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Fourth Test
Main article: Fourth Test, 1948 Ashes series
During the drawn Third Test, Barnes was injured and Ian Johnson was used as a makeshift opener because Morris was the only specialist opener left in the team after the omission of Brown.[50][51] In the meantime, Barnes's injury had opened up a vacancy for the Fourth Test. Harvey managed only ten and Brown only eight as Australia defeated Middlesex by ten wickets in their only county match between Tests.[5][6][52]
Despite his low score in the preceding match against Middlesex, Harvey was called into the team for the Fourth Test at Headingley at the expense of Barnes.[3] The selectors had overlooked Brown as a replacement for Barnes's opening position. Instead, vice-captain Hassett would move from the middle-order to accompany Morris at the top of the innings, while Harvey would slot into the middle-order.[23][24]
England batted first and amassed 496. Australia began their reply on the second afternoon and Bradman and Hassett saw the tourists to stumps at 1/63.[24] The next morning, Hassett and Bradman fell in one Dick Pollard over to leave Australia at 3/68 with two new batsmen at the crease.[51] Harvey came in bareheaded at No. 5 to join cavalier all-rounder Keith Miller. Australia were more than 400 behind and if England were to remove the pair, they would expose Australia's lower order and give themselves an opportunity to take a large first innings lead. Upon arriving in the middle Harvey told his senior partner "What's going on out here, eh? Let's get stuck into 'em".[53][54] Harvey got off the mark by forcing the ball behind point for a single.[55]
The pair launched a counterattack, with Miller taking the lead. He hoisted off spinner Jim Laker's first ball over square leg for six. Miller shielded Harvey from Laker, as the young batsman was struggling against the off breaks that were turning away from him, especially one ball that spun and bounced, beating his outside edge.[56] Miller drilled an off-drive from Laker for four, and then hit another flat over his head, almost for six into the sightscreen.[56] This allowed Australia to seize the initiative, and Harvey joined the fightback during the next over, hitting consecutive boundaries against Laker, the second of which almost cleared the playing area. He then took another boundary to reach 44, with Miller on 42.[57]
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