Arthur Morris facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Arthur Morris

Morris in his cricket whites, c. 1947
Personal information
Full name	Arthur Robert Morris
Born	(1922-01-19)19 January 1922 Bondi, New South Wales, Australia
Died	22 August 2015(2015-08-22) (aged 93) Sydney, Australia
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Batting	Left-handed
Bowling	Left-arm unorthodox spin
Role	Batsman
International information
National side	Australia
Test debut (cap 171)	29 November 1946 v England
Last Test	11 June 1955 v West Indies
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1940/41–1954/55	New South Wales
Career statistics
Competition Test First-class Matches 46 162 Runs scored 3,533 12,614 Batting average 46.48 53.67 100s/50s 12/12 46/46 Top score 206 290 Balls bowled 111 860 Wickets 2 12 Bowling average 25 49.33 5 wickets in innings 0 0 10 wickets in match 0 0 Best bowling 1/5 3/36 Catches/stumpings 15/– 73/–
Source: CricketArchive, 24 November 2007

Arthur Robert Morris (19 January 1922 – 22 August 2015) was a famous Australian cricketer. He played in 46 Test matches between 1946 and 1955. Arthur Morris was a left-handed opening batsman, known as one of Australia's best.

He was a key player in Don Bradman's "Invincibles" team. This team toured England in 1948 and didn't lose a single match. Morris was the top scorer in the Test matches during that tour, hitting three centuries. He helped Australia achieve a world record victory by chasing down 404 runs in one match.

Morris was honored in the Australian Cricket Board's Team of the Century in 2000. He was also added to the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame in 2001 and the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2017.

His cricket career was paused by World War II, where he served in the Australian Army. When cricket started again in 1946, Morris quickly became a key player for Australia. He scored a century in his third Test match and two centuries in the next one. This made him only the second Australian to achieve this in an Ashes Test.

After the "Invincibles" tour, Morris became Australia's vice-captain. He was expected to be the team's main batsman after Bradman retired. He started well, scoring two centuries in a tour of South Africa. However, his form later declined. His career ended when his first wife became very ill. Later in life, Morris served as a trustee for the Sydney Cricket Ground for over 20 years.

Early Life and Cricket Beginnings

Arthur Morris was born on 19 January 1922 in Bondi, a seaside suburb in Sydney. His father was a schoolteacher and a fast bowler for a local cricket club. Arthur's family moved several times during his childhood before returning to Sydney.

Arthur loved sports and was very good at many ball games, especially cricket, rugby, and tennis. At age 12, he played for his high school cricket team as a slow bowler. He also played for a local C-grade team.

High School and Club Cricket

From 1936 to 1939, Morris attended Canterbury Boys' High School. He played cricket and rugby union for the school and was even the school captain. During his last two years of high school, he was chosen for the Combined High Schools teams in both cricket (as captain) and rugby.

At 14, he started playing for St George. In 1937–38, he moved up to the second team. He was a great bowler in a junior competition, taking 55 wickets. However, his captain, Bill O'Reilly, saw more potential in him as a batsman. O'Reilly moved Morris up the batting order and eventually made him an opening batsman.

First-Class Debut

In January 1939, while still in high school, Morris played his first representative cricket match for New South Wales Second XI. After finishing school, he became a clerk.

In the 1940–41 season, Morris made his debut for New South Wales against Queensland. He made history by scoring centuries in both innings of the match! He scored 148 runs in the first innings and 111 in the second. This made him the first player in the world to score two centuries on his first-class debut. New South Wales won the match easily.

World War II and Test Debut

Arthur Morris's cricket career was put on hold because of World War II. He joined the Australian Army in 1943 and served in places like New Guinea. During his time in the army, he played more rugby union than cricket. He was even considered the "best five-eighth" (a rugby position) in Australia by his coach.

After the war, Morris returned to his old job but soon found a new one that gave him more time for cricket. When cricket started again in 1946, he was back in the New South Wales team.

Joining the Test Team

Morris was chosen to play for an Australian XI against the touring English team. He scored 115 runs and had a great partnership with Test captain Don Bradman. This helped him get selected for his first Test match against England in Brisbane.

He didn't do well in his first two Tests, but Bradman encouraged him. Morris then scored 83 and 110 for New South Wales. He was kept in the team for the Third Test in Melbourne. There, he scored his first Test century, making 155 runs.

In the Fourth Test in Adelaide, Morris scored a century in each innings (122 and 124 not out). This was a huge achievement, making him the second Australian to score two centuries in an Ashes Test. He finished the series with 503 runs, averaging 71.85, second only to Bradman.

The "Invincibles" Tour of 1948

Arthur Morris had impressed Don Bradman so much that Bradman made him one of the three selectors for the 1948 tour of England. This team became known as "The Invincibles" because they didn't lose a single match.

Morris started the tour well, scoring 138 runs in his first match in England. He found it a bit hard to bat at first, but then he scored 184 runs against Sussex before the first Test.

Test Match Highlights

Morris was outstanding in the Test series, scoring 696 runs at an average of 87.00. He was the only player to score three Test centuries on the tour.

In the Second Test at Lord's, he scored 105 and 62, helping Australia take a 2–0 lead. His century was described as "a pretty Test century in the grandest of all cricket settings."

His best performance was against Gloucestershire, where he scored his career-best of 290 runs in just five hours. He hit 40 fours and a six!

Headingley Heroics

The Fourth Test at Headingley was a famous match. England set Australia a target of 404 runs to win, which was a world record for a fourth innings chase. Everyone thought Australia would lose.

Morris and Bradman put on an amazing partnership of 301 runs. Morris scored 182 runs, hitting 33 fours. He batted for nearly five hours, helping Australia get very close to the target. Australia won the match by seven wickets, making history.

In the Fifth Test at The Oval, Morris scored 196 runs. This was the match where Bradman was bowled out for a duck in his final Test innings. Morris also took a fantastic catch in this match.

For his great performances, Morris was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1949. He was praised for his "masterful, stylish, imperturbable" batting.

Later Career and Challenges

After Bradman retired in 1948, many people saw Morris as Australia's top batsman. He had a great season in 1948–49, scoring 1,049 runs with six centuries. He even scored 108 runs in just 80 balls in one match, guiding his team to victory before lunch.

Vice-Captaincy and Decline

Morris was appointed Australian vice-captain for a tour of South Africa in 1949–50. He scored two centuries in the Test series, helping Australia win 4–0. At this point, he had nine Test centuries and a batting average over 65.

However, his form started to decline. In the 1950–51 Ashes series against England, he struggled against bowler Alec Bedser, who dismissed him often. Despite this, Morris scored his highest Test score, 206 runs, in the Fourth Test. This was his only Test double century.

In 1951–52, Morris captained Australia for the first time in a Test match when the regular captain was injured. Australia lost that match. He had a tough series against the West Indies, struggling against their spin bowlers.

Losing the Captaincy

In 1952–53, Morris was replaced as captain of his state team, New South Wales, even though he had been very successful. The media suggested he was too "genial" to be a captain. Despite this, he remained the national vice-captain.

He continued to play for Australia, but his centuries became less frequent. In a match where he scored 99 runs, he sacrificed his wicket to save a younger teammate, Ian Craig, from being run out. This showed his unselfish nature.

In 1953, Morris returned to England for another Ashes series. He didn't score any centuries in the Tests, and Australia lost the series, which was the first series defeat of his career.

Final Years in Cricket

In 1954–55, Morris was not made Australian captain, even though he was the vice-captain. He scored a century (153 runs) in the first Test against England, his first in almost four years. He played well despite being hit many times by fast bowler Frank Tyson.

Morris captained Australia for the second and final time in the Second Test, but Australia lost. He was then dropped for the Fifth Test.

His last international tour was to the West Indies in 1954–55. He scored 157 in a tour match and was recalled to the Test team. He made his final Test century (111) in the Second Test. Australia won the series 3–0.

Retirement

After returning from the West Indies, Morris learned that his new wife, Valerie, was very ill. She had kept her illness a secret so it wouldn't distract him from cricket. With his wife's health getting worse, Morris retired from cricket at age 33 to be with her.

Morris was known for scoring centuries on his first first-class appearances in four different countries: England, South Africa, the West Indies, and Australia. He was a very popular player, admired for his character and skill.

Later Life

After his wife Valerie passed away, Morris received many offers of support. He worked as a cricket reporter for a London newspaper during the 1956 Ashes tour.

He later worked in public relations in Sydney until he retired in the late 1980s. In 1965, he was appointed to the Sydney Cricket Ground Trust, serving for 22 years. During this time, the ground was modernized. In 1968, he married his second wife, Judith Menmuir. He was awarded the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in 1974 for his contributions to sport.

Morris was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame in 2001. He was also named in the Australian Cricket Board Team of the Century in 2000. Don Bradman himself chose Morris as an opening batsman in his greatest Test team.

Arthur Morris passed away on 22 August 2015, at the age of 93. His former teammate, Neil Harvey, called him "one of the best players this country has produced" and "you wouldn't find a nicer bloke in the world."

Playing Style

Arthur Morris was known as an elegant and aggressive left-handed batsman. He could play well against both fast and spin bowling. He had a wide range of shots and always looked calm when batting.

He was especially good at hitting the ball through the "cover" area, cutting it square, and driving it straight. Most of all, he was famous for his "back foot" play, especially his "pulling" and "hooking" shots. He wasn't afraid to hit fast, short balls aimed at his head. In one match, a fast bowler bowled an entire over of short balls, and Morris hit five of them for boundaries!

Don Bradman believed Morris's success came from his strong wrists and forearms. Morris was also known for quickly deciding where the ball would land and moving his feet decisively. He was an unselfish player, often sacrificing his own wicket if there was a mix-up while running between wickets.

Even though he was a great player, Morris said he lacked self-confidence and was always surprised not to get out for a "duck" (zero runs).

Morris took only two wickets in Test matches and was a reliable catcher.

Test match performance

		Batting				Bowling
Opposition	Matches	Runs	Average	High Score	100 / 50	Runs	Wickets	Average	Best (Inns)
England	24	2080	50.73	206	8/8	39	1	39.00	1/5
India	4	209	52.25	100*	1/0	–	–	–	–
South Africa	10	792	46.58	157	2/3	11	1	11.00	1/11
West Indies	8	452	32.28	111	1/1	–	–	–	–
Overall	46	3533	46.48	206	12/12	50	2	25.00	1/5

See Also

• List of Test cricket centuries by Arthur Morris

Images for kids

• 

  An innings-by-innings breakdown of Morris' Test match batting career, showing runs scored (red bars) and the average of the last ten innings (blue line).

• 

  Morris (right) with Invincibles teammate Colin McCool at a function in 1979