English cricket team in the West Indies in 1947–48

International cricket tour

The England national cricket team toured the West Indies from January to April 1948 and played four Test matches against the West Indies cricket team. The first two Tests were drawn and West Indies won the last two to take the series 2–0. England were captained by Gubby Allen, though Ken Cranston was stand-in skipper in the first Test. West Indies began with George Headley as captain but he was badly injured in the first Test and replaced for the rest of the series by John Goddard.

Test series summary

First Test

• West Indies won the toss and elected to bat.
• 25 January was taken as a rest day.
• CL Walcott, ED Weekes, RJ Christiani, JDC Goddard, W Ferguson, PEW Jones and BBM Gaskin (all WIN), and W Place, D Brookes, GA Smithson, JC Laker and MF Tremlett (all ENG) made their Test debuts.

Second Test

• England won the toss and elected to bat.
• 15 February was taken as a rest day.
• SC Griffith and JH Wardle (both ENG), and AG Ganteaume and FMM Worrell (both WIN) made their Test debuts.

Third Test

• West Indies won the toss and elected to bat.
• The match was scheduled for five days but completed in four.
• J Trim and LR Pierre (both WIN) made their Test debuts.

Fourth Test

• England won the toss and elected to bat.
• 28 March was taken as a rest day.
• KR Rickards, HHH Johnson and ESM Kentish (all WIN) made their Test debuts.

England squad

• Batsmen – Len Hutton, Jack Robertson, Joe Hardstaff junior, Dennis Brookes, Winston Place, Gerald Smithson
• Pace/seam bowlers – Gubby Allen (captain), Harold Butler, Maurice Tremlett
• Spinners – Jim Laker, Johnny Wardle
• All-rounders – Ken Cranston (vice-captain), Dick Howorth, Jack Ikin
• Wicketkeepers – Godfrey Evans, Billy Griffith

References

Sources

• CricketArchive — tour summary
• Playfair Cricket Annual, 1st edition, 1948
• Wisden Online — 1948
• Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, 85th edition, 1948