Sam Loxton with the Australian cricket team in England in 1948

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Sam Loxton

Loxton in about 1948
Personal information
Full name	Samuel John Everett Loxton
Born	(1921-03-29) 29 March 1921 (age 103) Albert Park, Victoria, Australia
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm fast-medium
Role	All-rounder
International information
National side	Australia
Test debut	8 July 1948 v England
Last Test	14 August 1948 v England
Career statistics
Competition Tests First-class Matches 3 22 Runs scored 144 973 Batting average 48.00 57.23 100s/50s 0/1 3/5 Top score 93 159* Balls bowled 378 2,168 Wickets 3 32 Bowling average 49.33 21.71 5 wickets in innings 0 0 10 wickets in match 0 0 Best bowling 3/55 3/10 Catches/stumpings 0/0 13/0
Source: Test and First-class statistics from ESPNCricinfo, 12 December 2007

Sam Loxton was a member of Donald Bradman's famous Australian cricket team, which toured England in 1948. Bradman's men went undefeated in their 34 matches; this unprecedented feat by a Test side touring England earned them the sobriquet The Invincibles.

A batting all rounder, Loxton played as a right-handed middle-order batsman and a right-arm fast medium bowler who reinforced the frontline pace attack of Ray Lindwall, Keith Miller and Bill Johnston. Starting the tour as a fringe player, Loxton was omitted for the pre-Test fixtures against Worcestershire and the Marylebone Cricket Club, where Australia traditionally fielded their full-strength team. He was overlooked for the first two Tests; reserve opening batsman Bill Brown played out of position in the middle-order. However, Brown struggled in the unfamiliar role, and Loxton scored 159 not out against Gloucestershire to oust the former from his position for the Third Test at Old Trafford. Loxton scored 36 to help Australia avoid the follow on and salvage a draw, before making his most notable contribution in the Fourth Test at Headingley. He took 3/55 in the first innings and scored a counter-attacking 93 on the third day to keep Australia in the game; they went on to win after a world record-breaking run-chase on the final day. Loxton also played in the Fifth Test and ended the series with 144 runs at a batting average of 48.00 and three wickets at a bowling average of 49.33.

In the tour matches, Loxton sometimes opened the bowling when Bradman sought to rest Lindwall and Miller to save their energy for the Tests, and he occasionally batted above the middle-order. Loxton was the most economical, but the least incisive of the bowlers, and he never took more than three wickets in an innings. He played 22 first-class matches and scored 973 runs at 57.23 with three centuries, and took 32 wickets at 21.71. He was eighth in the run-scoring aggregates, but was productive when given an opportunity, ranking fifth in the Australian averages. Loxton was the eighth-leading wicket-taker; all seven frontline bowlers ahead of him took at least 50 wickets. Noted for his energetic and combative approach, Loxton was twice forced out of action for his troubles; he pulled a groin while searching for extra pace with the ball early in the tour, and towards the end of the season, he hit a ball into his face and broke his nose.