 In the Fourth Test at Adelaide , both Lindwall and Miller broke down in the middle of match , leaving Australia two bowlers short . In their absence , Johnston took 5 / 110 and 2 / 67 but Australia were unable to force a win . He sent down 587 balls for the entire match . Lindwall and Miller were unable to play in the Fifth Test , and in their absence , the South Africans were able to score heavily . Johnston had a large workload , taking 6 / 152 and 1 / 114 as the tourists won by six wickets to level the series 2 – 2 . On this occasion , Johnston sent down 662 balls for the match . In the last two Tests , Johnston conceded more than 100 runs in three of the four innings with the increased burden in his colleagues ' absence ; the only previous occasion when he had conceded a century of runs in an innings was in the First Test against England in 1948 when Lindwall broke down mid @-@ match . Johnston was again Australia 's leading wicket @-@ taker with 21 wickets , but his average of 35 @.@ 10 was substantially higher than in previous seasons , as Australia struggled to a 2 – 2 series result . It was the first time Australia had not won a Test series since the 1938 Ashes tour . His best effort against the South Africans was in the second tour match between Victoria and the tourists , in which he totalled 7 / 122 . Aided by his two ten @-@ wicket match hauls against Queensland , Johnston totalled 59 wickets at 26 @.@ 47 for the season . 
