Cricket celebrates 140th anniversary of first Test match

Cricket celebrates 140th anniversary of first Test match

IANSUpdated: Thursday, May 30, 2019, 08:23 AM IST
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Melbourne :  A day before India take on Australia in what has been one of the most fiercely contested rivalries over the years, Test cricket celebrated its 140th anniversary.

The first ever Test match was played on March 15, 1877 between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Australia won the four-day affair, which ended on March 19, by 45 runs. The fourth day, March 18, was a rest day.

Australian opener Charles Bannerman was the scorer of the first run and subsequently the first hundred in the longest and most intriguing version of the gentleman’s game.

It was a well-oiled English team that took on a relatively raw Australian squad who defied odds to turn the tables on their more accomplished counterparts.

The match began on 1:05 PM on a Thursday with the hosts batting first. The first ball was bowled by Alfred Shaw to Bannerman, who scored the first run in the history of the game with a single before retiring hurt for 165. He had sustained an  injury to the index finger of his right hand.

The Aussies posted a first innings total of 245 as their other batsmen collapsed around Bannerman whose score was the highest of the match. For England, Shaw and James Southerton returned best bowling figures of 3/51 and 3/61, respectively. Southerton is still the oldest Test debutant at 49 years and 119 days.

In reply, England failed to live up to their billing, managing only 196 with Billy Midwinter (5/78) running through their batting line-up. Opener Harry Jupp top-scored for the visitors with a 241-ball 63.

Taking a 49-run lead, the Aussies struggled in the second innings and were dismissed for a meagre 104. England’s Shaw turned on the heat with innings figures of 5/38.

Chasing a target of 153, England took the Aussie route in their second essay, bundling out for just 108. Australian bowler Tom Kendall returned best figures of the match with 7/55.

This match saw attendance surging to nearly 12,000.

In the second Test, England came back to level the series. Later this rivalry between England and Australia came to be known as the Ashes with the competition beginning 1882.–IANS

A Test of cricket: Records

l The first Test match was played on March 15, 1877, between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

l 2,254 Test matches have been played till date. England played the maximum – 983. With 799 matches, Australia is on second spot. India played 510 Test matches.

l Sri Lanka own the record of maximum runs in one inning. The Lankan team scored 952 runs against India in 1997 in Colombo.

l New Zealand hold the record of lowest score in one inning. In a match against England in 1955, New Zealand scored 26 runs in one inning.

l Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar has the record of most runs in Test cricket. He has scored 15,921 runs in 200 matches. He also holds the record of most centuries (51) in Test matches.

l Another legend Don Bradman holds the unbelievable record of having the best strike rate. He scored with an average of 99.96 in 52 Test matches. Adam Voges of Australia, with distant 61.87, is at second spot, while South African player Graeme Pollock is third with the average of 60.97.

l Bradman also holds the record of most runs in a Test series. He took only 7 innings to score 974 runs against England in 1930. He also has the record of most double tons (12).

l England hold the record of biggest winning margin. In 1938, the English team defeated Australian team by an inning and 579 runs.

l Brian Lara holds the record for the highest score in a Test match. He scored 400 runs in the first innings of a match against England played in Antigua.

l Australian player Graham Gooch holds the record of scoring maximum runs in a match. He scored 456 runs against India in 1990.

l The record of most wickets in Test history is owned by Muttiah Muralitharan – 800 wickets in 133 matches.

l Rahul Dravid in not just a great batsman, he also holds one such record that proves he was one of the best fielders on field. He took 210 catches in 164 matches.

l Mark Boucher of South Africa holds the record of maximum stumps (555) as a wicketkeeper.

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