The greatest Aussie all-rounder — Keith Miller
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Keith Ross Miller (28-11-19 – 11-10-04) AM, MBE, was the greatest all-rounder, most contented, Australia produced in an era when Test cricket was at its best. A searing right arm fast bowler who could open the bowling and a batsman who can easily fill the No.3 slot in any batting side.However, off the cricket field he was a fighter pilot, and was named after the famous airmen brothers, Keith & Ross Smith, who made aviation history with their first epic transatlantic flight.
Here was a man with an incomparable zest for life who flew night missions over Germany and France in his Mosquito plane and was a man who was larger than life. And he played under, no less than Don Bradman.
He “whacked sixes, backed horses, had film-star looks, bowled bouncers, caught blinders in the slips” while having a hip flask of whiskey in his hip pocket.
The story goes that on an occasion Michael Parkinson, the famous mediaman, asked Miller about how he managed pressure? “Pressure” he echoed? “Real pressure is when you are flying a Mosquito with a Messerschmitt up your arse”! Such stories about him in the war days were legion.
Flight Lieutenant Miller’s love for classical music was such that on one occasion, compelled him to turn his Mosquito back to the war zone. Taking a slight detour, he flew over Bonn, Beethoven’s birthplace!
On another occasion, Miller fought to control his plane as he came in to land. The starboard engine was spurting flame and Miller was forced to crash-land the ailing aircraft.
Miller once flew up the straight at Royal Ascot one clear Saturday afternoon and another day he buzzed the Goodwood track. His commanding officer gave Miller a dressing down.
How the worm turned.
During the Australian team’s tour of England in 1953, Miller, in top hat and tails, drove to Royal Ascot in a gleaming Rolls Royce. As he drove into the car park he noticed that the attendant was none other than his old RAF Commanding Officer. Miller stepped from his vehicle and, pretending not to have recognised his ex-CO, said in his best official voice, “Ah, my good fellow. Park my Rolls in the shade, will you? That’s a good chap.”
But his best story came in 1948 with the Australians – under Don Bradman – when his good looks even attracted Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth’s sister.
Five years later, when the touring Australians visited Buckingham Palace, in 1953, he emerged from the bus and began to wander towards a distant building. “Nugget where are you going?” asked skipper Hassett. It’s OK skipper there’s another entrance I know.” Little did his skipper know that this is where Princess Margaret was!
For much of the war, Miller was based near Bournemouth. Every Friday night it became tradition for Miller and his mates from the RAF base to meet at the Carlton Hotel in Bournemouth. One fateful Friday night, Miller couldn’t make the regular appointment and when he returned he found the town barricaded after a German raid. A Focker-Wulf fighter bomber had strafed the church next to the hotel, causing the church spire to collapse directly on to the front bar, instantly killing his eight mates. Each year for more than 50 years Miller returned to England and spent time with a relative of each of his mates killed that tragic night in 1943.
Miller’s attacking batting and brilliant fast bowling made an instant impact in world cricket when he impressed as an all-rounder in the Victory Tests in 1945. He scored 514 runs in the series, including a brilliant 185 at Lord’s, where he hit Eric Hollies – remember here was the right-am leg-spinner who bowled Bradman second ball on the Don’s final innings – for seven sixes, one of the hits crashing into the top of the Lord’s pavilion.
John Arlott once wrote that Miller seemed to be “busy living life in case he ran out of it”. Miller found a classical-music soulmate in Neville Cardus and had an equally good rapport with the great conductor Sir John Barbirolli.
Miller never captained Australia but he did lead New South Wales with distinction in the 1950s. Richie Benaud regards Miller as the best captain “never to have captained his country”, for the way he led by instinct and by example.
In November 1955, Miller’s New South Wales struggled to 215 for 8 on the first day of a Sheffield Shield match against South Australia. At stumps Miller declared the innings closed and then partied long and hard to celebrate the birth of his first child. His NSW team-mates were already on the ground when Miller arrived the next morning, so he hurriedly tossed on his cricket gear, his bootlaces trailing as he wandered onto the ground. When he focused his bleary eyes on the wicket, they opened wide, for the wicket was green as a tree frog.
Left-arm paceman Alan Davidson had already measured out his 15-paced approach and was eager to bowl the first ball. He was standing at the top of his mark when Miller approached.
“Ahem, now Davo, I think you can do a job for us today,” Miller said before turning his back and walking down towards the stumps and the beginning of the green pitch. He stopped, turned around and waved to Davidson. “Ah Davo, try the other end, I’ll have a go here.”
Within a few overs South Australia were dismissed for 27. Miller took a career-best 7 for 12. Davidson didn’t get a bowl.
As NSW captain, Miller’s legend grew. Once, someone alerted him to the fact that there were 12 men on the field. “It seems we have too many men out here,” Miller said. “Will one of you blokes piss off?”
In 55 Tests between 1946 and 1956, he took 170 wickets at 22.97 and scored 2958 runs at 36.97. He also pulled off some wonderful catches in the slips. He was agile, some said he possessed lightning reflexes and moved swiftly and gracefully, like a panther.