Don Tallon with the Australian cricket team in England in 1948
Encyclopedia
Don Tallon
was a key member of Donald Bradman
's famous Australian cricket team tour of England in 1948, in which Australia was undefeated in their 34 matches. This unprecedented feat by a Test side touring England earned them the sobriquet The Invincibles.
The team's first-choice wicket-keeper
ahead of Ron Saggers
, Tallon played in four of the five Tests, missing the Fourth Test due to injury. Despite being the preferred gloveman, Tallon conceded byes
at a higher rate than Saggers during the tour.
Bradman rotated the two glovemen during the tour, and Tallon played in 14 of the 31 first-class matches, taking 29 catches and 14 stumpings. Tallon's catch of Len Hutton
in the Fifth Test at The Oval
was described as Wisden
as the best of the year. He also took a difficult catch to remove George Emmett in the Third Test at Old Trafford, catching a ball that flew to his feet at yorker
length. However, Tallon also had some mishaps, with finger injuries inflicted by failing to catch the ball correctly. Tallon had few opportunities with the bat, scoring 283 runs at a batting average
of 25.72 in 13 first-class innings, including two fifties. During the Test, Tallon scored 112 runs at 28.00, including a 53 in the Second Test that saw Australia recover to a first innings of 350 after a middle-order
slump had seen England take the upper hand. He took 12 catches in the Tests.
In recognition of his performances, Tallon was named as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year
in 1949.
saw him selected for the 1948 Ashes tour as part of the side that would become known to cricket history as the Invincibles. Tallon was the first-choice wicket-keeper, with Saggers as his deputy. Having spent the majority of his life in sunny Queensland and growing up in tropical Bundaberg, the cold English climate initially caught Tallon off guard. He did not wet his inner gloves as was his custom due to the temperature. As England agreed to make a new ball available every 55 overs
, this meant that the ball would more frequently be in a favourable state for fast bowling, since it would swing
more. As a result, Australia adopted a pace-oriented strategy and Ian Johnson
was the only spinner regularly used in the Test matches. Colin McCool
was not to play a Test on the tour, depriving Tallon of an opportunity to show his stumping abilities standing up at the stump
s to his Queensland team-mate in the Tests.
. Accordingly, Tallon was selected as the wicket-keeper for the match. The home side batted first and Tallon made his first dismissal on English soil by catching Worcestershire captain Allan White
from the bowling of Keith Miller
. He then stumped former England captain Bob Wyatt
from McCool. In reply to the hosts' 233, Tallon was promoted to No. 6, but managed only six in a collapse of 4/38 before Australia recovered to declare at 8/462. He took a further three dismissals
in the second innings, two of them stumpings from McCool's bowling, as Australia crushed the hosts by an innings and 17 runs. Tallon conceded 11 byes in the match.
Tallon was rested for the second tour match against Leicestershire
, which Australia won by an innings with Saggers behind the stumps.
Tallon played a key role in Australia's victory in the next match against Yorkshire
, on a damp pitch
that suited slower bowling. He came in at 7/86 and made ten in the first innings to push Australia to 101 in reply to Yorkshire's 71, in which Tallon did not concede a bye. However, Tallon was not so tidy in the second innings, conceding 11 byes as the hosts were bowled out for 89 in their second innings. He did not make a dismissal in the match. Australia then collapsed to 6/31 in pursuit of 60 for victory when Tallon strode in. To make matters worse, Sam Loxton
was injured and could not bat, so Australia only had three wickets in hand. Australia faced its first loss to an English county since 1912. He survived an immediate leg before wicket
appeal and then hit a shot that fell just short of a fielder. He then compiled 17 unbeaten runs as Australia scraped home by four wickets.
The Australians travelled to London to play Surrey
at The Oval
. Tallon came in with the score at 6/553, and held up his end, scoring an unbeaten
50 as his partners steadily fell and Australia were bowled out at 632. Tallon had some difficulty in English conditions as he sustained a bruised right finger when he lost sight of a Ray Lindwall
bouncer
on a misty morning during the match and was hit as he put hand over his face for protection, with the ball running away for four byes. Tallon took two catches in the second innings as Australia won the match by an innings, but he also conceded 24 byes in Surrey's match total of 336.
After sustaining the bruised finger, Tallon was rested for the following three matches, which were against Cambridge University
, Essex
and Oxford
. Australia won each of the matches by an innings. Saggers filled in and scored 110 runs including a 104 not out against Essex and took five dismissals. Saggers conceded only 34 byes in his four tour matches, while Tallon had conceded 46 in three.N-
The next match was against the Marylebone Cricket Club
(MCC) at Lord's. The MCC fielded seven players who would represent England in the Tests,N- and were basically a full strength Test team, as were Australia, who fielded their first-choice team. It was a chance to gain a psychological advantage, and Tallon was selected despite conceding byes at a higher rate in the preceding tour matches. He made 11 batting at No. 9, including a six from Jim Laker
as Australia made 552. He took three catches in the first innings, having a hand in the first three wickets to fall, Jack Robertson
, Bill Edrich
and Denis Compton
. He then took two stumpings in the second innings as the follow on was enforced, but also conceded 26 byes as Australia won by an innings. Tallon had conceded 72 byes to Saggers' 34 with both having played four matches.N-
Following the match against the MCC, there were four more county fixtures before the First Test, against Lancashire
, Nottinghamshire
, Hampshire
and Sussex
. Australia drew the first two before winning the latter two by eight wickets and an innings and 325 runs respectively. Tallon played in only the Nottinghamshire match, taking two catches in the first innings and two stumpings in each of the innings. The catches were all from Lindwall and the stumpings from Doug Ring
. Tallon conceded 18 byes for the match and scored 27, being last man out at 400 after coming to the crease at 6/355. In Saggers's three matches, 36 byes were conceded and six dismissals were made.
, Tallon took four catches. In the first innings, Tallon caught Jim Laker
from the bowling of Keith Miller
to end England's innings of 165 after he and Alec Bedser
had joined forces at 8/74.
When Australia batted, Tallon came in at 6/338 to accompany Lindsay Hassett
and took 39 minutes to compile 10 before hitting a return catch to the left arm orthodox spin of Jack Young
. The scoring was slow during this passage of play—Young delivered 11 consecutive maiden overs
and his 26-over spell conceded only 14 runs with Australia using leg theory
.
After Australia ended with 509 and took a 334-run lead, Tallon took two difficult catches to dismiss key batsmen at the start of England's second innings. Miller removed Cyril Washbrook
for one from a top-edged hook shot to Tallon. Bill Edrich
was then caught behind attempting a cut from the off spin
of Johnson. He did not read the arm ball
that went straight on and the ball took the outside edge, leaving England at 2/39. He thus helped Australia to seize the initiative by denying England a good start, but they recovered. Later, he caught Godfrey Evans
for 50 from Johnson as England ended at 441. Australia reached their target of 98 with two wickets down, completing an eight-wicket victory. Tallon conceded five and 12 byes in the two innings respectively.
Between Tests, Australia played Northamptonshire
and Yorkshire, and Tallon was rested for both matches. The first was won by an innings and second was drawn. Saggers made four and 22 and conceded 24 byes in four innings.
The teams moved on to Lord's
for the Second Test and Australia compiled 350 in its first innings. Tallon came to the crease with Australia at 6/225 after Hassett and Bill Brown
had gone in quick succession, joining Johnson in the middle. Johnson struggled to score, while Tallon did so freely in the last hour. After Johnson fell for four at 7/246, Lindwall then joined Tallon and the pair survived to the close of play. England were well placed when Australia ended at stumps on 7/258 with Tallon on 25. Tallon had dominated the scoring late in day, making 25 of the 33 runs added. The crowd was optimistic about England's position and some immediately camped outside the turnstiles upon leaving the ground.
Australia's lower order batted the tourists into control on the second morning. Despite the loss of Lindwall for 15 at 8/275, Tallon kept on batting in a conventional manner, supported by Johnston and Ernie Toshack
, who scored their highest Test scores. Both tail-enders threw the bat at the ball, which often went in vastly different directions to where they had aimed their shots. Tallon put on 45 with Johnston—who scored 29— before holing out for 53. Ending at 350, the Australians had regained the momentum, taking 92 runs from 66 minutes of hitting in the morning.
Tallon did not concede a bye in England's first innings of 215 and his diving was estimated to have saved around 40 runs. He caught Washbrook from Lindwall to leave England at 1/17, and later caught Laker from Johnson. Tallon was not needed in the second innings; Lindwall was promoted above Tallon because Australia needed quick runs and Lindwall was a big-hitter. Australia declared at 7/460, leaving England a target of 509.
With the score at 2/65, Washbrook inside edged a Toshack full toss
directly downwards at Tallon's ankle. Bradman described the catch as "miraculous" because Tallon had to reach so low, so quickly, in order to take the catch. Another dive to stop a leg glance resulted in a severely bruised left little finger. Tallon conceded 16 byes in the second innings, more than 8% of England's score. Australia won the Test by 409 runs, and nursing his finger, Tallon was rested for both tour matches between the Tests, which were against Surrey
and Gloucestershire
, which were won by ten wickets and an innings respectively. In his place, Saggers scored 12, took nine dismissals and conceded 31 byes in four innings.
On the second morning, Tallon again dropped Compton from Johnston when the batsman was on 73. England eventually finished on 363, with Compton not out
on 145. Thus Tallon's drops cost 95 runs as well as allowing Compton to hold up one end so his partners could score. Tallon also conceded seven byes.
Australia reached 3/135 when Miller and Arthur Morris
departed in quick succession. With Sid Barnes
retiring hurt because of a blow to the ribs, Tallon came in at 5/139, effectively six wickets down and made 18 in half and hour before falling at 6/172. Australia managed to reach 221 and avoid the follow on.
England batted again and Tallon dismissed George Emmett from Lindwall with a diving one-handed catch. Lindwall pitched an outswinger
on the off stump and Emmett edged it to wicket-keeper Tallon, who took it in his right hand with a dive, leaving England at 1/1. England then declared at 3/174; Tallon conceded nine byes and with more than a day was lost to rain, Tallon was not required as Australia batted out the last session for a draw.
Tallon's little left finger swelled up after the Third Test and he exacerbated the injury during a tour match against Middlesex
. In this match, he scored 17, took two catches and a stumping in the first innings and conceded only seven byes for the entire match as Australia won by ten wickets.
, and he was replaced by Saggers. Australia set a world record in successfully chasing a target of 404 to win the match by seven wickets and secure the series. Saggers leaked only six byes in 299.1 overs of glovework during the match as Australia conceded a total of 861 runs for the match. It was the lowest percentage of byes conceded in a match total by an Australian wicket-keeper for the tour (0.697%).N-
Tallon missed the innings victory over Derbyshire
, before returning against Glamorgan
. In his first match back from injury, Tallon took a catch and two stumpings as the hosts were dismissed for 197, but he also conceded 19 byes. Byes made 9.64% of the match total conceded by Australia, the highest proportion by the tourists during the summer.N- He did not bat as rain ended the match with Australia at 3/215. He was rested for the nine-wicket win over Warwickshire
, before returning for Australia's second match and second draw against Lancashire
. Tallon came in at 7/232 and scored 33, adding 63 with Ian Johnson
to help Australia reach 321. He took two catches and two stumpings but also conceded 23 byes. In the non-first-class match against Durham
, Tallon played purely as a batsman, while Saggers kept wicket. He opened the batting, but was dismissed for one as Australia made 273 and the hosts reached 5/73 before rain ended the match.
, where England elected to bat first on a rain-affected pitch. Tallon caught Jack Crapp
from an outside edge for a duck
from the bowling of Miller, leaving England at 4/23 as play was adjourned for lunch. England continued to struggle against the moving ball and were all out for 52 in the middle session. The innings ended when Tallon took an acrobatic catch to dismiss Len Hutton
down the leg side
, catching it with his left hand. It was considered the catch of the season by Wisden. Tallon conceded six byes in the innings.
Australia batted and passed England's total on the first afternoon. Tallon came in to bat on the second day with the score at 7/332, joining opener Morris, who had already passed 150. It took a run out
to remove Morris; he attempted a quick run to third man after being called through by Tallon but was not quick enough for the substitute fielder's arm, leaving Australia at 8/359. Tallon, who scored 31, put on another 30 runs with Doug Ring
, before both were out on 389, ending Australia's innings. In the second innings, Tallon caught Hutton from Miller and conceded nine byes as England were dismissed for 188 and lost by an innings, sealing a 4–0 series victory for Australia.
, the Gentlemen of England, and Somerset
, all of which Australia won by an innings. Saggers stood in and made seven dismissals and conceded 29 byes in the six innings of the three matches.
He returned for the following match against the South of England
. He did not bat as Australia declared at 7/522. He then took three catches and conceded 13 byes as the match was washed out when the hosts were dismissed for 298.
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 play for the hosts. Bradman then fielded a full-strength team, with the only difference from the Fifth Test team being Johnson coming for Doug Ring
. Tallon made two as Australia declared at 8/489. He conceded seven byes and did not make a dismissal as the match ended in a draw after multiple rain delays.
The tour ended with two non-first-class matches against Scotland. In the first match, Tallon played as a batsman while Saggers kept wicket. Tallon scored only six in Australia's 236 and then took 0/10 in Scotland's second innings and did not take a catch in the innings victory. In the second match in Aberdeen
, Tallon kept wicket, conceding 26 byes and not taking a dismissal and he was not required to bat. When the match became safe, with Australia in an unassailable position in Scotland's second innings, Bradman allowed Tallon to dispense with his wicket-keeping pads and try his luck at bowling leg spin
. Tallon never bowled in his Test career and only rarely in first-class cricket, where he delivered 301 balls, the approximate workload of a specialist bowler in one match. Tallon took 2/15 as Australia finished the tour with another innings win.
Tallon had had moderate success with his batting during the Test series, aggregating 114 runs at 28.50. He usually batted at No. 8, and only had four innings as Australia's batting strength was such that he did not need to bat in the second innings in any of the Tests. The Australian team strategy of primarily depending on fast bowling
saw Tallon make 12 catches and no stumpings during the Tests. However, Bradman gave his lead pace bowlers Miller and Lindwall more rest during the tour games to save energy for the Tests, and relied more heavily on the off spin
of Ian Johnson
and the leg spin
of McCool and Doug Ring
in the county matches. Thus overall Tallon took 29 catches and 14 stumpings for the first-class matches during the tour. Tallon scored 283 runs at 25.72 for the season at an average higher than Saggers's 23.22. In all his matches on tour, Tallon conceded 249 byes as Australia conceded 5331 runs, a bye percentage of 4.67%, compared to Saggers's 221 byes from 6190 runs, a percentage of 3.57%.N-
During the tour, Tallon had few opportunities with the bat, generally batting between No. 8 and No. 9,N- because Australia's frontline bowlers included the likes of Ray Lindwall
, Colin McCool
, Ian Johnson
and Doug Ring
, who were all capable with the bat. Lindwall scored two Test centuries in his career, while McCool scored 18 first-class centuries a including one in Tests. Johnson and Ring both scored more than 20 fifties at first-class level. As Australia often won by an innings, and often declared in the first innings, Tallon only had 13 innings in his 14 first-class fixtures and was not out two times as he ran out of partners.
Tallon's performances during the English summer saw him named by Wisden as one of its five Cricketers of the Year
.
was a key member of Donald Bradman
's famous Australian cricket team tour of England in 1948, in which Australia was undefeated in their 34 matches. This unprecedented feat by a Test side touring England earned them the sobriquet The Invincibles.
The team's first-choice wicket-keeper
ahead of Ron Saggers
, Tallon played in four of the five Tests, missing the Fourth Test due to injury. Despite being the preferred gloveman, Tallon conceded byes
at a higher rate than Saggers during the tour.
Bradman rotated the two glovemen during the tour, and Tallon played in 14 of the 31 first-class matches, taking 29 catches and 14 stumpings. Tallon's catch of Len Hutton
in the Fifth Test at The Oval
was described as Wisden
as the best of the year. He also took a difficult catch to remove George Emmett in the Third Test at Old Trafford, catching a ball that flew to his feet at yorker
length. However, Tallon also had some mishaps, with finger injuries inflicted by failing to catch the ball correctly. Tallon had few opportunities with the bat, scoring 283 runs at a batting average
of 25.72 in 13 first-class innings, including two fifties. During the Test, Tallon scored 112 runs at 28.00, including a 53 in the Second Test that saw Australia recover to a first innings of 350 after a middle-order
slump had seen England take the upper hand. He took 12 catches in the Tests.
In recognition of his performances, Tallon was named as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year
in 1949.
saw him selected for the 1948 Ashes tour as part of the side that would become known to cricket history as the Invincibles. Tallon was the first-choice wicket-keeper, with Saggers as his deputy. Having spent the majority of his life in sunny Queensland and growing up in tropical Bundaberg, the cold English climate initially caught Tallon off guard. He did not wet his inner gloves as was his custom due to the temperature. As England agreed to make a new ball available every 55 overs
, this meant that the ball would more frequently be in a favourable state for fast bowling, since it would swing
more. As a result, Australia adopted a pace-oriented strategy and Ian Johnson
was the only spinner regularly used in the Test matches. Colin McCool
was not to play a Test on the tour, depriving Tallon of an opportunity to show his stumping abilities standing up at the stump
s to his Queensland team-mate in the Tests.
. Accordingly, Tallon was selected as the wicket-keeper for the match. The home side batted first and Tallon made his first dismissal on English soil by catching Worcestershire captain Allan White
from the bowling of Keith Miller
. He then stumped former England captain Bob Wyatt
from McCool. In reply to the hosts' 233, Tallon was promoted to No. 6, but managed only six in a collapse of 4/38 before Australia recovered to declare at 8/462. He took a further three dismissals
in the second innings, two of them stumpings from McCool's bowling, as Australia crushed the hosts by an innings and 17 runs. Tallon conceded 11 byes in the match.
Tallon was rested for the second tour match against Leicestershire
, which Australia won by an innings with Saggers behind the stumps.
Tallon played a key role in Australia's victory in the next match against Yorkshire
, on a damp pitch
that suited slower bowling. He came in at 7/86 and made ten in the first innings to push Australia to 101 in reply to Yorkshire's 71, in which Tallon did not concede a bye. However, Tallon was not so tidy in the second innings, conceding 11 byes as the hosts were bowled out for 89 in their second innings. He did not make a dismissal in the match. Australia then collapsed to 6/31 in pursuit of 60 for victory when Tallon strode in. To make matters worse, Sam Loxton
was injured and could not bat, so Australia only had three wickets in hand. Australia faced its first loss to an English county since 1912. He survived an immediate leg before wicket
appeal and then hit a shot that fell just short of a fielder. He then compiled 17 unbeaten runs as Australia scraped home by four wickets.
The Australians travelled to London to play Surrey
at The Oval
. Tallon came in with the score at 6/553, and held up his end, scoring an unbeaten
50 as his partners steadily fell and Australia were bowled out at 632. Tallon had some difficulty in English conditions as he sustained a bruised right finger when he lost sight of a Ray Lindwall
bouncer
on a misty morning during the match and was hit as he put hand over his face for protection, with the ball running away for four byes. Tallon took two catches in the second innings as Australia won the match by an innings, but he also conceded 24 byes in Surrey's match total of 336.
After sustaining the bruised finger, Tallon was rested for the following three matches, which were against Cambridge University
, Essex
and Oxford
. Australia won each of the matches by an innings. Saggers filled in and scored 110 runs including a 104 not out against Essex and took five dismissals. Saggers conceded only 34 byes in his four tour matches, while Tallon had conceded 46 in three.N-
The next match was against the Marylebone Cricket Club
(MCC) at Lord's. The MCC fielded seven players who would represent England in the Tests,N- and were basically a full strength Test team, as were Australia, who fielded their first-choice team. It was a chance to gain a psychological advantage, and Tallon was selected despite conceding byes at a higher rate in the preceding tour matches. He made 11 batting at No. 9, including a six from Jim Laker
as Australia made 552. He took three catches in the first innings, having a hand in the first three wickets to fall, Jack Robertson
, Bill Edrich
and Denis Compton
. He then took two stumpings in the second innings as the follow on was enforced, but also conceded 26 byes as Australia won by an innings. Tallon had conceded 72 byes to Saggers' 34 with both having played four matches.N-
Following the match against the MCC, there were four more county fixtures before the First Test, against Lancashire
, Nottinghamshire
, Hampshire
and Sussex
. Australia drew the first two before winning the latter two by eight wickets and an innings and 325 runs respectively. Tallon played in only the Nottinghamshire match, taking two catches in the first innings and two stumpings in each of the innings. The catches were all from Lindwall and the stumpings from Doug Ring
. Tallon conceded 18 byes for the match and scored 27, being last man out at 400 after coming to the crease at 6/355. In Saggers's three matches, 36 byes were conceded and six dismissals were made.
, Tallon took four catches. In the first innings, Tallon caught Jim Laker
from the bowling of Keith Miller
to end England's innings of 165 after he and Alec Bedser
had joined forces at 8/74.
When Australia batted, Tallon came in at 6/338 to accompany Lindsay Hassett
and took 39 minutes to compile 10 before hitting a return catch to the left arm orthodox spin of Jack Young
. The scoring was slow during this passage of play—Young delivered 11 consecutive maiden overs
and his 26-over spell conceded only 14 runs with Australia using leg theory
.
After Australia ended with 509 and took a 334-run lead, Tallon took two difficult catches to dismiss key batsmen at the start of England's second innings. Miller removed Cyril Washbrook
for one from a top-edged hook shot to Tallon. Bill Edrich
was then caught behind attempting a cut from the off spin
of Johnson. He did not read the arm ball
that went straight on and the ball took the outside edge, leaving England at 2/39. He thus helped Australia to seize the initiative by denying England a good start, but they recovered. Later, he caught Godfrey Evans
for 50 from Johnson as England ended at 441. Australia reached their target of 98 with two wickets down, completing an eight-wicket victory. Tallon conceded five and 12 byes in the two innings respectively.
Between Tests, Australia played Northamptonshire
and Yorkshire, and Tallon was rested for both matches. The first was won by an innings and second was drawn. Saggers made four and 22 and conceded 24 byes in four innings.
The teams moved on to Lord's
for the Second Test and Australia compiled 350 in its first innings. Tallon came to the crease with Australia at 6/225 after Hassett and Bill Brown
had gone in quick succession, joining Johnson in the middle. Johnson struggled to score, while Tallon did so freely in the last hour. After Johnson fell for four at 7/246, Lindwall then joined Tallon and the pair survived to the close of play. England were well placed when Australia ended at stumps on 7/258 with Tallon on 25. Tallon had dominated the scoring late in day, making 25 of the 33 runs added. The crowd was optimistic about England's position and some immediately camped outside the turnstiles upon leaving the ground.
Australia's lower order batted the tourists into control on the second morning. Despite the loss of Lindwall for 15 at 8/275, Tallon kept on batting in a conventional manner, supported by Johnston and Ernie Toshack
, who scored their highest Test scores. Both tail-enders threw the bat at the ball, which often went in vastly different directions to where they had aimed their shots. Tallon put on 45 with Johnston—who scored 29— before holing out for 53. Ending at 350, the Australians had regained the momentum, taking 92 runs from 66 minutes of hitting in the morning.
Tallon did not concede a bye in England's first innings of 215 and his diving was estimated to have saved around 40 runs. He caught Washbrook from Lindwall to leave England at 1/17, and later caught Laker from Johnson. Tallon was not needed in the second innings; Lindwall was promoted above Tallon because Australia needed quick runs and Lindwall was a big-hitter. Australia declared at 7/460, leaving England a target of 509.
With the score at 2/65, Washbrook inside edged a Toshack full toss
directly downwards at Tallon's ankle. Bradman described the catch as "miraculous" because Tallon had to reach so low, so quickly, in order to take the catch. Another dive to stop a leg glance resulted in a severely bruised left little finger. Tallon conceded 16 byes in the second innings, more than 8% of England's score. Australia won the Test by 409 runs, and nursing his finger, Tallon was rested for both tour matches between the Tests, which were against Surrey
and Gloucestershire
, which were won by ten wickets and an innings respectively. In his place, Saggers scored 12, took nine dismissals and conceded 31 byes in four innings.
On the second morning, Tallon again dropped Compton from Johnston when the batsman was on 73. England eventually finished on 363, with Compton not out
on 145. Thus Tallon's drops cost 95 runs as well as allowing Compton to hold up one end so his partners could score. Tallon also conceded seven byes.
Australia reached 3/135 when Miller and Arthur Morris
departed in quick succession. With Sid Barnes
retiring hurt because of a blow to the ribs, Tallon came in at 5/139, effectively six wickets down and made 18 in half and hour before falling at 6/172. Australia managed to reach 221 and avoid the follow on.
England batted again and Tallon dismissed George Emmett from Lindwall with a diving one-handed catch. Lindwall pitched an outswinger
on the off stump and Emmett edged it to wicket-keeper Tallon, who took it in his right hand with a dive, leaving England at 1/1. England then declared at 3/174; Tallon conceded nine byes and with more than a day was lost to rain, Tallon was not required as Australia batted out the last session for a draw.
Tallon's little left finger swelled up after the Third Test and he exacerbated the injury during a tour match against Middlesex
. In this match, he scored 17, took two catches and a stumping in the first innings and conceded only seven byes for the entire match as Australia won by ten wickets.
, and he was replaced by Saggers. Australia set a world record in successfully chasing a target of 404 to win the match by seven wickets and secure the series. Saggers leaked only six byes in 299.1 overs of glovework during the match as Australia conceded a total of 861 runs for the match. It was the lowest percentage of byes conceded in a match total by an Australian wicket-keeper for the tour (0.697%).N-
Tallon missed the innings victory over Derbyshire
, before returning against Glamorgan
. In his first match back from injury, Tallon took a catch and two stumpings as the hosts were dismissed for 197, but he also conceded 19 byes. Byes made 9.64% of the match total conceded by Australia, the highest proportion by the tourists during the summer.N- He did not bat as rain ended the match with Australia at 3/215. He was rested for the nine-wicket win over Warwickshire
, before returning for Australia's second match and second draw against Lancashire
. Tallon came in at 7/232 and scored 33, adding 63 with Ian Johnson
to help Australia reach 321. He took two catches and two stumpings but also conceded 23 byes. In the non-first-class match against Durham
, Tallon played purely as a batsman, while Saggers kept wicket. He opened the batting, but was dismissed for one as Australia made 273 and the hosts reached 5/73 before rain ended the match.
, where England elected to bat first on a rain-affected pitch. Tallon caught Jack Crapp
from an outside edge for a duck
from the bowling of Miller, leaving England at 4/23 as play was adjourned for lunch. England continued to struggle against the moving ball and were all out for 52 in the middle session. The innings ended when Tallon took an acrobatic catch to dismiss Len Hutton
down the leg side
, catching it with his left hand. It was considered the catch of the season by Wisden. Tallon conceded six byes in the innings.
Australia batted and passed England's total on the first afternoon. Tallon came in to bat on the second day with the score at 7/332, joining opener Morris, who had already passed 150. It took a run out
to remove Morris; he attempted a quick run to third man after being called through by Tallon but was not quick enough for the substitute fielder's arm, leaving Australia at 8/359. Tallon, who scored 31, put on another 30 runs with Doug Ring
, before both were out on 389, ending Australia's innings. In the second innings, Tallon caught Hutton from Miller and conceded nine byes as England were dismissed for 188 and lost by an innings, sealing a 4–0 series victory for Australia.
, the Gentlemen of England, and Somerset
, all of which Australia won by an innings. Saggers stood in and made seven dismissals and conceded 29 byes in the six innings of the three matches.
He returned for the following match against the South of England
. He did not bat as Australia declared at 7/522. He then took three catches and conceded 13 byes as the match was washed out when the hosts were dismissed for 298.
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 play for the hosts. Bradman then fielded a full-strength team, with the only difference from the Fifth Test team being Johnson coming for Doug Ring
. Tallon made two as Australia declared at 8/489. He conceded seven byes and did not make a dismissal as the match ended in a draw after multiple rain delays.
The tour ended with two non-first-class matches against Scotland. In the first match, Tallon played as a batsman while Saggers kept wicket. Tallon scored only six in Australia's 236 and then took 0/10 in Scotland's second innings and did not take a catch in the innings victory. In the second match in Aberdeen
, Tallon kept wicket, conceding 26 byes and not taking a dismissal and he was not required to bat. When the match became safe, with Australia in an unassailable position in Scotland's second innings, Bradman allowed Tallon to dispense with his wicket-keeping pads and try his luck at bowling leg spin
. Tallon never bowled in his Test career and only rarely in first-class cricket, where he delivered 301 balls, the approximate workload of a specialist bowler in one match. Tallon took 2/15 as Australia finished the tour with another innings win.
Tallon had had moderate success with his batting during the Test series, aggregating 114 runs at 28.50. He usually batted at No. 8, and only had four innings as Australia's batting strength was such that he did not need to bat in the second innings in any of the Tests. The Australian team strategy of primarily depending on fast bowling
saw Tallon make 12 catches and no stumpings during the Tests. However, Bradman gave his lead pace bowlers Miller and Lindwall more rest during the tour games to save energy for the Tests, and relied more heavily on the off spin
of Ian Johnson
and the leg spin
of McCool and Doug Ring
in the county matches. Thus overall Tallon took 29 catches and 14 stumpings for the first-class matches during the tour. Tallon scored 283 runs at 25.72 for the season at an average higher than Saggers's 23.22. In all his matches on tour, Tallon conceded 249 byes as Australia conceded 5331 runs, a bye percentage of 4.67%, compared to Saggers's 221 byes from 6190 runs, a percentage of 3.57%.N-
During the tour, Tallon had few opportunities with the bat, generally batting between No. 8 and No. 9,N- because Australia's frontline bowlers included the likes of Ray Lindwall
, Colin McCool
, Ian Johnson
and Doug Ring
, who were all capable with the bat. Lindwall scored two Test centuries in his career, while McCool scored 18 first-class centuries a including one in Tests. Johnson and Ring both scored more than 20 fifties at first-class level. As Australia often won by an innings, and often declared in the first innings, Tallon only had 13 innings in his 14 first-class fixtures and was not out two times as he ran out of partners.
Tallon's performances during the English summer saw him named by Wisden as one of its five Cricketers of the Year
.
was a key member of Donald Bradman
's famous Australian cricket team tour of England in 1948, in which Australia was undefeated in their 34 matches. This unprecedented feat by a Test side touring England earned them the sobriquet The Invincibles.
The team's first-choice wicket-keeper
ahead of Ron Saggers
, Tallon played in four of the five Tests, missing the Fourth Test due to injury. Despite being the preferred gloveman, Tallon conceded byes
at a higher rate than Saggers during the tour.
Bradman rotated the two glovemen during the tour, and Tallon played in 14 of the 31 first-class matches, taking 29 catches and 14 stumpings. Tallon's catch of Len Hutton
in the Fifth Test at The Oval
was described as Wisden
as the best of the year. He also took a difficult catch to remove George Emmett in the Third Test at Old Trafford, catching a ball that flew to his feet at yorker
length. However, Tallon also had some mishaps, with finger injuries inflicted by failing to catch the ball correctly. Tallon had few opportunities with the bat, scoring 283 runs at a batting average
of 25.72 in 13 first-class innings, including two fifties. During the Test, Tallon scored 112 runs at 28.00, including a 53 in the Second Test that saw Australia recover to a first innings of 350 after a middle-order
slump had seen England take the upper hand. He took 12 catches in the Tests.
In recognition of his performances, Tallon was named as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year
in 1949.
saw him selected for the 1948 Ashes tour as part of the side that would become known to cricket history as the Invincibles. Tallon was the first-choice wicket-keeper, with Saggers as his deputy. Having spent the majority of his life in sunny Queensland and growing up in tropical Bundaberg, the cold English climate initially caught Tallon off guard. He did not wet his inner gloves as was his custom due to the temperature. As England agreed to make a new ball available every 55 overs
, this meant that the ball would more frequently be in a favourable state for fast bowling, since it would swing
more. As a result, Australia adopted a pace-oriented strategy and Ian Johnson
was the only spinner regularly used in the Test matches. Colin McCool
was not to play a Test on the tour, depriving Tallon of an opportunity to show his stumping abilities standing up at the stump
s to his Queensland team-mate in the Tests.
. Accordingly, Tallon was selected as the wicket-keeper for the match. The home side batted first and Tallon made his first dismissal on English soil by catching Worcestershire captain Allan White
from the bowling of Keith Miller
. He then stumped former England captain Bob Wyatt
from McCool. In reply to the hosts' 233, Tallon was promoted to No. 6, but managed only six in a collapse of 4/38 before Australia recovered to declare at 8/462. He took a further three dismissals
in the second innings, two of them stumpings from McCool's bowling, as Australia crushed the hosts by an innings and 17 runs. Tallon conceded 11 byes in the match.
Tallon was rested for the second tour match against Leicestershire
, which Australia won by an innings with Saggers behind the stumps.
Tallon played a key role in Australia's victory in the next match against Yorkshire
, on a damp pitch
that suited slower bowling. He came in at 7/86 and made ten in the first innings to push Australia to 101 in reply to Yorkshire's 71, in which Tallon did not concede a bye. However, Tallon was not so tidy in the second innings, conceding 11 byes as the hosts were bowled out for 89 in their second innings. He did not make a dismissal in the match. Australia then collapsed to 6/31 in pursuit of 60 for victory when Tallon strode in. To make matters worse, Sam Loxton
was injured and could not bat, so Australia only had three wickets in hand. Australia faced its first loss to an English county since 1912. He survived an immediate leg before wicket
appeal and then hit a shot that fell just short of a fielder. He then compiled 17 unbeaten runs as Australia scraped home by four wickets.
The Australians travelled to London to play Surrey
at The Oval
. Tallon came in with the score at 6/553, and held up his end, scoring an unbeaten
50 as his partners steadily fell and Australia were bowled out at 632. Tallon had some difficulty in English conditions as he sustained a bruised right finger when he lost sight of a Ray Lindwall
bouncer
on a misty morning during the match and was hit as he put hand over his face for protection, with the ball running away for four byes. Tallon took two catches in the second innings as Australia won the match by an innings, but he also conceded 24 byes in Surrey's match total of 336.
After sustaining the bruised finger, Tallon was rested for the following three matches, which were against Cambridge University
, Essex
and Oxford
. Australia won each of the matches by an innings. Saggers filled in and scored 110 runs including a 104 not out against Essex and took five dismissals. Saggers conceded only 34 byes in his four tour matches, while Tallon had conceded 46 in three.N-
The next match was against the Marylebone Cricket Club
(MCC) at Lord's. The MCC fielded seven players who would represent England in the Tests,N- and were basically a full strength Test team, as were Australia, who fielded their first-choice team. It was a chance to gain a psychological advantage, and Tallon was selected despite conceding byes at a higher rate in the preceding tour matches. He made 11 batting at No. 9, including a six from Jim Laker
as Australia made 552. He took three catches in the first innings, having a hand in the first three wickets to fall, Jack Robertson
, Bill Edrich
and Denis Compton
. He then took two stumpings in the second innings as the follow on was enforced, but also conceded 26 byes as Australia won by an innings. Tallon had conceded 72 byes to Saggers' 34 with both having played four matches.N-
Following the match against the MCC, there were four more county fixtures before the First Test, against Lancashire
, Nottinghamshire
, Hampshire
and Sussex
. Australia drew the first two before winning the latter two by eight wickets and an innings and 325 runs respectively. Tallon played in only the Nottinghamshire match, taking two catches in the first innings and two stumpings in each of the innings. The catches were all from Lindwall and the stumpings from Doug Ring
. Tallon conceded 18 byes for the match and scored 27, being last man out at 400 after coming to the crease at 6/355. In Saggers's three matches, 36 byes were conceded and six dismissals were made.
, Tallon took four catches. In the first innings, Tallon caught Jim Laker
from the bowling of Keith Miller
to end England's innings of 165 after he and Alec Bedser
had joined forces at 8/74.
When Australia batted, Tallon came in at 6/338 to accompany Lindsay Hassett
and took 39 minutes to compile 10 before hitting a return catch to the left arm orthodox spin of Jack Young
. The scoring was slow during this passage of play—Young delivered 11 consecutive maiden overs
and his 26-over spell conceded only 14 runs with Australia using leg theory
.
After Australia ended with 509 and took a 334-run lead, Tallon took two difficult catches to dismiss key batsmen at the start of England's second innings. Miller removed Cyril Washbrook
for one from a top-edged hook shot to Tallon. Bill Edrich
was then caught behind attempting a cut from the off spin
of Johnson. He did not read the arm ball
that went straight on and the ball took the outside edge, leaving England at 2/39. He thus helped Australia to seize the initiative by denying England a good start, but they recovered. Later, he caught Godfrey Evans
for 50 from Johnson as England ended at 441. Australia reached their target of 98 with two wickets down, completing an eight-wicket victory. Tallon conceded five and 12 byes in the two innings respectively.
Between Tests, Australia played Northamptonshire
and Yorkshire, and Tallon was rested for both matches. The first was won by an innings and second was drawn. Saggers made four and 22 and conceded 24 byes in four innings.
The teams moved on to Lord's
for the Second Test and Australia compiled 350 in its first innings. Tallon came to the crease with Australia at 6/225 after Hassett and Bill Brown
had gone in quick succession, joining Johnson in the middle. Johnson struggled to score, while Tallon did so freely in the last hour. After Johnson fell for four at 7/246, Lindwall then joined Tallon and the pair survived to the close of play. England were well placed when Australia ended at stumps on 7/258 with Tallon on 25. Tallon had dominated the scoring late in day, making 25 of the 33 runs added. The crowd was optimistic about England's position and some immediately camped outside the turnstiles upon leaving the ground.
Australia's lower order batted the tourists into control on the second morning. Despite the loss of Lindwall for 15 at 8/275, Tallon kept on batting in a conventional manner, supported by Johnston and Ernie Toshack
, who scored their highest Test scores. Both tail-enders threw the bat at the ball, which often went in vastly different directions to where they had aimed their shots. Tallon put on 45 with Johnston—who scored 29— before holing out for 53. Ending at 350, the Australians had regained the momentum, taking 92 runs from 66 minutes of hitting in the morning.
Tallon did not concede a bye in England's first innings of 215 and his diving was estimated to have saved around 40 runs. He caught Washbrook from Lindwall to leave England at 1/17, and later caught Laker from Johnson. Tallon was not needed in the second innings; Lindwall was promoted above Tallon because Australia needed quick runs and Lindwall was a big-hitter. Australia declared at 7/460, leaving England a target of 509.
With the score at 2/65, Washbrook inside edged a Toshack full toss
directly downwards at Tallon's ankle. Bradman described the catch as "miraculous" because Tallon had to reach so low, so quickly, in order to take the catch. Another dive to stop a leg glance resulted in a severely bruised left little finger. Tallon conceded 16 byes in the second innings, more than 8% of England's score. Australia won the Test by 409 runs, and nursing his finger, Tallon was rested for both tour matches between the Tests, which were against Surrey
and Gloucestershire
, which were won by ten wickets and an innings respectively. In his place, Saggers scored 12, took nine dismissals and conceded 31 byes in four innings.
On the second morning, Tallon again dropped Compton from Johnston when the batsman was on 73. England eventually finished on 363, with Compton not out
on 145. Thus Tallon's drops cost 95 runs as well as allowing Compton to hold up one end so his partners could score. Tallon also conceded seven byes.
Australia reached 3/135 when Miller and Arthur Morris
departed in quick succession. With Sid Barnes
retiring hurt because of a blow to the ribs, Tallon came in at 5/139, effectively six wickets down and made 18 in half and hour before falling at 6/172. Australia managed to reach 221 and avoid the follow on.
England batted again and Tallon dismissed George Emmett from Lindwall with a diving one-handed catch. Lindwall pitched an outswinger
on the off stump and Emmett edged it to wicket-keeper Tallon, who took it in his right hand with a dive, leaving England at 1/1. England then declared at 3/174; Tallon conceded nine byes and with more than a day was lost to rain, Tallon was not required as Australia batted out the last session for a draw.
Tallon's little left finger swelled up after the Third Test and he exacerbated the injury during a tour match against Middlesex
. In this match, he scored 17, took two catches and a stumping in the first innings and conceded only seven byes for the entire match as Australia won by ten wickets.
, and he was replaced by Saggers. Australia set a world record in successfully chasing a target of 404 to win the match by seven wickets and secure the series. Saggers leaked only six byes in 299.1 overs of glovework during the match as Australia conceded a total of 861 runs for the match. It was the lowest percentage of byes conceded in a match total by an Australian wicket-keeper for the tour (0.697%).N-
Tallon missed the innings victory over Derbyshire
, before returning against Glamorgan
. In his first match back from injury, Tallon took a catch and two stumpings as the hosts were dismissed for 197, but he also conceded 19 byes. Byes made 9.64% of the match total conceded by Australia, the highest proportion by the tourists during the summer.N- He did not bat as rain ended the match with Australia at 3/215. He was rested for the nine-wicket win over Warwickshire
, before returning for Australia's second match and second draw against Lancashire
. Tallon came in at 7/232 and scored 33, adding 63 with Ian Johnson
to help Australia reach 321. He took two catches and two stumpings but also conceded 23 byes. In the non-first-class match against Durham
, Tallon played purely as a batsman, while Saggers kept wicket. He opened the batting, but was dismissed for one as Australia made 273 and the hosts reached 5/73 before rain ended the match.
, where England elected to bat first on a rain-affected pitch. Tallon caught Jack Crapp
from an outside edge for a duck
from the bowling of Miller, leaving England at 4/23 as play was adjourned for lunch. England continued to struggle against the moving ball and were all out for 52 in the middle session. The innings ended when Tallon took an acrobatic catch to dismiss Len Hutton
down the leg side
, catching it with his left hand. It was considered the catch of the season by Wisden. Tallon conceded six byes in the innings.
Australia batted and passed England's total on the first afternoon. Tallon came in to bat on the second day with the score at 7/332, joining opener Morris, who had already passed 150. It took a run out
to remove Morris; he attempted a quick run to third man after being called through by Tallon but was not quick enough for the substitute fielder's arm, leaving Australia at 8/359. Tallon, who scored 31, put on another 30 runs with Doug Ring
, before both were out on 389, ending Australia's innings. In the second innings, Tallon caught Hutton from Miller and conceded nine byes as England were dismissed for 188 and lost by an innings, sealing a 4–0 series victory for Australia.
, the Gentlemen of England, and Somerset
, all of which Australia won by an innings. Saggers stood in and made seven dismissals and conceded 29 byes in the six innings of the three matches.
He returned for the following match against the South of England
. He did not bat as Australia declared at 7/522. He then took three catches and conceded 13 byes as the match was washed out when the hosts were dismissed for 298.
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 play for the hosts. Bradman then fielded a full-strength team, with the only difference from the Fifth Test team being Johnson coming for Doug Ring
. Tallon made two as Australia declared at 8/489. He conceded seven byes and did not make a dismissal as the match ended in a draw after multiple rain delays.
The tour ended with two non-first-class matches against Scotland. In the first match, Tallon played as a batsman while Saggers kept wicket. Tallon scored only six in Australia's 236 and then took 0/10 in Scotland's second innings and did not take a catch in the innings victory. In the second match in Aberdeen
, Tallon kept wicket, conceding 26 byes and not taking a dismissal and he was not required to bat. When the match became safe, with Australia in an unassailable position in Scotland's second innings, Bradman allowed Tallon to dispense with his wicket-keeping pads and try his luck at bowling leg spin
. Tallon never bowled in his Test career and only rarely in first-class cricket, where he delivered 301 balls, the approximate workload of a specialist bowler in one match. Tallon took 2/15 as Australia finished the tour with another innings win.
Tallon had had moderate success with his batting during the Test series, aggregating 114 runs at 28.50. He usually batted at No. 8, and only had four innings as Australia's batting strength was such that he did not need to bat in the second innings in any of the Tests. The Australian team strategy of primarily depending on fast bowling
saw Tallon make 12 catches and no stumpings during the Tests. However, Bradman gave his lead pace bowlers Miller and Lindwall more rest during the tour games to save energy for the Tests, and relied more heavily on the off spin
of Ian Johnson
and the leg spin
of McCool and Doug Ring
in the county matches. Thus overall Tallon took 29 catches and 14 stumpings for the first-class matches during the tour. Tallon scored 283 runs at 25.72 for the season at an average higher than Saggers's 23.22. In all his matches on tour, Tallon conceded 249 byes as Australia conceded 5331 runs, a bye percentage of 4.67%, compared to Saggers's 221 byes from 6190 runs, a percentage of 3.57%.N-
During the tour, Tallon had few opportunities with the bat, generally batting between No. 8 and No. 9,N- because Australia's frontline bowlers included the likes of Ray Lindwall
, Colin McCool
, Ian Johnson
and Doug Ring
, who were all capable with the bat. Lindwall scored two Test centuries in his career, while McCool scored 18 first-class centuries a including one in Tests. Johnson and Ring both scored more than 20 fifties at first-class level. As Australia often won by an innings, and often declared in the first innings, Tallon only had 13 innings in his 14 first-class fixtures and was not out two times as he ran out of partners.
Tallon's performances during the English summer saw him named by Wisden as one of its five Cricketers of the Year
.
n-[1]
This statement regarding byes in the early warm-up matches can be verified by summation of the scorecards, as listed here.
n-[2]
This statement regarding the team composition can be verified by inspecting the records of the respective matches, as attached.
n-[3]
This statement regarding byes in the warm-up matches can be verified by summation of the scorecards, as listed here.
n-[4]
This statement can be verified by consulting all of the scorecards for the matches, as listed here.
Don Tallon
Donald "Don" Tallon was an Australian cricketer who played 21 Test matches as a wicket-keeper between 1946 and 1953...
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 tour of England in 1948, in which Australia was undefeated in their 34 matches. This unprecedented feat by a Test side touring England earned them the sobriquet The Invincibles.
The team's first-choice wicket-keeper
Wicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike...
ahead of 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...
, Tallon played in four of the five Tests, missing the Fourth Test due to injury. Despite being the preferred gloveman, Tallon conceded byes
Bye (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a bye is a run scored by the batting team when the ball has not been hit by the batsman and the ball has not hit the batsman's body.-Scoring byes:...
at a higher rate than Saggers during the tour.
Bradman rotated the two glovemen during the tour, and Tallon played in 14 of the 31 first-class matches, taking 29 catches and 14 stumpings. Tallon's catch of 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...
in the Fifth Test 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...
was described as 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 the best of the year. He also took a difficult catch to remove George Emmett in the Third Test at Old Trafford, catching a ball that flew to his feet at 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...
length. However, Tallon also had some mishaps, with finger injuries inflicted by failing to catch the ball correctly. Tallon had few opportunities with the bat, scoring 283 runs at a batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of 25.72 in 13 first-class innings, including two fifties. During the Test, Tallon scored 112 runs at 28.00, including a 53 in the Second Test that saw Australia recover to a first innings of 350 after a middle-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...
slump had seen England take the upper hand. He took 12 catches in the Tests.
In recognition of his performances, Tallon was named 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"...
in 1949.
Background
Tallon's form as Australia's wicket-keeper since World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
saw him selected for the 1948 Ashes tour as part of the side that would become known to cricket history as the Invincibles. Tallon was the first-choice wicket-keeper, with Saggers as his deputy. Having spent the majority of his life in sunny Queensland and growing up in tropical Bundaberg, the cold English climate initially caught Tallon off guard. He did not wet his inner gloves as was his custom due to the temperature. As England agreed to make a new ball available every 55 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....
, this meant that the ball would more frequently be in a favourable state for fast bowling, since it would swing
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:...
more. As a result, Australia adopted a pace-oriented strategy and 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...
was the only spinner regularly used in the Test matches. 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...
was not to play a Test on the tour, depriving Tallon of an opportunity to show his stumping abilities standing up at the 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:...
s to his Queensland team-mate in the Tests.
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...
. Accordingly, Tallon was selected as the wicket-keeper for the match. The home side batted first and Tallon made his first dismissal on English soil by catching Worcestershire captain Allan White
Allan White
Allan Frederick Tinsdale White was an English cricketer: a right-handed batsman who played for both Warwickshire and Worcestershire, captaining the latter county between 1947 and 1949, though sharing the captaincy with Bob Wyatt in the last of those three seasons...
from the bowling 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...
. He then stumped former England captain Bob Wyatt
Bob Wyatt
Robert "Bob" Elliott Storey Wyatt was an English cricket player. He played for Warwickshire, Worcestershire, and the English cricket team....
from McCool. In reply to the hosts' 233, Tallon was promoted to No. 6, but managed only six in a collapse of 4/38 before Australia recovered to declare at 8/462. He took a further three dismissals
Dismissal (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a dismissal occurs when the batsman is out . Colloquially, the fielding team is also said to have snared, bagged or captured a wicket. At this point a batsman must discontinue batting and leave the field permanently for the innings...
in the second innings, two of them stumpings from McCool's bowling, as Australia crushed the hosts by an innings and 17 runs. Tallon conceded 11 byes in the match.
Tallon was rested 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....
, which Australia won by an innings with Saggers behind the stumps.
Tallon played a key 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:...
that suited slower bowling. He came in at 7/86 and made ten in the first innings to push Australia to 101 in reply to Yorkshire's 71, in which Tallon did not concede a bye. However, Tallon was not so tidy in the second innings, conceding 11 byes as the hosts were bowled out for 89 in their second innings. He did not make a dismissal in the match. Australia then collapsed to 6/31 in pursuit of 60 for victory when Tallon strode in. To make matters worse, 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 could not bat, so Australia only had three wickets in hand. Australia faced its first loss to an English county since 1912. He survived an immediate 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...
appeal and then hit a shot that fell just short of a fielder. He then compiled 17 unbeaten runs as Australia scraped home by four wickets.
The Australians 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...
. Tallon came in with the score at 6/553, and held up his end, scoring an 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...
50 as his partners steadily fell and Australia were bowled out at 632. Tallon had some difficulty in English conditions as he sustained a bruised right finger when he lost sight of a 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...
bouncer
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...
on a misty morning during the match and was hit as he put hand over his face for protection, with the ball running away for four byes. Tallon took two catches in the second innings as Australia won the match by an innings, but he also conceded 24 byes in Surrey's match total of 336.
After sustaining the bruised finger, Tallon was rested for the following three matches, which were 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...
, 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...
and Oxford
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...
. Australia won each of the matches by an innings. Saggers filled in and scored 110 runs including a 104 not out against Essex and took five dismissals. Saggers conceded only 34 byes in his four tour matches, while Tallon had conceded 46 in three.N-
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,N- and were basically a full strength Test team, as were Australia, who fielded their first-choice team. It was a chance to gain a psychological advantage, and Tallon was selected despite conceding byes at a higher rate in the preceding tour matches. He made 11 batting at No. 9, including a six from 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...
as Australia made 552. He took three catches in the first innings, having a hand in the first three wickets to fall, Jack Robertson
Jack Robertson
Jack Robertson was an English cricketer, who played county cricket for Middlesex, and in eleven Tests for England....
, 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...
and Denis Compton
Denis Compton
Denis Charles Scott Compton CBE was an English cricketer who played in 78 Test matches, and a footballer...
. He then took two stumpings in the second innings as the follow on was enforced, but also conceded 26 byes as Australia won by an innings. Tallon had conceded 72 byes to Saggers' 34 with both having played four matches.N-
Following the match against the MCC, there were four more county fixtures before the First Test, 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...
, 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...
, 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 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...
. Australia drew the first two before winning the latter two by eight wickets and an innings and 325 runs respectively. Tallon played in only the Nottinghamshire match, taking two catches in the first innings and two stumpings in each of the innings. The catches were all from Lindwall and the stumpings from Doug Ring
Doug Ring
Douglas Thomas Ring was an Australian cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia in 13 Tests from 1948 to 1953...
. Tallon conceded 18 byes for the match and scored 27, being last man out at 400 after coming to the crease at 6/355. In Saggers's three matches, 36 byes were conceded and six dismissals were made.
First Test
Despite averaging more byes per innings than Saggers during the warm-up matches,N- Tallon was retained in the Test team. During the First Test at 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...
, Tallon took four catches. In the first innings, Tallon caught 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...
from the bowling 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...
to end England's innings of 165 after he and 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...
had joined forces at 8/74.
When Australia batted, Tallon came in at 6/338 to accompany 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...
and took 39 minutes to compile 10 before hitting a return catch to the left arm orthodox spin of 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....
. The scoring was slow during this passage of play—Young delivered 11 consecutive maiden 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....
and his 26-over spell conceded only 14 runs with Australia using leg theory
Leg theory
Leg theory is a bowling tactic in the sport of cricket. The term leg theory is somewhat archaic and seldom used any more, but the basic tactic still plays a part in modern cricket....
.
After Australia ended with 509 and took a 334-run lead, Tallon took two difficult catches to dismiss key batsmen at the start of England's second innings. Miller removed Cyril Washbrook
Cyril 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...
for one from a top-edged hook shot to Tallon. 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...
was then caught behind attempting a cut from the off spin
Off spin
Off spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket which is bowled by an off spinner, a right-handed spin bowler who uses his or her fingers and/or wrist to spin the ball from a right-handed batsman's off side to the leg side...
of Johnson. He did not read the arm ball
Arm ball
An arm ball is a type of delivery in cricket. It is a variation delivery bowled by an off spin bowler or slow left-arm orthodox bowler. It is the finger spin equivalent of a wrist spinner's slider or zooter....
that went straight on and the ball took the outside edge, leaving England at 2/39. He thus helped Australia to seize the initiative by denying England a good start, but they recovered. Later, he caught 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...
for 50 from Johnson as England ended at 441. Australia reached their target of 98 with two wickets down, completing an eight-wicket victory. Tallon conceded five and 12 byes in the two innings respectively.
Between Tests, Australia played 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...
and Yorkshire, and Tallon was rested for both matches. The first was won by an innings and second was drawn. Saggers made four and 22 and conceded 24 byes in four innings.
Second Test
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
for the Second Test and Australia compiled 350 in its first innings. Tallon came to the crease with Australia at 6/225 after Hassett 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...
had gone in quick succession, joining Johnson in the middle. Johnson struggled to score, while Tallon did so freely in the last hour. After Johnson fell for four at 7/246, Lindwall then joined Tallon and the pair survived to the close of play. England were well placed when Australia ended at stumps on 7/258 with Tallon on 25. Tallon had dominated the scoring late in day, making 25 of the 33 runs added. The crowd was optimistic about England's position and some immediately camped outside the turnstiles upon leaving the ground.
Australia's lower order batted the tourists into control on the second morning. Despite the loss of Lindwall for 15 at 8/275, Tallon kept on batting in a conventional manner, supported by 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...
, who scored their highest Test scores. Both tail-enders threw the bat at the ball, which often went in vastly different directions to where they had aimed their shots. Tallon put on 45 with Johnston—who scored 29— before holing out for 53. Ending at 350, the Australians had regained the momentum, taking 92 runs from 66 minutes of hitting in the morning.
Tallon did not concede a bye in England's first innings of 215 and his diving was estimated to have saved around 40 runs. He caught Washbrook from Lindwall to leave England at 1/17, and later caught Laker from Johnson. Tallon was not needed in the second innings; Lindwall was promoted above Tallon because Australia needed quick runs and Lindwall was a big-hitter. Australia declared at 7/460, leaving England a target of 509.
With the score at 2/65, Washbrook inside edged a Toshack full toss
Full toss
A full toss is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It describes any delivery that reaches the batsman without bouncing on the pitch first....
directly downwards at Tallon's ankle. Bradman described the catch as "miraculous" because Tallon had to reach so low, so quickly, in order to take the catch. Another dive to stop a leg glance resulted in a severely bruised left little finger. Tallon conceded 16 byes in the second innings, more than 8% of England's score. Australia won the Test by 409 runs, and nursing his finger, Tallon was rested for both tour matches between the Tests, which were 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 were won by ten wickets and an innings respectively. In his place, Saggers scored 12, took nine dismissals and conceded 31 byes in four innings.
Third Test
The teams then played out a rain-affected draw in the Third Test match at Manchester, where England elected to bat first. On the first day, Edrich gloved a rising Lindwall delivery and was caught by Tallon for 32, leaving England at 5/119. Compton returned at the fall of Edrich's wicket after previously leaving the ground after being bloodied in the head by a Lindwall bouncer. He batted to stumps, after being dropped one-handed on 50 by Tallon, before again being dropped on 64 late in the day by the gloveman from the bowling of Johnston. England closed at 7/231 with Compton on 64.On the second morning, Tallon again dropped Compton from Johnston when the batsman was on 73. England eventually finished on 363, with Compton not out
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 145. Thus Tallon's drops cost 95 runs as well as allowing Compton to hold up one end so his partners could score. Tallon also conceded seven byes.
Australia reached 3/135 when Miller and 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...
departed in quick succession. With 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...
retiring hurt because of a blow to the ribs, Tallon came in at 5/139, effectively six wickets down and made 18 in half and hour before falling at 6/172. Australia managed to reach 221 and avoid the follow on.
England batted again and Tallon dismissed George Emmett from Lindwall with a diving one-handed catch. Lindwall pitched an outswinger
Outswinger
An outswinger is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is bowled by swing bowlers.An outswinger is bowled by holding the cricket ball with the seam at an angle and the first two fingers running along either side of the seam...
on the off stump and Emmett edged it to wicket-keeper Tallon, who took it in his right hand with a dive, leaving England at 1/1. England then declared at 3/174; Tallon conceded nine byes and with more than a day was lost to rain, Tallon was not required as Australia batted out the last session for a draw.
Tallon's little left finger swelled up after the Third Test and he exacerbated the injury during a tour match 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...
. In this match, he scored 17, took two catches and a stumping in the first innings and conceded only seven byes for the entire match as Australia won by ten wickets.
Fourth Test
The left finger injury ruled him out of the Fourth Test at HeadingleyHeadingley Stadium
Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie ....
, and he was replaced by Saggers. Australia set a world record in successfully chasing a target of 404 to win the match by seven wickets and secure the series. Saggers leaked only six byes in 299.1 overs of glovework during the match as Australia conceded a total of 861 runs for the match. It was the lowest percentage of byes conceded in a match total by an Australian wicket-keeper for the tour (0.697%).N-
Tallon missed the innings victory over 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...
, before returning 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...
. In his first match back from injury, Tallon took a catch and two stumpings as the hosts were dismissed for 197, but he also conceded 19 byes. Byes made 9.64% of the match total conceded by Australia, the highest proportion by the tourists during the summer.N- He did not bat as rain ended the match with Australia at 3/215. He was rested for the nine-wicket win over 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 returning for Australia's second match and second draw 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...
. Tallon came in at 7/232 and scored 33, adding 63 with 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...
to help Australia reach 321. He took two catches and two stumpings but also conceded 23 byes. In the non-first-class match against 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...
, Tallon played purely as a batsman, while Saggers kept wicket. He opened the batting, but was dismissed for one as Australia made 273 and the hosts reached 5/73 before rain ended the match.
Fifth Test
Tallon returned for 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...
, where England elected to bat first on a rain-affected pitch. Tallon caught 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....
from an outside edge 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...
from the bowling of Miller, leaving England at 4/23 as play was adjourned for lunch. England continued to struggle against the moving ball and were all out for 52 in the middle session. The innings ended when Tallon took an acrobatic catch to dismiss 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...
down the leg side
Leg side
The leg side, or on side, is defined to be a particular half of the field used to play the sport of cricket.From the point of view of a right-handed batsman facing the bowler, it is the left hand side of the cricket field...
, catching it with his left hand. It was considered the catch of the season by Wisden. Tallon conceded six byes in the innings.
Australia batted and passed England's total on the first afternoon. Tallon came in to bat on the second day with the score at 7/332, joining opener Morris, who had already passed 150. It took a run out
Run out
Run out is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket. It is governed by Law 38 of the Laws of cricket.-The rules:A batsman is out Run out if at any time while the ball is in play no part of his bat or person is grounded behind the popping crease and his wicket is fairly put down by the opposing...
to remove Morris; he attempted a quick run to third man after being called through by Tallon but was not quick enough for the substitute fielder's arm, leaving Australia at 8/359. Tallon, who scored 31, put on another 30 runs 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...
, before both were out on 389, ending Australia's innings. In the second innings, Tallon caught Hutton from Miller and conceded nine byes as England were dismissed for 188 and lost by an innings, sealing a 4–0 series victory for Australia.
Later tour matches
Seven matches remained on Bradman's quest to go through a tour of England without defeat. Tallon was rested for three consecutive matches 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...
, the Gentlemen of England, and 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...
, all of which Australia won by an innings. Saggers stood in and made seven dismissals and conceded 29 byes in the six innings of the three matches.
He returned for the following 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....
. He did not bat as Australia declared at 7/522. He then took three catches and conceded 13 byes as the match was washed out when the hosts were dismissed for 298.
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 play for the hosts. Bradman then fielded a full-strength team, with the only difference from the Fifth Test team being Johnson coming for Doug Ring
Doug Ring
Douglas Thomas Ring was an Australian cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia in 13 Tests from 1948 to 1953...
. Tallon made two as Australia declared at 8/489. He conceded seven byes and did not make a dismissal as the match ended in a draw after multiple rain delays.
The tour ended with two non-first-class matches against Scotland. In the first match, Tallon played as a batsman while Saggers kept wicket. Tallon scored only six in Australia's 236 and then took 0/10 in Scotland's second innings and did not take a catch in the innings victory. In the second match in Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
, Tallon kept wicket, conceding 26 byes and not taking a dismissal and he was not required to bat. When the match became safe, with Australia in an unassailable position in Scotland's second innings, Bradman allowed Tallon to dispense with his wicket-keeping pads and try his luck at bowling 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...
. Tallon never bowled in his Test career and only rarely in first-class cricket, where he delivered 301 balls, the approximate workload of a specialist bowler in one match. Tallon took 2/15 as Australia finished the tour with another innings win.
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...
saw Tallon make 12 catches and no stumpings during the Tests. However, Bradman gave his lead pace bowlers Miller and Lindwall more rest during the tour games to save energy for the Tests, and relied more heavily on the off spin
Off spin
Off spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket which is bowled by an off spinner, a right-handed spin bowler who uses his or her fingers and/or wrist to spin the ball from a right-handed batsman's off side to the leg side...
of 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 the 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...
of McCool 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...
in the county matches. Thus overall Tallon took 29 catches and 14 stumpings for the first-class matches during the tour. Tallon scored 283 runs at 25.72 for the season at an average higher than Saggers's 23.22. In all his matches on tour, Tallon conceded 249 byes as Australia conceded 5331 runs, a bye percentage of 4.67%, compared to Saggers's 221 byes from 6190 runs, a percentage of 3.57%.N-
During the tour, Tallon had few opportunities with the bat, generally batting between No. 8 and No. 9,N- because Australia's frontline bowlers included the likes of 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...
, 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...
, who were all capable with the bat. Lindwall scored two Test centuries in his career, while McCool scored 18 first-class centuries a including one in Tests. Johnson and Ring both scored more than 20 fifties at first-class level. As Australia often won by an innings, and often declared in the first innings, Tallon only had 13 innings in his 14 first-class fixtures and was not out two times as he ran out of partners.
Tallon's performances during the English summer saw him named by Wisden as one of its five 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"...
.
Statistical notes
Don TallonDon Tallon
Donald "Don" Tallon was an Australian cricketer who played 21 Test matches as a wicket-keeper between 1946 and 1953...
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 tour of England in 1948, in which Australia was undefeated in their 34 matches. This unprecedented feat by a Test side touring England earned them the sobriquet The Invincibles.
The team's first-choice wicket-keeper
Wicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike...
ahead of 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...
, Tallon played in four of the five Tests, missing the Fourth Test due to injury. Despite being the preferred gloveman, Tallon conceded byes
Bye (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a bye is a run scored by the batting team when the ball has not been hit by the batsman and the ball has not hit the batsman's body.-Scoring byes:...
at a higher rate than Saggers during the tour.
Bradman rotated the two glovemen during the tour, and Tallon played in 14 of the 31 first-class matches, taking 29 catches and 14 stumpings. Tallon's catch of 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...
in the Fifth Test 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...
was described as 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 the best of the year. He also took a difficult catch to remove George Emmett in the Third Test at Old Trafford, catching a ball that flew to his feet at 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...
length. However, Tallon also had some mishaps, with finger injuries inflicted by failing to catch the ball correctly. Tallon had few opportunities with the bat, scoring 283 runs at a batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of 25.72 in 13 first-class innings, including two fifties. During the Test, Tallon scored 112 runs at 28.00, including a 53 in the Second Test that saw Australia recover to a first innings of 350 after a middle-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...
slump had seen England take the upper hand. He took 12 catches in the Tests.
In recognition of his performances, Tallon was named 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"...
in 1949.
Background
Tallon's form as Australia's wicket-keeper since World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
saw him selected for the 1948 Ashes tour as part of the side that would become known to cricket history as the Invincibles. Tallon was the first-choice wicket-keeper, with Saggers as his deputy. Having spent the majority of his life in sunny Queensland and growing up in tropical Bundaberg, the cold English climate initially caught Tallon off guard. He did not wet his inner gloves as was his custom due to the temperature. As England agreed to make a new ball available every 55 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....
, this meant that the ball would more frequently be in a favourable state for fast bowling, since it would swing
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:...
more. As a result, Australia adopted a pace-oriented strategy and 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...
was the only spinner regularly used in the Test matches. 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...
was not to play a Test on the tour, depriving Tallon of an opportunity to show his stumping abilities standing up at the 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:...
s to his Queensland team-mate in the Tests.
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...
. Accordingly, Tallon was selected as the wicket-keeper for the match. The home side batted first and Tallon made his first dismissal on English soil by catching Worcestershire captain Allan White
Allan White
Allan Frederick Tinsdale White was an English cricketer: a right-handed batsman who played for both Warwickshire and Worcestershire, captaining the latter county between 1947 and 1949, though sharing the captaincy with Bob Wyatt in the last of those three seasons...
from the bowling 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...
. He then stumped former England captain Bob Wyatt
Bob Wyatt
Robert "Bob" Elliott Storey Wyatt was an English cricket player. He played for Warwickshire, Worcestershire, and the English cricket team....
from McCool. In reply to the hosts' 233, Tallon was promoted to No. 6, but managed only six in a collapse of 4/38 before Australia recovered to declare at 8/462. He took a further three dismissals
Dismissal (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a dismissal occurs when the batsman is out . Colloquially, the fielding team is also said to have snared, bagged or captured a wicket. At this point a batsman must discontinue batting and leave the field permanently for the innings...
in the second innings, two of them stumpings from McCool's bowling, as Australia crushed the hosts by an innings and 17 runs. Tallon conceded 11 byes in the match.
Tallon was rested 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....
, which Australia won by an innings with Saggers behind the stumps.
Tallon played a key 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:...
that suited slower bowling. He came in at 7/86 and made ten in the first innings to push Australia to 101 in reply to Yorkshire's 71, in which Tallon did not concede a bye. However, Tallon was not so tidy in the second innings, conceding 11 byes as the hosts were bowled out for 89 in their second innings. He did not make a dismissal in the match. Australia then collapsed to 6/31 in pursuit of 60 for victory when Tallon strode in. To make matters worse, 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 could not bat, so Australia only had three wickets in hand. Australia faced its first loss to an English county since 1912. He survived an immediate 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...
appeal and then hit a shot that fell just short of a fielder. He then compiled 17 unbeaten runs as Australia scraped home by four wickets.
The Australians 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...
. Tallon came in with the score at 6/553, and held up his end, scoring an 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...
50 as his partners steadily fell and Australia were bowled out at 632. Tallon had some difficulty in English conditions as he sustained a bruised right finger when he lost sight of a 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...
bouncer
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...
on a misty morning during the match and was hit as he put hand over his face for protection, with the ball running away for four byes. Tallon took two catches in the second innings as Australia won the match by an innings, but he also conceded 24 byes in Surrey's match total of 336.
After sustaining the bruised finger, Tallon was rested for the following three matches, which were 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...
, 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...
and Oxford
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...
. Australia won each of the matches by an innings. Saggers filled in and scored 110 runs including a 104 not out against Essex and took five dismissals. Saggers conceded only 34 byes in his four tour matches, while Tallon had conceded 46 in three.N-
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,N- and were basically a full strength Test team, as were Australia, who fielded their first-choice team. It was a chance to gain a psychological advantage, and Tallon was selected despite conceding byes at a higher rate in the preceding tour matches. He made 11 batting at No. 9, including a six from 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...
as Australia made 552. He took three catches in the first innings, having a hand in the first three wickets to fall, Jack Robertson
Jack Robertson
Jack Robertson was an English cricketer, who played county cricket for Middlesex, and in eleven Tests for England....
, 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...
and Denis Compton
Denis Compton
Denis Charles Scott Compton CBE was an English cricketer who played in 78 Test matches, and a footballer...
. He then took two stumpings in the second innings as the follow on was enforced, but also conceded 26 byes as Australia won by an innings. Tallon had conceded 72 byes to Saggers' 34 with both having played four matches.N-
Following the match against the MCC, there were four more county fixtures before the First Test, 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...
, 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...
, 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 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...
. Australia drew the first two before winning the latter two by eight wickets and an innings and 325 runs respectively. Tallon played in only the Nottinghamshire match, taking two catches in the first innings and two stumpings in each of the innings. The catches were all from Lindwall and the stumpings from Doug Ring
Doug Ring
Douglas Thomas Ring was an Australian cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia in 13 Tests from 1948 to 1953...
. Tallon conceded 18 byes for the match and scored 27, being last man out at 400 after coming to the crease at 6/355. In Saggers's three matches, 36 byes were conceded and six dismissals were made.
First Test
Despite averaging more byes per innings than Saggers during the warm-up matches,N- Tallon was retained in the Test team. During the First Test at 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...
, Tallon took four catches. In the first innings, Tallon caught 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...
from the bowling 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...
to end England's innings of 165 after he and 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...
had joined forces at 8/74.
When Australia batted, Tallon came in at 6/338 to accompany 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...
and took 39 minutes to compile 10 before hitting a return catch to the left arm orthodox spin of 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....
. The scoring was slow during this passage of play—Young delivered 11 consecutive maiden 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....
and his 26-over spell conceded only 14 runs with Australia using leg theory
Leg theory
Leg theory is a bowling tactic in the sport of cricket. The term leg theory is somewhat archaic and seldom used any more, but the basic tactic still plays a part in modern cricket....
.
After Australia ended with 509 and took a 334-run lead, Tallon took two difficult catches to dismiss key batsmen at the start of England's second innings. Miller removed Cyril Washbrook
Cyril 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...
for one from a top-edged hook shot to Tallon. 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...
was then caught behind attempting a cut from the off spin
Off spin
Off spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket which is bowled by an off spinner, a right-handed spin bowler who uses his or her fingers and/or wrist to spin the ball from a right-handed batsman's off side to the leg side...
of Johnson. He did not read the arm ball
Arm ball
An arm ball is a type of delivery in cricket. It is a variation delivery bowled by an off spin bowler or slow left-arm orthodox bowler. It is the finger spin equivalent of a wrist spinner's slider or zooter....
that went straight on and the ball took the outside edge, leaving England at 2/39. He thus helped Australia to seize the initiative by denying England a good start, but they recovered. Later, he caught 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...
for 50 from Johnson as England ended at 441. Australia reached their target of 98 with two wickets down, completing an eight-wicket victory. Tallon conceded five and 12 byes in the two innings respectively.
Between Tests, Australia played 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...
and Yorkshire, and Tallon was rested for both matches. The first was won by an innings and second was drawn. Saggers made four and 22 and conceded 24 byes in four innings.
Second Test
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
for the Second Test and Australia compiled 350 in its first innings. Tallon came to the crease with Australia at 6/225 after Hassett 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...
had gone in quick succession, joining Johnson in the middle. Johnson struggled to score, while Tallon did so freely in the last hour. After Johnson fell for four at 7/246, Lindwall then joined Tallon and the pair survived to the close of play. England were well placed when Australia ended at stumps on 7/258 with Tallon on 25. Tallon had dominated the scoring late in day, making 25 of the 33 runs added. The crowd was optimistic about England's position and some immediately camped outside the turnstiles upon leaving the ground.
Australia's lower order batted the tourists into control on the second morning. Despite the loss of Lindwall for 15 at 8/275, Tallon kept on batting in a conventional manner, supported by 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...
, who scored their highest Test scores. Both tail-enders threw the bat at the ball, which often went in vastly different directions to where they had aimed their shots. Tallon put on 45 with Johnston—who scored 29— before holing out for 53. Ending at 350, the Australians had regained the momentum, taking 92 runs from 66 minutes of hitting in the morning.
Tallon did not concede a bye in England's first innings of 215 and his diving was estimated to have saved around 40 runs. He caught Washbrook from Lindwall to leave England at 1/17, and later caught Laker from Johnson. Tallon was not needed in the second innings; Lindwall was promoted above Tallon because Australia needed quick runs and Lindwall was a big-hitter. Australia declared at 7/460, leaving England a target of 509.
With the score at 2/65, Washbrook inside edged a Toshack full toss
Full toss
A full toss is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It describes any delivery that reaches the batsman without bouncing on the pitch first....
directly downwards at Tallon's ankle. Bradman described the catch as "miraculous" because Tallon had to reach so low, so quickly, in order to take the catch. Another dive to stop a leg glance resulted in a severely bruised left little finger. Tallon conceded 16 byes in the second innings, more than 8% of England's score. Australia won the Test by 409 runs, and nursing his finger, Tallon was rested for both tour matches between the Tests, which were 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 were won by ten wickets and an innings respectively. In his place, Saggers scored 12, took nine dismissals and conceded 31 byes in four innings.
Third Test
The teams then played out a rain-affected draw in the Third Test match at Manchester, where England elected to bat first. On the first day, Edrich gloved a rising Lindwall delivery and was caught by Tallon for 32, leaving England at 5/119. Compton returned at the fall of Edrich's wicket after previously leaving the ground after being bloodied in the head by a Lindwall bouncer. He batted to stumps, after being dropped one-handed on 50 by Tallon, before again being dropped on 64 late in the day by the gloveman from the bowling of Johnston. England closed at 7/231 with Compton on 64.On the second morning, Tallon again dropped Compton from Johnston when the batsman was on 73. England eventually finished on 363, with Compton not out
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 145. Thus Tallon's drops cost 95 runs as well as allowing Compton to hold up one end so his partners could score. Tallon also conceded seven byes.
Australia reached 3/135 when Miller and 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...
departed in quick succession. With 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...
retiring hurt because of a blow to the ribs, Tallon came in at 5/139, effectively six wickets down and made 18 in half and hour before falling at 6/172. Australia managed to reach 221 and avoid the follow on.
England batted again and Tallon dismissed George Emmett from Lindwall with a diving one-handed catch. Lindwall pitched an outswinger
Outswinger
An outswinger is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is bowled by swing bowlers.An outswinger is bowled by holding the cricket ball with the seam at an angle and the first two fingers running along either side of the seam...
on the off stump and Emmett edged it to wicket-keeper Tallon, who took it in his right hand with a dive, leaving England at 1/1. England then declared at 3/174; Tallon conceded nine byes and with more than a day was lost to rain, Tallon was not required as Australia batted out the last session for a draw.
Tallon's little left finger swelled up after the Third Test and he exacerbated the injury during a tour match 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...
. In this match, he scored 17, took two catches and a stumping in the first innings and conceded only seven byes for the entire match as Australia won by ten wickets.
Fourth Test
The left finger injury ruled him out of the Fourth Test at HeadingleyHeadingley Stadium
Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie ....
, and he was replaced by Saggers. Australia set a world record in successfully chasing a target of 404 to win the match by seven wickets and secure the series. Saggers leaked only six byes in 299.1 overs of glovework during the match as Australia conceded a total of 861 runs for the match. It was the lowest percentage of byes conceded in a match total by an Australian wicket-keeper for the tour (0.697%).N-
Tallon missed the innings victory over 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...
, before returning 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...
. In his first match back from injury, Tallon took a catch and two stumpings as the hosts were dismissed for 197, but he also conceded 19 byes. Byes made 9.64% of the match total conceded by Australia, the highest proportion by the tourists during the summer.N- He did not bat as rain ended the match with Australia at 3/215. He was rested for the nine-wicket win over 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 returning for Australia's second match and second draw 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...
. Tallon came in at 7/232 and scored 33, adding 63 with 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...
to help Australia reach 321. He took two catches and two stumpings but also conceded 23 byes. In the non-first-class match against 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...
, Tallon played purely as a batsman, while Saggers kept wicket. He opened the batting, but was dismissed for one as Australia made 273 and the hosts reached 5/73 before rain ended the match.
Fifth Test
Tallon returned for 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...
, where England elected to bat first on a rain-affected pitch. Tallon caught 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....
from an outside edge 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...
from the bowling of Miller, leaving England at 4/23 as play was adjourned for lunch. England continued to struggle against the moving ball and were all out for 52 in the middle session. The innings ended when Tallon took an acrobatic catch to dismiss 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...
down the leg side
Leg side
The leg side, or on side, is defined to be a particular half of the field used to play the sport of cricket.From the point of view of a right-handed batsman facing the bowler, it is the left hand side of the cricket field...
, catching it with his left hand. It was considered the catch of the season by Wisden. Tallon conceded six byes in the innings.
Australia batted and passed England's total on the first afternoon. Tallon came in to bat on the second day with the score at 7/332, joining opener Morris, who had already passed 150. It took a run out
Run out
Run out is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket. It is governed by Law 38 of the Laws of cricket.-The rules:A batsman is out Run out if at any time while the ball is in play no part of his bat or person is grounded behind the popping crease and his wicket is fairly put down by the opposing...
to remove Morris; he attempted a quick run to third man after being called through by Tallon but was not quick enough for the substitute fielder's arm, leaving Australia at 8/359. Tallon, who scored 31, put on another 30 runs 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...
, before both were out on 389, ending Australia's innings. In the second innings, Tallon caught Hutton from Miller and conceded nine byes as England were dismissed for 188 and lost by an innings, sealing a 4–0 series victory for Australia.
Later tour matches
Seven matches remained on Bradman's quest to go through a tour of England without defeat. Tallon was rested for three consecutive matches 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...
, the Gentlemen of England, and 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...
, all of which Australia won by an innings. Saggers stood in and made seven dismissals and conceded 29 byes in the six innings of the three matches.
He returned for the following 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....
. He did not bat as Australia declared at 7/522. He then took three catches and conceded 13 byes as the match was washed out when the hosts were dismissed for 298.
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 play for the hosts. Bradman then fielded a full-strength team, with the only difference from the Fifth Test team being Johnson coming for Doug Ring
Doug Ring
Douglas Thomas Ring was an Australian cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia in 13 Tests from 1948 to 1953...
. Tallon made two as Australia declared at 8/489. He conceded seven byes and did not make a dismissal as the match ended in a draw after multiple rain delays.
The tour ended with two non-first-class matches against Scotland. In the first match, Tallon played as a batsman while Saggers kept wicket. Tallon scored only six in Australia's 236 and then took 0/10 in Scotland's second innings and did not take a catch in the innings victory. In the second match in Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
, Tallon kept wicket, conceding 26 byes and not taking a dismissal and he was not required to bat. When the match became safe, with Australia in an unassailable position in Scotland's second innings, Bradman allowed Tallon to dispense with his wicket-keeping pads and try his luck at bowling 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...
. Tallon never bowled in his Test career and only rarely in first-class cricket, where he delivered 301 balls, the approximate workload of a specialist bowler in one match. Tallon took 2/15 as Australia finished the tour with another innings win.
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...
saw Tallon make 12 catches and no stumpings during the Tests. However, Bradman gave his lead pace bowlers Miller and Lindwall more rest during the tour games to save energy for the Tests, and relied more heavily on the off spin
Off spin
Off spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket which is bowled by an off spinner, a right-handed spin bowler who uses his or her fingers and/or wrist to spin the ball from a right-handed batsman's off side to the leg side...
of 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 the 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...
of McCool 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...
in the county matches. Thus overall Tallon took 29 catches and 14 stumpings for the first-class matches during the tour. Tallon scored 283 runs at 25.72 for the season at an average higher than Saggers's 23.22. In all his matches on tour, Tallon conceded 249 byes as Australia conceded 5331 runs, a bye percentage of 4.67%, compared to Saggers's 221 byes from 6190 runs, a percentage of 3.57%.N-
During the tour, Tallon had few opportunities with the bat, generally batting between No. 8 and No. 9,N- because Australia's frontline bowlers included the likes of 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...
, 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...
, who were all capable with the bat. Lindwall scored two Test centuries in his career, while McCool scored 18 first-class centuries a including one in Tests. Johnson and Ring both scored more than 20 fifties at first-class level. As Australia often won by an innings, and often declared in the first innings, Tallon only had 13 innings in his 14 first-class fixtures and was not out two times as he ran out of partners.
Tallon's performances during the English summer saw him named by Wisden as one of its five 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"...
.
Statistical notes
Don TallonDon Tallon
Donald "Don" Tallon was an Australian cricketer who played 21 Test matches as a wicket-keeper between 1946 and 1953...
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 tour of England in 1948, in which Australia was undefeated in their 34 matches. This unprecedented feat by a Test side touring England earned them the sobriquet The Invincibles.
The team's first-choice wicket-keeper
Wicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike...
ahead of 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...
, Tallon played in four of the five Tests, missing the Fourth Test due to injury. Despite being the preferred gloveman, Tallon conceded byes
Bye (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a bye is a run scored by the batting team when the ball has not been hit by the batsman and the ball has not hit the batsman's body.-Scoring byes:...
at a higher rate than Saggers during the tour.
Bradman rotated the two glovemen during the tour, and Tallon played in 14 of the 31 first-class matches, taking 29 catches and 14 stumpings. Tallon's catch of 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...
in the Fifth Test 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...
was described as 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 the best of the year. He also took a difficult catch to remove George Emmett in the Third Test at Old Trafford, catching a ball that flew to his feet at 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...
length. However, Tallon also had some mishaps, with finger injuries inflicted by failing to catch the ball correctly. Tallon had few opportunities with the bat, scoring 283 runs at a batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of 25.72 in 13 first-class innings, including two fifties. During the Test, Tallon scored 112 runs at 28.00, including a 53 in the Second Test that saw Australia recover to a first innings of 350 after a middle-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...
slump had seen England take the upper hand. He took 12 catches in the Tests.
In recognition of his performances, Tallon was named 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"...
in 1949.
Background
Tallon's form as Australia's wicket-keeper since World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
saw him selected for the 1948 Ashes tour as part of the side that would become known to cricket history as the Invincibles. Tallon was the first-choice wicket-keeper, with Saggers as his deputy. Having spent the majority of his life in sunny Queensland and growing up in tropical Bundaberg, the cold English climate initially caught Tallon off guard. He did not wet his inner gloves as was his custom due to the temperature. As England agreed to make a new ball available every 55 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....
, this meant that the ball would more frequently be in a favourable state for fast bowling, since it would swing
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:...
more. As a result, Australia adopted a pace-oriented strategy and 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...
was the only spinner regularly used in the Test matches. 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...
was not to play a Test on the tour, depriving Tallon of an opportunity to show his stumping abilities standing up at the 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:...
s to his Queensland team-mate in the Tests.
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...
. Accordingly, Tallon was selected as the wicket-keeper for the match. The home side batted first and Tallon made his first dismissal on English soil by catching Worcestershire captain Allan White
Allan White
Allan Frederick Tinsdale White was an English cricketer: a right-handed batsman who played for both Warwickshire and Worcestershire, captaining the latter county between 1947 and 1949, though sharing the captaincy with Bob Wyatt in the last of those three seasons...
from the bowling 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...
. He then stumped former England captain Bob Wyatt
Bob Wyatt
Robert "Bob" Elliott Storey Wyatt was an English cricket player. He played for Warwickshire, Worcestershire, and the English cricket team....
from McCool. In reply to the hosts' 233, Tallon was promoted to No. 6, but managed only six in a collapse of 4/38 before Australia recovered to declare at 8/462. He took a further three dismissals
Dismissal (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a dismissal occurs when the batsman is out . Colloquially, the fielding team is also said to have snared, bagged or captured a wicket. At this point a batsman must discontinue batting and leave the field permanently for the innings...
in the second innings, two of them stumpings from McCool's bowling, as Australia crushed the hosts by an innings and 17 runs. Tallon conceded 11 byes in the match.
Tallon was rested 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....
, which Australia won by an innings with Saggers behind the stumps.
Tallon played a key 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:...
that suited slower bowling. He came in at 7/86 and made ten in the first innings to push Australia to 101 in reply to Yorkshire's 71, in which Tallon did not concede a bye. However, Tallon was not so tidy in the second innings, conceding 11 byes as the hosts were bowled out for 89 in their second innings. He did not make a dismissal in the match. Australia then collapsed to 6/31 in pursuit of 60 for victory when Tallon strode in. To make matters worse, 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 could not bat, so Australia only had three wickets in hand. Australia faced its first loss to an English county since 1912. He survived an immediate 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...
appeal and then hit a shot that fell just short of a fielder. He then compiled 17 unbeaten runs as Australia scraped home by four wickets.
The Australians 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...
. Tallon came in with the score at 6/553, and held up his end, scoring an 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...
50 as his partners steadily fell and Australia were bowled out at 632. Tallon had some difficulty in English conditions as he sustained a bruised right finger when he lost sight of a 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...
bouncer
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...
on a misty morning during the match and was hit as he put hand over his face for protection, with the ball running away for four byes. Tallon took two catches in the second innings as Australia won the match by an innings, but he also conceded 24 byes in Surrey's match total of 336.
After sustaining the bruised finger, Tallon was rested for the following three matches, which were 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...
, 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...
and Oxford
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...
. Australia won each of the matches by an innings. Saggers filled in and scored 110 runs including a 104 not out against Essex and took five dismissals. Saggers conceded only 34 byes in his four tour matches, while Tallon had conceded 46 in three.N-
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,N- and were basically a full strength Test team, as were Australia, who fielded their first-choice team. It was a chance to gain a psychological advantage, and Tallon was selected despite conceding byes at a higher rate in the preceding tour matches. He made 11 batting at No. 9, including a six from 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...
as Australia made 552. He took three catches in the first innings, having a hand in the first three wickets to fall, Jack Robertson
Jack Robertson
Jack Robertson was an English cricketer, who played county cricket for Middlesex, and in eleven Tests for England....
, 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...
and Denis Compton
Denis Compton
Denis Charles Scott Compton CBE was an English cricketer who played in 78 Test matches, and a footballer...
. He then took two stumpings in the second innings as the follow on was enforced, but also conceded 26 byes as Australia won by an innings. Tallon had conceded 72 byes to Saggers' 34 with both having played four matches.N-
Following the match against the MCC, there were four more county fixtures before the First Test, 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...
, 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...
, 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 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...
. Australia drew the first two before winning the latter two by eight wickets and an innings and 325 runs respectively. Tallon played in only the Nottinghamshire match, taking two catches in the first innings and two stumpings in each of the innings. The catches were all from Lindwall and the stumpings from Doug Ring
Doug Ring
Douglas Thomas Ring was an Australian cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia in 13 Tests from 1948 to 1953...
. Tallon conceded 18 byes for the match and scored 27, being last man out at 400 after coming to the crease at 6/355. In Saggers's three matches, 36 byes were conceded and six dismissals were made.
First Test
Despite averaging more byes per innings than Saggers during the warm-up matches,N- Tallon was retained in the Test team. During the First Test at 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...
, Tallon took four catches. In the first innings, Tallon caught 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...
from the bowling 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...
to end England's innings of 165 after he and 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...
had joined forces at 8/74.
When Australia batted, Tallon came in at 6/338 to accompany 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...
and took 39 minutes to compile 10 before hitting a return catch to the left arm orthodox spin of 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....
. The scoring was slow during this passage of play—Young delivered 11 consecutive maiden 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....
and his 26-over spell conceded only 14 runs with Australia using leg theory
Leg theory
Leg theory is a bowling tactic in the sport of cricket. The term leg theory is somewhat archaic and seldom used any more, but the basic tactic still plays a part in modern cricket....
.
After Australia ended with 509 and took a 334-run lead, Tallon took two difficult catches to dismiss key batsmen at the start of England's second innings. Miller removed Cyril Washbrook
Cyril 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...
for one from a top-edged hook shot to Tallon. 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...
was then caught behind attempting a cut from the off spin
Off spin
Off spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket which is bowled by an off spinner, a right-handed spin bowler who uses his or her fingers and/or wrist to spin the ball from a right-handed batsman's off side to the leg side...
of Johnson. He did not read the arm ball
Arm ball
An arm ball is a type of delivery in cricket. It is a variation delivery bowled by an off spin bowler or slow left-arm orthodox bowler. It is the finger spin equivalent of a wrist spinner's slider or zooter....
that went straight on and the ball took the outside edge, leaving England at 2/39. He thus helped Australia to seize the initiative by denying England a good start, but they recovered. Later, he caught 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...
for 50 from Johnson as England ended at 441. Australia reached their target of 98 with two wickets down, completing an eight-wicket victory. Tallon conceded five and 12 byes in the two innings respectively.
Between Tests, Australia played 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...
and Yorkshire, and Tallon was rested for both matches. The first was won by an innings and second was drawn. Saggers made four and 22 and conceded 24 byes in four innings.
Second Test
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
for the Second Test and Australia compiled 350 in its first innings. Tallon came to the crease with Australia at 6/225 after Hassett 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...
had gone in quick succession, joining Johnson in the middle. Johnson struggled to score, while Tallon did so freely in the last hour. After Johnson fell for four at 7/246, Lindwall then joined Tallon and the pair survived to the close of play. England were well placed when Australia ended at stumps on 7/258 with Tallon on 25. Tallon had dominated the scoring late in day, making 25 of the 33 runs added. The crowd was optimistic about England's position and some immediately camped outside the turnstiles upon leaving the ground.
Australia's lower order batted the tourists into control on the second morning. Despite the loss of Lindwall for 15 at 8/275, Tallon kept on batting in a conventional manner, supported by 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...
, who scored their highest Test scores. Both tail-enders threw the bat at the ball, which often went in vastly different directions to where they had aimed their shots. Tallon put on 45 with Johnston—who scored 29— before holing out for 53. Ending at 350, the Australians had regained the momentum, taking 92 runs from 66 minutes of hitting in the morning.
Tallon did not concede a bye in England's first innings of 215 and his diving was estimated to have saved around 40 runs. He caught Washbrook from Lindwall to leave England at 1/17, and later caught Laker from Johnson. Tallon was not needed in the second innings; Lindwall was promoted above Tallon because Australia needed quick runs and Lindwall was a big-hitter. Australia declared at 7/460, leaving England a target of 509.
With the score at 2/65, Washbrook inside edged a Toshack full toss
Full toss
A full toss is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It describes any delivery that reaches the batsman without bouncing on the pitch first....
directly downwards at Tallon's ankle. Bradman described the catch as "miraculous" because Tallon had to reach so low, so quickly, in order to take the catch. Another dive to stop a leg glance resulted in a severely bruised left little finger. Tallon conceded 16 byes in the second innings, more than 8% of England's score. Australia won the Test by 409 runs, and nursing his finger, Tallon was rested for both tour matches between the Tests, which were 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 were won by ten wickets and an innings respectively. In his place, Saggers scored 12, took nine dismissals and conceded 31 byes in four innings.
Third Test
The teams then played out a rain-affected draw in the Third Test match at Manchester, where England elected to bat first. On the first day, Edrich gloved a rising Lindwall delivery and was caught by Tallon for 32, leaving England at 5/119. Compton returned at the fall of Edrich's wicket after previously leaving the ground after being bloodied in the head by a Lindwall bouncer. He batted to stumps, after being dropped one-handed on 50 by Tallon, before again being dropped on 64 late in the day by the gloveman from the bowling of Johnston. England closed at 7/231 with Compton on 64.On the second morning, Tallon again dropped Compton from Johnston when the batsman was on 73. England eventually finished on 363, with Compton not out
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 145. Thus Tallon's drops cost 95 runs as well as allowing Compton to hold up one end so his partners could score. Tallon also conceded seven byes.
Australia reached 3/135 when Miller and 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...
departed in quick succession. With 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...
retiring hurt because of a blow to the ribs, Tallon came in at 5/139, effectively six wickets down and made 18 in half and hour before falling at 6/172. Australia managed to reach 221 and avoid the follow on.
England batted again and Tallon dismissed George Emmett from Lindwall with a diving one-handed catch. Lindwall pitched an outswinger
Outswinger
An outswinger is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is bowled by swing bowlers.An outswinger is bowled by holding the cricket ball with the seam at an angle and the first two fingers running along either side of the seam...
on the off stump and Emmett edged it to wicket-keeper Tallon, who took it in his right hand with a dive, leaving England at 1/1. England then declared at 3/174; Tallon conceded nine byes and with more than a day was lost to rain, Tallon was not required as Australia batted out the last session for a draw.
Tallon's little left finger swelled up after the Third Test and he exacerbated the injury during a tour match 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...
. In this match, he scored 17, took two catches and a stumping in the first innings and conceded only seven byes for the entire match as Australia won by ten wickets.
Fourth Test
The left finger injury ruled him out of the Fourth Test at HeadingleyHeadingley Stadium
Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie ....
, and he was replaced by Saggers. Australia set a world record in successfully chasing a target of 404 to win the match by seven wickets and secure the series. Saggers leaked only six byes in 299.1 overs of glovework during the match as Australia conceded a total of 861 runs for the match. It was the lowest percentage of byes conceded in a match total by an Australian wicket-keeper for the tour (0.697%).N-
Tallon missed the innings victory over 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...
, before returning 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...
. In his first match back from injury, Tallon took a catch and two stumpings as the hosts were dismissed for 197, but he also conceded 19 byes. Byes made 9.64% of the match total conceded by Australia, the highest proportion by the tourists during the summer.N- He did not bat as rain ended the match with Australia at 3/215. He was rested for the nine-wicket win over 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 returning for Australia's second match and second draw 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...
. Tallon came in at 7/232 and scored 33, adding 63 with 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...
to help Australia reach 321. He took two catches and two stumpings but also conceded 23 byes. In the non-first-class match against 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...
, Tallon played purely as a batsman, while Saggers kept wicket. He opened the batting, but was dismissed for one as Australia made 273 and the hosts reached 5/73 before rain ended the match.
Fifth Test
Tallon returned for 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...
, where England elected to bat first on a rain-affected pitch. Tallon caught 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....
from an outside edge 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...
from the bowling of Miller, leaving England at 4/23 as play was adjourned for lunch. England continued to struggle against the moving ball and were all out for 52 in the middle session. The innings ended when Tallon took an acrobatic catch to dismiss 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...
down the leg side
Leg side
The leg side, or on side, is defined to be a particular half of the field used to play the sport of cricket.From the point of view of a right-handed batsman facing the bowler, it is the left hand side of the cricket field...
, catching it with his left hand. It was considered the catch of the season by Wisden. Tallon conceded six byes in the innings.
Australia batted and passed England's total on the first afternoon. Tallon came in to bat on the second day with the score at 7/332, joining opener Morris, who had already passed 150. It took a run out
Run out
Run out is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket. It is governed by Law 38 of the Laws of cricket.-The rules:A batsman is out Run out if at any time while the ball is in play no part of his bat or person is grounded behind the popping crease and his wicket is fairly put down by the opposing...
to remove Morris; he attempted a quick run to third man after being called through by Tallon but was not quick enough for the substitute fielder's arm, leaving Australia at 8/359. Tallon, who scored 31, put on another 30 runs 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...
, before both were out on 389, ending Australia's innings. In the second innings, Tallon caught Hutton from Miller and conceded nine byes as England were dismissed for 188 and lost by an innings, sealing a 4–0 series victory for Australia.
Later tour matches
Seven matches remained on Bradman's quest to go through a tour of England without defeat. Tallon was rested for three consecutive matches 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...
, the Gentlemen of England, and 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...
, all of which Australia won by an innings. Saggers stood in and made seven dismissals and conceded 29 byes in the six innings of the three matches.
He returned for the following 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....
. He did not bat as Australia declared at 7/522. He then took three catches and conceded 13 byes as the match was washed out when the hosts were dismissed for 298.
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 play for the hosts. Bradman then fielded a full-strength team, with the only difference from the Fifth Test team being Johnson coming for Doug Ring
Doug Ring
Douglas Thomas Ring was an Australian cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia in 13 Tests from 1948 to 1953...
. Tallon made two as Australia declared at 8/489. He conceded seven byes and did not make a dismissal as the match ended in a draw after multiple rain delays.
The tour ended with two non-first-class matches against Scotland. In the first match, Tallon played as a batsman while Saggers kept wicket. Tallon scored only six in Australia's 236 and then took 0/10 in Scotland's second innings and did not take a catch in the innings victory. In the second match in Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
, Tallon kept wicket, conceding 26 byes and not taking a dismissal and he was not required to bat. When the match became safe, with Australia in an unassailable position in Scotland's second innings, Bradman allowed Tallon to dispense with his wicket-keeping pads and try his luck at bowling 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...
. Tallon never bowled in his Test career and only rarely in first-class cricket, where he delivered 301 balls, the approximate workload of a specialist bowler in one match. Tallon took 2/15 as Australia finished the tour with another innings win.
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...
saw Tallon make 12 catches and no stumpings during the Tests. However, Bradman gave his lead pace bowlers Miller and Lindwall more rest during the tour games to save energy for the Tests, and relied more heavily on the off spin
Off spin
Off spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket which is bowled by an off spinner, a right-handed spin bowler who uses his or her fingers and/or wrist to spin the ball from a right-handed batsman's off side to the leg side...
of 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 the 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...
of McCool 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...
in the county matches. Thus overall Tallon took 29 catches and 14 stumpings for the first-class matches during the tour. Tallon scored 283 runs at 25.72 for the season at an average higher than Saggers's 23.22. In all his matches on tour, Tallon conceded 249 byes as Australia conceded 5331 runs, a bye percentage of 4.67%, compared to Saggers's 221 byes from 6190 runs, a percentage of 3.57%.N-
During the tour, Tallon had few opportunities with the bat, generally batting between No. 8 and No. 9,N- because Australia's frontline bowlers included the likes of 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...
, 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...
, who were all capable with the bat. Lindwall scored two Test centuries in his career, while McCool scored 18 first-class centuries a including one in Tests. Johnson and Ring both scored more than 20 fifties at first-class level. As Australia often won by an innings, and often declared in the first innings, Tallon only had 13 innings in his 14 first-class fixtures and was not out two times as he ran out of partners.
Tallon's performances during the English summer saw him named by Wisden as one of its five 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"...
.
Statistical notes
n-[1]
This statement regarding byes in the early warm-up matches can be verified by summation of the scorecards, as listed here.
n-[2]
This statement regarding the team composition can be verified by inspecting the records of the respective matches, as attached.
n-[3]
This statement regarding byes in the warm-up matches can be verified by summation of the scorecards, as listed here.
n-[4]
This statement can be verified by consulting all of the scorecards for the matches, as listed here.
