Davidson was born at Lisarow near Gosford, New South Wales and made his first-class debut for New South Wales during the 1949–50 season while the Test players were overseas, and took 26 wickets for the summer, earning him selection in an Australian Second XI tour of New Zealand at the season's end. During a non-first-class match on tour, he took 10/29 in an innings and made 157 not out. Over the next two seasons, Davidson was unable to gain a regular position in the state team due to the presence of the Test players, but in 1952–53 he secured a position in the full-strength team and took 41 wickets at 26.75 and scored 418 runs at 34.83 to earn national selection for the 1953 tour of England. He played in all five Tests in the Ashes series, finishing the series with a modest return of 182 runs at 22.75 and eight wickets at 26.50. He also scored his maiden first-class century during the tour. His fledgling international career stagnated over the next three years. Although Davidson was selected in the squad for the next four series, he suffered several injuries and inconsistent form, playing in only 7 of 19 Tests during this time, and taking only 8 wickets. Up to this point, he had played 12 Tests, none of them Australian victories. His individual performances were also unimpressive despite his first-class success, producing only 317 runs at 18.64 and 16 wickets at 34.06.