He scored a hard hitting 76 in the first innings of the Second Test at Lord's to help Australia take control, but a stubborn partnership by Bailey and Willie Watson saw England hang on for a draw. Davidson bowled only 24.5 overs for the match, and Wardle was his only wicket. Rainy weather greeted the players in the Third Test at Old Trafford and more than half the playing time was washed out. Davidson took 2/60 in the drawn match, removing Reg Simpson and Willie Watson. Australia were in a good position at the start of the final day of the Fourth Test at Headingley, with England leading by only 78 runs with five wickets in hand. However, Bailey (38) and Jim Laker (48) stubbornly resisted with a mixture of time-wasting and dour defence. Davidson eventually removed both, but there was not enough time remaining to secure an Australian victory. His match figures of 3/59 from 50.1 overs were in large part due to the defensive tactics of England. The fate of The Ashes thus came down to the Fifth Test at The Oval. Davidson scored 22 and 21 and could not take a wicket as England won by eight wickets to regain the urn for the first time in two decades. Australia had blundered by omitting a specialist spinner, mistakenly thinking that the pitch would not spin. Davidson hit England's spinners out of the attack for a period, but succumbed to the variable bounce of the pitch.