Determining player of the match/series for historic tests

[Coronis]

I’ll start this off half-assed.

England in Australia 1876/77

First Test: Charles Bannerman 165*, 4

Starting off with the easy one, Bannerman’s 165* remains to hold the record of the highest % of team runs by a single player in a completed innings. Absolutely pivotal in Australia’s 45 run win in a game where no other Australian managed more than 20 in either innings, and only one other player managed a 50

Second Test: George Ulyett 2/15, 52, 1/33, 63

Yes, there was a second test that series! Many forget. Another bowling dominated test, but Ulyett is here for his batting, specifically his second innings 63 as England chased 121 and made it with 4 wickets to spare. A great allround effort and the only player to cross 50 in the game (though England in the first innings also had 3 players with scores of 49, 48 and 49!)

Player of the series: Charles Bannerman

This was much harder. I’ve gone with Bannerman because I imagine that’s how the voting would have gone, and that is what the series would be remembered for at the time, and practically the only thing that it is remembered for nowadays.

Ulyett also took 3 wickets in the first match and was considered. Tom Kendall with 14 wickets across the two tests was the other consideration.

Anyone else feel free to continue from this, or suggest changes. I’d like to believe I might slowly continue as well.

 

[Coronis]

Continuing on

England in Australia 1878/79

Only Test: Fred Spofforth 6/48, 39, 7/62

Dominant performance from The Demon. Easiest choice so far.

First test in England I’m not so sure about. Will have to come back to it

 

[capt_Luffy]

You stole my premise!!!

And saved me from painstakingly looking at every Test Series Ever. Thank You.

 

[capt_Luffy]

Continuing on

England in Australia 1878/79

Only Test: Fred Spofforth 6/48, 39, 7/62

Dominant performance from The Demon. Easiest choice so far.

First test in England I’m not so sure about. Will have to come back to it

Has to be the Doctor. Scored 152, and took 3 wickets in the game. Murdoch's runs came in a losing cause, and while Morley was excellent with 8 wickets, I think 150 runs makes up for those 5 extra wickets.

 

[shortpitched713]

Can we do this algorithmically? I.e. something like max % of wickets plus % of runs in a match/series?

That way, we might not have to comb through every match in the history of cricket.

 

[Coronis]

Can we do this algorithmically? I.e. something like max % of wickets plus % of runs in a match/series?

That way, we might not have to comb through every match in the history of cricket.

If you really think you could make an algorithim that can correctly get the actual man of the matches and series we already have too, sure. I’m pretty sure in most every match/series there are things beyond the numbers that factor into player awards, and rightly so.

 

[shortpitched713]

True, but the idea is not to have to comb through thousands of historical matches for which these awards were not given, not to reassign awards to "rightful" recipients.

 

[Coronis]

True, but the idea is not to have to comb through thousands of historical matches for which these awards were not given, not to reassign awards to "rightful" recipients.

I’d rather do the work.

 

[peterhrt]

England in Australia 1876/77

First Test: Charles Bannerman 165*, 4

Bannerman retired hurt after being hit by a series of Ulyett bouncers. Intimidatory bowling dates back to the first Test.

 

[Coronis]

Has to be the Doctor. Scored 152, and took 3 wickets in the game. Murdoch's runs came in a losing cause, and while Morley was excellent with 8 wickets, I think 150 runs makes up for those 5 extra wickets.

I think its very close given the context of the match but yes, Grace is going to take it. I’m very tempted to have a shared one here (generally I’d prefer to avoid it, but it happens sometimes)

Australia in England 1880

Only Test: WG Grace 152, 1/2, 2/66, 9*

The first test in England, and the first test to feature the Doctor, fitting that he should win. Crowds of 21000 and 20000 respectively came to see the first two days play, where England dominated with 420 with Grace a majestic 152 (one hard chance apparently). Little hope was given to the Aussies who looked to be potentially facing an innings defeat, as shown by little under 4000 crowd for Day 3. However Murdoch with a chanceless 153*, with excellent support from his 10 and 11 ensured this did not occur. However Grace decided not to bat in his normal position, having tired from all the extra bowling, and England almost collapsed before he finally came in at #7 and hit the winning runs.

Unfortunately Spofforth did not participate due to a hand injury sustained earlier in the tour.

This was also the match in which George Bonnor hit a ball so high that when Fred Grace caught it at long on the batsmen were attempting their 3rd run. Just learnt, the position where Grace caught it was allegedly 115 yards away. (such a hit would easily be a 6 nowadays but I don’t believe boundary restrictions were around much then)

 

[Coronis]

England in Australia 1881/82

First Test: William Cooper 3/80, 6/120

The first series with more than two matches also brought about the first test draw, despite the “timeless” nature of the match (it lasted 4 days actually). Due to the relatively high scoring nature of the match, the steamer for England to NZ was delayed a day, but no result was to be had. Due to the batting friendliness I’ve given it to Cooper rather than Tom Horan, who had a high quality 124.

Second Test: Joey Palmer 7/68, 4/97

No real batting standouts here, Palmer’s destruction of England in the first innings really setup Australia’s 5 wicket victory.

Third Test: Percy McDonnell 147

On a difficult pitch, with bowlers from both sides performing well, McDonnell’s 147 was key to setting up Australia’s 6 wicket win, facing only a target of 61. (ably supported by a classic Alec Bannerman stonewall effort)

Fourth Test: George Ulyett 149, 1/40, 64

Another drawn test on a fourth day, Ulyett with strong efforts in both innings on a good pitch and an ineffective Spofforth takes this one, and becomes the first player with more than 1 award.

Player of the Series: Joey Palmer 24 @ 21.75

Played crucial roles in both Australian victories, though was ineffective in the draws. Special shoutout to Ulyett who scored his ton and 3 fifties, averaging over 50 in the series.

 

[Coronis]

Australia in England 1882

Only Test: Fred Spofforth 7/46, 7/42

And here we’ve arrived. The famous test that began the Ashes legend. To set the backdrop - in the first class season, the main English bowlers had better averages than the Aussies, as did the batsmen. England were heavily favoured. One might even liken it to the 05 Ashes. 20 wickets were taken on both days of the match, 7 on both days by Spofforth. Crucial was the innings of 55 by Hugh Massie but Spofforth killed English cricket himself at The Oval over those two days. 53/4 England were chasing 85 and with their two highest averaging bats in their team in the game. Soon after, Spofforth and Boyle shut them down completely, bowling 12 consecutive maidens, followed by a single off Boyle, before 4 more consecutive maidens, and finally the breakthrough was achieved by Spofforth. In 5 more overs the game was over and Australia had snatched a tight 7 run victory.

N.B. The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Can we do this algorithmically?

No

 

[271 & 16/166]

Did this exercise myself a few years back, got to 1921 and found life got in the way

 

[Coronis]

Did this exercise myself a few years back, got to 1921 and found life got in the way

Any differences to where I’ve gotten to so far?

 

[Coronis]

England in Australia 1882/83 (The quest to bring back those Ashes!)

First Test: Joey Palmer 7/44, 3/61

A very strong team effort led by Bonnor in the first innings followed by Palmer’s destruction led to an English follow on (required at 80 runs in those days) and Australia’s eventual 9 wicket win.

Second Test: Billy Bates 55, 7/28, 7/74

Australia had little answer for any facet of Billy Bates’ game and England cruised to the first innings victory in test cricket. The quest was back on.

Third Test: Dick Barlow 28, 1/52, 24, 7/40

Was slightly tempted to give the first in a losing cause to Spofforth, but Barlow’s second innings spell caused Australia to get barely halfway to their target and won the match for England. Solid batting efforts from him as well. England had regained those Ashes.

Fourth Test: Allan Steel 135*, 3/34, 21, 3/49

Didn’t have to wait long to pick the first player from a losing side. A dominant first innings and the most wickets in the match made Steel an easy choice here, in an otherwise balanced team performance from both sides. Tried his darndest, but couldn’t get England across the line. Blackham’s twin fifties deserve a mention, but only one keeping dismissal kept him out of it.

This fourth match was arranged after the fact, and not considered a test until 1894. But I’m going to consider it as part of the series as it was on the same tour.

Player of the Series: Billy Bates 172 @ 28.67, 19 @ 15.05

The best bowler of the series, and a very handy batsmen for England. On raw stats, Steel should be a contender too and probably win, but I’ve gone with Bates due to Steel’s main performance being in the final test, after the Ashes were already considered to have been won.

 

[Coronis]

Now strap yourselves in for the next 9 series as England win all of them (tied with 00’s Aus and 10’s India for most consecutive series wins)

Australia in England 1884

First Test: Arthur Shrewsbury 43, 25

With the first day lost to rain, England collapsed in their first innings, with 8 single digit scorers. Shrewsbury played a magnificent innings of 43 from 88 balls, saving England from complete embarrassment. Also contributing a very solid 25 in the second innings as the match ground to a draw.

(I was shocked seeing that despite only 2 days play, they managed to bowl 323 overs, before realising they were 4 ball overs)

Second Test: Allan Steel 1/6, 148, 1/26

England with a dominating innings win based on Steel’s 148, outscoring the Aussies 2nd innings by himself. And classic Allan, chipped in a couple wickets too. Notably, all 3 innings had 5’fers, by different bowlers.

Third Test: Billy Murdoch 211

A very batting friendly pitch ensured a result would not be achieved within 3 days, with the Australians far eclipsing the highest test innings for a team with 551 and 3 centuries (400 had once been breached) Billy Murdoch, scoring the first test double century has to take the honours here. Initially thinking it completely obvious I noted Walter Read as another option, coming in at #10 for England (he was batting out of position) and scoring an excellent 117 off 153, snuffing out a chance of Australian victory, leaving them only 26 overs to bowl.

Player of the Series: Allan Steel 212 @ 53.0, 4 @ 33.8

Gotta go to the player who won them the only match with a result. Most of these guys are having series with a single good/great match and then mediocre performances in the others at this point.

Also guys remember, if you want to do any matches/series yourself, whether with or without doing a small writeup please feel free! Also feel free to let me know if you disagree on any of the conclusions so far!

 

[Coronis]

England in Australia 1884/85

The first ever 5 test series! (the next wouldn’t be for 10 years)

First Test: Billy Barnes 134, 3/51, 26*

A strong 8 wicket victory, setup by Barnes’ ton (his only in test cricket), ably supported by Scotton and Ulyett. Shoutout to Percy McDonnell for his 124 and 83 in a losing cause.

Second Test: Billy Barnes 58, 3/50, 6/31

Following up his performance in the first test, Barnes supported Briggs great ton, before demolishing Australia in the 3rd innings leaving England just 5 runs to chase.

Third Test: Fred Spofforth 4/54, 6/90

A very close low scoring test, a remarkable attempt at chasing from England with the highest score of all coming in the fourth innings. Spofforth was able to prevent it though, breaking the 100 partnership between Flowers and Read.

Fourth Test: George Giffen 7/117, George Bonnor 128 (shared)

This one was really tough. A huge 8 wicket victory for Australia, however pretty much due to the weather meaning England’s hopes were dashed as Spofforth and Palmer took them apart after on the third day. Two oustanding performances had already occured though and had shaped up for the match to be very close. Shoutout again to Billy Barnes with 5 wickets, a 50 and top scoring with 20 out of 77. This one might be a bit controversial. Perhaps Spofforth and Palmer should share it. But due to the nature of the pitch at that stabe I’m giving it to the others.

Fifth Test: Shrewsbury 105*

Those hoping for a close contest to the 2-2 series were sorely disappointed as England romped away to an innings victory. A solid allround appearance from all the English bowlers, with only one Aussie managing a 50 across their two innings (Spofforth, funnily enough). Very nice ton from Shrewsbury to let the team of bowlers go to work.


Player of the Series: Billy Barnes 367 @ 52.43, 19 @ 15.37, 8 catches

Unsurprising perhaps. A dominant and consistent all round series from Barnes, always contributing. The series leading runscorer and tied second wicket taker. A great precursor to future all rounders. A series probably not mentioned as much as others but quite up there imo.

 

[capt_Luffy]

England in Australia 1884/85

The first ever 5 test series! (the next wouldn’t be for 10 years)

First Test: Billy Barnes 134, 3/51, 26*

A strong 8 wicket victory, setup by Barnes’ ton (his only in test cricket), ably supported by Scotton and Ulyett. Shoutout to Percy McDonnell for his 124 and 83 in a losing cause.

Second Test: Billy Barnes 58, 3/50, 6/31

Following up his performance in the first test, Barnes supported Briggs great ton, before demolishing Australia in the 3rd innings leaving England just 5 runs to chase.

Third Test: Fred Spofforth 4/54, 6/90

A very close low scoring test, a remarkable attempt at chasing from England with the highest score of all coming in the fourth innings. Spofforth was able to prevent it though, breaking the 100 partnership between Flowers and Read.

Fourth Test: George Giffen 7/117, George Bonnor 128 (shared)

This one was really tough. A huge 8 wicket victory for Australia, however pretty much due to the weather meaning England’s hopes were dashed as Spofforth and Palmer took them apart after on the third day. Two oustanding performances had already occured though and had shaped up for the match to be very close. Shoutout again to Billy Barnes with 5 wickets, a 50 and top scoring with 20 out of 77. This one might be a bit controversial. Perhaps Spofforth and Palmer should share it. But due to the nature of the pitch at that stabe I’m giving it to the others.

Fifth Test: Shrewsbury 105*

Those hoping for a close contest to the 2-2 series were sorely disappointed as England romped away to an innings victory. A solid allround appearance from all the English bowlers, with only one Aussie managing a 50 across their two innings (Spofforth, funnily enough). Very nice ton from Shrewsbury to let the team of bowlers go to work.


Player of the Series: Billy Barnes 367 @ 52.43, 19 @ 15.37, 8 catches

Unsurprising perhaps. A dominant and consistent all round series from Barnes, always contributing. The series leading runscorer and tied second wicket taker. A great precursor to future all rounders. A series probably not mentioned as much as others but quite up there imo.

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

 

[Coronis]

Australia in England 1886

First Test: Dick Barlow 1/19, 38*, 7/44, 30

Valuable efforts in both innings and a 7 wicket haul to give England a chaseable target. Another quality allround effort.

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

Dominant innings victory by England. Dominated by these two gentlemen. Not much to write about the Aussie performance here. Solid bowling from Spofforth and batting from Palmer.

Third Test: WG Grace 170, 4 catches, 1 runout

Another dominant, in fact recordsetting innings victory, spearheaded by Grace, and Lohmann who took a 12 wicket haul.

Player of the Series: Jonny Briggs 17 wickets @ 7.76

Despite not bowling at all in the first test, he dominated the second two ridiculously, being the highest wicket taker of the series at a ridiculous average.