Ernie Toshack with the Australian cricket team in England in 1948

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Ernie Toshack

Toshack in about 1947
Personal information
Full name	Ernest Raymond Herbert Toshack
Born	(1914-12-08)8 December 1914 Cobar, New South Wales, Australia
Died	11 May 2003(2003-05-11) (aged 88) Bobbin Head, New South Wales, Australia
Nickname	The Black Prince
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Left-arm medium-pace
Role	Specialist bowler
International information
National side	Australia
Test debut	10 June 1948 v England
Last Test	22 July 1948 v England
Career statistics
Competition Tests FC Matches 4 15 Runs scored 51 78 Batting average 51.00 8.66 100s/50s 0/0 0/0 Top score 20* 20* Balls bowled 1,039 3,012 Wickets 11 50 Bowling average 33.09 21.12 5 wickets in innings 1 4 10 wickets in match 0 0 Best bowling 5/40 7/81 Catches/stumpings 0/0 2/0
Source: Test and First-class statistics from ESPNCricinfo, 27 December 2007

Ernie Toshack was a member of Donald Bradman's famous Australian cricket team, which toured England in 1948 and was undefeated in their 34 matches. This unprecedented feat by a Test side touring England earned Bradman's men the sobriquet The Invincibles.

A left-arm medium-pace seam bowler, Toshack was a member of the first-choice team, and played in the first four Test matches before succumbing to a persistent knee injury. Toshack contained the English batsmen with leg theory in between the new ball bursts of Keith Miller and Ray Lindwall. He took 11 wickets in the Tests; his most notable performance was the 5/40 he took in the second innings of the Second Test at Lord's.^[1] However, his knee failed in the first innings of the Fourth Test when he took 1/112. He was unable to bowl in the second innings and missed the Fifth Test, marking the end of his Test career.

For the entire tour, Toshack took 50 first-class wickets at a bowling average of 21.12 with four five-wicket innings hauls, including a best of 7/81 against Yorkshire at Bramall Lane. He also took 6/51 in the first innings of the match against the Marylebone Cricket Club, who were almost entirely represented by English Test cricketers, playing a key part in an innings victory. With little batting ability, Toshack usually batted last in Australia's line-up and scored 78 runs at a batting average of 8.66, the worst first-class aggregate and average among the tourists. However, in the Tests, he was dismissed only once and averaged 51.00 with a series of tail-wagging performances, including his career best of 20 not out.