Bradman's Invincibles

The 1948 Ashes series in Britain was quite unique. The Australian team under Donald Bradman went through the whole summer - county matches as well as Tests - undefeated. Of the five-match Test series they won four and drew the fifth. Hence, and indisputably, the "Invincibles". It was to be Bradman's swansong as a Test player: but without the appropriate golden farewell, as he was bowled for a duck at the Oval in his last Test innings of all. Roland Perry's book is a comprehensive account of the whole tour, match by match, as this remarkable side - featuring great bowlers like Lindwall and Miller as well as batting maestros like Bradman - moved around the country from county to county, conquering all before them. The Test matches, though none went England's way, were epic contests between great players on both sides - England's Denis Compton, Len Hutton and Godfrey Evans just some of the great sportsmen on show. As well as absorbing match reports, Perry also supplies profiles of every player on both sides to have played in the Test series.
Published in time for the eagerly-awaited 2009 Ashes series - the first for England under Kevin Pietersen's captaincy, and coming after the previous Australian whitewash in 2007 - Bradman's Invincibles is the definitive account of a remarkable sports team. Roland Perry is the author of, among many books, the authorised biography of Keith Miller (also published by Aurum), and a biography of Michael Straight. He lives in Melbourne, Australia.