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Bill Brown was a member of Donald Bradman's famous Australian cricket team, which toured England in 1948. Bradman's men went through their 34 matches without defeat; this unprecedented feat by a Test side touring England earned them the sobriquet ''The Invincibles''. An experienced right-handed opening batsman, Brown was on his third visit to England, having first toured in 1934 before World War II. However, Brown's best years were lost to the war and by 1948 Sid Barnes and Arthur Morris had superseded him in the pecking order to become Australia's first-choice opening pair. Brown was selected as a reserve opener; this decision generated controversy among critics who believed he was past his best. Bradman rotated the three openers in the tour matches, but Morris and Barnes were preferred in the Tests. Bradman accommodated Brown in his first-choice team by playing him out of position in the middle order in the Tests. However, Brown appeared uncomfortable in the unfamiliar role, and was dropped after making 73 runs at a batting average of 24.33 in the first two Tests. Despite his struggles in the Test arena, Brown had success in the tour matches as an opener. He scored 1,448 runs at 57.92 in all first-class matches, ranking fourth in both the aggregates and averages. He scored eight centuries, second only to Bradman, including 200 against Cambridge University. However, Brown gained criticism for his slow batting. Following his omission from the Test team, Brown batted in a highly circumspect manner to increase the reliability and volume of his scoring. A very occasional off spin bowler, Brown took his career first-class best of 4/16 in his only stint with the ball, against the South of England. ==Background== Brown had been a regular member of the Australian Test team since his debut in 1934, and immediately after World War II, he captained Australia in the inaugural Test against New Zealand.〔 However, he was sidelined by injury in 1946–47 and Sid Barnes and Arthur Morris opened in the Tests, averaging 73.83 and 71.85 respectively. Brown resumed his Test career in the following season, replacing Barnes, but he was dropped after scoring 29 runs in two Tests. Barnes then came in and made 139 runs in the next two Tests, including a 112 in the Fourth Test. Morris was then rested for the Fifth Test to allow Brown another chance to show his ability and make a case for continued national selection, and he made 99.〔 In the Tests against India during the season, Barnes, Morris and Brown had shared the opening duties; their batting averages were 43.00, 52.25 and 42.66 respectively. In any case, Brown had done enough to tour England with ''The Invincibles'' in 1948, his third trip there, although Barnes and Morris were the first-choice opening combination.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Bill Brown with the Australian cricket team in England in 1948」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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