Arthur Morris

Infobox cricketer biography
playername = Arthur Morris
female =


country = Australia
fullname = Arthur Robert Morris
nickname =
living = true
partialdates =
dayofbirth = 19
monthofbirth = 1
yearofbirth = 1922
placeofbirth = Bondi, New South Wales
countryofbirth = Australia
dayofdeath =
monthofdeath =
yearofdeath =
placeofdeath =
countryofdeath =
heightft =
heightinch =
heightm = 1.75
batting = Left-hand batsman
bowling = Slow left-arm chinaman
role = Batsman
international = true
testdebutdate = 29 November
testdebutyear = 1946
testdebutagainst = England
testc

lasttestdate = 11 June
lasttestyear = 1955
lasttestagainst = West Indies
club1 = New South Wales
year1 = 1940/41–1954/55
deliveries = balls
columns = 2
column1 = Tests
matches1 = 46
runs1 = 3533
bat avg1 = 46.48
100s/50s1 = 12/12
top score1 = 206
deliveries1 = 111
wickets1 = 2
bowl avg1 = 25
fivefor1 = –
tenfor1 = –
best bowling1 = 1/5
catches/stumpings1 = 15/–
column2 = First-class
matches2 = 162
runs2 = 12614
bat avg2 = 53.67
100s/50s2 = 46/46
top score2 = 290
deliveries2 = 860
wickets2 = 12
bowl avg2 = 49.33
fivefor2 = –
tenfor2 = –
best bowling2 = 3/36
catches/stumpings2 = 73/–
date= 24 November
year = 2007
source = http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/0/760/760.html CricketArchive

Arthur Robert Morris (born 19 January 1922) is a former Australian cricketer who played 46 Test matches between 1946 and 1955. An opener, Morris is regarded as one of Australia's greatest left-handed batsmen. He is best known for his key role in Don Bradman's "Invincibles" side which made an undefeated tour of England in 1948. He was the leading scorer in the Tests on the tour, with three centuries. His efforts in the Fourth Test at Headingley helped Australia to reach a world record victory target of 404 on the final day. Morris was named in the Australian Cricket Board's Team of the Century in 2000 and was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame in 2001.

In his youth, Morris excelled at rugby league as well as cricket, being selected for the state schoolboys' team in both sports. Originally trained in spin bowling, Morris developed as a batsman during his teens and during the 1940–41 season became the first player in the world to score two centuries on his first-class debut. His career was interrupted by the Second World War, during which he served in the Australian Army and gained selection in its rugby league team. Upon the resumption of cricket in 1946, Morris made his Test debut against England and quickly made himself a core member of the team. He made a century in his third match and scored twin centuries in the following Test, becoming only the second Australian to do so in an Ashes Test. His rise was such that he was made a selector during the "Invincibles" tour after only 18 months in the team.

After the 4–0 series win over England, which was Bradman's farewell series, Morris became Australia's vice-captain and was expected to be its leading batsman. He started well, scoring two centuries during Australia's first series in the post-Bradman era, a tour to South Africa which saw Australia win the Test series 4–0. By the end of the South African tour, Morris had amassed nine Test centuries and his batting average was over 65, but thereafter his form declined. Australia increasingly fell on hard times as the core of Bradman's team aged and retired. Morris was overlooked for the captaincy and then briefly dropped as his cricketing prowess waned. His career ended after his first wife became terminally ill. In later life Morris served as a trustee of the Sydney Cricket Ground for over twenty years.

Early years

The son of a schoolteacher who played for Waverley Cricket Club in Sydney as a fast bowler, Morris was born in 1922 in the Sydney seaside suburb of Bondia and spent his early years in the city. His family moved when he was five to Dungog, then to Newcastle before returning to Sydney in the suburb of Beverly Hills. By this time, Morris' parents had separated.

His father encouraged him to play sport and he showed promise in a variety of ball sports, particularly cricket, rugby and tennis. Aged 12, he gained a place as a slow bowler for Newcastle High School's cricket team. On Saturday afternoons he played for Blackwall, a team in the local C-grade competition. Perry (2001), pp. 76–79.] Morris attended Canterbury Boys' High School from 1936 to 1939 where he represented the school at cricket and rugby league, and was appointed school captain (head boy) in Year 11.

In his last two years of high school, he was selected for Combined High Schools teams in both cricket—as captain—and rugby. At the age of 14, he made his debut for St George, and in 1937–38 he was elevated to the second XI. In a club under-16 competition, the A W Green Shield, Morris took 55 wickets at 5.23, which remains a record. The following year he was selected for the team as a batsman, after captain Bill O'Reilly decided that his left arm unorthodox spin had less potential. O'Reilly described him as "moderately skilled" in bowling and noted that he would not have many opportunities with the ball as future Test bowling world record holder Ray Lindwall was also in the team. O'Reilly quickly moved Morris up to the No. 6 position in the batting order. After scoring a century against Sydney University, O'Reilly moved him into the opening position without prior notice, where he remained.

While still at high school, Morris was selected to play for the New South Wales Second XI against Victoria, his first taste of representative cricket. After finishing his secondary education at the end of 1939, Morris became a clerk in the Prosecutions Branch at Sydney Town Hall. He was chosen to make his debut, aged 18, for New South Wales against Queensland at the Sydney Cricket Ground in the 1940–41 Sheffield Shield season. He scored centuries in both innings, becoming the first player in the world to achieve the feat on debut. Morris made 148 in the first innings and participated in a second wicket partnership of 261 with Sid Barnes; he added 111 in the second innings. He gave chances that were dropped early in both innings, but impressed observers with his ability to remain settled. He was unable to maintain the standard of his debut in later performances, but finished the season with a strong average of 55.14.cite book | last = Cashman, Franks, Maxwell, Sainsbury, Stoddart, Weaver, Webster | year = 1997 | title = The A-Z of Australian cricketers|pages =pp. 215–216] cite web| title= Wisden 1949 - Arthur Morris |url=http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/234445.html| year= 1949 |accessdate=2007-05-21| publisher= Wisden]

Second World War and Test debut

Morris' first class cricket career was interrupted by the Second World War. On January 5, 1943, he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force, and served in the South West Pacific, mostly in New Guinea with the 8th Movement Control Group, part of the Royal Australian Corps of Transport. [cite web| url=http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/script/veteran.asp?ServiceID=A&VeteranID=250243| title= WW2 Nominal Roll, "MORRIS, ARTHUR ROBERT" |publisher=Government of Australia |accessdate=2007-12-12] Perry (2000), p. 188.] During his time in the army, Morris spent more time playing rugby league than cricket. The coach of the Army and Combined Services rugby team, Johnny Wallace, regarded him as the "best five eighth in Australia". He remained a Private throughout his military service and was demobbed on June 18, 1946. Despite his eligibility, Morris was not selected for the Australian Services XI, something that baffled commentators.

He returned to his pre-war clerical job at the Sydney Town Hall, but soon switched to a job with motor parts distributor Stack & Company, which allowed him more time for cricket commitments. Morris was automatically restored to the Sheffield Shield team in 1946–47 upon the resumption of competition. He made 27 and 98 in his first match against Queensland and was selected for an Australian XI match against Wally Hammond's England cricket team when first choice opener Bill Brown was injured. In what was effectively a trial for the Australian Test team, Morris scored 115 and featured in a 196 run partnership with Test captain Don Bradman, who scored 106. It was the beginnings of a productive cricketing relationship. Morris said of Bradman: "He was marvellous. If you had a problem, you could go to him and sort it out. I found him relaxed and straightforward".Perry (2001), pp. 80–84.]

After scoring 81 for New South Wales against Hammond's Englishmen, Morris was selected to make his Test debut in the First Test against England. He failed in his first two matches, managing just two and five, although Australia won both matches by an innings. Despite being criticised for having a "loose technique" by Neville Cardus, Bradman advised Morris to stick to his approach. Morris responded by scoring 83 and 110 in the traditional pre-Christmas match between New South Wales and Victoria at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the top score in both innings. He was selected for the Third Test in Melbourne, but made only 21 in the first innings. If he had failed a fourth time, it would have allowed Brown an opportunity to reclaim his place as an opener, but Morris secured his position with his maiden Test century, 155 in the second innings. After defending stoutly at the beginning of the innings, Morris accelerated his scoring, employing a wide range of strokes to reach 150 in six hours.

Morris managed a century in each innings of the Fourth Test at the Adelaide Oval, making 122 and 124 not out in extremely hot weather. This made him the second Australian after Warren Bardsley to score two centuries in one Ashes Test. With Australia having fallen to 2/24 [wickets lost/runs scored] at the end of play on the second day in response to England's first innings score of 460, Morris combined with Lindsay Hassett, who scored 78, to lead a recovery. After England's Denis Compton scored his second century of the match in the second innings, Morris put in another determined effort to ensure a draw. With the match secure, Morris played more aggressively towards the end in an unbeaten 99-run partnership with Bradman. He made a half century in the Fifth Test in Sydney to end the series with an aggregate of 503 runs, average 71.85.cite web|title=Statsguru - AR Morris - Tests - Innings by innings list| url=http://statserver.cricket.org/guru?sdb=player;playerid=760;class=testplayer;filter=basic;team=0;opposition=0;notopposition=0;season=0;homeaway=0;continent=0;country=0;notcountry=0;groundid=0;startdefault=1946-11-29;start=1946-11-29;enddefault=1955-06-17;end=1955-06-17;tourneyid=0;finals=0;daynight=0;toss=0;scheduledovers=0;scheduleddays=0;innings=0;result=0;followon=0;seriesresult=0;captain=0;keeper=0;dnp=0;recent=;viewtype=aro_list;runslow=;runshigh=;batposition=0;dismissal=0;bowposition=0;ballslow=;ballshigh=;bpof=0;overslow=;overshigh=;conclow=;conchigh=;wicketslow=;wicketshigh=;dismissalslow=;dismissalshigh=;caughtlow=;caughthigh=;caughttype=0;stumpedlow=;stumpedhigh=;csearch=;submit=1;.cgifields=viewtype| accessdate = 2007-07-16| publisher=Cricinfo]

"Invincibles" tour

During the following Australian season in 1947–48, Morris played in the first four Tests against India, scoring 45 and then an unbeaten 100 in the Third Test victory in Melbourne. He was omitted for the Fifth Test as the selectors wished to trial other possible choices for the 1948 tour of England, so ended the series with 209 runs at an average of 52.25.

Morris, the recently appointed co-captain of New South Wales, had greatly impressed Australia captain Don Bradman, to the extent that Bradman made Morris one of the three selectors for the 1948 tour of England. [ the others were Bradman himself and Lindsay Hassett] Morris was a key part of Bradman's inner circle in planning for the tour. Bradman had long harboured the ambition of touring England without losing a match,Perry (2001), pp. 84–89.] a feat the side would become the first to achieve, earning itself the sobriquet, "The Invincibles".

Morris marked his first-class debut on English soil with a fluent 138 against Worcestershire, [Pollard, p. 7.] scored in only four hours. Morris found batting difficult for the first few weeks as he adapted to the alien batting conditions, reaching 50 only twice in his next nine innings with a total of 223 runs at 24.77; Morris sometimes attempted to drive balls pitched just short of a good length, and if they reared suddenly he was liable to be caught. He rectified this, and success followed with 184 against Sussex [Pollard, p. 9.] before the First Test and five more centuries before the end of the season.Perry (2000), p. 189.] He ended the first-class tour with 1922 runs at 71.18, despite being troubled by a split between the first and second fingers of his left hand caused by constant jarring from the bat as he played the ball. The wound often opened while he was batting, forcing him to undergo a minor operation which sidelined him from some matches in the latter part of the tour.

Morris' Test form peaked in the series, heading the Test averages with 696 runs at 87.00, and he was the only player to compile three Test centuries. After scoring 31 and 9 in the First Test at Trent Bridge, he was criticised by former Australian Test opener Jack Fingleton, who believed Morris was shuffling across the crease too much instead of playing from the back foot. Morris scored 60 against Northamptonshire before scoring 105 and 62 in the Second Test at Lord's to help Australia take a 2–0 series lead. Morris featured in century partnerships with Sid Barnes and Bradman, laying the foundation of a lead of 595 runs. [Pollard, p. 11.]

The following match was against Gloucestershire at Bristol, where, in only five hours, Morris scored his career best of 290. Having lost the opening two games of the series, England were contemplating changes to their team: Tom Goddard was tipped to replace Jim Laker as the off spinner, having been in prolific form in county cricket. The English hoped that he would be the weapon to cut through Australia's strong batting line up. Morris' assault ended Goddard's hopes of Test selection. His innings was highlighted by his quick assessment of the pitch of the ball, followed by decisive footwork. Morris confidently went out of his crease when the ball was of a full length and rocked onto the back foot to drive and cut if it was short. Unable to contain Morris, Goddard packed the leg side field and bowled outside leg stump. Morris stepped down the wicket, repeatedly lofting the ball over the off side. Morris reached his century by lunch and his double century by the tea interval. By the time he was dismissed, he had struck 40 fours and a six. [Pollard, p. 12.]

Morris followed his effort in Bristol with two half centuries, 51 and 54 not out in the drawn Third Test. He then struck 108 against Middlesex in a tour match. The Fourth Test at Headingley in Leeds saw Morris at his finest; England started well with 496 in the first innings and took a 38 run lead as Australia replied with 458, Morris contributing only six. England declared at 8/365, leaving Australia to chase 404 runs for victory. At the time, this would have been the highest ever fourth innings score to result in a Test victory for the batting side. Australia had only 345 minutes to reach the target, and the local press wrote them off, predicting that they would be dismissed by lunchtime on a deteriorating wicket expected to favor the spin bowlers. Morris and Hassett started poorly, with only six runs in the first six overs. When Laker was introduced to exploit the spin, 13 runs were taken from his first over, but only 44 runs came in the first hour, leaving 360 runs needed in 285 minutes. Just 13 runs were added in the next 28 minutes before Hassett was dismissed. Bradman joined Morris with 347 runs needed in 257 minutes. Bradman signalled his intentions on his first ball by driving Laker against the spin for a boundary. Morris promptly joined Bradman in the counter-attack, hitting three consecutive fours off Len Hutton's bowling as Australia reached lunch at 1/121.Pollard, p. 15.] Upon resumption, Morris severely attacked Denis Compton's bowling, forcing English captain Norman Yardley to replace him with another bowler, and Australia reached 202—halfway to the required total—with 165 minutes left. When Bradman suffered a fibrositis attack, Morris had to shield him from the strike until it subsided. Morris passed his century and Australia reached tea at 1/288 with Morris on 150. The pair had added 167 during the session. Morris was eventually dismissed for 182, having partnered Bradman to a score of 301 in 217 minutes. He struck 33 fours in 290 minutes of batting. Australia proceeded to accumulate the remaining 46 runs to secure the victory by seven wickets.

Morris was the batsman at the other end of the pitch in the Fifth Test at The Oval when Don Bradman was famously bowled by Eric Hollies for a duck in his final Test innings. Morris went on to score 196 in an innings noted for his hooking and off-driving before finally being removed by a run out as Australia reached 389. [Pollard, p. 17.] He scored more than half the runs as the rest of the team struggled against the leg spin of Hollies, who took five wickets. With England having been bowled out for 52 in their first innings, Australia sealed the series 4–0 with an innings victory. In recognition of his performances, Morris was named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1949, described as "one of the world's best left-hand batsmen". Neville Cardus, his former critic, praised Morris' performance during the "Invincibles" tour as "masterful, stylish, imperturbable, sure in defence, quick and handsome in stroke play. His batting is true to himself, charming and good mannered but reliant and thoughtful."

Vice-captain of Australia

With the retirement of Bradman following the "Invincibles" tour, Morris was regarded by commentators as Australia's leading batsman. In the 1948–49 season, he scored 1049 runs (at 66.81) for New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield, taking his tally for the previous twelve months to 2991 runs (at 69.56), with thirteen centuries. In a low-scoring match against Queensland, New South Wales started the final day needing 142 to win. Morris scored 108 in only 80 balls, steering his team to victory before lunch. Previously, only Bradman had scored a century before lunch in a Shield match. [Perry (2001), p. 89.]

Morris was appointed Australian vice-captain under Lindsay Hassett for a five-Test tour of South Africa in 1949–50, [Pollard, p. 26.] narrowly missing out on the captaincy after a 7–6 vote by the board despite not having had prior captaincy experience. [cite book |first=Chris |last=Harte |year=2003 |title=The Penguin history of Australian cricket|publisher=Penguin Books |isbn=0-67004133-5|page=p. 410] In his first Test in the role, he was out for a duck in Australia's only innings as the team won by an innings. He made starts in the next two Tests, passing twenty but failing to reach a half-century on all four occasions, then returned to form by making 111 and 19 in the drawn Fourth Test in Johannesburg. [Pollard, p. 29.] He finished with a score of 157 in the Fifth Test in Port Elizabeth, laying the foundation for an innings victory and a 4–0 series result. He ended the series with 422 runs at 52.75 and for the entire tour had amassed eight centuries, equal to Neil Harvey. [Pollard, p. 30.] At this stage of his career, he had amassed 1830 runs in 19 Tests at 67.77 average, with nine centuries. Following the tour, Morris received an invitation from the New South Wales branch of the ruling Liberal Party asking him to stand as a candidate in the forthcoming state elections, an offer that he declined. [McHarg, p. 82.]

England toured Australia in 1950–51 and Morris made a poor start to the series by aggregating only 45 runs in the first three Tests, which included two ducks. Four of his five dismissals came at the hands of Alec Bedser, leading commentators to claim that Bedser had a "hoodoo" on Morris. [McHarg, pp. 87–88.] Facing omission from the side, Morris recovered in the Fourth Test at the Adelaide Oval, where Hassett shielded him from Bedser, [cite book|first=R. S. |last=Whitington |title=The Book of Australian Test Cricket 1877–1974 |publisher=Wren Publishing |year=1974|isbn=0-85885-197-0| page=p. 213] helping Morris to score 206, his highest Test score and only Test double century. It contributed the majority of Australia's total of 371, [Pollard, p. 43.] which set up victory and a 4–0 series lead, and was his seventh Ashes century, ranking him second only to Bradman at the time for Ashes centuries. Bradman described the innings as "faultless – a terrific Test double hundred", comparing it to his 182 and 196 at Headingley and The Oval during the 1948 "Invincibles" tour. Morris ended the series with a half-century in Melbourne in Australia's only loss, to give him a series aggregate of 321 runs at 35.66. It was the first Test loss he had played in after 24 matches for Australia. In contrast to his below par Test series, Morris was in strong form during the first-class season: he scored three centuries against England in the tour matches and 182 against Victoria in a Shield match. Despite these performances, the press continued to emphasise his perceived difficulties against Bedser.Perry (2001), p. 90–91.]

Difficulties against the West Indies

The 1951–52 season saw the second tour to Australia by the West Indies. Morris experimented with his stance during the winter in response to criticism about his footwork when facing Bedser. Morris felt that his problems had arisen because he attempted to play excessively on the leg side. [McHarg, p. 94.] He opened his season by punishing the Queenslanders with a score of 253 in a Shield match and then scored 210 against Victoria.Perry (2001), p. 91.] His Test form was unimpressive though; he started steadily, with 122 runs in the first two Tests, which were won by Australia.

The Third Test in Adelaide saw Morris' first Test as captain, after Hassett was forced to withdraw on match eve due to a strained hip muscle. Australia were already one batsman short after the Australian Board of Control had earlier vetoed the selection of Barnes "for grounds other than cricketing ability", which was widely believed to be a result of Barnes' previous clashes with authority. [McHarg, p. 96.] Under board’s regulations at the time, a replacement player needed the approval of the entire board. Since it was the weekend, some of the members could not be contacted by phone, and as a result Hassett could not be replaced by another specialist batsman from outside the twelve man squad.Pollard, p. 52.] Instead, his place was taken by a specialist bowler already in the squad. This left Morris leading an extremely unbalanced team with four specialist batsmen and Miller as the all-rounder. Morris had a long tail with wicketkeeper Gil Langley and five specialist bowlers all with batting averages less than 23. [Benaud, p. 55.] Morris won the toss and elected to bat on a sticky wicket. Australia were bowled out for a low score of 82 but managed to restrict the West Indies to 105. Morris proceeded to reverse the batting order in the second innings, with bowler Ian Johnson and Gil Langley opening the batting. They were followed by bowlers Geff Noblet and Doug Ring to protect the batsmen from a wicket that was still wet. Ring made an unexpected 67 and Morris scored 45 as Australia compiled 255, but it was not enough: the West Indies reached the target with six wickets in hand.Perry (2000), pp. 186–187.]

After scores of 6 and 12 in the Fourth Test, he missed the final Test due to injury, ending an unproductive summer in which he managed only 186 runs at 23.25. The series was noted for Morris' difficulties against the spin duo of Alf Valentine and Sonny Ramadhin, who bowled left arm orthodox and leg spin respectively. The pair was responsible for five of his eight dismissals on the tour.Perry (2000), pp. 190–191.]

Australia's decline

The 1952–53 season started poorly for Morris when he was replaced by Keith Miller as state captain, despite having scored over 700 runs at a fast rate in the previous Shield season at an average above 50. No official reason was given by the New South Wales Cricket Association, [Pollard, p. 57.] but it was speculated among the media that his penchant for wearing brightly coloured rubber-soled shoes could have upset the conservative administrators, that Morris was too genial to be captain, or that he was made a scapegoat for dwindling public attendances following the retirement of Bradman and that Miller would have been reasoned to be more appealing to the public.Benaud, p. 56.] The on-field action against the touring South Africans brought no immediate upturn in Morris' fortunes. He made only one half-century and a total of 149 runs in the first three Tests. He ended the series strongly, with 77 in the second innings of the Fourth Test in Adelaide, before making his best performances of 99 and 44 in Melbourne in the Fifth Test, which Australia lost. Morris' 99 occurred when he was involved in a mix-up while batting with debutant Ian Craig, Australia's youngest ever Test cricketer, deciding to sacrifice his wicket for Craig in a run out. Morris' action meant that he had not scored a Test century for two years, and would have to wait another two years to reach the milestone again. Morris was widely praised for his unselfishness and his sacrifice for his new team-mate. [McHarg, p. 103.] He ended the series with 370 runs at 41.11 and took his maiden Test wicket in Adelaide, that of John Watkins. The series ended 2–2, the first Test series in Morris' career that Australia had not won.

In 1953, Morris returned to England, the setting for his three Test centuries five years earlier, for another Ashes series. After the modest run scoring of the previous three seasons, his performances in the first two drawn Tests, in which he struck three half centuries, indicated that might be returning to his earlier form. He was unable to maintain his form however, and did not pass 40 in the last three Tests, ending the series with 337 runs at a modest average of 33.70. His batting was regarded by commentators as being more carefree than during the "Invincibles" tour. England regained the Ashes 1–0, and Morris tasted series defeat for the first time in his career. He took his second and final wicket in Test cricket, that of Alec Bedser, in the Third Test at Old Trafford. Speculation linked his difficulties on the field to his personal relationships: during the tour Morris had fallen in love with English showgirl Valerie Hudson who he met when she was appearing in the Crazy Gang vaudeville show at London's Victoria Palace. [Perry (2001), pp. 92–93.] [McHarg, p. 127.]

Career twilight

As he was no longer state captain, Morris was not made Australian captain upon Hassett's retirement after the 1953 England tour, despite being the incumbent vice-captain. Instead, he was demoted as Victoria's Ian Johnson assumed the captaincy with Keith Miller as his deputy. When England returned to Australia in 1954–55, Morris made his first Test century in almost four years during the opening Test. After English skipper Len Hutton won the toss and sent Australia in, Morris made 153 to lay the foundation for a score of 8/601 (declared) and an innings victory. This included a partnership of 202 runs with Neil Harvey. They scored at a rate of nearly four runs per over, despite both players being repeatedly struck by the bowling of Frank Tyson, who was regarded as the fastest bowler of his era. [Perry (2001), pp. 93–94.]

In the Second Test in Sydney, Johnson and Miller were both unavailable due to injury; Morris led the team for the second and final time in Tests.McHarg, p. 133.] The Australian Board of Control made the surprising move of appointing the young and inexperienced Richie Benaud as Morris’ vice-captain for the match. Benaud, selected as a batsman, had scored just 195 runs at 13.92 in ten Test matches and was not a regular member of the team. Benaud noted in an autobiography that the situation was embarrassing and that Morris had asked Benaud not to be offended if he sought advice from veteran players Ray Lindwall and Neil Harvey, who had been Test regulars for seven years. Australia lost the low-scoring match by 38 runs after a batting collapse on the final day. [Benaud, p. 92.] [Pollard, p. 84.] Morris added a poor personal performance, scores of 12 and 10, to the disappointment of his team's defeat. He failed to pass 25 in either of the following Tests as Australia fell 3–1 behind and he was dropped for the Fifth Test, ending the series with 223 runs at 31.86. [McHarg, p. 210.]

Morris' international farewell was the 1954–55 tour of the West Indies. He struck 157 against Jamaica in an early tour match, earning a recall to the Test team. [Perry (2001), pp. 94–95.] He made 65 in the First Test victory in Kingston, Jamaica, before making his final Test century (111) in the drawn Second Test in Port of Spain, Trinidad. He ended the series with 266 runs at 44.33 after missing the last two Tests with dysentery.

Returning to Sydney after the West Indian tour, Morris learned that his new wife Valerie had been diagnosed with breast cancer in his absence. She had concealed her illness until his return, fearing that it would distract him from his cricket.Pollard, p. 96.] With his wife's condition deteriorating over the following year, Morris was forced to retire at the age of 33. Morris scored centuries on his first first-class appearances in four countries: England, South Africa, the West Indies and Australia, a record not equalled as of 1997 . He was a popular player, highly lauded by Australian and English commentators for both his character, goodwill and ability. His childhood mentor O'Reilly said that he was a "man worth knowing", while Tyson called him "one of cricket's patricians...endowed with a genteel equanimity, without seeming aloof or less than cordial and friendly". [McHarg, p. 192.] [McHarg, p. 173.] The English commentator John Arlott, known for rarely praising an Australian, said that Morris "was one of the best-liked cricketers of all time – charming, philosophical and relaxed". [McHarg, p. 17.]

Style

Morris was seen as an elegant and aggressive player, and is regarded alongside Clem Hill, Neil Harvey and Allan Border as one of Australia’s greatest left-handed batsmen.McHarg, pp. 11–12.] Adept at playing against both pace and spin bowling, he was known for the variety of his shots on both sides of the wicket. Despite standing only five feet nine inches (1.75 m), opponents spoke of his imposing appearance and his apparent air of complete composure at the crease. He had the ability to decide on his stroke early in the ball's flight and employed an unusual defensive technique, shuffling across the stumps to get behind the ball. This created a perception that he was vulnerable to leg before wicket decisions. Deft placement allowed him to pierce the gaps between fielders, and he was especially noted for his cover driving, square cutting and on-driving. According to Bradman, Morris' success was due to his powerful wrists and forearms. Bradman interpreted Morris' unorthodox methods—he often defended with his bat not straight—as a sign of genius.Perry (2001), p. 27.] Benaud rated Morris alongside Neil Harvey as having the best footwork against spin bowling among batsmen after the Second World War. [McHarg, p. 177.] Morris' productivity declined in the latter half of his career, something he put down to the break-up of his opening pairing with Barnes. Morris' partnerships with his later partners yielded less runs, leading him to remark that "When Siddy [Barnes] went, I lost a lot of support becauses he'd always get ones." [cite book|first=Gideon |last=Haigh|year=1995| title=One Summer, Every Summer |publisher=Text Publishing |isbn=1-875847-18-9 |page=p. 132]

However, Morris was regarded as the "bunny" of English medium pace bowler Alec Bedser, [McHarg, p. 14.] who dismissed him 20 times in first-class cricket, including 18 times in Test matches. Typically, Bedser took his wicket with deliveries pitched on leg stump that moved across him. This perceived dominance is not borne out by the statistics; Morris' average was 57.42 in the 37 Test innings in which he faced Bedser, and more than sixty in the 46 first-class innings when the two met. The pair were very close friends and Bedser frequently made the point of rebutting criticism of Morris' performance against him. Bedser noted Morris' gracious demeanour despite his struggles, recalling an incident during the 1950–51 season when Morris reached his century during a tour match against the English. Instead of thinking of his difficulties against Bedser, Morris commented on the plight of his English opponents who had suffered harder times. Morris stated that "Bob Berry hasn't got a wicket and John Warr hasn't taken a catch all tour so I'll see what can be done." Morris was then caught by Warr from Berry's bowling without adding to his score.McHarg, p. 180.]

Morris took only two wickets in Tests, one of them Bedser in 1953; he was rarely used as a bowler and was a reliable catcher. Despite his success, he was a pessimist who claimed to be low on self-confidence, saying that he was always surprised not to be dismissed for a duck. In an interview in 2000, he said, "I wish I had the confidence of some of the players today." [Perry (2001), p. 76.]

After cricket

With his wife's death imminent, Morris organised the couple's return to Britain with financial help from Lindsay Hassett. He worked as a cricket reporter for London's "Daily Express" during the 1956 Ashes tour while his wife was reunited with her family for the last time. She died soon after they returned to Australia at the end of the tour, aged just 33. They had been married only 18 months. [Perry (2001), p. 95.] [McHarg, p. 26.]

In the wake of his personal loss, Morris, known for his sincerity and high personal values, received many offers of work and financial assistance. With a reference from English cricketer Doug Insole, Morris joined British engineering company George Wimpey for a few years. He then moved back to Sydney to take up a public relations job with security group Wormald International where he worked until his retirement in the late 1980s.McHarg, p. 27.] He was appointed to the Sydney Cricket Ground Trust in 1965 and served there for 22 years, eight of them as deputy chairman. During this time, the ground was modernised and the Bradman Stand erected. In 1968, Morris met and married his second wife Judith Menmuir. [McHarg, p. 181.] He was awarded the MBE in 1974 for services to sport. In late 1989, Morris and his wife retired to the town of Cessnock in the Hunter Valley, north of Sydney. He continued to play tennis into his late seventies and enjoyed watching Test cricket although he refused to watch One day cricket, introduced after his playing days, due to his preference for tradition.

In 2001, he was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame alongside Bill Woodfull, the fourteenth and fifteenth players to be inducted. [cite web|title=Australian Cricket Hall of Fame |url=http://www.mcg.org.au/default.asp?pg=tourshof2000 |publisher=Melbourne Cricket Ground |accessdate=2007-07-16] In 2000, he was named in the Australian Cricket Board's Team of the Century. [cite web|title=Panel selects cricket team of the century |url=http://www.abc.net.au/pm/stories/s93847.htm| accessdate=2007-07-16| date=2000-01-18| publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation] Morris was named as an opening batsman in Bradman's selection of his greatest team in Test history. Bradman described him as the "best left-hand option to open an innings" and describing his temperament as "ideal".

Test match performance

Notes

References

*cite book|first=Richie |last=Benaud |authorlink=Richie Benaud| year=1998| title=Anything But |publisher=Hodder & Stoughton |isbn=0-340-69641-6
*cite book|first=Jack |last=McHarg |year=1995 | publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation | isbn=0-7333-0412-5 |title=Arthur Morris: An elegant genius
*cite book |last=Perry |first= Roland |authorlink=Roland Perry |year=2000 |title=Captain Australia: A history of the celebrated captains of Australian Test cricket |location=Sydney| publisher=Random House Australia |isbn=1-74051-174-3
*
*cite book|first=Jack |last=Pollard |authorlink=Jack Pollard|year=1990 |publisher=Harper Collins |title=From Bradman to Border: Australian Cricket 1948–89 |isbn=0-207-16124-0

External links

* [http://content.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/6644.html Cricinfo article on Arthur Morris]

Persondata
NAME=Morris, Arthur Robert
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Cricketer
DATE OF BIRTH=19 January 1922
PLACE OF BIRTH=Bondi, New South Wales
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=