When the selectors announced their tour party, the cricket correspondent for The Times newspaper had some prophetic words. "It may be as good a side as Australia has ever sent to England," he wrote.

The reputation of Australian cricket teams had preceded them. They had not lost a test match since top level cricket resumed after the War and they were destined to go through the entire 1948 summer in England undefeated. By doing so, they earned the nickname "The Invincibles" and many consider them the greatest sporting team of all time.

The majority had lost six years of their careers to World War Two and were determined to make up for lost time. They included war time pilot Keith Miller, now one half of a blistering pace bowling attack with Ray Lindwall. The side had that elusive blend of experience and youth. It included batsmen of the calibre of Arthur Morris and Syd Barnes and also the side was a teenager called Neil Harvey, destined to enjoy a stellar career.

Then there was the captain, Don Bradman. In the 1930s he had been the best known cricketer in the world. His achievements in the game on a par with baseball’s Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig or Joe Di Maggio.

When Bradman was dismissed, the newspaper headlines simply said ‘"He’s Out". Such was his dominance there was no need to ask who.

Bradman was now 40 years of age and had announced that the trip to England would be his farewell to the big time. Although Australia were unbeaten in all the matches they had played post war, Bradman deliberately played down his team’s prospects in the series between England and Australian teams for a tiny urn known as "The Ashes".

"I think we have a 50-50 chance of retaining the Ashes," he said.

"I feel this will be my final opportunity to be of service to the game which has played such a big part in my life."

Wally Hammond, a revered England batsman whose career had run almost parallel to Bradman insisted, "I still consider Bradman the greatest batsman in the world.’"

In those days, air travel for sporting teams was almost unheard of. They travelled from the West Australian port of Fremantle on the Royal Mail Ship Strathaird.

When the Australians docked in England, they were mobbed wherever they went. Bradman in particular would receive thousands of fan letters. One was came from The Netherlands and was addressed simply, "Somewhere playing in England". It reached its destination.

India’s test match with England at Edgbaston this week was preceded by just one warm-up match. In 1948, apart from practice sessions, the Australian included at least one three day match against every county team.

Since the 1930s, the first match had been played at Worcester, where the Cathedral forms a picturesque backdrop. It didn’t take long for the Australians to disrupt the tranquil setting. The second ball of the tour brought Lindwall his first wicket. They won by the crushing margin of an innings.

The BBC commentator John Arlott spoke of "the quality of 'Australianism’'. A single-minded determination to win to within the laws but, if necessary, to the last limit within them."

Each match was fiercely competitive but one above all other was emblematic of this ruthless approach. It came in mid May in the seaside town of Southend.

Australia were bowled out inside a day. This would have been an impressive performance by the Essex bowlers except for the fact that Australia’s total score was a colossal 721. Bradman himself contributed 187, including 20 runs in one over.

All rounder Keith Miller later recalled the Bradman philosophy.

"During the 1948 tour he drilled it into us, when you get in front nail them into the ground," he said. "When you get them down never let them get up.’"

Each match enabled Australia to reach peak performance by the time of the first Test match against England at Nottingham in early June. The Australians won by eight wickets and also took the second at Lord’s by the huge margin of 409 runs.

Although England offered a spirited performance at Manchester in the third test, weather delays prevented a result which meant Australia had retained the Ashes.

There was no letting up in the fourth test in Leeds. In good batting conditions, the teenage Neil Harvey scored 112 for Australia.

His family was listening to the radio commentary back in Australia. "I broadcast those last tantalising minutes as though I was talking only to the Harvey family. Don’t worry Mrs Harvey he’ll make it," said radio commentator Alan McGilvray.

England had batted well in both innings and on the fifth and final day, Australia were set a record target of 404 to win in 345 minutes. No team had ever chased such a target to win a test match but gradually as the English bowlers made mistakes, Australian confidence grew. 

Arthur Morris joined Bradman in a colossal stand of 301. Bradman was there at the end with 173 not out but it was Harvey, representative of the next generation, who struck the winning runs. The match had been watched by 158,000 over the course of the match, a ground record.

The most crushing performance of the tour was to unfold in London at Kennington Oval in the fifth and final test. Australia seized the initiative. England were bowled out for the humiliating total of 52 .

Fast bowler Ray Lindwall conceded only eight runs in a particularly fierce spell which yielded five wickets. The respected Australian writer Ray Robinson described it as "the most deadly burst by an Australian bowler in history".

Only one England batsman, Len Hutton, reached double figures in the entire innings.

When Australia batted they did not lose their first wicket until they were already 65 runs ahead. This was the cue for Bradman make his entrance for what In all probability would be his final test innings. The England captain Norman Yardley called his team together to give three cheers.

Yardley had admitted "there were times at the wicket when I fervently hoped the earth would open and swallow the little man up".

Bradman needed only to score four runs to achieve a career test average of a hundred. No player had ever achieved this feat.

"I didn’t know," admitted England’s star bowler Sir Alec Bedser years later. "If I had done, I like to think, no I know ,I should have given him one off the mark.  After all, the match and the series were gone."

But Bedser was not the bowler. Instead it was Eric Hollies of Warwickshire. His second ball beat Bradman who was clean bowled. He departed the scene in stunned silence. Bradman’s test batting average of 99.94 remains the highest yet achieved. Cricket Australia uses the figure as their post box number to this day.

Australia won by an innings and 149 runs to clinch the series by four matches to nil but there was still a month of the tour to go.

These included a match against the "Gentlemen". In those days there still existed a distinction between professional players and amateurs or "Gentlemen".

Not that the Gents were any match for the Australians. Three century makers, including Bradman, in a total of 610 for only five wickets.

At the end of the tour, still unbeaten, the Australians headed North. The 34th and final match was played at Aberdeen against Scotland. Australia signed off with a victory and inevitably, Bradman struck another century.

"They achieved all that could be expected of a combination entitled to the description great," wrote Reg Hayter in his assessment of the tour for Wisden Cricketers ’Almanack.

There was even a visit to Balmoral where the team was received by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.

Bradman stuck to his word and never again played international cricket but his team did not lose a Test match until February 1951.

Even allowing for the War and that there were far fewer matches on the calendar, it remains an impressive feat.

There will always be arguments about the greatest sporting team. Was it the Brazilian footballers of 1970, or the 1950s incarnation of Real Madrid "Galacticos". Rugby folk revere the mighty New Zealand all Blacks which won back to back World Rugby World Cups, or the mighty Soviet gymnastics team of the 1970s.

There was no International Cricket Council test ranking in 1948, but if it had existed Australia would surely have been accorded the accolade. 

Certainly no international team since has enjoyed their annus mirabilis on quite such a scale .