Insights from an Invincible

Arthur Morris, Australia’s oldest living Test cricketer, has described how playing in the shadow of World War Two brought a sense of comradeship between opponents during Australia’s 1948 Invincibles tour of England.

Speaking to Daniel Harford and former Australia quick Rodney Hogg on SEN’s ‘Harf Time’ program, the 92-year-old drew a stark comparison between the modern cricket landscape and the more refined version he played between 1946 and 1955.

“There was no sledging in my time,” Morris said.

“A fast bowler did his block occasionally as they are always prone to do, and occasionally someone would have a good quip or something like that.

“But certainly in my time, there was no sledging.”

Morris was the leading run-scorer in the Don Bradman-led 1948 Ashes tour of England, tallying three centuries and three half-centuries, to finish with 696 runs at an average of 87.

His efforts at the top of the order were a major catalyst for Australia’s comfortable 4-0 series win, culminating in an innings and 149-run win in the fifth Test at The Oval.

Despite the tourists’ dominance, Morris insists there was very little aggro between the two sides.

“You’ve got to remember, this was just after the War,” he said.

“Why would you be sledging people who’d just been fighting in a war for six years?

“Most of the fellas you played against had been in the Army or Services anyway.

“And most of the fellas on our side, apart from Neil Harvey because he was too young, had been in the Services.

“You can hardly expect us to be getting stuck into the opposition.

“So we didn’t have any of that, thank God.”

Considered one of cricket’s great gentlemen, Morris isn’t sure that virtue would be as widely appreciated today.

“I don’t know whether that’s a good thing or not these days,” Morris said. “It was always more a gentlemanly thing with, ‘Well played old fella’ and that kind of thing.

“I suppose you’ve got to have a bit of devil in you to please the public or the television people (these days).”

Image Id: ~/media/4ACC2E73E6BD4F58B6B6E64174748686

A newspaper clipping from June 1948 reports on Australia's first Test win over England during the Invincibles Tour (Image courtesy of @paperworld_aus)