top four batsmen in the second innings to reduce them to 4/108; they were eventually bowled out for 169. Johnston ended with 4/49. This was followed by a drawn match against Yorkshire, in which Johnston scored an unbeaten 15, before bowling almost unchanged in the home side's first innings. Johnston bowled 41.1 out of 90.1 overs and ended with 3/101, including the wickets of Test players Alec Coxon
Alec Coxon
Alexander "Alec" Coxon is a former English cricketer who played for Yorkshire. He also played one Test match for England in 1948. Cricket writer, Colin Bateman stated, "Coxon's Test career was abrupt - much like the man himself...
and Watson. The match ended in a draw. Johnston bowled three overs for 15 in the second innings; Bradman chose not to push for a win and declared late in the second innings so that his bowlers would not have to exert themselves to any significant extent before the next Test.
Second Test
In the Second Test at Lord's, Australia batted first and Johnston scored his Test career best of 29 in another tail-wagging performance in the first innings. After coming to the crease with the score at 8/275 on the second morning, Johnston added 45 runs with wicket-keeper Don TallonDon Tallon
Donald "Don" Tallon was an Australian cricketer who played 21 Test matches as a wicket-keeper between 1946 and 1953...
before the latter fell to Bedser. He was joined by last man Toshack and they put on 30 before Johnston was stumped—having overbalanced while leaning onto the front foot and trying to hit a ball for six—from the bowling of Doug Wright
Doug Wright (cricketer)
Douglas Vivian Parson Wright, better known as Doug Wright was an English cricketer. A leg-spinner for Kent and England from 1932 to 1957 he took a record seven hat-tricks in first class cricket. He played for Kent for 25 years and was their first professional captain from late 1953 to 1956...
to end Australia's innings at 350. Both Johnston and Toshack threw the bat at the ball, which often went in vastly different directions compared to where they had aimed their shots. Both men—not known for their batting ability—played without inhibitions, joyfully revelling in their luck. One sequence of two overs from Edrich was taken for 28 runs, with many balls being unintentionally spooned over the slips or the covers.
With Keith Miller
Keith Miller
Keith Ross Miller MBE was an Australian Test cricketer and a Royal Australian Air Force pilot during World War II. Miller is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever all-rounder. Because of his ability, irreverent manner and good looks he was a crowd favourite...
injured and playing purely as a batsman, Johnston took the new ball, sharing it with Lindwall. He was unable to take a wicket initially, but the English openers were uncomfortable when he and Lindwall were taking the new ball. Following the tea break, he returned with the second new ball after Compton and Yardley had put on an 87-run partnership to stabilise the middle-order. Johnston took Compton's outside edge and Miller completed the catch in slips. The left armer then claimed Evans, caught by a diving Miller after the Englishman had taken a swing of the bat wide outside off stump; this left the hosts at 7/145. Johnston ended with 2/43 from 22 overs as England were bowled for at 215 early on the third morning. After Australia declared at 7/460 on the fourth afternoon to leave the home side a target of 596, Johnston troubled the English openers with the new ball, but did not take a wicket.
Lindwall and Johnston extracted steep bounce with the new ball, troubling the English batsmen. Fielding in the slips, Lindwall dropped Hutton from Johnston's bowling before the English batsman had scored. Johnston usually moved the ball into the right-handed batsmen, but on this occasion the ball went straight on and took the outside of the edge of Hutton's bat. Hutton had trouble with both Australian pacemen, and played and missed multiple times in the deteriorating light. In a fidgety display, he played loosely outside the off stump and missed four times in one Johnston over, before Lindwall dismissed him.
Yardley’s men resumed at 3/106 on the final day. On the second ball of the final morning, bowled by Johnston, Compton aimed a square drive, but the delivery was Johnston's variation ball, which went away instead of into the batsman. The ball flew off the outside edge to a diving Miller, who knocked the ball up before falling on his back and completing the catch as the ball came down. Compton stood his ground and waited for the umpire to confirm whether Miller had caught the ball cleanly, and was duly given out by the unhesitating official. O'Reilly described Miller's effort as "perhaps the very best slips catch of the whole series and ... a real match-winner." Johnston then removed Bedser for nine to end with 2/62 as Australia won by 409 runs and took a 2–0 series lead.
After 16 days of cricket in 20 days, from the First to the Second Test, Johnston was rested from the next two matches against Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
and Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
, which Australia won by ten wickets and an innings respectively.
Third Test
Johnston returned for the Third Test at Old Trafford, where the home team elected to bat first. In an effective containing performance, Johnston took 3/67 from 45.5 overs in the first innings. England had looked assured in the first hour, before Johnston—again taking the new ball with Lindwall—bowled Cyril WashbrookCyril Washbrook
Cyril Washbrook was an English cricketer, who played for Lancashire and England. He had a long career, split by World War II, and ending when he was aged 44. Washbrook, who is most famous for opening the batting for England with Len Hutton, which he did fifty one times, played a total of 592...
with a yorker
Yorker
Yorker is a term used in cricket that describes a ball bowled which hits the cricket pitch around the batsman's feet. When a batsman assumes a normal stance this generally means that the cricket ball bounces on the cricket pitch on or near the batsman's popping crease...
to leave England at 1/22. Johnston had been bowling from over the wicket, and his left-arm deliveries had generally been swinging back into the right-handed Washbrook. However, the opening batsman did not detect Johnston’s variation ball, which was released from wide of the crease and angled across more sharply without curling back in. Washbrook played inside the line of the ball, which hit his stumps. Australia nearly had two wickets in the same over as the new batsman Edrich struggled. He played loosely outside the off stump to the first ball from Johnston but did not get an edge, and on the third delivery, Edrich survived again. Receiving a ball on middle and leg stump, he tried to defend it straight back down the pitch, rather than the conventional stroke to the leg side, and managed to edge the ball past the slips for four.O'Reilly, p. 88. Johnston repeatedly hurried Edrich with his pace, forcing the batsman to make many last-moment movements to either hit the ball or withdraw from a shot during the formative stage of his innings.Fingleton, p. 131.
Johnston returned with the second new ball after lunch to remove Tom Dollery
Tom Dollery
Tom Dollery was an English cricketer, who played for England and Warwickshire.-Life and career:Born Horace Edgar Dollery in Reading, Berkshire, and playing Minor counties cricket for Berkshire at the age of 15, Dollery joined Warwickshire in 1934, and was a mainstay of the team until retirement in...
with another yorker, leaving England at 4/97. This dismissal mirrored that of Washbrook’s in that Dollery failed to detect Johnston’s variation ball, and thus played for swing when there was none. Late in the day, Johnston took the catch as Lindwall removed Evans, who had taken a wild slash to leave England at 7/216. In the final minutes of play, Johnston extracted an edge from Compton on 64, but Tallon dropped the catch. On the second morning, Tallon dropped Compton—then on 73—for the third time, off the bowling of Johnston, who eventually ended the England innings on 363 by removing Young. Compton had added a further 81 after being dropped from Johnston's bowling to end unbeaten on 145. Johnston had bowled the most overs of the Australians and been the most economical.
In reply, Australia were in trouble at 7/208 when Johnston came to the crease to join Lindwall, with five more runs needed to avoid the follow on. As Sid Barnes
Sid Barnes
Sidney George Barnes was an Australian cricketer and cricket writer, who played 13 Test matches between 1938 and 1948. Able to open the innings or bat down the order, Barnes was regarded as one of Australia's finest batsmen in the period immediately following the Second World War...
was unable to bat due to injury, Australia were effectively eight wickets down. Johnston helped Lindwall advance Australia beyond the follow-on before Bedser removed both. Johnston was reprieved in his brief innings when he edged a delivery from Dick Pollard
Dick Pollard
Richard "Dick" Pollard was an English cricketer born in Westhoughton, Lancashire, who played in four Tests between 1946 and 1948...
in the direction of Edrich at first slip, but Evans dived across, trying to catch the ball at full stretch in his right hand. The wicket-keeper could not hold onto the ball, and the resulting deflection further to the right wrong-footed Edrich, who was moving the other way, and it went past him. From second slip, Jack Crapp
Jack Crapp
John "Jack" Frederick Crapp was an English cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Gloucestershire between 1936 and 1956, and played for England on tour in the winter of 1948-49....
dived left behind Edrich but the ball landed a few centimetres beyond his fingers. However, in the next over Bedser, Johnston edged the ball in the same manner and Crapp caught the ball easily.Arlott, p. 91. Johnston was out for three as Australia ended with 221 to narrowly avoid the follow on by eight runs. He was wicketless in the second innings, taking 0/34 as England declared at 3/174 and set Australia 317 for victory on the last day after the fourth day was completely washed out by rain. The match ended in a draw with Australia at 1/92, after many rain interruptions.
Johnston played in Australia's only match before the Fourth Test, which was against Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
. He dismissed Jack Robertson
Jack Robertson
Jack Robertson was an English cricketer, who played county cricket for Middlesex, and in eleven Tests for England....
, Edrich and John Dewes
John Dewes
John Dewes is a former English cricketer, who played for Cambridge University and Middlesex, and was chosen for five Tests between 1948 and 1950.-Life and career:...
to leave the hosts at 4/92 and ended with 3/43 as they were bowled out for 203. In the second innings, he took two early wicket—including Compton—to reduce the hosts to 3/27 before ending with 2/28 as Australia bowled Middlesex out for 135. Bradman’s men went on to win by ten wickets.
Fourth Test
In the Fourth Test at Headingley, England batted first on a pitchCricket pitch
In the game of cricket, the cricket pitch consists of the central strip of the cricket field between the wickets - 1 chain or 22 yards long and 10 feet wide. The surface is very flat and normally covered with extremely short grass though this grass is soon removed by wear at the ends of the...
regarded as being ideal for strokeplay, and Australia's bowlers had little success on the first day. Early in the day, Johnston appeared to be having back problems. He had bowled the most overs of any bowler on the tour and his loss would have meant a heavy workload for his remaining colleagues. His apparent discomfort led onlookers to opine that he should have been given more rest in the county matches. After an opening partnership of 143, England consolidated to reach 1/268 in the last over of the day before Johnston removed Washbrook for 143. Johnston did not taste further success in the first innings and ended with 1/86 from 38 overs as the home team ended on 496, their highest score of the series.
In reply, Australia were still more than 100 runs behind when Johnston joined Lindwall with the score at 8/355, late on the third day. Lindwall hit out, scoring 77 in an innings marked by powerful driving and pulling, dominating the stand
Partnership (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, two batsmen always bat in partnership, although only one is on strike at any time. The partnership between two batsmen will come to an end when one of them is dismissed or retires, or the innings comes to a close In the sport of cricket, two batsmen always bat in...
of 48 with Johnston, who made only 13. Johnston accompanied Lindwall for 80 minutes, before the injured Ernie Toshack
Ernie Toshack
Ernest Raymond Herbert Toshack was an Australian cricketer who played in 12 Tests from 1946 to 1948. A left arm medium paced bowler who was known for his accuracy and stamina in his application of leg theory, Toshack was best known for being as member of Don Bradman's Invincibles that toured...
survived the last 50 minutes until stumps, with Johnston running
Runner (cricket)
In cricket, a runner is a team member who runs between the wickets for an injured batsman.When a runner is used, the batsman stands in position and plays shots as normal, but does not attempt to run between the wickets: the runner runs for him...
for him. Despite Toshack and Johnston’s lack of familiarity with having and acting as a runner respectively, and the resulting disorders in running between the wickets, Lindwall was able to manipulate the strike so he faced most of the balls. Johnston able to survive against the English pacemen with relative ease when he was batting, leading O’Reilly to lament the absence of leg spinner Doug Wright
Doug Wright (cricketer)
Douglas Vivian Parson Wright, better known as Doug Wright was an English cricketer. A leg-spinner for Kent and England from 1932 to 1957 he took a record seven hat-tricks in first class cricket. He played for Kent for 25 years and was their first professional captain from late 1953 to 1956...
, whose guile and flight was held in high regard by the Australians. Lindwall was the last man out on the fourth morning with the total on 458, leaving Australia 38 runs in arrears on the first innings.
Australia lost the services of Toshack after he broke down with a knee injury in the first innings, increasing the burden on the remaining bowlers as England sought to extend their lead on the fourth day. For the second time in the match, Washbrook and Hutton put on a century opening partnership. After reaching 50, Washbrook hooked a short ball from Johnston and top edged it, but Bradman failed to take the catch.Fingleton, p. 170. However, Washbrook soon repeated the shot from the bowling of Johnston with fatal results. The ball again went in the air, and Neil Harvey
Neil Harvey
Robert Neil Harvey MBE is a former Australian cricketer who represented the Australian cricket team between 1948 and 1963, playing in 79 Test matches. He was the vice-captain of the team from 1957 until his retirement...
quickly ran across the ground and bent over to catch it at feet height while on the run, removing the opener for 65. Fingleton said that Harvey’s effort "was the catch of the season—or, indeed, would have been had Harvey not turned on several magnificent aerial performances down at The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
[in the match against Surrey]". O’Reilly doubted "whether any other player on either side could have made the distance to get to the ball, let alone make a neat catch of it". He further said the "hook was a beauty and the catch was a classic".
England moved to 4/277 when a mini-collapse occurred. Yardley made seven before he was removed by Johnston, caught by a leaping Harvey while attempting a big shot.Fingleton, p. 172. Johnston then removed Ken Cranston
Ken Cranston
Kenneth "Ken" Cranston was an English cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Lancashire and eight times for England, in 1947 and 1948. He retired from playing cricket to concentrate on his career as a dentist....
, caught behind for a duck
Duck (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a duck refers to a batsman's dismissal for a score of zero.-Origin of the term:The term is a shortening of the term "duck's egg", the latter being used long before Test cricket began...
to leave England at 6/278. When Johnston removed Compton for 66, caught by Miller at cover, the hosts were 7/293 with no recognised batsmen remaining, having lost 4/33. England recovered to reach 8/362 at the close of the fourth day. The next day, Yardley declared
Declaration and forfeiture
In the sport of cricket a declaration occurs when a captain declares his team's innings closed and a forfeiture is when a captain chooses to forfeit an innings. Declaration and forfeiture are covered in Law 14 of the Laws of cricket...
at 8/365, leaving Johnston with the pick of the bowling figures, 4/95 from 29 overs. This left the tourists a target of 404 from 345 minutes. Australia went on to break the world record Test run-chase record by scoring 3/404 to take a 3–0 lead with 15 minutes to spare.
Johnston went on to play in the match against Derbyshire
Derbyshire County Cricket Club
Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the England and Wales domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire...
immediately after the Headingley Test, taking 3/41 and 1/35 as Australia enforced the follow on and won by an innings. He was rested for the next game against Glamorgan
Glamorgan County Cricket Club
Glamorgan County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Glamorgan aka Glamorganshire . Glamorgan CCC is the only Welsh first-class cricket club. Glamorgan CCC have won the English County...
, which ended in a rain-affected draw without reaching the second innings. Johnston returned and took 2/41 in the first innings against Warwickshire
Warwickshire County Cricket Club
Warwickshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Warwickshire. Its limited overs team is called the Warwickshire Bears. Their kit colours are black and gold and the shirt sponsor...
, before taking 4/32 in the second innings, including three of the last five wickets, as the hosts fell from 5/118 to 155 all out. The left armer bowled almost unchanged during the second innings, sending down 39 of the 85.5 overs, including 16 maidens. His wickets included New Zealand
New Zealand cricket team
The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the...
Test batsman Martin Donnelly
Martin Donnelly (cricketer)
Martin Paterson Donnelly was a New Zealand Test cricketer and England Rugby Union player.Born in Ngaruawahia, New Zealand, Donnelly's twin brother Maurice died in the Spanish flu epidemic in 1918. His sporting talent emerged quickly and Donnelly became known for his batting and fielding skills, as...
and Indian and Pakistani dual international Abdul Hafeez Kardar, as Australia went on to win by nine wickets. Johnston was then rested from two consecutive matches, against Lancashire and Durham
Durham County Cricket Club
Durham County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Durham. Its limited overs team is called the Durham Dynamos. Their kit colours are blue with yellow trim and the shirt sponsor was...
, both of which were rain-affected draws.
Fifth Test
Johnston rounded off his Ashes series with the Fifth Test at The OvalThe Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
. English skipper Norman Yardley
Norman Yardley
Norman Walter Dransfield Yardley was an English cricketer who played for Cambridge University, Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England, as a right-handed batsman and occasional bowler. An amateur, he captained Yorkshire from 1948 to 1955 and England on fourteen occasions between 1947 and 1950,...
elected to bat on a rain-affected pitch, a decision many regarded as surprising. Precipitation in the past week rendered play before midday impossible. Former Australian Test batsman and leading commentator Jack Fingleton
Jack Fingleton
John "Jack" Henry Webb Fingleton OBE was an Australian cricketer who was trained as a journalist and became a political and cricket commentator after the end of his playing career...
speculated that the tourists would have bowled if they had won the toss.Fingleton, p. 183.
The damp conditions meant required a large amount of sawdust to be laid down to help the players keep their grip. Along with the rain, the humid conditions assisted the Australian bowlers, who were able to make the ball bounce at variable heights.
After Miller removed John Dewes
John Dewes
John Dewes is a former English cricketer, who played for Cambridge University and Middlesex, and was chosen for five Tests between 1948 and 1950.-Life and career:...
with the score at 1/2, Bradman made an early bowling change and introduced Johnston. Edrich joined Hutton and they played cautiously until the former attempted to hook a short ball
Bouncer (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a bouncer is a type of delivery, usually bowled by a fast bowler. It is pitched short so that it bounces on the pitch well short of the batsman and rears up to chest or head height as it reaches the batsman.Bouncers are used tactically to drive the batsman back on to his...
from Johnston. He failed to get the ball in the middle of the bat and it looped up and travelled around 10 metres (32.8 ft). Lindsay Hassett
Lindsay Hassett
Arthur Lindsay Hassett MBE was a cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia. The diminutive Hassett was an elegant middle-order batsman, described by Wisden as, "... a master of nearly every stroke ... his superb timing, nimble footwork and strong wrists enabled him to make batting look a...
caught the ball just behind square leg, after diving sideways and getting both hands to the ball.Fingleton, p. 184. This left England at 2/10. After the lunch break, Johnston dismissed debutant Allan Watkins
Allan Watkins
Allan Watkins Allan Watkins Allan Watkins (born Albert John Watkins (21 April 1922 – 3 August 2011) was a Welsh cricketer, who played for England in fifteen Tests from 1948 to 1952. He toured India and Pakistan in 1951-2 with the MCC, and also participated in the 1955-6 'A' Tour to Pakistan...
without scoring after the batsman played across the line to be trapped lbw, leaving England at 6/42. Johnston ended with 2/20 from 16 overs as England were skittled for 52. After being unbeaten without scoring in Australia's innings of 389, Johnston was again among the wickets when England's second innings late on the second day.
England started their second innings with a deficit of 337 runs and reached 1/54 by the premature end of the second day due to bad light. The following morning, they made slow and steady progress as Johnston bowled his finger spin from around the wicket with a well-protected off side.O'Reilly, p. 154. The four men in the off side ring had much work to do as Hutton hit the ball there repeatedly. The English batsmen progressed and Johnston had one confident appeal for lbw against Compton¸ but there were few scares.O'Reilly, p. 155.
They reached 2/125 after lunch, when Compton—who was on 39—aimed a hard cut shot from Johnston's bowling, which flew off the edge into Lindwall's left hand at second slip for a "freak slip catch".Fingleton, p. 189. This triggered a collapse late in the afternoon, which saw the hosts lose 4/25 to end the third day at 7/178. England resumed on the fourth morning with only three wickets in hand, still needing 159 runs to make Bradman’s men bat again. Johnston quickly removed the last three wickets, Alec Bedser
Alec Bedser
Sir Alec Victor Bedser, CBE was a professional English cricketer. He was the chairman of selectors for the English national cricket team, and the president of Surrey County Cricket Club...
, Yardley and Eric Hollies
Eric Hollies
William Eric Hollies was an English cricketer, who is mainly remembered for taking the wicket of Donald Bradman for a duck in Bradman's final Test match innings, in which only four was needed for a Test average of 100...
to seal an Australian victory by an innings and 149 runs. Only ten runs were added in the brief morning session; Hollies fell for a golden duck after skying a ball to Morris, immediately after Yardley became the ninth man to fall. Johnston ended with 4/40 from 27.3 overs and he was the most economical of the bowlers. Given the time lost to inclement weather on the first day, Australia had won the match in less than three days of playing time. Overall, Johnston finished with 27 Test wickets at an average
Bowling average
Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowlers divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. It is similar to earned...
of 23.33, equal to Lindwall but at a higher average.
Later tour matches
Seven matches remained on Bradman's quest to go through a tour of England without defeat. Australia batted first against KentKent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
and made 361. Johnston then took three wickets with the new ball to help reduce the hosts to 5/16, before ending with 3/10 from six overs. Forced to follow on after being bowled out for 51 in 23 overs, Kent were reduced to 4/37 by three early Lindwall wickets. Johnston ended with 1/28 as the home team capitulated for 124 and lost by an innings. The victory over Kent was followed by a match against the Gentlemen of England. Johnston was rested as Australia completed another innings victory. He returned for the match against Somerset
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Somerset...
, which resulted in a third consecutive innings win. After Australia had declared at 5/560, Johnston took the opening wicket of Harold Gimblett
Harold Gimblett
Harold Gimblett was a cricketer who played for Somerset and England. He was known for his fast scoring as an opening batsman and for the much-repeated story of his debut...
before returning to take the last two scalps of the first innings from consecutive balls, bowling his finger spin. He ended with 3/34 as Somerset fell for 115 and were forced to follow on. Johnston bowled the second over of the second innings. As Johnston had taken wickets with his last two balls in the first innings, his first delivery was the hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
ball. Gimblett negotiated the first ball safely, before being trapped lbw for a duck on the next. Johnston had thus taken three wickets in four balls. He bowled unchanged throughout the innings to end with 5/34 from 17.4 overs as Somerset were bowled out for 71. Johnston took the final wicket to fall—Horace Hazell
Horace Hazell
Horace Leslie Hazell was a cricketer who played for Somerset County Cricket Club in English first-class cricket....
—trapped for a duck, which brought up his 100th first-class wicket for the tour.
In the match against the South of England
South of England cricket team
The South of England appeared in first-class cricket between 1836 and 1961, most often in the showcase North v. South matches against the North of England although there were also games against touring teams, MCC and others....
, Johnston took 1/63—Edrich being his only wicket—after Australia declared at 7/522. Bradman’s men dismissed the hosts for 298 and rain ended the match before the second innings could start.
Australia's biggest challenge in the post-Test tour matches was against the Leveson-Gower's XI. During the last tour in 1938, this team was effectively a full-strength England outfit, but this time Bradman insisted that only six current England Test players be allowed to represent the hosts. After his opponents had finalised their players, Bradman named a full-strength team. In a rain-interrupted match, Johnston bowled Edrich for 15. He ended with 1/20 as the hosts folded for 177. Johnston made an unbeaten 26 in a partnership of 30 with Lindsay Hassett
Lindsay Hassett
Arthur Lindsay Hassett MBE was a cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia. The diminutive Hassett was an elegant middle-order batsman, described by Wisden as, "... a master of nearly every stroke ... his superb timing, nimble footwork and strong wrists enabled him to make batting look a...
as Australia replied with 8/489 declared. Time ran out with the Leveson-Gower's XI at 0/75 in the second innings.
The tour ended with two non-first-class matches against Scotland. In the first, Australia scored 236 before Johnston took 6/15 from 12.5 overs. He took the last four wickets as the home team fell from 6/81 to be all out for 85. Johnston bowled four wicketless overs in the second innings as Australia completed victory without needing to bat for a second time. In the second match, he signed off on his tour in a low key manner, taking a wicket in each innings to end with a match total of 2/48 as Australia completed another innings triumph.
Role
Fast bowling
Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
when the ball was new and conducive to pace bowling, before reverting to finger spin
Left-arm orthodox spin
Left-arm orthodox spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket.Left-arm orthodox spin is bowled by a left arm bowler using the fingers to spin the ball from right to left of the cricket pitch...
when it became old and lost its shine. He was Australia's third fast bowler in the Tests, reinforcing the new ball pairing of Keith Miller
Keith Miller
Keith Ross Miller MBE was an Australian Test cricketer and a Royal Australian Air Force pilot during World War II. Miller is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever all-rounder. Because of his ability, irreverent manner and good looks he was a crowd favourite...
and Ray Lindwall
Ray Lindwall
Raymond Russell Lindwall MBE was a cricketer who represented Australia in 61 Tests from 1946 to 1960. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time. He also played top-flight rugby league football with St...
, who were regarded as one of the finest pace duos of all time. Bradman typically used Miller and Lindwall in short and sharp new ball bursts against the local batsmen. England had agreed that a new ball would be available every 55 overs, a milestone that usually came more frequently than the old regulation of 200 runs for every ball. This allowed Australia—who had the superior pace attack—more frequent use of a shiny ball, which swung
Swing bowling
Swing bowling is a technique used for bowling in the sport of cricket. Practitioners are known as swing bowlers. Swing bowling is generally classed as a subtype of fast bowling.-Physics of swing bowling:...
at high pace. Johnston typically bowled pace after the first-choice pair had finished their new ball spell, before reverting to spin when the ball was worn. He took 27 wickets at 23.33 in the Tests, making him the equal-leading wicket-taker along with Lindwall, who averaged 19.62. The Australian pacemen’s tally was substantially more than the next best, recorded by England's Alec Bedser
Alec Bedser
Sir Alec Victor Bedser, CBE was a professional English cricketer. He was the chairman of selectors for the English national cricket team, and the president of Surrey County Cricket Club...
, who took 18 wickets at 38.22.
In both the Test and county matches during the 1948 tour, Johnston carried the heaviest workload, bowling nearly 200 overs more than any other squad member. He was the leading wicket-taker in all first-class matches with 102 wickets at 16.42, and the last Australian to take a century of wickets on a tour of England. His average was only slightly inferior to that of Lindwall, who took 86 wickets at 15.68. The roles Johnston fulfilled are borne out in his economy rate and strike rate
Strike rate
Strike rate refers to two different statistics in the sport of cricket. Batting strike rate is a measure of how frequently a batsman achieves the primary goal of batting, namely scoring runs. Bowling strike rate is a measure of how frequently a bowler achieves the primary goal of bowling, namely...
. He was more economical than Miller and Lindwall, who took wickets more frequently.
Johnston's performances prompted Bradman to call him "Australia's greatest left-hand bowler". As a result of his ability to bowl spin and pace, teammate Neil Harvey
Neil Harvey
Robert Neil Harvey MBE is a former Australian cricketer who represented the Australian cricket team between 1948 and 1963, playing in 79 Test matches. He was the vice-captain of the team from 1957 until his retirement...
thought the team effectively had 13 players, saying "we reckoned Bradman was worth two [batsmen] and Bill Johnston was worth two [bowlers]". Harvey rated Johnston the best team man in the squad, and Bill Brown
Bill Brown (cricketer)
William Alfred "Bill" Brown, OAM was an Australian cricketer who played 22 Tests between 1934 and 1948, captaining his country in one Test. A right-handed opening batsman, his partnership with Jack Fingleton in the 1930s is regarded as one of the finest in Australian Test history...
praised Johnston's work ethic in bowling for long periods after Lindwall and Miller had been given the best opportunities with the new ball. Spin bowling teammate Ian Johnson
Ian Johnson (cricketer)
Ian William Geddes Johnson CBE was an Australian cricketer who played 45 Test matches as a slow off-break bowler between 1946 and 1956. Johnson captured 109 Test wickets at an average of 29.19 runs per wicket and as a lower order batsman made 1,000 runs at an average of...
described him as "the finest team man and tourist" in cricket and valued his personality, while Miller described him as "the most popular man in cricket". Johnston sometimes amused his colleagues by demonstrating his double jointedness, wrapping his feet around the back of his neck. He was reputed to have nearly drowned when he attempted this in the communal bath at Lord's.
After carrying a heavy workload in the early stages of the tour, Johnston was used more sparingly in the latter stages. As the tour progressed, Johnston improved his control and restrained England's batsmen between the new ball bursts of Lindwall and Miller. Johnston was chosen as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year
Wisden Cricketers of the Year
The Wisden Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, based primarily on their "influence on the previous English season"...
. Wisden
Wisden
The Wisden Group was a group of companies formed by John Wisden & Co Ltd, publishers of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. As well as John Wisden & Co, the group included the The Wisden Cricketer magazine, Cricinfo – the world's highest traffic cricket website – and the Hawk-Eye computerised...
said "no Australian made a greater personal contribution to the playing success of the 1948 side". Fingleton wrote that Australia had never sent a greater left-hander to England.
During the tour, Johnston had few opportunities with the bat, invariably batting at either No. 10 and No. 11 alongside Toshack, another tail-ender with little batting ability.N- Neither player ever passed 30 in their first-class career, and they were the only two Australians who failed to pass 50 during the tour. As Australia's other frontline bowlers were Miller, Lindwall, Colin McCool
Colin McCool
Colin Leslie McCool was an Australian cricketer who played in 14 Tests from 1946 to 1950. McCool, born in Paddington, New South Wales, was an all-rounder who bowled leg spin and googlies with a round arm action and as a lower order batsman was regarded as effective square of the wicket and against...
, Ian Johnson
Ian Johnson (cricketer)
Ian William Geddes Johnson CBE was an Australian cricketer who played 45 Test matches as a slow off-break bowler between 1946 and 1956. Johnson captured 109 Test wickets at an average of 29.19 runs per wicket and as a lower order batsman made 1,000 runs at an average of...
and Doug Ring
Doug Ring
Douglas Thomas Ring was an Australian cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia in 13 Tests from 1948 to 1953...
, all of whom scored centuries
Century (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a batsman reaches his century when he scores 100 or more runs in a single innings. The term is also included in "century partnership" which occurs when two batsmen add 100 runs to the team total when they are batting together. A century is regarded as a landmark score for...
and more than 20 fifties each during their first-class career, Toshack and Johnston were rooted at the bottom of the batting order
Batting order (cricket)
In cricket, the batting order is the sequence in which batsmen play through their team's innings, there always being two batsmen taking part at any one time...
. As Australia often won by an innings, and declared in the first innings many time due to their batting strength, Johnston only had 18 innings in his 21 first-class fixtures and scored 188 runs at 18.80, the third lowest average and aggregate. He scored 62 runs in the Tests at 20.66, including his highest first-class score of 29 in the Second Test at Lord’s.