Arthur Morris

Lore & Background

In his youth, Morris excelled at rugby union as well as cricket, being selected for the state schoolboys' team in both sports. Originally trained in spin bowling, Morris developed as a batsman during his teens and during the 1940–41 season became the first player in the world to score two centuries on his first-class debut. His career was interrupted by the Second World War, during which he served in the Australian Army and gained selection in its rugby union team. Upon the resumption of cricket in 1946, Morris made his Test debut against England and quickly made himself a core member of the team. He made a century in his third match and scored twin centuries in the following Test, becoming only the second Australian to do so in an Ashes Test. His rise was such that he was made a selector during the Invincibles tour after only 18 months in the team. After the 4–0 series win over England, which was Don Bradman's farewell series, Morris was appointed vice-captain for the 1949–50 tour of South Africa and was expected to be its leading batsman. He started well, scoring two centuries during Australia's first series in the post-Bradman era, a tour to South Africa that saw Australia win the Test series 4–0. By the end of the South African tour, Morris had amassed nine Test centuries and his batting average was over 65, but thereafter his form declined. Australia increasingly fell on hard times as the core of Bradman's team aged and retired. Morris was overlooked for the captaincy and then briefly dropped as his cricketing prowess waned. His career ended after his first wife became terminally ill. Later in his life, Morris served as a trustee of the Sydney Cricket Ground for over twenty years. In 2017, Morris was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

In Their Own Story

The air at Lord's was thick with tension as the English crowd roared, but Arthur Morris stood unmoved behind the crease. The bowler ran in, a blur of white and red, delivering a fierce bouncer that threatened to unsettle even the bravest. Morris didn't flinch; he simply ducked low, his eyes never leaving the ball until it settled safely into the gloves. With a calm, rhythmic shuffle, he stepped forward to drive the next delivery through the covers, adding another run to an innings that would become legend.

Reader's Guide

Morris was born on 19 January 1922 in the Sydney seaside suburb of Bondi. His father, a schoolteacher who played for Waverley Cricket Club as a fast bowler, encouraged him to play sports. Morris attended Canterbury Boys' High School from 1936 to 1939, where he was school captain in Year 11. He made his first-class debut for New South Wales in the 1940–41 season, scoring centuries in both innings against Queensland, becoming the first player in the world to achieve the feat on debut. He served in the Australian Army during the Second World War, mostly in New Guinea. He made his Test debut against England in the First Test in Brisbane in 1946–47. His maiden Test century was 155 in the second innings of the Third Test at Melbourne against England in 1947. He scored twin centuries (122 and 124 not out) in the Fourth Test at Adelaide, becoming the second Australian after Warren Bardsley to score two centuries in one Ashes Test.

Did You Know?

• Morris was the leading Test run-scorer on the 1948 Invincibles tour of England, with three centuries.
• He became the first player in the world to score two centuries on his first-class debut, in the 1940–41 season.
• Morris was a selector during the Invincibles tour after only 18 months in the Test team.
• He was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame in 2001 and the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2017.