173 not out from Bradman meant that Saggers was not required to bat again in the second innings; Australia defeating England by seven wickets. Saggers did not play in the remaining international matches of the 1948 Ashes series, and he ended the tour with 209 runs at an average of 23.22, including a career high score of 104 not out against Essex, 23 catches and 20 stumpings, also career records. This compared with the first-choice gloveman Tallon, who scored 283 runs at 25.72. In all his matches on tour, Tallon missed 249 byes as Australia conceded 5,331 runs, a bye percentage of 4.67%. In contrast, Saggers conceded 221 byes from the 6,190 runs scored against Australia when he was behind the stumps, a percentage of 3.57%.N- In his book, Farewell to Cricket, Bradman said of Saggers following the tour: "[he] had not quite the speed or agility of Tallon but could always be relied on for a solid performance. A most polished and unostentatious player." South Africa Saggers' next Test came in the 1949 tour of South Africa, where he was Australia's first choice wicket-keeper for all five Test matches. In light of the successful 1948 tour of England, Saggers commented "give me South Africa now, but I wouldn't care to insure her future at double the rate I'd insure Australia's." In the first warm up match against Natal Saggers scored 17 and took four catches, and in the second against North Eastern Transvaal he took one catch and made two stumpings, but was not needed to bat in either innings. He made 32 runs with three stumpings and three catches against the South African XI, made two stumpings but did not bat against the Orange Free State, and then scored one and nought not out against the Transvaal. The first Test match of the tour, on 24 December 1949 at Johannesburg, saw him score 14 runs in the first innings before falling leg before wicket (LBW) to Cuan McCarthy, and taking three catches as South Africa were forced to follow on, Australia winning by an innings and 85 runs. In the Second Test at Cape Town, Saggers did get a chance to bat, with Australia declaring for 526 before he had the opportunity in the first innings. South Africa were forced to follow-on (bat twice in a row) and were defeated by eight wickets. He did, however, complete three