Palmer was a small man (five foot seven inches tall, only a slight build) with poor eyesight who played wearing glasses.
[3] This did not stop him becoming a fine batsman and slow medium bowler because he "possessed deceptively strong wrists" which enabled him to play shots like the cut and drive with excellent timing.
In 1948, he scored 85 in a morning's play against Don Bradman's Australian tourists (the "Invincibles") with Ray Lindwall and Keith Miller both bowling.
[4] On the back of this, he was appointed player-manager of the England tour side to the West Indies in 1953–54, which was captained by Len Hutton, and it was here that he won his only Test cap, making 22 and 0 and taking no wickets in the five overs he bowled.
It sometimes paid off and in 1957 when leading Leicestershire against the touring West Indians, Palmer claimed the wickets of no less than Frank Worrell and Rohan Kanhai with it.