# South African cricket team in England in 1947

The South African cricket team toured England in the 1947 season to play a five-match Test series against England. The team was captained by Alan Melville with Dudley Nourse as his vice-captain (v/c). England won the series with three wins and two matches drawn. This was the second Test series hosted by England since the end of World War II in 1945. South Africa's previous visit to England was their successful 1935 tour.

## Background

1947 was a year in which the weather frequently made headlines in Great Britain. After one of the coldest winters on record, the summer was uncharacteristically warm and sunny. In terms of cricket, what the new Playfair Cricket Annual called a "glorious summer" contrasted sharply with the wet summer of 1946. The country was still recovering from the war with austerity and rationing a fact of daily life, but sporting events were eagerly awaited and drew large attendances.

## South African squad

South Africa brought a 17-man squad captained by Alan Melville. Squad details below state the player's age at the beginning of the tour, his batting hand, his type of bowling, and his provincial Currie Cup team at the time:
Batsmen :
| Name | Currie Cup | Birth date | Batting style | Bowling style |
| Alan Melville (captain) | Transvaal | (1910-05-19)19 May 1910 (aged 36) | right-handed | off break, leg break and googly |
| Dudley Nourse (v/c) | Natal | (1910-11-12)12 November 1910 (aged 36) | right-handed | none |
| Denis Begbie | Transvaal | (1914-12-14)14 December 1914 (aged 32) | right-handed | off break, leg break and googly |
| Dennis Dyer | Natal | (1914-05-02)2 May 1914 (aged 32) | right-handed | slow left-arm orthodox spin |
| Tony Harris | Transvaal | (1916-08-27)27 August 1916 (aged 30) | right-handed | none |
| Ken Viljoen | Transvaal | (1910-05-14)14 May 1910 (aged 36) | right-handed | none |
All-rounders :
| Name | Currie Cup | Birth date | Batting style | Bowling style | Ref |
| Ossie Dawson | Natal | (1919-09-01)1 September 1919 (aged 27) | right-handed | right arm medium pace | |
| Bruce Mitchell | Transvaal | (1909-01-08)8 January 1909 (aged 38) | right-handed | leg break | |
Wicket-keepers :
| Name | Currie Cup | Birth date | Batting style | Bowling style |
| George Fullerton | Transvaal | (1922-12-08)8 December 1922 (aged 24) | right-handed | none |
| Johnny Lindsay | Transvaal | (1908-09-08)8 September 1908 (aged 38) | right-handed | none |
| Douglas Ovenstone | Western Province | (1920-12-28)28 December 1920 (aged 26) | right-handed | none |
Bowlers :
| Name | Currie Cup | Birth date | Batting style | Bowling style |
| Tufty Mann | Eastern Province | (1920-12-28)28 December 1920 (aged 26) | right-handed | slow left-arm orthodox spin |
| Leslie Payn | Natal | (1915-05-06)6 May 1915 (aged 31) | right-handed | slow left-arm orthodox spin |
| Jack Plimsoll | Western Province | (1917-10-27)27 October 1917 (aged 29) | right-handed | left-arm fast bowling medium fast |
| Athol Rowan | Transvaal | (1921-02-07)7 February 1921 (aged 26) | right-handed | off break |
| Ian Smith | Natal | (1925-02-25)25 February 1925 (aged 22) | right-handed | leg break |
| Lindsay Tuckett | Orange Free State | (1919-02-06)6 February 1919 (aged 28) | right-handed | right-arm fast bowling medium fast |

## England selections

England chose a total of 21 players to represent them in the series. Five players took part in all five Test matches: captain Norman Yardley; batsmen Len Hutton, Cyril Washbrook and Denis Compton; and wicket-keeper Godfrey Evans.

## Test series summary
### First Test

* 7–11 June 1947 (4-day match) Scorecard Wisden
* match drawn Trent Bridge, Nottingham Umpires: C. A. R. Coleman and J. A. Smart
* South Africa won the toss and elected to bat
* 8 June was taken as a rest day
* O. C. Dawson, T. A. Harris, A. M. B. Rowan, L. T. D. Tuckett, N. B. F. Mann, J. D. Lindsay and V. I. Smith (all SA), and H. E. Dollery, C. Cook and J. W. Martin (all ENG) made their Test debuts

### Second Test

* 21–25 June 1947 (4-day match) Scorecard Wisden
* England won by 10 wickets Lord's, London Umpires: H. G. Baldwin and D. Davies
* England won the toss and elected to bat
* 22 June was taken as a rest day
* G. H. Pope (ENG) made his Test debut

### Third Test

* 5–9 July 1947 (4-day match) Scorecard Wisden
* England won by 7 wickets Old Trafford, Manchester Umpires: F. Chester and C. A. R. Coleman
* South Africa won the toss and elected to bat
* 6 July was taken as a rest day
* D. V. Dyer and J. B. Plimsoll (both SA), and K. Cranston and C. Gladwin (both ENG) made their Test debuts

### Fourth Test

* 26–29 July 1947 (4-day match) Scorecard Wisden
* England won by 10 wickets Headingley, Leeds Umpires: F. Chester and J. J. Hills
* South Africa won the toss and elected to bat.
* 27 July was taken as a rest day; the match was scheduled for four days but completed in three
* G. M. Fullerton (SA), and J. A. Young and H. J. Butler (both ENG) made their Test debuts; K. Cranston ended the South African second innings with four wickets in six balls (W.W.WW)

### Fifth Test

* 16–20 August 1947 (4-day match) Scorecard Wisden
* Match drawn The Oval, London Umpires: H. G. Baldwin and J. A. Smart
* England won the toss and elected to bat
* 17 August was taken as a rest day
* J. D. B. Robertson and R. Howorth (both ENG) made their Test debuts