Keith Miller with the Australian cricket team in England in 1948

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Keith Miller

Miller in June 1945
Personal information
Full name	Keith Ross Miller
Born	(1919-11-28)28 November 1919 Sunshine, Victoria, Australia
Died	11 October 2004(2004-10-11) (aged 84) Mornington, Victoria, Australia
Nickname	Nugget
Height	188 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm fast
Role	All-rounder
International information
National side	Australia
Test debut	10 June 1948 v England
Last Test	14 August 1948 v England
Career statistics
Competition Tests First-class Matches 5 22 Runs scored 184 1,088 Batting average 26.28 47.30 100s/50s 0/2 2/8 Top score 74 202* Balls bowled 829 2,575 Wickets 13 56 Bowling average 23.15 17.58 5 wickets in innings 0 3 10 wickets in match 0 0 Best bowling 4/125 6/42 Catches/stumpings 8/– 20/–
Source: CricketArchive, 4 November 2016

Keith Miller was a member of Donald Bradman's famous Australian cricket team, which toured England in 1948 and went undefeated in its 34 matches. This unprecedented feat by a Test side touring England earned the Australians the sobriquet "The Invincibles". Miller was an all-rounder: a right-arm opening fast bowler and a right-handed middle-order batsman. With Ray Lindwall, he formed Australia's first-choice opening attack, a combination regarded as one of the best of all time. Miller was also a skillful slip fielder, regarded by his captain as the best in the world.

Miller played a vital role in the side's success in the Test series, particularly with the ball. Despite a back injury which meant he passed one Test without bowling, he took 13 wickets in the series at an average of 26.28, and also contributed 184 runs at an average of 23.15. He played a key role in subduing England's leading batsmen, Len Hutton and Denis Compton, with a barrage of short-pitched bowling, troubling Hutton to such an extent that he was dropped for the Third Test. In all first-class matches on the tour, Miller scored 1,088 runs at 47.30 and took 56 wickets at 17.58. Bradman gave him a light bowling workload during the tour matches, to keep him fresh for the Test matches.

Miller's character, joie de vivre and love of cricket were expressed on the field during the tour, particularly in the tour games, when he played several carefree innings, hitting many sixes. He also showed his disdain for Bradman's obsession with annihilating the opposition. In one match against Essex, he deliberately allowed himself to be bowled first ball in protest against Australia's ruthless approach to batting; that day, his side set a world record for the most runs scored in a day of first-class cricket (721).

Miller's charisma—coupled with the unprecedented popularity of the Australians—meant that he was in demand at social events on the tour. His friendship with Princess Margaret was also particularly scrutinised by the media.