Alec Bedser had toured Australia in the 1946-47, 1950-51 and 1954-55 Ashes series as a player, 1958-59 as a journalist and 1962-63 as the assistant-manager, so was well known down under and very knowledgeable about Australian conditions. He was one of the great servants of English cricket and took a record 236 Test wickets at an average of 24.89 despite carrying England's bowling attack against the powerful Australian teams of the post-war era. Bedser was made an England selector in 1962 and Chairman of Selectors in 1969, a post he held until 1981. As a bowler he had been willing to toil all day if his captain demanded and saw team spirit and dedication as qualities needed by any England player, which led to problems with his two best players, Geoff Boycott and John Snow, who he did not see as team players.