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| Previous Tournament: | 1945 English cricket season |
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| Next Tournament: | 1947 English cricket season |
1946 was the 47th season of County Championship cricket in England. It was the first full season of first-class cricket to be played in England after World War II. It featured a three-match Test series between England and India, which was arranged at short notice. Yorkshire retained the County Championship title, having been the last pre-war champions in 1939. Wisden Cricketers' Almanack (1947 edition), in its review of the 1946 season, remarked that "the weather in 1946 might have been dreadful, but it didn't stop the crowds flocking to games".[1]
See main article: Indian cricket team in England in 1946.
England managed to arrange a three-match series against India, whose team was captained by former England player Iftikhar Ali Khan, the Nawab of Pataudi and included Vinoo Mankad, Vijay Merchant and future Pakistan captain Abdul Hafeez Kardar. Mankad was named by Wisden as one of its "Five Cricketers of the Year" in the 1947 edition.
England won the First Test thanks to Alec Bedser's 11 wickets on his debut. The Second Test was drawn after India's last two batsmen held out for the final 13 minutes with England well ahead, Bedser again having taken 11 wickets in the match. The Third Test was also drawn after being ruined by persistent rain.
See main article: 1946 County Championship.
| 1946 English cricket season - leading batsmen by average | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Innings | Runs | Highest | Average | 100s | |
| 26 | 1783 | 214 | 84.90 | 7 | ||
| 41 | 2385 | 242* | 74.53 | 7 | ||
| 43 | 2400 | 182 | 68.57 | 9 | ||
| 45 | 2403 | 235 | 61.61 | 10 | ||
| 29 | 1425 | 142 | 52.77 | 6 | ||
| 10 | 472 | 141* | 52.44 | 2 | ||
| 1946 English cricket season - leading batsmen by aggregate | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Innings | Runs | Highest | Average | 100s | |
| 45 | 2403 | 235 | 61.61 | 10 | ||
| 43 | 2400 | 182 | 68.57 | 9 | ||
| 41 | 2385 | 242* | 74.53 | 7 | ||
| 46 | 2221 | 172 | 50.47 | 5 | ||
| 48 | 2191 | 200 | 50.95 | 7 | ||
| 58 | 2114 | 128 | 38.43 | 5 | ||
| 1946 English cricket season - leading bowlers by average | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Balls | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Average | |
| 5504 | 423 | 1289 | 111 | 11.61 | ||
| 4874 | 204 | 1742 | 130 | 13.40 | ||
| 4160 | 215 | 1329 | 93 | 14.29 | ||
| 6830 | 354 | 2498 | 167 | 14.95 | ||
| 3578 | 203 | 987 | 65 | 15.18 | ||
| 1946 English cricket season - leading bowlers by aggregate | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Balls | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Average | |
| 9168 | 433 | 2871 | 184 | 15.60 | ||
| 7862 | 358 | 3095 | 177 | 17.48 | ||
| 6830 | 354 | 2498 | 167 | 14.95 | ||
| 5962 | 144 | 3012 | 148 | 20.35 | ||
| 6739 | 327 | 2477 | 133 | 18.62 | ||