 This was the first Ashes series to be played since the retirement of Don Bradman and it saw the debut of Ken Archer, Jim Burke, Graeme Hole and Jack Iverson for Australia and John Warr and Roy Tattersall for England.Despite their defeat it was two English players who dominated the series; Len Hutton "a Titan among the minnows" made 533 runs (88.83) with an average double that of any other batsman, English or Australian.Alec Bedser took 30 wickets (16.06) and began his dominance of Australian batsmen that would continue into 1953, when he and Hutton would be instrumental in regaining the Ashes for England.