Legendary Australian batsman Neil Harvey, the oldest living Test cricketer, turned 97 years old on Wednesday. Harvey, who is the longest living cricketer for Australia, is also the last living member of Don Bradman’s famed unconquerable Australian side that remained unbeaten in England over 34 matches in 1948.
Building on this legacy, the Victoria-born left-handed batter played 79 Tests between 1948 and 1963, scoring 6,149 runs at an impressive average of 48.41. In 306 First-Class appearances, Harvey scored more than 21,000 runs while averaging in excess of 50.
Furthermore, one of Harvey’s most remarkable achievements includes his prolific form during a Test series against South Africa in 1952-53, where he amassed 834 runs in nine innings. His run rally in that series is still the fourth-highest for a batter in a single series. On a tour of South Africa in 1949-50, Harvey struck four centuries in five matches and aggregated 660 runs.
In fact, Harvey’s early career was marked by extraordinary success. He smashed six centuries in his first 13 Test matches alone, and at 19 years and 121 days, became the youngest Australian to score a Test ton during his knock of 153 against India in Melbourne in 1948.
After his retirement, Harvey served as national selector for 12 years and was inducted into the Australian Hall of Fame in 2000.
