The Fourth Test of the 1948 Ashes series was one of five Tests in a cricket series between Australia and England. The match was played at Headingley Cricket Ground at Leeds from 22 to 27 July with a rest day on 25 July. Australia won the match by seven wickets to take an unassailable 3–0 series lead. In successfully chasing a target of 404, they set a new world record for the highest victorious runchase in Test history, a record lasting until 1976.

Needing to win the match to prevent an Australian series victory, England captain Norman Yardley won the toss and elected to bat. England continued to rearrange their team, making three changes in an attempt to find a combination that could challenge Australia, which made two changes forced by injury. Unlike the preceding Tests, England's openers were able to withstand the Australian new ball attack, and the partnership of Len Hutton and Cyril Washbrook put on 168 for the opening stand. Washbrook fell for 143 in the last over of the day, but England clearly had the better of the play, ending at 268/2 by stumps. Australia's bowlers were heavily criticised for their performance, which was seen as lethargic. The next day, England continued to amass runs, with Australia appearing unthreatening and unable to dislodge Bill Edrich and nightwatchman Alec Bedser, who batted until mid-afternoon. Bedser and Edrich then fell in quick succession for 79 and 111 respectively as England then collapsed and lost 8/73 to be all out for 496 late in the day. The hosts were heavily criticised for the collapse, which was largely due to unforced errors. Among the Australian bowlers, the wickets were shared. Australia then reached 63/1 in reply at stumps on day two.

Australia were in early trouble on the third morning when English bowler Dick Pollard removed Arthur Morris and captain Donald Bradman in the same over to leave the score at 68/3. However, Keith Miller (58) and Neil Harvey (112) launched a rapid counter-attack, adding 121 runs in 90 minutes in a display praised for its aesthetic beauty. They were later supported by Sam Loxton (93)—who hit five sixes—and Ray Lindwall (77), who both struck the ball powerfully. Australia ended the day at 457/9, having added 394 runs in one day, and 102 runs for the last two wickets to that point.

Australia were bowled out for 458 early on the fourth morning after the rest day, and England set about extending their lead, adding 129 for the first wicket, until both openers fell without further addition. In the meantime the workload on the Australian bowlers was heavy as Ernie Toshack had broken down in the first innings and unable to participate further. Edrich and Denis Compton took the score to 232/2 until a late collapse saw England reach stumps at 362/8. England batted on for two overs on the final day, declaring at 365/8. Bill Johnston was the most successful bowler with 4/95. This left Australia a target of 404 in less than a day, which would require a world record runchase, and allowed Yardley to use the heavy roller to break up the pitch, making batting even harder for the tourists. Most observers predicted an easy England win on a deteriorating surface. Australia started slowly, and Bradman joined Morris at 57/1 with 347 runs still needed in 257 minutes. They put together a stand of 301 in only 217 minutes, aided by erratic bowling, several missed catches and stumpings to help Australia to a win by seven wickets with 15 minutes remaining. Morris made 182 while Bradman was unbeaten on 173. The England selectors were heavily criticised after the match for failing to include a leg spinner in the team to exploit the favourable conditions. For the third time in a row, the match set a new record for the highest attendance at a Test in England. Test attendance would never be as high again, as cricket became less popular in the UK.

Background

Australia had gone through the first two months of their tour of England undefeated. After winning 10 of the first 12 games—the other two being drawn—eight of these by an innings, they won the First Test by eight wickets. Between the Tests, they defeated Northamptonshire by an innings before drawing against Yorkshire. They crushed England by 409 runs in the Second Test at Lord's, before defeating Surrey by ten wickets and crushing Gloucestershire by an innings and 363 runs, after amassing 774/7 declared, their highest score of the season. The Third Test was drawn amid rain interruptions that cost a day and a half of play; England had been in a strong position, having been 316 runs ahead with seven wickets in hand in their second innings when rain came at the end of the third day. Australia proceeded to claim a ten-wicket triumph over Middlesex in their only county game before the Fourth Test.

Australia made two changes for the Test at Headingley. Middle-order batsman Neil Harvey replaced the injured opener Sid Barnes,Perry (2002), p. 101. who had collapsed while fielding during the Third Test after being hit in the ribs by a Dick Pollard pull shot. Australia declined to replace Barnes with the reserve opener Bill Brown, instead opting to use vice-captain Lindsay Hassett as a makeshift opener rather than in his customary position in the middle-order. Harvey had scored an unbeaten 73 and a 95 in the recent tour matches against Surrey and Gloucestershire respectively. Ron Saggers replaced first-choice wicket-keeper Don Tallon behind the stumps. Tallon's little left finger had swelled up after the Third Test, and he exacerbated the injury during the match against Middlesex.Lemmon, p. 103. Former Australian Test leg spinner Bill O'Reilly criticised the Australians for opting to use only one spinner, pointing out that he and Chuck Fleetwood-Smith, a left-arm wrist spinner, had taken 17 wickets between them during the last Anglo-Australian Test at Headingley in 1938. O'Reilly cited a further instance of an Ashes Test at the same venue in 1934 in which he and Clarrie Grimmett had significant success for Australia. He wanted at least one of the two leg spinners, Colin McCool or Doug Ring, to have played alongside off spinner Ian Johnson,O'Reilly, p. 110. the only specialist spinner to have played in the three preceding Tests.

England made three changes. George Emmett was dropped after making 10 and a duck on his debut, and Len Hutton was recalled to take his opening position after being controversially omitted after the Second Test. England's leading batsman, Hutton had scored 74 in the First Test and made 52 and 64 for the Marylebone Cricket Club against Australia in the lead-up matches, when none of his teammates passed 26. O'Reilly praised the decision and the England selectors for stopping "all nonsense and phoney tactics".O'Reilly, p. 105. He further speculated that they would have done so irrespective of Hutton's form to avoid the wrath of the parochial Yorkshire spectators at Headingley, but in any case he regarded the original axing as scapegoating for England's two losses. O'Reilly believed the English administrators were penalising Hutton for angering them rather than poor performance.O'Reilly, p. 109. The decision to recall Hutton was met with wide approval from the cricketing public.

Jim Laker, the off spinner, replaced his left arm finger-spinning colleague Jack Young, who had taken 1/78 in the previous match against Australia for Middlesex, and totalled 3/174 in his two Tests in the series. Since his omission after the Second Test, Laker had taken 15 wickets in four matches for Surrey.

Middle-order batsman Tom Dollery, who had made only 38 in three innings in the Second and Third Tests, was replaced by all-rounder Ken Cranston. Playing mainly for Lancashire, Cranston had scored a century and four fifties, and taken 37 wickets in his last ten matches, but his previous outings against the tourists had not been successful. In two matches for the MCC and Lancashire against Australia, he had managed only 47 runs in three innings and a total of 2/109. English commentator John Arlott said Cranston's selection was an "indication that the selectors were again hankering after the non-existent Test all-rounder".Arlott, p. 98. O'Reilly regarded it as "the best team that the English selectors chose during the season" but felt they would be largely incapable of stopping an Australian series victory.

Scorecard

Umpires  F. Chester H. G. Baldwin Toss elected to bat first Result won by seven wickets Series impact leads 5-match series 3–0

England innings

First innings Second innings Batsman Method of dismissal Runs Method of dismissal Runs L. Hutton b Lindwall 81 c Bradman b Johnson 57 C. Washbrook c Lindwall b Johnston 143 c Harvey b Johnston 65 W. J. Edrich c Morris b Johnson 111 lbw b Lindwall 54 A. V. Bedser c & b Johnson 79 c Hassett b Miller 17 D. C. S. Compton c Saggers b Lindwall 23 c Miller b Johnston 66 J. F. Crapp b Toshack 5 b Lindwall 18 * N. W. D. Yardley b Miller 25 c Harvey b Johnston 7 K. Cranston b Loxton 10 c Saggers b Johnston 0 + T. G. Evans c Hassett b Loxton 3 not out 47 J. C. Laker c Saggers b Loxton 4 not out 15 R. Pollard not out 0 Extras 12 19 Total (192.1 overs) 496 (107 overs) 365/8d First innings Second innings Bowler Overs Maidens Runs Wickets Overs Maidens Runs Wickets R. R. Lindwall 38 10 79 2 26 6 84 2 K. R. Miller 17.1 2 43 1 21 5 53 1 W. A. Johnston 38 12 86 1 29 5 95 4 E. R. H. Toshack 35 6 112 1 – – – – S. J. E. Loxton 26 4 55 3 10 2 29 0 I. W. G. Johnson 33 9 89 2 21 2 85 1 A. R. Morris 5 0 20 0 – – – –

Australia innings

First innings Second innings Batsman Method of dismissal Runs Method of dismissal Runs A. R. Morris c Cranston b Bedser 6 c Pollard b Yardley 182 A. L. Hassett c Crapp b Pollard 13 c & b Compton 17 * D. G. Bradman b Pollard 33 not out 173 K. R. Miller c Edrich b Yardley 58 lbw b Cranston 12 R. N. Harvey b Laker 112 not out 4 S. J. E. Loxton b Yardley 93 I. W. G. Johnson c Cranston b Laker 10 R. R. Lindwall c Crapp b Bedser 77 + R. A. Saggers st Evans b Laker 5 W. A. Johnston c Edrich b Bedser 13 E. R. H. Toshack not out 12 Extras 26 16 Total (136.2 overs) 458 (114.1 overs) 404/3 First innings Second innings Bowler Overs Maidens Runs Wickets Overs Maidens Runs Wickets A. V. Bedser 31.2 4 92 3 21 2 56 0 R. Pollard 38 6 104 2 22 6 55 0 K. Cranston 14 1 51 0 7.1 0 28 1 W. J. Edrich 3 0 19 0 – – – – J. C. Laker 30 8 113 3 32 11 93 0 N. W. D. Yardley 17 6 38 2 13 1 44 1 D. C. S. Compton 3 0 15 0 15 3 82 1 L. Hutton – – – – 4 1 30 0

22 July: Day One

As Australia were leading 2–0 after three Tests, England needed to win the last two matches to square the series. The hosts won the toss and elected to bat on an ideal batting pitch, which was seen as being unhelpful to fast bowling. Despite saying the pitch would be more conducive to spinners, O'Reilly described the playing strip as being "so green that it was difficult to decide where the out-field ended and the pitch began".O'Reilly, p. 111. Although fast, the outfield was bumpy in some parts. On some sections of the ground, there was a downward slope towards the edge of the playing arena, meaning the ball would accelerate downhill after being hit. At times the crowd spilled over the unfenced boundary, making the ground smaller than intended. All these factors meant scoring a boundary would be an easier task for the batsmen.Fingleton, p. 148.

The England openers Cyril Washbrook and Len Hutton were given a loud reception as they walked out to bat, particularly the Yorkshire local Hutton. They had to face the Australian opening pair of Ray Lindwall and Keith Miller without the aid of sightscreen. It was the first time some of the Australians had played in a first-class match without a sightscreen, and those cricketers would later have to bat without its assistance. It was believed the Yorkshire administrators were reluctant to install a sightscreen as it would have taken up space and lowered the capacity of the ground, and thus the gate takings.