Determining player of the match/series for historic tests

[Coronis]

Agreed that this Series by Barnes gets overlooked way too frequently when discussing Greatest All round Series

My favourite part of this so far has probably been learning more about obscure early players who are rarely spoken of, even on CW. That will lessen obviously as I move up through the years but hopefully I’ll still get some surprising knowledge about some minor players with great performances!

 

[Coronis]

England in Australia 1886/87

First Test: Billy Barnes 2/19, 32, 6/28

An improbable victory, as England recovered from an all out 45 in the first innings to defend 107 in the fourth. Turner and Ferris were both great, but not quite enough. Shoutout to England’s lower order bats as well. Damn this bloke just keeps popping up, despite not having eyecatching stats or a necessarily high peer rep.

Second Test: George Lohmann 8/35, 2/52

With 3 innings of 151, 154, and 150, Lohmann’s 8/35 on route to Australia’s 84 in the second innings turned out to be the crucial point of the game. Shoutouts to Turner and Ferris who both took 9 wickets, and Dick Barlow for top scoring in both English innings.

Player of the Series: George Lohmann 16 @ 8.56

Crucial in the second win and solid in the first test. Shoutouts to both Turner and Ferris.

England in Australia 1887/88

Only Test: Charlie Turner 5/43, 7/44

Despite England’s win Turner performed admirably. A very low scoring match, the English bowlers split the wickets, and Turner’s efforts ended in vain as the Aussie batting was not up to their standard.

 

[capt_Luffy]

England in Australia 1886/87

First Test: Billy Barnes 2/19, 32, 6/28

An improbable victory, as England recovered from an all out 45 in the first innings to defend 107 in the fourth. Turner and Ferris were both great, but not quite enough. Shoutout to England’s lower order bats as well. Damn this bloke just keeps popping up, despite not having eyecatching stats or a necessarily high peer rep.

Second Test: George Lohmann 8/35, 2/52

With 3 innings of 151, 154, and 150, Lohmann’s 8/35 on route to Australia’s 84 in the second innings turned out to be the crucial point of the game. Shoutouts to Turner and Ferris who both took 9 wickets, and Dick Barlow for top scoring in both English innings.

Player of the Series: George Lohmann 16 @ 8.56

Crucial in the second win and solid in the first test. Shoutouts to both Turner and Ferris.

England in Australia 1887/88

Only Test: Charlie Turner 5/43, 7/44

Despite England’s win Turner performed admirably. A very low scoring match, the English bowlers split the wickets, and Turner’s efforts ended in vain as the Aussie batting was not up to their standard.

Tbf Billy's bowling average is Very eye-catching.

My favourite part of this so far has probably been learning more about obscure early players who are rarely spoken of, even on CW. That will lessen obviously as I move up through the years but hopefully I’ll still get some surprising knowledge about some minor players with great performances!

The ones who surprised me the most were Ulyett, Barnes and Palmer. I knew of them and saw the latter two having Great bowling stats, but never thought much before.

 

[Coronis]

Australia in England 1888

First Test: JJ Ferris 14, 3/19, 20*, 5/26

Australia’s first win in a fair while came in the lowest scoring test (still to this day). With scores of 116 and 60, Australia were able to take England (53 and 62) down. A bowling dominated match obviously, Ferris was also one of only two players (the other being Grace) to score in double digits in both innings. Fittingly, it was Ferris who dismissed Grace both times.

Second Test: Billy Barnes 2/18, 62, 5/32

And it was back to usual for both England (with an innings victory) and Barnes (with another Player of the Match). Despite Englan’d top order not doing much, the allrounders and bowlers were able to haul together a 300+ total with Lohmann also matching Barnes’ 62 (though being ineffective as a bowler)


Third Test: Bobby Peel 7/31, 4/37

Yet another case of a bowler match, where England still managed to put up a somewhat decent total, and Australia just couldn’t. Peel was the best of the bowlers that match.

Fun stat for that match: still holds the record (tied) for most total ducks in a test match with 11 (8 for Australia, 3 for England + 2 0 not outs for Australia)

Player of the Series: Bobby Peel 24 @ 7.54

Purely bowler dominated series. 3 total fifties which all came in the same innings. Peel was consistent and deadly throughout (as was Turner in a losing cause)

 

[peterhrt]

Australia in England 1886

Second Test: Arthur Shrewsbury 164, Jonny Briggs 5/29, 6/45 (shared)

Good idea for a thread.

I think Shrewsbury would have taken this one. There was talk at the time that this might have been the greatest innings ever played. The rain-affected Lord's pitch was atrocious, virtually unplayable. Shrewsbury was dropped at slip and survived a hard leg-side stumping chance off Giffen, but otherwise looked several classes above everyone else in the match. Briggs ran through a weak batting line-up lacking Murdoch, McDonnell, Horan and Bannerman. The tourists were representing the Melbourne club and it was not a happy trip with constant bickering.

Grace, apparently miffed by all the praise for Shrewsbury, went out to make a point at The Oval, scoring 170 out of 216 while at the crease. But he struggled early on and had stonewaller Scotton for company most of the time. It was not as good an innings as it looks on paper. Going into the match, all eleven English players had registered a first-class hundred.

So-called Tests over the next few years were played mostly on very poor pitches, with bowlers' figures hugely flattering, especially England's as the Australians did not have much batting.

 

[Coronis]

Good idea for a thread.

I think Shrewsbury would have taken this one. There was talk at the time that this might have been the greatest innings ever played. The rain-affected Lord's pitch was atrocious, virtually unplayable. Shrewsbury was dropped at slip and survived a hard leg-side stumping chance off Giffen, but otherwise looked several classes above everyone else in the match. Briggs ran through a weak batting line-up lacking Murdoch, McDonnell, Horan and Bannerman. The tourists were representing the Melbourne club and it was not a happy trip with constant bickering.

Grace, apparently miffed by all the praise for Shrewsbury, went out to make a point at The Oval, scoring 170 out of 216 while at the crease. But he struggled early on and had stonewaller Scotton for company most of the time. It was not as good an innings as it looks on paper. Going into the match, all eleven English players had registered a first-class hundred.

So-called Tests over the next few years were played mostly on very poor pitches, with bowlers' figures hugely flattering, especially England's as the Australians did not have much batting.

Thanks for the help! For many of these old matches the reports are extremely unsatisfactory (probably due to Test cricket’s relative novelty at the time), any extra info is very helpful.

I’ve also noticed throughout looking through various scorecards in my day an unsatisfactory level of detail in the Wisden reports even into the modern day, depending on the teams involved. Sad bias was still there.

 

[Coronis]

All right, and now we move on to a new era of test cricket, South Africa is added!

England in South Africa 1888/89

First Test: Bobby Abel 46, 23, 3 catches

As it even says in the tiny (3 sentence c’mon!) Wisden report, good all round cricket was what won England this match, rather than outstanding individual performances. Bowling was pretty split with different players performing well in the different innings as England cruised to an 8 wicket victory. Gone with Abel for 2 top scores and 3 slip catches.

Second Test: Johnny Briggs 7/17, 8/11

Now I know the batting wasn’t great but I can’t not give it to a guy who took 15 for less than 30 runs under almost any circumstance, right?! Abel scored a nice 120, and notably in SA’s first innings Bernard Tancred (26* out of 47) became the first player in test history to carry his bat through a completed innings.

Player of the Series Bobby Abel 189 @ 94.50, Johnny Briggs 21 @ 4.81 (shared)

Dominant performances by these two. Both having output over double of any other player, and at crazy averages. Split the player of the match awards and share player of the series.

Australia in England 1890

First Test: JJ Lyons 55, 5/30, 33

A real team effort from England plus a great Grace innings in the chase, but I cannot ignore this effort from Lyons. Top scorer and wicket taker in the match for Australia as England rode on with another victory.

Second Test: Frederick Martin 6/50, 6/52

An under strength English side put together a 2 wicket win, despite some poor batting described from both sides (getting some decent Test reports finally). Martin on debut took an invaluable 12 wickets in a very close match (helped by weather)

Player of the Series: JJ Lyons 122 @ 30.50, 5 @ 14.60

A really difficult one, as no English players really performed well in both matches. So I’ve given it to Lyons the star for Aus, his exciting hitting being a feature of both matches (struck at 90!) plus his 5’fer (5 of the 6 wickets he took in tests coming in that single innings).

 

[Coronis]

England in Australia 1891/92

First Test: Charlie Turner 2/40, 5/51

A great and thrilling contest, I’ve given it to Turner for his 5’fer as England collapsed from 0/60 to all out for 158 chasing 213. Solid performances from Bannerman, Bruce and Grace in both innings and some outstanding bowling from Sharpe and McLeod in the first innings.

Second Test: George Giffen 4/88, 49, 6/72

I really, really, want to give it to Bannerman for his extraordinary 91 off 620 balls but Giffen really stepped up here (especially the final innings where McLeod couldn’t bowl) and I can’t ignore that level of production. A marvellous comback in the third innings by Bannerman, Lyons and Giffen after Australia were down 163 after the first innings. Big shoutouts to Abel for his 132* (carried his bat) and Lohmann’s 8/58 in the first. A great test match. Australia had finally won back the Ashes.

Third Test: Andrew Stoddart 132

You might think me harsh for not choosing Briggs with his two 6 wicket hauls, but it was England’s batting that set up the win, before rain ruined the pitch for Australia. The result being an innings and 230 runs win did not reflect the strength of the two sides, but piling up 499, the English batting has to be lauded here.

Player of the Series: Alec Bannerman 202 @ 33.67

Honestly this feels like a bit of a cop out. This series was hard to pick one Player of the Series. Bannerman’s slow steady opening was a feature of the first two tests, and a driving factor behind setting up those wins imo.

Definitely open to suggestion on that.

 

[Coronis]

England in South Africa 1891/92

Only Test: Henry Wood 134*

An odd one with Billy Murdoch and JJ Ferris playing their only tests for England, following in the steps of Billy Midwinter. Ferris was dominant with 13 wickets, but owing to South Africa missing their best player (Tancred) along with a few others, I’ve gone with Wood here, who holds the distinction of being the first test wicketkeeper to score a century, and outscored either of the two SA innings, and powered England to a huge innings victory.

Australia in England 1893

First Test: Arthur Shrewsbury 106, 81

A Graceless match which was interrupted often by rain, Shrewsbury contributed marvellously in both innings, as rain ended play before the Australian’s second innings. The pitch was considered particularly difficult in the first innings, but Shrewsbury mastered the conditions with excellent support from the debuting Jackson. Honourable mentions also to Turner with 8 wickets, and Gregory and Graham’s big stand for Australia.

Second Test: Stanley Jackson 103

A dominant batting display from England led to a total of almost 500. Lockwood and Briggs split the bowling honours, and the Australian batting collapsed so poorly in their first innings they ended up losing by over an innings, despite the decent pitch. Moreso to do with some poor Australian batting rather than bowling excellence, it was said.

Third Test: Tom Richardson 5/49, 5/107

Richardson on his debut showed his class in a second draw for the series, not only taking 10 wickets, but sticking around for 5 overs as the #10 and enabling the English to surpass the Australian’s first innings score and Gunn to eventually make his century. Solid batting efforts from Bruce and Bannerman respectively in Australia’s innings.

Player of the Series: Arthur Shrewsbury 284 @ 71.00

An excellent series with the bat, dominating in the first test and one of multiple 50 scorers in the win in the second. A slightly dull end to a worthy career i. the third, but still well deserved imo.

 

[Coronis]

England in Australia 1894/95

First Test: George Giffen 161, 4/75, 4/164

A huge total (586) put up by Australia in the first innings, with Giffen and Syd Gregory (201) playing spectacularly. England responded well, but not convincingly, as they conjured up a 300+ and 400+ thanks largely to Albert Ward (75 and 117) top scoring in both innings. Australia were left with just 177 to chase and at 113/2 with Giffen and Darling well set heading into the 6th day, looked assured of victory…. and then the rains came. Peel supported by Briggs rolled straight through the Aussies and they fell short, losing by 11 runs. Giffen was a real workhorse in the second innings, bowling 75 overs. Notably, new balls were introduced for the first time in this test, occurring at 200 runs.

Second Test: Andrew Stoddart 10, 173

With the pitch horrible for the first two innings, both completed within a single day. Stoddart came out after a dry rest day and compiled a chanceless 173 as England built a solid lead, leaving the Aussies to chase a huge 428. At 191/1 things looked well, but some crucial wickets from Brockwell (6th bowler) brought them to 268/9. A valiant last wicket stand of 65 was not enough to stave off victory. Again notably, Giffen bowled 78 overs in England’s second innings.

Third Test: Albert Trott 38*, 72*, 8/43

Apparently the Englishmen couldn’t take the heat in Adelaide. A relatively poor first innings for Australia was saved by a final wicket partnership of 81, and England couldn’t handle Giffen and Callaway, barely avoiding the follow on. Some great batting from Bruce (80), Iredale (140) and Trott yet again had England chasing a target of over 500, which Trott ensured they never got close to, as they were bundled out for 143. A memorable debut indeed.

Fourth Test: Harry Graham 105

On a poor pitch Stoddart won the toss and put Australia in. As they collapsed to 51/6 the choice seemed wise until Graham, ably supported by Darling (31) and Trott (85*) turned the tide of the match. Further rain fell after the first day and the pitch had only worsened if anything. The Englishmen (also down a bat) did not stand much of a chance, and Australia came away with an overwhelming innings victory. Just as the first 5 test series 10 years before, England won the first two, Australia the next two. The Ashes were all tied up.

Fifth Test: Jack Brown 30, 140

The final test attracted record crowds, approximately 94000 over the 5 days (almost 30000 on the second day alone!) An even match, the bowling of Richardson and the batting of Brown made the difference as England managed a 6 wicket victory. On an true wicket, the game was closely matched after the first innings, but Richardson’s 6/107 in the third innings and Brown’s 140 off 170 in the chase of 297 were critical. Given it to Brown because who doesn’t love a great chasing innings and as the report said, it was still consifered anyone’s game with England 2/28 on the final morning. Just as 10 years prior, England snatched back the final match and won again.

Player of the Series: George Giffen 475 @ 52.78, 34 @ 24.12, 6 catches

There were a few good contenders here, but Giffen outshone them all. The leading runscorer and wicket taker, with consistent valuable contributions every match. All in all, a fantastic and tough series.

 

[shortpitched713]

Dang, this man really trying to do every Test series in the history of cricket.

Godspeed man.

 

[peterhrt]

England in Australia 1894/95
All in all, a fantastic and tough series.

For some historians this marks the start of the Golden Age, which ended abruptly when war broke out in 1914. After years of declining interest in Australia, the series was closely followed in both countries. Queen Victoria requested updates on the final match. Pitches had improved everywhere, and England and Australia were now evenly matched.

Turner was one of three Australian selectors and was dropped for the last Test by the other two, Blackham and Giffen. No captain ever overbowled himself as much as Giffen.

In 1895 five new counties were added to the Championship, enabling new records such as Grace's 1,000 runs in May, MacLaren's 424 against Somerset, and Richardson's 290 wickets in a season (astonishing for a genuinely fast bowler after a gruelling winter in Australia). Four years later Ranji became the first to register a seasonal aggregate of 3,000 runs.

 

[sayon basak]

This is probably the Greatest thread ever made in CW, alongwith DoG's countdowns.

 

[capt_Luffy]

This is probably the Greatest thread ever made in CW, alongwith DoG's countdowns.

And OS' Greatest Innings of each score

 

[sayon basak]

And OS' Greatest Innings of each score

Which one is that? share.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Which one is that? share.

Cataloguing the best innings of X runs in test history

Warning: This is going to be really stupid, boring and pointless but in this thread I shall be picking the best test innings of 0 runs, 1 run, 2 runs, 3 runs, etc in test history all the way up to whatever score until I get bored. I've gone through every single scorecard on Cricinfo to research...

www.cricketweb.net

I promise I will update that thread this week. Will get the list up to 100 atleast in the coming month.

 

[Patience and Accuracy+Gut]

Great effort so far. Every post deserves a like.
Up there as one of best cricket threads ever.

Outside of CW, I will like to mention this thread

Thread 'Cricket at the 1948 Olympics | Match 12 - What on earth happened back there?!'
https://www.planetcricket.org/forum...h-12-what-on-earth-happened-back-there.97344/

 

[Coronis]

And OS' Greatest Innings of each score

I won’t lie, that thread was a partial inspiration for this one.

 

[Coronis]

England in South Africa 1895/96

First Test: George Lohmann 7/38, 8/7

Unfortunately, with South Africa missing many of their best players were helpless in the face of Lohmann. His second innings bowling should still be seen for the incredible performance it was

Second Test: Tom Hayward 122

Again, South Africa were no match for England and Hayward really punished the South Africans. Special mention to Sinclair for his 40 and 29.

Third Test: Ledger Hill 124, 4/8

Pretty much the same story as the last match, though Hill had a great bowling effort too.

Player of the Series: George Lohmann 35 @ 5.80

An embarrasment of a series tbh, SA were missing a few key players, and that exacerbated the already big skill difference between the sides. Lohmann barely missed out on 3 consecutive 10’fers due to Hill’s bowling.

 

[Coronis]

Australia in England 1896

First Test: Tom Richardson 6/39, 5/134

On a decent batting pitch in the first innings, Richardson and Lohmann dominated. Causing an Australian collapse. England had a solid batting effort with some luck, as did the Australians in response. In the final innings on a rain damaged wicket, England were very solid leading to a 6 wicket win. Ranji not being included is a sad question mark over the match.

Second Test: Tom Richardson 7/168, 6/76 KS Ranjitsinhji 62, 154*

Despite the Australians winning through some great teamplay the performances of the two Englishmen cannot be understated. Ranji’s score was the first ton against the Aussies all tour. On a still quality pitch with an easy win expected for Australia, Richardson’s bowling made for an extremely close finish.

Third Test: J.T Hearne 6/41, 4/19

On a wet wicket, the Englishmen batted up to a decent total. The Australians looked to have control of the match, reaching 75 with no loss before Iredale was run out by Ranji going for a 5th run. Thereafter Hearne initiated a collapse. England once again put up a not awful total considering the conditions, and Hearne and Richardson bowled well to bring England another victory and series win.

Player of the Series: Tom Richardson 24 @ 18.29

Ranji and Hearne deserve mention but its Richardson who takes this one. Despite only bowling 6 overs for 0 wickets in the final test he still finished with easily the most wickets. (notably Ranji’s efforts in the second test outscored any other batsman over the entire series).