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Colin McCool was a member of Donald Bradman's famous Australian cricket team, which toured England in 1948. Bradman’s men were undefeated in their 34 matches and this unprecedented feat by a Test side touring England earned them the sobriquet ''The Invincibles''. A frontline leg spinner and middle-order batsman, McCool was not prominent in the team's success. Although McCool started his Test career strongly, his form began to decline during the previous Australian season. After starting the tour in Bradman's first-choice team, a bloodied callus on his spinning finger troubled McCool. This prevented him from bowling for prolonged periods, and along with Ron Hamence, he was one of two squad members who did not play a Test on tour. Along with Doug Ring, the trio called themselves "ground staff" because of the paucity of their on-field duties in the major matches and they often sang ironic songs about their status. During the tour, McCool took 57 first-class wickets at a bowling average of 17.82; he was the fifth most prolific wicket-taker and had the fourth best average among Australia's seven frontline bowlers. With England agreeing to have a new ball available after every 55 overs, more frequently than the old rule of replacing the ball after every 200 runs, fast bowling dominated over spin. As a result, McCool did not play in the Tests, but was used heavily in the tour matches so the leading pacemen could conserve their energy for the important matches. Outside the Tests, McCool had the fourth heaviest workload among the regular bowlers, although overall, he delivered the least overs because of his injured finger. McCool took five wickets in an innings three times, his best return being 7/78 against Cambridge University. Although McCool also played as a frontline batsman during his career, his performances during the tour were far below his usual standards, scoring only 306 runs at a batting average of 20.40 with three half-centuries. However, he remained prominent with his fielding, taking 20 catches in 17 matches. ==Background== Following the resumption of cricket after World War II, McCool had started his Test career strongly. After making his debut in a one-off Test against New Zealand in 1945–46, he played in all five Tests against England during the 1946–47 home season, scoring 272 runs at an average of 54.40 and taking 18 wickets at just over 27 apiece.〔Cashman et al., p. 199.〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】 title =Test Batting and Fielding for Australia: Marylebone Cricket Club in Australia 1946/47 )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】 title =Test Bowling for Australia: Marylebone Cricket Club in Australia 1946/47 )〕 ''Wisden'' said his batting featured "wristy cuts" and "vigorous hooks", adding that there were "few better players of spin bowling on a difficult pitch".〔 ''Wisden'' judged his slow and loopy leg spin "a clever mixture of leg-breaks and googlies".〔 However, when India toured Australia for the first time in 1947–48, McCool played in three Tests without much success, scoring only 46 runs and taking only four wickets. As a result, he was dropped for the last Test.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 title =Test Batting and Fielding for Australia: India in Australia 1947/48 )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】 title =Test Bowling for Australia: India in Australia 1947/48 )〕 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「Colin McCool 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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