Test cricket is the toughest and most revered format of the game. Its historical importance and time-tested legacy make it the epitome of this game. All of it started on this day in 1877 when All England and A combined New South Wales and Victoria XI played a Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. This match was later given Test status and now is known as the first Test ever played between Australia and England.
First Innings
The Australian captain Dave Gregory won the toss and elected to bat first. The English bowling attack made early inroads when Allen Hill dismissed the opener, Nat Thomson. Unfortunately for Australia, wickets kept falling at regular intervals. Multiple batters got the start but the inability to extend that start hurt Australia’s prospects. However, opener Charles Bannerman was steadfast at one end and anchored Australia’s innings single handedly. Australia ended up with 245 runs in the first innings and 165 of those runs were made by Bannerman.
When England came out to bat, they also suffered an early blow with opener John Selby out for 7 runs. However, unlike Australia, England succeeded in building a partnership at the top. Harry Jupp and Harry Charlwood stitched a significant 56-run partnership. But this was the only resilient partnership in the England innings. After this partnership was broken there was a collapse and Australia restricted the visitors to 196 runs, taking an impressive lead at the end of the first innings.
Second Innings
The Australians struggled with the bat in the second innings. This time even Charles Bannerman could not do much. England’s Alfred Shaw decimated the Australian batting order to pick up 5 wickets. Eventually, Australia got bundled out for just 104 runs in the second innings. It was the first-innings lead that had kept Australia ahead in the contest. England had a target of 154 runs to chase if they had to win this historic Test.
The English team appeared to have left the batting skills back home. It was yet another pathetic display of batting in the second innings from the visiting side. The Australian bowling attack was on top of the game right from the word go. Early breakthroughs crippled the English run chase. In the end, England could just accumulate 108 runs which resulted in a 45-run defeat for them. Tom Kendall was the main protagonist for Australia with the ball in the second innings. His 7 wickets did not let England settle in the run chase and Australia comfortably ran away with the match.