Arthur Morris inducted into ICC hall of fame

Arthur Morris, the late Australia batsman, has been inducted as the 82nd player into the ICC hall of fame. He played 46 Tests and was the highest scorer among Don Bradman's "Invincibles" in the 1948 Ashes. Noted for his elegance at the crease, the left-handed opener was also a destructive presence, averaging 46.48 with 12 hundreds and a top score of 206. He died in Sydney in August 2015, aged 93.

Judith Morris received a personalised cap celebrating her husband's contributions from Steve Waugh, another member of the ICC hall of fame, at tea during the New Year's Test at the SCG. "It is a great honour to be receiving this award, which brings in a flood of memories along with it," she said.

Among them might have been how Morris had struck hundreds in his first two first-class innings - or his 155, 122 and 124 not out in consecutive innings in his first Test series. He was at the other end when Bradman made a duck in his final innings at The Oval and finished with 196, which helped Australia to an innings victory and did not give Bradman the chance to lift his average into three-figures.

Wisden selected Morris as one of their cricketers of the year in 1948 and said he had an "air of complete composure" and that "he combined unusual defensive qualities with the ability to decide early in the ball's flight what his stroke shall be". He was named in Australia's team of the century in 2000, and in the following year, he was inducted into the Australian hall of fame.

Tuesday marked an occasion for more praise for Morris. "Cricket has developed over the years and decades due to the contribution of players who entertained the crowds with their attractive game and made contests memorable due to their steely resolve. Arthur Morris was one such cricketer and that is why he is remembered even so many years after he played the game," Waugh said.

Morris' form tapered away towards the end of his career, coinciding with Sid Barnes, his long-time opener partner, getting into problems with the administrators. He played the last of his 46 Tests in June 1955.

"He spent a long period in the motor trade, then played a significant part in the introduction of tenpin bowling to Australia, before finishing in PR," Morris' obituary in Wisden says of his life after retirement. "He remained an honoured guest at cricket grounds everywhere, his dignity never puffing up into pomposity, thanks to an acute sense of the ironic and the whimsical. He was appointed MBE in 1974, and was a member of the Sydney Cricket and Sports Ground Trust for 22 years. Three days before he died, the Arthur Morris Gates were unveiled as a tribute to his long association with the SCG."