First Ever Test In England - When Father Of Cricket Outbatted The Aussies

Scenes from the first Test in England [X]

Today, on the 144th anniversary of Test cricket in England, we pause to appreciate the enduring legacy of this sport. As the game has evolved  over the years, giving rise to newer and shorter formats, the orthodoxes among us continue to hold Test cricket in the highest regard. In this article, we pay homage to the day the first Test match was played in England.

WG Grace came up with the first century in England in Test

England took on Australia in the only Test in 1880 at the Oval in London. The home team batted first, and WG Grace led the batting. He played a resilient knock of 152 runs off 294 balls and laid the foundation for the team. Besides Grace, the skipper of the English team, Lord Harris, also scored a half-century. Thanks to a team effort in the batting, they posted 420 runs in their first innings. William Moule and Alec Bannerman of Australia picked up three wickets each.

Australia failed to give a strong reply. They scored only 149 runs before being bundled out in the 76th over. Harry Boyle was the team's highest scorer, scoring 36 runs off 47 deliveries. Fred Morley starred for England with the ball, picking up five wickets for 56. 

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Australia fought back in the second innings

Despite the daunting task of following on, the Australian team displayed a commendable fighting spirit in their second innings. Led by their skipper, Billy Murdoch, they put up a more resilient effort, scoring 327 runs. Murdoch's brilliant 153* off 358 deliveries was a testament to their determination. Once again, Fred Morley was the standout bowler for England, claiming three wickets for 90 runs. 

Despite their resilient second-innings batting effort, the Aussies could only give England a target of 57 in the final innings of the game. Though it seemed a small target, the home team faced a tough challenge chasing it down. They lost five wickets in the process but managed to go past the target and win the first Test match in England in history. 

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Test Cricket in England

Since then, 1,116 Test matches have been played in England. Here is a look at the record of  nations in Test cricket in England - 

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