May 26, 2007	Saturday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 09, 1428

SYDNEY, May 25: Bill Johnston, a member of Don Bradman's 1948 ‘Invincibles’ cricket team, has died at the age of 85, Cricket Australia said on Friday. Johnston, a left-arm medium-pace bowler from Victoria, played 40 Tests for Australia between 1947 and 1955, taking 160 wickets at 23.91.

Cricket Australia said he died in a Sydney nursing home late on Thursday.

His death leaves five surviving members of the 1948 squad that toured England unbeaten — Arthur Morris, Neil Harvey, Sam Loxton, Bill Brown and Ron Hamence.

Brown, who turns 95 in July and is Australia's oldest Test cricketer, said he was extremely sad to learn that his good mate had died.

“Bill was really one of the most likeable blokes in cricket, a lovely fellow with a great sense of humour,” Brown said on Friday.

Although his contemporaries rated him as an outstanding bowler, he was forced for much of his career to remain in the shadow of Australia's brilliant new-ball pair, Ray Lindwall and Keith Miller.

“He probably didn't see as much of the new ball as he may have liked,” Brown recalled.

“He had the ability to handle it, there's no question about that, but Lindwall and Miller were our No 1 and No 2 shock bowlers, and poor old Bill used to get what was left over.

“But Bill was a great team man. You might say he did all the hard work.

“He had this lovely, fluid, left-arm bowling action and he could move the ball away off the wicket.”

Cricket Australia chairman Creagh O'Connor said Johnston was an “invincible on the field during his distinguished 40-Test career, and a gentleman off the field.

“Those of us fortunate enough to have known Bill will remember him as a good companion, well-humoured, passionate about cricket and always willing to share his knowledge,” O'Connor said in a statement.

“However, to cricket fans he will always be remembered, rightly, as a member of Sir Donald Bradman's legendary Invincibles, and as a left-armer who took a lot of wickets quickly and economically when bowling in the company of fellow greats such as Lindwall and Miller.

“His cheery tail-end batting also had its moments, including a quirky statistic that gave him a batting average of 102 during a tour of England in 1953.”

Johnston captured 554 first-class wickets at 23.35, and was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1949.

Johnston is survived by his sons — David, the chief executive of the Tasmanian Cricket Association, and Peter. His wife Judy died in 2004.—AFP