Bill Johnston (cricketer)

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Bill Johnston Australia (AUS)

Batting style	Left-hand bat
Bowling type	Left-arm fast-medium, Slow left-arm orthodox
	Tests	First-class
Matches	40	142
Runs scored	273	1129
Batting average	11.37	12.68
100s/50s	0/0	0/0
Top score	29	38
Balls bowled	11048
Wickets	160	554
Bowling average	23.91	23.35
5 wickets in innings	7	29
10 wickets in match	0	6
Best bowling	6/44	8/52
Catches/stumpings	16/0	53/0
Test debut: 28 November 1947 Last Test: 11 June 1955 Source: [1]

William Arras Johnston (born February 26, 1922, Beeac, Victoria) is an Australian cricketer who played in 40 Tests from 1947 to 1955.

Johnston's bowling was one of the spearheads of Don Bradman's undefeated 1948 touring team - probably the best side in cricket history.

Originally a slow left-arm spinner, Johnston turned, owing to the hardness of Australian pitches in his youth, to fast-medium bowling in the 1940s. He first played for Victoria in 1945/1946, but was not very successful until his third season, when he made such an impression that he was selected to tour England in 1948. On that tour, Johnston was an unqualified success. Not only did he take 27 wickets in the five Tests - of which Australia won four - but he served superbly both as a back-up pace bowler to Ray Lindwall and Keith Miller and as an able left-arm spinner on the many rain-affected pitches encountered during a wet summer. Johnston finished the season at the top of the first-class bowling averages and was chosen as one of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Year.

The versatility of Johnston's bowling was seen at its best in the following summers, most notably on the 1949/1950 tour of South Africa and in the deceptively tight 1950/1951 Ashes series, during both of which he took over twenty wickets for less than 20 runs apiece. Though more expensive, Johnston was again successful in 1951/1952 against the West Indies, but was chosen to tour England in 1953 despite being expensive against South Africa in 1952/1953. His poor bowling form - both as a paceman and as a spinner - showed that Johnston really was declining, and despite some good performances for his state he retired from first-class cricket at the beginning of 1955.

Though an extremely poor batsman, Johnston headed the averages in England in 1953, being not out 16 times out of 17 and averaging 102!