the Fifth Test at The Oval tied 0–0. Miller's last Test performance was his least productive; he scored one and a duck and took a total of 2/89. England won the match and regained the Ashes. Miller's returns were below his career standards, with 223 runs at 24.77 and 10 wickets at 30.30. He took two catches. Miller scored 67 against the Gentlemen of England at Lord's and then played against the Combined Services at Kingston. He reached his century before lunch and then proceeded to 262 not out with 24 boundaries. This included a 377-run fourth-wicket stand by Jim de Courcy in only 205 minutes, in particular targeting Fred Trueman's bowling. He then took 3/17 with the ball. He finished the English summer with 1,433 runs at 51.17, the second highest average behind Harvey among batsmen with over 200 runs. He was the only Australian to hit two double centuries and also took 45 wickets at 22.51. For his efforts that summer, Wisden Cricketers' Almanack named him one of its Five Cricketers of the Year. Overlooked for Test captaincy Miller returned to Australia and led New South Wales to the Sheffield Shield title in 1953–54. He topped the Australian first-class batting averages with 71.10, but had his poorest season with the ball, taking only 16 wickets at 38.75. The season was purely domestic with no touring side and therefore no Test matches. The season was also a transition point in Australian cricket, as Hassett retired upon return to Australia. Initially, Morris and Miller were the two frontrunners for the captaincy. Miller was the state captain, but Morris was the vice-captain of the Test team ahead of Miller. At the time, Johnson had been dropped from the Australian team, but inherited the Victorian captaincy from Hassett, who accused him of not trying. Hassett told Johnson that he could become Test captain if he regained his form and his Test position. As the outgoing captain, Hassett was believed to have an influence over the selection of his successor. Miller had also criticised Hassett in his book, and there was talk that Hassett was upset about Miller's departure from South Melbourne and Victoria. Johnson returned to form with 45 wickets at 22.75 for the season. England toured Australia in the 1954–55 season. Johnson was selected to lead an Australian XI in a tour match against the Englishmen before the Tests, an indication