harvey was regarded as a mercurial batsman of great artistry and style. a short man at 172 cm (5 ft;8 in), he batted with aggression, and was known for his timing of the ball. his batting against spin bowling in particular was a crowd pleaser, highlighted by his extravagant footwork in charging the bowlers. harvey often charged five paces down the pitch to spinners, with one bowler quipping "he kept coming so far along the track toward me that i thought he must want to shake my hands". despite running out of the crease so much, harvey was never stumped in a test match. he was of the time belief that any bowling could and should be hit, and gave the impression that the balls were reaching the boundary with a minimum of power. according to johnnie moyes, "the sight of his slim figure, neat and trim-looking, always capless, coming to bat brought new hope for spectators. he will never prod a half volley or decline the challenge of a long hop...he will go looking for the ball which he can hit for four." following the retirement of sir donald bradman, he was seen as australia's leading batsman, noted by critics for a similar ability to change the mood of matches with his attacking play. ashley mallett said that harvey was australia's best batsman since bradman. this was despite the fact that he was found to have faulty eyesight. with the global expansion of cricket, harvey was the first australian to make test centuries in 15 different cities, succeeding in a variety of conditions. harvey made 67 first-class centuries spread across 35 venues in six countries. he scored 38 of these overseas, where his average was higher. he was the first batsman to score more than 10,000 runs for australian teams at home and abroad.