Neil Harvey with the Australian cricket team in England in 1948

Neil Harvey was a member of Donald Bradman’s famous Australian cricket team, which toured England in 1948. Aged 19, Harvey was the youngest player of the touring party. An attacking left-handed middle-order batsman, he had become the youngest Australian to score a Test century by compiling 153 in the Fifth Test against India.

About Neil Harvey with the Australian cricket team in England in 1948 in brief

Neil Harvey was a member of Donald Bradman’s famous Australian cricket team, which toured England in 1948 and was undefeated in their 34 matches. Aged 19, Harvey was the youngest player of the touring party. An attacking left-handed middle-order batsman, he had become the youngest Australian to score a Test century by compiling 153 in the Fifth Test against India in the preceding Australian summer of 1947–48. Harvey struggled early on in the tour, having difficulty adapting to English conditions. He was omitted from the first-choice team in the first half of the tour but was called into the team for the Fourth Test at Headingley after an injury to Sid Barnes. Harvey scored 112 in a first innings counter-attack to keep Australia in contention after they had suffered a top-order collapse. He hit the winning boundary in the second innings as Australia won the match with a Test world record successful run-chase of 3404. Overall, Harvey ended with 1,129 runs at 53. 76 in theFirst-class matches with four centuries, placing him sixth on the run-scoring aggregates and seventh in the batting averages for Australia. Harvey was an acrobatic fielder, regarded as the best in the Australian team. He took several acclaimed catches throughout the tour and finished with 17 catches as well as a solitary wicket with his occasional off spin. He is the second-youngest of six cricketing brothers, Harvey made his debut in first-class cricket for his state, Victoria, during the 1946–47 Australian season.

The following year, at the age of 19, he made his national debut in the Fourth Tests against India. His innings ensured him a place on the 1948 Invincibles tour of England as the youngest member of the 17-man squad. He was more than six and a half years younger than the next youngest players of the team, Arthur Morris and Bill Johnston, who were also in the squad at the same time. Harvey played a key role in Australia’s victory in the next match against Yorkshire in Bradford, on a damp pitch that suited slower bowling. After the hosts were bowled out for 89 in their second innings, Australia collapsed to 420 in pursuit of 60 for victory. Harvey had scored a run when he hit a ball to Len Hutton at short leg, who dived with both hands before dropping it. The Australians travelled to London to play against Surrey at The Oval and Harvey scored seven in contrast to the rest of the Australians, who struggled to lay the foundation of the prospered total. He ended the tour with 133 runs at a batting average of 66. 50. He also took two catches in the home side’s first innings of 71, as Australia replied with 101. Australia promptly crushed the hosts by an innings. The next day, Australia were effectively six wickets down and faced their first loss to an English county since 1912. Harvey ended the series with 12 runs at 3316 and made 12, struggling against the local spinners.