Bill Brown (cricketer)
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 Australia (AUS) |
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| Batting style | Right hand bat | |
| Bowling type | Right arm off break | |
| Tests | First-class | |
| Matches | 22 | 189 |
| Runs scored | 1592 | 13838 |
| Batting average | 46.82 | 51.44 |
| 100s/50s | 4/9 | 39/66 |
| Top score | 206* | 265* |
| Balls bowled | 0 | 169 |
| Wickets | 0 | 6 |
| Bowling average | - | 18.33 |
| 5 wickets in innings | 0 | 0 |
| 10 wickets in match | 0 | 0 |
| Best bowling | - | 4/16 |
| Catches/stumpings | 14/0 | 110/1 |
William Alfred Brown (born July 31, 1912 in Toowoomba, Queensland) is a former Australian Test cricketer who played for New South Wales and Queensland, later serving as a Test selector.
He was a member of Don Bradman's 1948 Invincibles team and is Australia's oldest living Test cricketer.
Brown was named as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1939 and in 2000 awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for services to cricket.
In September 2005, he commented on England's victory in the Ashes by saying: "A strong England side is the best thing that could have happened for the Ashes and world cricket".
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[edit] Career
In his first-class debut for New South Wales in a Sheffield Shield match against Queensland on November 11, 1932 he was run out for a golden duck in an opening partnership with Jack Fingleton, later taking professional sprint training to improve his running between the wickets and in the field. His best partnership came when he partnered Donald Bradman against Queensland the following season in November 1933 where scoring 294 - he made 154.
His first overseas tour was in 1934 to England in which he ended up third in the averages. He played in all five Tests, with his debut Test hundred in the second Test which Australia lost. In the third Test he was promoted to open with Bill Ponsford.
In 1936 Brown took a coaching position for Queensland, representing the side from 1936-37 and being appointed captain the following season.
In his second England tour in 1938, he averaged 57.93 off 1854 runs, a record only beaten by Bradman.
He served with the RAAF as a flight lieutenant during World War II, returning to captain the Australian side for the inaugural Test against New Zealand in New Zealand which Australia won by an innings and 103 runs.
In the 1948 Invincibles tour to England, his last tour, he played in the first two Tests before being dropped for Neil Harvey.
Brown's Test career spannned 1934 to 1948 and first-class from 1932-33 to 1949-50. He was a prolific scorer albeit a slow starter, gaining an impressive Test career average of 46.82 and first-class average of 51.44.
[edit] Mankad
In the 1947 Indian tour of Australia, Brown was directly involved in a highly controversial issue when he was run out by Indian bowler Vinoo Mankad in the second Test on 13 December 1947 at the Sydney Cricket Ground[1]. Brown was run-out by Mankad when, in the act of delivering the ball, he held on to it and whipped the bails off at the non-strikers end with Brown well out of his crease while he was backing-up the striker.
This was the second time Mankad had dismissed Brown in this fashion on this tour - he had done it in an earlier match against an Australian XI[2]. On that occasion he had warned Brown once before running him out. The Australian press strongly accused Mankad of being unsportsmanlike, though some Australians, including Don Bradman defended Mankad's actions. After this incident, if a batsman is given out this way, he is said to have been Mankaded.
| Preceded by Don Bradman |
Australian Test cricket captains 1945/6 |
Succeeded by Don Bradman |
[edit] References
- ^ cricketarchive match report on 2nd Test Australia v India. Dec 13, 1947
- ^ cricketarchive match report on Australian XI v Indians. Nov 14, 1947
[edit] External links
- Cricinfo article
- CricketArchive stats
- Happy birthday to Test cricket’s oldest living player. surreycricket.com (5 August 2006).
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Brown, William Alfred |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Bill |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Cricketer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 31, 1912 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Toowoomba, Queensland |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
