Miller, Keith Ross

▪ 2005

      Australian cricketer (b. Nov. 28, 1919, Sunshine, Vic., Australia—d. Oct. 11, 2004, near Melbourne, Australia), was one of the best all-rounders of the 20th century and a key member of Don Bradman's Australian team that was unbeaten on its 1948 tour of England. A glamourous middle-order right-hand batsman and right-arm fast bowler, he scored 181 runs for Victoria on his first-class debut. Miller served as a fighter pilot during World War II, and in 1945 he made 2 centuries in the unofficial Victory Tests and 185 centuries for the Dominions versus England. He made his Test debut against New Zealand in 1946 and batted his first Test century (141 not out) in the fourth Test at Adelaide in the 1946–47 series against England. Though hampered by back trouble on the 1948 England tour, Miller took seven wickets in the first Test at Nottingham and scored more than a thousand runs for the tour. He retired from Test cricket in 1956 after having played in 55 matches and scored 2,958 runs (for an average of 36.97), with seven centuries and a high score of 147. As a bowler he took 170 wickets (average 22.97), taking 5 wickets in a match seven times and 10 wickets in a match once. Miller also took 38 catches, fielding primarily in the slips. In domestic cricket he played 18 matches for Victoria and 50 for New South Wales, where he served as captain. Miller was made MBE in 1956. He became a journalist after his retirement from the game.

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