The first ever cricket Test match between Australia and England was held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground from March 15 to 19, 1877.
Cricket tours between England and Australia had been a common occurrence since the 1860s. However, the 1876-77 tour led by James Lillywhite was unique. Unlike previous tours, which were typically organized by invitation, Lillywhite’s tour was a commercial venture.
Learning from the divisions and conflicts of the WG Grace-led tour three years earlier, Lillywhite decided to rely solely on professional cricketers, excluding amateurs who dominated the batting ranks in England. This decision meant that Lillywhite’s team had a formidable bowling attack but lacked some of the top batting talents of the time.
Test Leadup
The tour itself was gruelling. Lillywhite’s squad consisted of only 12 players to minimize expenses, resulting in little rest for the participants. The team played numerous odds matches, where they faced teams of up to 22 players, a common practice given the perceived weakness of Australian teams. Notably, Alfred Shaw took 19 wickets for 50 runs against a team of 22 in Newcastle.
After a six-week stint in New Zealand, the team returned to Australia with only 11 players, as wicketkeeper Ted Pooley was jailed in Christchurch over a betting scandal.
Despite the challenges, including fatigue and a depleted squad, Lillywhite’s team accepted Victoria’s challenge for an 11-a-side match. The financial necessity of playing as many games as possible forced the team to jump into the match with barely any rest.
The test match itself was set at the MCG, a venue capable of accommodating a large number of spectators, enhancing its potential profitability. On the sunny afternoon of March 15, 1877, in front of around 1,500 spectators, the first ball in Test cricket was bowled by Alfred Shaw to Charles Bannerman, who would go on to make history.
The First Innings: Australia
Australia won the toss and elected to bat first. The Australian innings was dominated by Charles Bannerman, who played a historic knock.
Charles Bannerman Gibbs, Shallard & Co., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Charles Bannerman not only faced the first test delivery, he also scored the first run off the second ball. Nat Thompson became the first batsman out, bowled by Allen Hill for 1. He, at least, didn’t become the first duck. That ‘honour’ would fall on Ned Gregory.
Bannerman’s innings was not without some luck. He was dropped early and it was said that England’s bowling and fielding was quite poor.
Hitting 18 boundaries, and playing for approximately 5 hours (it is unknown how many balls he faced), Bannerman scored 165 runs before retiring hurt with a split middle finger.
His 165 runs out of a total of 245 is a record. His score accounted for 67.3% of all the runs Australia made, and this percentage of runs is still the highest percentage that one batsman has scored in a completed innings i.e. an innings where all ten wickets (or, in this case, 9 because Bannerman himself was retired out) was taken.
Alfred Shaw and James Southerton were the standout bowlers for England. Shaw bowled with great accuracy and control, taking 3 wickets for 51 runs. Southerton, claiming 3 wickets for 61 runs, was 49 years and 119 days at the time of his test debut, which is also still a record. Unfortunately, he would also become the first test cricketer to die in 1880, aged only 52.
The First Innings: England
England’s response was a mixed affair. The English openers started cautiously, but wickets fell regularly. Harry Jupp was the standout performer, top-scoring with 63 runs. His innings was notable for its resilience, especially as he was suffering from eye inflammation. Harry Charlwood added 36 runs, providing some stability.
However, the Australian bowlers, led by Bill Midwinter, managed to contain the English batsmen effectively. Midwinter’s performance was exceptional, as he took 5 wickets for 78 runs, making him the first player to take a five-wicket haul in Test cricket.
The middle and lower order struggled to build on the start provided by Jupp and Charlwood. England was eventually bowled out for 196 runs, giving Australia a first-innings lead of 49 runs. This lead, although not substantial, provided Australia with a psychological edge going into their second innings.
The Second Innings: Australia
Australia’s second innings did not start as well as their first. Having not been dismissed in the first innings, Charles Bannerman was first out in the second for only 4. The English bowlers, particularly Alfred Shaw and George Ulyett, bowled with determination and skill. Shaw was the chief destroyer, taking 5 wickets for 38 runs, while Ulyett supported him well with 3 wickets for 39 runs.
The Australian batsmen struggled to cope with the disciplined English bowling, and none of them managed to score significantly. Tom Horan was the top scorer with 20 runs.
Australia was bowled out for 104 runs, setting England a target of 154 runs to win the match. The low total meant that England had a good chance of securing victory, but the game was still open, given the unpredictability of cricket.
The Second Innings: England
England would have felt confident beginning the chance, knowing that they would require only one of two good partnerships to really put the pressure on the Australians. However, Australia’s bowlers had other ideas.
Tom Kendall, 1877 Australian Town and Country Journal, Sydney, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
England’s first 4 wickets fell for only 22 runs, three of those to Tom Kendall. A good partnership of 40 seemed to steady the ship slightly but a double-strike by Kendall left England tottering at 6/68, still needing 86 runs to win, but with only the bowlers remaining to bat.
John Selby, the wicketkeeper, was next out for 38 to the bowling of John Hodges, with the score at 92, and Kendall’s sixth wicket dismissed Tom Armitage with the score at 93.
Kendall and Hodges each took one more wicket, with England’s final batsman dismissed with the score at 108, short by 45 runs.
Tom Kendall’s extraordinary spell of bowling gave him figures of 7 wickets for 55 runs, and his performance was pivotal in dismantling the English batting lineup. His left-arm spin was the highlight of the innings, as he varied his pace and flight to deceive the batsmen. His control and accuracy were impressive, and he made excellent use of the pitch conditions.
Perhaps ironically, both Charles Bannerman and Tom Kendall were born in England. Kendall would only play one additional test to this, while Bannerman would play just two more, and his innings of 165 not out would be, by far, his highest score.
Legacy of the First Test Match
The first ever Test match between Australia and England was more than just a cricket match; it was a significant event in the history of the sport. This match laid the foundation for what would become one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket. The concept of Test cricket, as a longer and more rigorous format of the game, was firmly established with this match.
The success of this match encouraged further international tours and contests, leading to the establishment of regular Test series between England and Australia, including the famous Ashes series that began in 1882. The competitive spirit and sportsmanship displayed in the first Test match have been hallmarks of the encounters between the two nations ever since.
In addition to its historical significance, the first Test match also showcased the potential of cricket as a spectator sport. The match drew significant crowds and media attention, demonstrating the public’s interest in high-level cricket. This paved the way for cricket to become a major sport in both England and Australia, with Test cricket at its pinnacle. The MCG, already a renowned sporting venue, gained further prestige as the birthplace of Test cricket.