Morris Sievers

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Morris Sievers Australia (AUS)

Batting style	Right-hand bat
Bowling type	Right-arm fast-medium
	Tests	First-class
Matches	3	58
Runs scored	67	2075
Batting average	13.40	29.64
100s/50s	0/0	0/14
Top score	25*	76
Balls bowled	602	10035
Wickets	9	116
Bowling average	17.88	33.36
5 wickets in innings	1	4
10 wickets in match	0	0
Best bowling	5/21	6/43
Catches/stumpings	4/0	56/0
Test debut: 4 December 1936 Last Test: 1 January 1937 Source: [1]

Morris William Sievers (born April 13, 1912, Powlett River, Victoria, died May 10, 1968, Brunswick, Victoria) was an Australian cricketer who played in three Tests in 1936-37.

[edit] First-class career

Morris Sievers was a useful right-handed lower order batsman and a right-arm fast-medium bowler who played for Victoria in the seasons leading up to the Second World War. He made a lot of useful 50s for the state team, but his bowling was inclined to be expensive.

Sievers toured South Africa in 1935-36 with the Australian cricket team under Vic Richardson but, with the Australian bowling dominated by the spin of Clarrie Grimmett and Bill O'Reilly, he was not called on for any of the Tests and took only seven first-class wickets on the tour.

[edit] Test career

Sievers' only Test match experience came in the first three matches of the MCC tour under Gubby Allen in 1936-37. Curiously fragile batting by the Australians gave England commanding victories in both the first two matches, at Brisbane and at Sydney, and Sievers distinguished himself with neither ball nor bat.

The third Test at Melbourne, however, saw a complete reversal of fortune, largely through the intervention of the weather. After Australia had struggled on the first day on a lifeless pitch, rain set in, so that when Donald Bradman declared at 200 for nine wickets and sent England in to bat, the pitch was of uncertain bounce, if any, and Sievers profited. When England declared having made just 76 for nine wickets, Sievers had taken five for 21, the best figures of the innings. Bradman then juggled his batting order to send expendable tail-enders in first and hit 270 himself on a by-now benevolent pitch. Australia won the match by 365 runs and went on to win the other two matches of the series to retain The Ashes.

Sievers, though, was dropped after his Melbourne effort and despite finishing at the top of the Australian bowling averages for the series, he never played Test cricket again.