South African cricket team in England in 1947
The South African cricket team toured England in the 1947 season to play a five-match Test series against England. The team was captained by Alan Melville with Dudley Nourse as his vice-captain. England won the series with three wins and two matches drawn. This was the second Test series hosted by England since the end of World War II in 1945. South Africa's previous visit to England was their successful 1935 tour.
Background
1947 was a year in which the weather frequently made headlines in Great Britain. After one of the coldest winters on record, the summer was uncharacteristically warm and sunny. In terms of cricket, what the new Playfair Cricket Annual called a "glorious summer" contrasted sharply with the wet summer of 1946. The country was still recovering from the war with austerity and rationing a fact of daily life, but sporting events were eagerly awaited and drew large attendances.South African squad
South Africa brought a 17-man squad captained by Alan Melville. Squad details below state the player's age at the beginning of the tour, his batting hand, his type of bowling, and his provincial Currie Cup team at the time:| Name | Currie Cup | Birth date | Batting style | Bowling style | Ref |
| Alan Melville | Transvaal | right-handed | off break, leg break and googly | ||
| Dudley Nourse | Natal | right-handed | none | ||
| Denis Begbie | Transvaal | right-handed | off break, leg break and googly | ||
| Dennis Dyer | Natal | right-handed | slow left-arm orthodox spin | ||
| Tony Harris | Transvaal | right-handed | none | ||
| Ken Viljoen | Transvaal | right-handed | none |
| Name | Currie Cup | Birth date | Batting style | Bowling style | Ref |
| Ossie Dawson | Natal | right-handed | right arm medium pace | ||
| Bruce Mitchell | Transvaal | right-handed | leg break |
| Name | Currie Cup | Birth date | Batting style | Bowling style | Ref |
| George Fullerton | Transvaal | right-handed | none | ||
| Johnny Lindsay | Transvaal | right-handed | none | ||
| Douglas Ovenstone | Western Province | right-handed | none |
| Name | Currie Cup | Birth date | Batting style | Bowling style | Ref |
| Tufty Mann | Eastern Province | right-handed | slow left-arm orthodox spin | ||
| Leslie Payn | Natal | right-handed | slow left-arm orthodox spin | ||
| Jack Plimsoll | Western Province | right-handed | left-arm fast bowling medium fast | ||
| Athol Rowan | Transvaal | right-handed | off break | ||
| Ian Smith | Natal | right-handed | leg break | ||
| Lindsay Tuckett | Orange Free State | right-handed | right-arm fast bowling medium fast |