harsh.ag
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
When Fielding Won The Matches
The standing of Australia of 1952/3 was not unlike that of the current Australian team. All the players of the Bradman's team - except the Don himself - were there in the tour to South Africa. They had won 25 out of the 32 tests since 1945. Put to test against them was South Africa. None of Dudley Nourse, Alan Melville, Bruce Mitchell, Eric and Athol Rowan, Tufty Mann or Cuan McCarthy - all good to great players who had served South Africa before and after the war - were to able to make the tour. Indeed, there was major campaign lead by the Louis Duffus, the most eminent among South African cricket writers, that the tour should be cancelled to avoid further defeats and humiliations.
It was well justified. Australia had butchered a much stronger South African team in 1949-50 by four tests to nothing. The last test was lost by an innings and 259 runs, the biggest in SAF history. In the absence of all the major players Jack Cheetham was chosen to lead the team. An slow, stodgy batsman, he had averaged 18.76 in his 9 tests. Going into the series, the career averages of the other players, some of whom were to destined to become great, read thus : In batting McGlew had made 50 runs at 12.50, Waite 152 at 21.71, Endean 38 at 19.00, McLean 138 at 27.60 and Watkins 87 at 14.50. As for bowling Watkins had 3 wkts at 48.00, Melle 12 at 26.66 and Tayfield 17 at 42.70.
This was the team that was to face the Australians among whom were Arthur Morris, Neil Harvey, Colin Macdonald, Lindsay Hassett, Miller, Lindwall, Benaud, Bill Johnston and Ian Johnson.
Cheetham conceded quite early that it would be pointless to try and match the Australians in batting or bowling. So with the aid of his manager Ken Viljoen, he did an informal study on how often were test hundreds chanceless and the answer he received was 'precious few'. That was to be his solution to the Australian question. Cheetham drove his team to intense fielding practices, which started from South Africa and continued through the voyage to Australia. During the long trip, he preached to the diffident players like Tayfield, how good they really were.
South African team was completely written in the early stages of the tour. They lost to New South Wales, and the intense practice actually seemed to increase the number of catches dropped. Everything was going according to the script when Australia won the first test at Sydney.
Then the efforts began to pay off. If there is any single moment which could be pointed out as the beginning of the end for that great Australian team, it would be the second day of the Melbourne test. South Africa made 227 and Australian openers had made nearly 100 when Arthur Morris drove Tayfield into the body of Cheetham at silly point from where it bounced over the head of the bowler. Tayfield turned around, raced after the ball and caught it with a full length drive.
This was made to look like a commonplace thing when Russell Endean caught Miller at the long on boundary. RS Whittington has written how he was looking into the crowd to see someone among them catch the ball. For a few moments nothing happened. Then he saw Endean stand with his back to the rails like a 'miniature Statue of Liberty'. Miller remembered that catch in a recent memoir :
"Endean...what a catch that was, one-handed and jumping up right next to the picket fence. When I hit it, I knew it was going over. How Endean kept his feet I'll never know as in those days the ground sloped down in the last five or six yards. I thought he was going to go !@#$ over @#$. It was just the mightiest catch. I still remember it clearly all these years on."
On that fateful day, four 'impossible' catches were held. Australia was held to 243. Then, maybe not as a coincidence, Endean who had been considered as another ordinary batsman, played the innings of his life. His 162* left Australia to chase 373. Tayfield took 7 wickets and Australia was brought down by 82 runs.
Australia went ahead winning the third test and it came down to final test at Melbourne. Harvey's 205 helped Australia to 520 and South Africa conceded a lead of 85 and were then set 295 to win. When Roy Maclean went out to bat at 191 for 4, Cheetham told him, 'score quickly, but don't take any risks'. 'Don't worry Pop, I'll get 'em for you', came the reply. Maclean was dropped first ball, then scored 76 in 80 minutes and the series was tied.
The historical significance of this series is immense. This was the first series the Australia had failed to win in 14 years. The next year, they lost the Ashes for the first time in 19 years. South Africa had always been a sort of Zimbabwe till this point. Out of this series they were never underdogs again. Following through from here, Cheetham's team defeated New Zealand 4-0 and came back from two tests down to tie England 2-2 only to lose the last test and series in 1955.
The standing of Australia of 1952/3 was not unlike that of the current Australian team. All the players of the Bradman's team - except the Don himself - were there in the tour to South Africa. They had won 25 out of the 32 tests since 1945. Put to test against them was South Africa. None of Dudley Nourse, Alan Melville, Bruce Mitchell, Eric and Athol Rowan, Tufty Mann or Cuan McCarthy - all good to great players who had served South Africa before and after the war - were to able to make the tour. Indeed, there was major campaign lead by the Louis Duffus, the most eminent among South African cricket writers, that the tour should be cancelled to avoid further defeats and humiliations.
It was well justified. Australia had butchered a much stronger South African team in 1949-50 by four tests to nothing. The last test was lost by an innings and 259 runs, the biggest in SAF history. In the absence of all the major players Jack Cheetham was chosen to lead the team. An slow, stodgy batsman, he had averaged 18.76 in his 9 tests. Going into the series, the career averages of the other players, some of whom were to destined to become great, read thus : In batting McGlew had made 50 runs at 12.50, Waite 152 at 21.71, Endean 38 at 19.00, McLean 138 at 27.60 and Watkins 87 at 14.50. As for bowling Watkins had 3 wkts at 48.00, Melle 12 at 26.66 and Tayfield 17 at 42.70.
This was the team that was to face the Australians among whom were Arthur Morris, Neil Harvey, Colin Macdonald, Lindsay Hassett, Miller, Lindwall, Benaud, Bill Johnston and Ian Johnson.
Cheetham conceded quite early that it would be pointless to try and match the Australians in batting or bowling. So with the aid of his manager Ken Viljoen, he did an informal study on how often were test hundreds chanceless and the answer he received was 'precious few'. That was to be his solution to the Australian question. Cheetham drove his team to intense fielding practices, which started from South Africa and continued through the voyage to Australia. During the long trip, he preached to the diffident players like Tayfield, how good they really were.
South African team was completely written in the early stages of the tour. They lost to New South Wales, and the intense practice actually seemed to increase the number of catches dropped. Everything was going according to the script when Australia won the first test at Sydney.
Then the efforts began to pay off. If there is any single moment which could be pointed out as the beginning of the end for that great Australian team, it would be the second day of the Melbourne test. South Africa made 227 and Australian openers had made nearly 100 when Arthur Morris drove Tayfield into the body of Cheetham at silly point from where it bounced over the head of the bowler. Tayfield turned around, raced after the ball and caught it with a full length drive.
This was made to look like a commonplace thing when Russell Endean caught Miller at the long on boundary. RS Whittington has written how he was looking into the crowd to see someone among them catch the ball. For a few moments nothing happened. Then he saw Endean stand with his back to the rails like a 'miniature Statue of Liberty'. Miller remembered that catch in a recent memoir :
"Endean...what a catch that was, one-handed and jumping up right next to the picket fence. When I hit it, I knew it was going over. How Endean kept his feet I'll never know as in those days the ground sloped down in the last five or six yards. I thought he was going to go !@#$ over @#$. It was just the mightiest catch. I still remember it clearly all these years on."
On that fateful day, four 'impossible' catches were held. Australia was held to 243. Then, maybe not as a coincidence, Endean who had been considered as another ordinary batsman, played the innings of his life. His 162* left Australia to chase 373. Tayfield took 7 wickets and Australia was brought down by 82 runs.
Australia went ahead winning the third test and it came down to final test at Melbourne. Harvey's 205 helped Australia to 520 and South Africa conceded a lead of 85 and were then set 295 to win. When Roy Maclean went out to bat at 191 for 4, Cheetham told him, 'score quickly, but don't take any risks'. 'Don't worry Pop, I'll get 'em for you', came the reply. Maclean was dropped first ball, then scored 76 in 80 minutes and the series was tied.
The historical significance of this series is immense. This was the first series the Australia had failed to win in 14 years. The next year, they lost the Ashes for the first time in 19 years. South Africa had always been a sort of Zimbabwe till this point. Out of this series they were never underdogs again. Following through from here, Cheetham's team defeated New Zealand 4-0 and came back from two tests down to tie England 2-2 only to lose the last test and series in 1955.
