The Australian Services XI was a cricket team comprising solely military service personnel during World War II. They became active in May 1945 after the defeat of Nazi Germany. The team played matches against English cricket sides of both military and civilian origins to celebrate the end of the war. These matches were aimed at increasing morale in the war-ravaged English cities and as a means of reviving cricket after the conclusion of fighting.
The end of the war marked the start of the 1945 cricket season.Perry, p. 102. Plum Warner organised a series of matches between England and Australian servicemen, known as the Victory Tests, to celebrate the end of hostilities.Perry, p. 103. However, Australian cricket administrators would not accredit the three-day matches as official Test matches,Pollard (1988), p. 366. arguing that there were not enough Test-level players in the armed services; Lindsay Hassett was the only Australian who had Test experience.Whitington, p. 65.
The side was composed of an amalgam of a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) team, which had already been stationed in England during the war, and another group of mostly Australian Imperial Force (AIF) soldiers from Australia. The players were deliberately stationed with each other in England for the express purpose of forming a cricket team to tour the country, with Australian prime minister John Curtin pushing for the immediate resumption of international cricket after the war was over. The team was officially a military unit, led by Squadron Leader Stan Sismey, the team's wicket-keeper.
England were close to full strength, so the AIF and the RAAF teams merged to strengthen their quality. As a result, the Australian Services cricket team was formed under the leadership of Warrant Officer Lindsay Hassett to compete in the Victory Tests.Perry, p. 104.
The Australian team, despite being split by rank and service, all took their place in the side in good spirit and not much was made of the fact that Hassett, a warrant officer who was outranked by almost every other member of the team, was appointed captain.Jaggard, p. 66.
The Victory Tests were greeted by packed English grounds, and raised a lot of money for war charities. Against expectations, the Australians managed to draw the series 2–2 against an England team filled with Test cricketers. As a result, the Australian government, cricket administrators and military officials ordered the team to travel home via India to play more fundraising matches, before finishing their campaign against the Australian state teams. By the time the team arrived in Australia they were extremely tired and their performances deteriorated, leading analysts who had not seen them in England to regard them as a weak team.
Personnel
The following cricketers played in at least one match.Jaggard, p. 77. Warrant Officer Lindsay Hassett (captain) (VIC) Squadron Leader Stan Sismey (NSW) Flying Officer Keith Miller (VIC) Captain Richard Whitington (SA) Flying Officer Jack Pettiford (NSW) Flight Sergeant Jim Workman (SA) Sergeant Cec Pepper (NSW) Flight Lieutenant Keith Carmody (NSW) Flight Lieutenant Ross Stanford (SA) Flying Officer Bob Cristofani (NSW) Flying Officer Eddy Williams (SA) Sergeant Charlie Price (NSW) Warrant Officer Graham Williams (SA) Flight Lieutenant Mick Roper (NSW) Captain Albert Cheetham (NSW) Flying Officer Reginald Ellis (SA) Flying Officer Colin Bremner Sergeant L.W. Maddison Flight Sergeant J.C. Papayanni (NSW)
The manager was Flight Lieutenant Keith Johnson from New South Wales.
Only one player in the side, future Test captain Lindsay Hassett had Test match experience. Keith Miller, Bob Cristofani, Cec Pepper, Keith Carmody, Ross Stanford, Albert Cheetham, Stan Sismey, Dick Whitington, and Graham Williams were the players who had previous first-class experience. The spinner Reg Ellis and opening batsman Jack Pettiford had not prior experience at first-class level, but played for their states in Australia after making their debut for the Services. Charlie Price and Jim Workman made their debut during the Australian Services campaign and never played first-class cricket afterwards.
Keith Miller, one of the ten inaugural inductees of the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame at the time only a batsman with Victoria, played what many consider to be his breakout series in the Victory Tests, ensuring that when he returned to Australia he would have a place in the Australian national team now referred to as The Invincibles.
In the batting department, Miller was the top-scorer; he scored 1,447 runs in 20 matches at an average of 49.89. Hassett scored 1,434 runs at 49.44 in 18 matches and top-scored for the whole campaign with 187. Opening batsman Whitington was the only other member of the team to score more than 1,000 runs. He totalled 1,054 runs at 35.13.
On the bowling front, Australia was heavily dependent on its spin attack. The left arm orthodox spinner Ellis took 72 wickets at 25.02, while the leg spinner Pepper took 71 wickets at 32.47. The third highest wicket-taker was Cristofani, also a leg spinner; he took 34 wickets at 30.73.Jaggard, p. 78. Miller was the leading paceman, taking 29 wickets at 28.96.
For all rounders, Pepper also scored 987 runs at 36.55, while Cristofani added 558 runs at 27.90. Pettiford scored 768 runs at 38.40 and took 22 wickets at 41.86 with his leg spin.
Graham Williams, the team's main strike bowler, had only been released from a German prisoner of war camp weeks before the series started,Jaggard, p. 61. and played at 31 kg (68 lb) below his pre-war playing weight. In between overs he drank glasses of glucose and water to keep his energy up, but when he was unable to bowl Miller took his place and demonstrated what a valuable pace bowler he would become in the future himself.
Omissions Some players with prior first-class experience could not be considered for selection because they could not be released from the units in which they were serving, particularly those serving in the Pacific. These included Arthur Morris, Ian Johnson and Ray Lindwall. Lindwall and Johnson went on to make their debuts for Australia in 1946 in the first post-war Test, while Morris made his debut in 1946–47 against England. All three became long-serving Australian Test players, and all three captained their country, Johnson for two years. Bill Brown had played regularly for Australia's Test team before the war, but was not available, nor was Colin McCool, who had made his first-class debut before the outbreak of war.Cashman, pp. 67, 153, 174, 176, 215–216.
Chronology
In England
The Australians and their schedule was administered by Keith Johnson, a member of the Australian Board of Control and the New South Wales Cricket Association. During World War II, Johnson served in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and the rose to the rank of Flight Lieutenant and was deployed to London, where he did public relations work at the RAAF's overseas headquarters.Haigh and Frith, p. 97. Officially a military unit, the team's commanding officer was Squadron Leader Stan Sismey of the RAAF, although the on-field captain was Warrant Officer Lindsay Hassett of the Second Australian Imperial Force.Perry, pp. 98–104.
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack praised the organisational work done by Johnson in arranging the services' programme in England: "A stranger to this country, he found the programme in only skeleton form; and that the tour proved such a success from every point of view was due to his hard work and courtesy." The almanack reprinted in full Johnson's "message" of thanks to English cricket before the team sailed to India.
The First Victory Test started at Lord's on 19 May and was expected to usher in a new post-war era, which it hoped would be more aggressive and attractive.Pollard (1988), p. 360. The last Anglo-Australian Test series before the war had featured a large number of draws due to defensive play.Perry, p. 105. England won the toss and batted first. They batted steadily although none of their specialist batsmen managed to pass 57 and reached 4/205, before Miller came on as the fifth bowler and bowled his Great Massingham pilot colleague Bill Edrich for 45, precipitating an English collapse from 4/200 to 267.Pollard (1988), p. 362.Whitington, p. 72. Paceman Albert Cheetham took 3/49, while new ball partner Williams, spinner Reginald Ellis and Charlie Price took two wickets each.
In reply to England's 267 from 100.1 overs, Australia reached 2/82 by stumps on the opening day, with Hassett and Sismey at the crease. The next day, Sismey fell for 37,Perry, p. 106. and Miller came to the crease at 3/136 and joined Hassett. Miller gradually progressed, undeterred by the fall of Hassett for 77 at 4/171. He put on 99 with Ross Stanford, who fell for 49 soon after Australia passed England's total, with the score at 5/270. Once Australia had taken the lead, Miller cut loose. After spending 40 minutes in the 90s, he finished with 105 in 210 minutes, with a straight six.Perry, p. 107.Pollard (1988), pp. 362–363.Whitington, pp. 72–73. The Times opined that his innings was "as good a century as has been seen at Lord's in many a long day". Wisden said that he "was always getting runs with the soundness characteristic of most Australians".Harte, p. 386. Harry Altham declared that "a brilliant new star had joined the cluster of the Southern Cross".Whitington, p. 73. Miller put on 87 for the sixth wicket with Pepper, and although both feel in quick succession in a collapse of 3/9, Price and Williams put on a ninth-wicket stand of 88 to take the Australian total to 455, giving them a 188-run lead,Perry, p. 108. and the end of the innings marked the end of the second day's play.
On the final morning, England batted steadily and their Test openers Len Hutton and Cyril Washbrook took the score to 52 before leg spinner Cec Pepper removed both. Jack Robertson top-scored with 84 and his Middlesex teammate Edrich scored 50 as England moved to 5/286 late in the day, an overall lead of 98. It appeared that England would be able to hold on for a draw, but they lost their last five wickets for eight runs to be all out for 294. Pepper took 4/80 and Ellis and Price two wickets each.
This left Australia with a target of 107. Miller and Richard Whitington were both out with only 11 runs on the board, but Hassett and Pepper put on 52 runs quickly and Australia reached their second innings target with two balls to spare. Pepper was unbeaten on 54.Perry, p. 110.Pollard (1988), p. 363.Harte, p. 387.Whitington, p. 74.
The last pre-war series between England and Australia in 1938 had been an attritional and hard-nosed contest, but in the afterglow of war victory, the cricketers played flamboyantly with abandon in front of a packed stadium. The attractive style of cricket was widely praised by commentators and the match raised £1,935 for war relief charities.Perry, pp. 106–110.
The First Victory Test was followed by a month in which the Australian Services were not active as a team; the various players represented their respective RAAF teams during this time.
The Second Victory Test was played at Bramall Lane in Sheffield and started on 23 June, where the grandstands were damaged by German air raids. Hassett sent the Englishmen into bat,Perry, p. 111. and the hosts' innings was highlighted by their captain Wally Hammond, who scored exactly 100, supported by Washbrook, who scored 63. However, Hammond's dismissal was part of a collapse that saw the home side lose their last five wickets for 38 runs. Cheetham and Pepper took three wickets each, and Ellis and Williams both captured a brace. Australia moved to be 0/23 at stumps on the first day, but lost wickets steadily on the second morning, and were all out for 147; Keith Carmody scored 42, the only contribution beyond 21 by a batsman, while George Pope took 5/58.Perry, p. 112.Pollard (1988), p. 364.Whitington, p. 76.