Keith Miller with the Australian cricket team in England in 1956

Keith Miller was selected for the 1956 Ashes tour. The team travelled to England aboard the "Himalaya".Perry, p. 384.] He failed to score in the first match against the Duke of Norfolk's XI at Arundel Castle, a non-first-class festival match.Perry, p. 385.] However, on attempting to bowl in the nets in preparation for the first-class fixtures, he felt back pain again and was forced to see a specialist who told him to not bowl for a month because of fractured cartilage.Perry, p. 386.] Miller captained the Australians against Leicester. Coming in at 3/175, Miller made his highest first-class score of 281 not out, striking 35 fours and a six in six and a half hours of batting.

However, a tougher fight awaited against Surrey at The Oval, who had England's Test spin combination of Laker and Tony Lock. Miller came in at 3/124 and struggled, scoring 18 runs in his first 120 minutes; it was the slowest two hours of scoring in his career, featuring much pad play.Perry, p. 387.] As his partners continued to fall, Miller accelerated and scored 36 of the next 42 runs in half an hour. He cut loose in two consecutive overs from Lock, taking 11 and 14 respectively. He ended unbeaten on 57 as Australia were bowled out for 259; Laker taking all ten wickets. Miller fell for two in the second innings as Australia lost by ten wickets, its first loss to a county since 1912. Following the loss, sections of the Australian media began campaigning for Miller to replace Johnson as captain.Perry, p. 388.] Miller returned to the bowling crease against MCC, bowling 22 overs without incident. The pace burden increased when Davidson broke his ankle.Perry, p. 388.]

By the First Test at Trent Bridge, Miller was shouldering most of the bowling load. He sent down 52 overs in a match that lost two days' play to rain, taking match figures of 6/127. He struggled with the bat, making a duck and four, falling lbw both times to Laker in a drawn match. He had been unsure as to how to play Miller and played far off the back foot and took guard outside leg stump.Perry, p. 389.] The teams headed to Lord's where Miller had to carry the pace attack without the injured Davidson and Lindwall. Crawford and Ken Mackay were called in to make their debut and support Miller with the pace duties.Perry, p. 393.] Australia batted first and Miller managed to repel a late attack by Trueman and Brian Statham to end the first day on 18. However, he was bowled the next day for 28. Australia managed only 285 and Crawford injured himself after 29 balls. The burden on Miller—who was already vulnerable to injury—grew. Miller beat Peter Richardson several times before having him caught behind, and then bowled Tom Graveney with an outswinger. England were 2/32 and their captain Peter May received an inswinger from Miller first ball, which he inside edged onto his stumps. However, the bail was not dislodged.Perry, p. 394.] England survived to be 3/74 at stumps. On the first morning, Miller beat May four times and then had Watson caught in the gully in his third over. He then removed his old sparring partner Bailey for 32 and then Trueman. Miller's 5/72 was largely responsible for England falling for 171. Australia was in difficulty at 3/69 when Miller came to bat, he struck a counterattacking 30, with seven fours, before being caught behind. Australia set England 371 to win. He then removed Graveney at the start of the run chase. [Perry, pp. 395–396.] Resuming the next morning, he bowled Watson, and had May and Evans both caught behind. He bowled Johnny Wardle and took his only ten-wicket match haul in Test. Australia won by 185 runs and Miller had bowled 70.1 overs for the match.Perry, p. 397.] His knee had taken a heavy toll and Johnson gave him the next ten days away from cricket. Miller bowled again in a match against Hampshire, but his knee began to fail again, so he had to play purely as a batsman in the Third Test at Headingley. Australia were caught on a wet wicket in response to England's 325, and Miller came to the crease at 4/59.Perry, p. 401.] He survived until the next day and top scored with 41 and Australia were forced to follow on, 182 runs behind.Perry, p. 402.] He attempted to keep Laker and Lock at bay, using his pads to avoid having to play a shot. At one stage, Laker bowled 10 overs for only five runs. Miller fell for 26 to Laker for the second time in the match. Australia lost by an innings,Perry, p. 403.] for the first time in a Test in 18 years.cite web|url=http://stats.cricinfo.com/guru?sdb=team;team=AUS;class=testteam;filter=basic;opposition=0;notopposition=0;decade=0;homeaway=0;continent=0;country=0;notcountry=0;groundid=0;season=0;startdefault=1877-03-15;start=1877-03-15;enddefault=2007-11-20;end=2007-11-20;tourneyid=0;finals=0;daynight=0;toss=0;scheduledovers=0;scheduleddays=0;innings=0;followon=0;result=0;seriesresult=0;captainid=0;recent=;viewtype=resultlist;runslow=;runshigh=;wicketslow=;wicketshigh=;ballslow=;ballshigh=;overslow=;overshigh=;bpo=0;batevent=;conclow=;conchigh=;takenlow=;takenhigh=;ballsbowledlow=;ballsbowledhigh=;oversbowledlow=;oversbowledhigh=;bpobowled=0;bowlevent=;submit=1;.cgifields=viewtype |title=Statsguru - Australia - Tests - Results list |publisher=Cricinfo |accessdate=2007-12-21]

The Australian press attacked the team, and called for changes, including the omission of the captain, Johnson. Acerbic cricket pundit and former Test cricketer Sid Barnes called Johnson "Australia's non-playing captain".Smith (1999), p. 187.] Bill Ferguson, the Australian team's scorer, was also critical: "Had Johnson been told by his friends in the press that he was, in fact, a passenger, he might have pondered on the advisability of standing down. [...] There would have been no shame in standing down."Robinson, p. 245.] Johnson, Miller and Gil Langley were the tour selectors. Langley and Miller were willing to omit Johnson only if the captain volunteered to stand aside. Johnson did not volunteer, so the others did not discuss the topic.Perry, p. 404.] Writing after the tour, Miller stated "Privately I thought that [Johnson] was not a form selection. On the other hand, I did not think it wise to change skippers in midstream."Miller (1956), p. 138.] Miller and Johnson had both appointed as Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1956 New Year Honours, [LondonGazette|issue=40670|supp=yes|startpage=41|date=30 December 1955|accessdate=2008-07-02] and between the Tests they attended their formal investiture.

The curator at Old Trafford had been ordered to prepare a dusty, spinning pitch that was devoid of grass for the Fourth Test. A win for England would see them retain the Ashes.Perry, p. 406.] Miller bowled 21 wicketless overs as England amassed 459. Miller was out for six and a duck and fell twice to Laker, who took a world record 19 wickets as Australia lost by an innings.Perry, p. 408.] "Wisden" reported that the Australians were said "to be extremely bitter over the condition of the pitch".cite web|year = 1957|url = http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/152629.html|title = Fourth Test Match: England v Australia 1956|work = Wisden Cricketers' Almanack - online archive|publisher = John Wisden & Co|accessdate = 2008-06-07] Former Test cricketer and journalist Bill O'Reilly wrote "This pitch is a complete disgrace" while Colin McDonald later said, "England cheated: if by cheating you include the practise of preparing wickets to suit your own purpose."Haigh (2006), pp. 97–98.]

Miller then took 5/84 against Surrey, and missed the win over Glamorgan before returning to lead the team against Warwickshire. He had received death threats in the lead-up to the game, ordering him to lose. He scored 46 not out and took 2/13 as Australia won by an innings. He then took 5/29 in the second innings against Lancashire and then made 50 and match figures of 5/78 against Essex.Perry, p. 409.]

On the eve of the Fifth Test at The Oval, Miller announced that the tour would be his last, so that he would retire from cricket after the tour of the Indian subcontinent on the return voyage. In his final Test on English soil, he took 4/91 in the first innings. Miller came in to bat at 5/47 and helped Australia recover to 202, 45 runs in arrears, top-scoring with 61.Perry, pp. 410–411.] He took another one wicket in the second innings and came in for his last Test innings in England at 3/5. He ended unbeaten on seven when stumps were drawn at 5/27. The series ended 1–2.Perry, p. 411.] He ended the series with 199 runs at 28.43 and topped the bowling with 21 wickets at 22.23.cite web|url=http://stats.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/player/6612.html?class=1;template=results;type=allround;view=innings |publisher=Cricinfo |title=Statsguru - KR Miller - Test matches - All-round analysis |accessdate=2008-07-09] Perry, p. 413.] He topped the first-class bowling for the Australians with 50 wickets at 19.60.Perry, p. 414.]

References

*cite book|last=Miller|first=Keith|title=Cricket Crossfire|year= 1956|publisher=Oldbourne Press|location=London
*cite book|last=Perry|first=Roland|title=Miller's Luck: the life and loves of Keith Miller, Australia's greatest all-rounder|year=2005|publisher=Random House|location=Sydney|isbn=9781741662221
*cite book | authorlink=Ray Robinson |last=Robinson |first=Ray |coauthors=Haigh, Gideon |title=On top down under: Australia's cricket captains (revised edition) |year=1996 |publisher=Wakefield |location=Adelaide |isbn=1-86254-387-9
*cite book |last=Smith |first=Rick |title=Cricket's Enigma: The Sid Barnes Story |year=1999 |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |location=Sydney |isbn=0 7333 0787 6

Notes