New Zealand’s recent world record prompts Bert Walker to dig into archives to unearth a remarkable match, and salute a remarkable player.
In January 2017, the Black Caps set a new world record – this was after Bangladesh had batted first in the first test and scored the very imposing total of 595/8 declared. No other team had conceded this many runs in the first innings and won the test, as New Zealand did when they chased 217 to win on the last day. The record had stood at 586.
This previous mark was set way back in the first test of the 1894/95 Ashes series, and it happened in what is still one of the most remarkable tests ever played to this day.
The match featured the first great test allrounder – George Giffen, from South Australia, who played for Australia between 1881 and 1896. Giffen was the first man to accomplish the test match double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets – which these days is pretty commonplace, and has been far surpassed by many top-class allrounders. But back in Giffen’s day there were only three countries then playing test cricket, so naturally there were far fewer tests played. This puts Giffen’s feat into some sort of perspective.
The first test was held in Sydney in those days and Australian captain (and outstanding wicket keeper) Jack Blackham (Victoria) won the toss from English captain Andrew Stoddart (Middlesex) and elected to bat first on a fast true wicket, but Australia was soon in deep trouble at 21/3. England at the time had a great fast bowler in the shape of thickset Surrey speedster Tom Richardson and in a devastating burst he quickly clean bowled the first three batsmen. But the next two batsmen Frank Iredale with 81 and Giffen with 161 (his highest test score), mounted a most impressive recovery.
As the England attack started to wilt in the heat, their cause wasn’t helped by several dropped catches. Australia reached stumps much more comfortably placed at 346/5, with dapper little NSW batsman Syd Gregory looking very well set on 85. The next day he played shots all around the wicket and eventually carried on to 201, putting on a record stand of 154 for the 9th wicket with his captain Blackham batting at 10, who also made his highest test score, of 74. So after their bad start Australia reached the imposing total of 586, a wonderful recovery. The lionhearted Tom Richardson bowled 55 overs to finish with 5/181 (all clean bowled), but the much vaunted English left arm spinners Bobby Peel (Yorkshire) and Johny Briggs (Lancashire) took just 2/140 and 0/96 respectively.
England batted steadily in reply to reach 325, but were naturally asked to follow on. With the wicket still playing well they dug in most admirably and eventually reached 437 in their 2nd innings, with opening batsman Albert Ward (Lancashire) leading the way in both innings with a terrific double of 75 and 117. All the other batsmen chipped in. Australia’s cause wasn’t helped by Blackham badly injuring a finger and having to relinquish the gloves. And their most successful bowler in each innings was the tireless George Giffen with his slow medium off spinners, with figures of 43-17-75-4 and 75-25-155-4. As he also held a catch in each innings he had helped to dismiss half the England team in this test, on top of his first innings heroics with the bat, but his work wasn’t done yet – as Australia still needed 177 to win this test, that they had dominated almost throughout.
But after losing two early wickets, Giffen and Joe Darling (bowled by Richardson for 0 first ball in the first innings of this his debut test) then batted steadily to see Australia through to stumps at 113/2 – so after five days play (timeless tests were played in Australia until WW2) Australia now needed just 64 runs to win, with eight wickets left and the pitch showing hardly any appreciable wear. Giffen after all his exertions (including bowling a record 118 overs in the match) naturally slept very soundly indeed, so when the first person he saw the next morning was Blackham his captain, he was very surprised at Blackham’s gloomy outlook on this beautiful sunny day – Giffen said that Blackham “had a face as long as a coffee pot”!
On naturally enquiring as to what was wrong, Giffen was tersely informed that it had rained very heavily in the early hours. So in those days of uncovered pitches and with the sun shining down, Australia instead of having what had looked like a comfortable final ride home was now confronted by a dreaded sticky wicket. England though were having some problems of their own, as Bobby Peel was as well known for his social inclinations and at times heavy drinking as he was for his all round cricket ability! And with Australia seemingly having the match in the bag he had cut loose the night before, then like Giffen slept through the heavy storm – but in his case in a drunken slumber – so he was thrown under a cold shower in the morning, in an attempt to sober him up to play.
And it worked, as aided by the unpredictable popping bounce and turn of the drying pitch, Peel aided by Briggs soon started scything through the remaining Australian batsman. Giffen was the first to fall, for 41, followed by Darling for 53. Gregory fresh from his brilliant double century in the first innings batted gallantly for 16, but none of the rest of the remaining batsmen reached double figures. Captain Blackham was last out and against all the odds England had triumphed by 10 runs!
Spare a thought for poor George Giffen – despite what is still one of the greatest all round performances in the whole history of test cricket (202 runs, eight wickets and two catches in the match), he was on the losing side! And in what turned out to be a classic test series England went on to win the Ashes 3-2. In this series Giffen scored 475 runs and took 34 wickets, but as in the first test his great all round feats didn’t prevent him from being on the losing side overall.
So that is the background to this new world record by New Zealand – a tale of a remarkable test highlighted by an amazing all round performance, but by a player who finished on the losing team ... cricket is indeed a strange but wonderful game at times!