Prime Minister's XI

Last updated

Prime Minister's XI
PMXI Australia v England 2006.jpg
Personnel
Captain Flag of Australia (converted).svg Jack Edwards (2024)
Team information
Established1951
Home ground Manuka Oval, Canberra
Capacity13,550 [1]

The Prime Minister's XI or PM's XI (formerly Australian Prime Minister's Invitation XI) is an invitational cricket team picked by the Prime Minister of Australia for an annual match held at the Manuka Oval in Canberra against an overseas touring team. The Australian team usually consists of up-and-coming grade cricketers from the Canberra region and state players.

Contents

History

In 1962–63, Sir Donald Bradman came out of retirement to play for the Prime Minister's XI against the Marylebone Cricket Club. It was the last time Bradman ever played competitive cricket, and he was freakishly bowled by Brian Statham for just four runs. When Bradman returned to the pavilion, he told then-Prime Minister Robert Menzies, "It wouldn't happen in a thousand years. Anyway, that's my final appearance at the wicket." [2]

In 2003, there was a match between the PM's XI and an ATSIC Chairperson's XI held at Adelaide Oval. [3]

The match on 2 December 2005 had to end early due to the Canberra storms, with Australia getting 4/316, and West Indies finishing in the 31st over at 3/174. The PM's XI won by six runs using the Duckworth-Lewis method, the first time in the fixture's history to be decided using the method.

In 2014, the Prime Minister's XI suffered the biggest defeat in the history of the match against England after being bowled out for just 92. [4]

List of matches

Date(s)Prime MinisterOpposition teamFormatResult/winnerResult/margin
27 Oct 1951 Robert Menzies WestIndiesCricketFlagPre1999.svg  West Indies One day match Match drawn
8 Dec 1954 Robert Menzies Marylebone cc logo.png Marylebone CC XI One day match Marylebone cc logo.png Marylebone CC XI 31 runs
10 Feb 1959 Robert Menzies Marylebone cc logo.png Marylebone CC XI One day match Marylebone cc logo.png Marylebone CC XI 4 wickets [5]
18 Feb 1961 Robert Menzies WestIndiesCricketFlagPre1999.svg  West Indies One day matchMatch tied
6 Feb 1963 Robert Menzies Marylebone cc logo.png Marylebone CC XI One day match Marylebone cc logo.png Marylebone CC XI 4 runs
3 Feb 1964 Robert Menzies Flag of South Africa 1928-1994.svg South Africa One day match Flag of Australia (converted).svg Prime Minister's XI1 wicket
17 Dec 1965 Robert Menzies Marylebone cc logo.png Marylebone CC XI One day match Marylebone cc logo.png Marylebone CC XI 2 wickets
24 Jan 1984 Bob Hawke WestIndiesCricketFlagPre1999.svg  West Indies One day match Flag of Australia (converted).svg Prime Minister's XI52 runs
22 Jan 1985 Bob Hawke WestIndiesCricketFlagPre1999.svg  West Indies One day match WestIndiesCricketFlagPre1999.svg West Indies15 runs
22 Jan 1986 Bob Hawke Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand One day matchNo result [a]
23 Dec 1986 Bob Hawke Flag of England.svg  England One day match Flag of England.svg England XI4 wickets
23 Dec 1987 Bob Hawke Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand One day match Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand37 runs
13 Jan 1988 Bob Hawke Australian Aboriginal Flag.svg Aboriginal XI One day match Australian Aboriginal Flag.svg Aboriginal XI 7 wickets
8 Dec 1988 Bob Hawke WestIndiesCricketFlagPre1999.svg  West Indies One day matchMatch abandoned [a]
9 Jan 1989 Bob Hawke Australian Aboriginal Flag.svg Aboriginal XI One day match Australian Aboriginal Flag.svg Aboriginal XI 3 wickets
31 Jan 1990 Bob Hawke Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan One day match Flag of Australia (converted).svg Prime Minister's XI81 runs
4 Dec 1990 Bob Hawke Flag of England.svg  England One day match Flag of Australia (converted).svg Prime Minister's XI31 runs
17 Dec 1991 Bob Hawke Flag of India.svg  India One day match Flag of Australia (converted).svg Prime Minister's XI75 runs
12 Nov 1992 Paul Keating WestIndiesCricketFlagPre1999.svg  West Indies One day matchPrime Minister's XI3 runs
2 Dec 1993 Paul Keating Flag of South Africa 1928-1994.svg South Africa One day match Flag of Australia (converted).svg Prime Minister's XI4 runs
9 Nov 1994 Paul Keating Flag of England.svg  England One day match Flag of Australia (converted).svg Prime Minister's XI2 wickets
5 Dec 1995 Paul Keating WestIndiesCricketFlagPre1999.svg  West Indies One day matchMatch abandoned [a]
10 Dec 1996 John Howard WestIndiesCricketFlagPre1999.svg  West Indies One day match Flag of Australia (converted).svg Prime Minister's XI58 runs
2 Dec 1997 John Howard Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa One day match Flag of South Africa.svg South Africa11 runs
17 Dec 1998 John Howard Flag of England.svg  England One day match Flag of England.svg England XI16 runs
7 Dec 1999 John Howard Flag of India.svg  India One day match Flag of Australia (converted).svg Prime Minister's XI164 runs
7 Dec 2000 John Howard WestIndiesCricketFlagPre1999.svg  West Indies One day match Flag of Australia (converted).svg Prime Minister's XI4 wickets
19 Apr 2001 John Howard Australian Aboriginal Flag.svg ATSIC Chairman's XI One day match Australian Aboriginal Flag.svg ATSIC Chairman's XI 7 wickets
6 Dec 2001 John Howard Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand One day match Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand4 wickets
8 Mar 2002 John Howard Australian Aboriginal Flag.svg ATSIC Chairman's XI One day match Flag of Australia (converted).svg Prime Minister's XI8 wickets
10 Dec 2002 John Howard Flag of England.svg  England One day match Flag of Australia (converted).svg Prime Minister's XI4 wickets
21 Mar 2003 John Howard Australian Aboriginal Flag.svg ATSIC Chairman's XI One day match Flag of Australia (converted).svg Prime Minister's XI8 wickets
28 Jan 2004 John Howard Flag of India.svg  India One day match Flag of India.svg India1 run
25 Jan 2005 John Howard Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan One day match Flag of Pakistan.svg Pakistan5 wickets
2 Dec 2005 John Howard WestIndiesCricketFlagPre1999.svg  West Indies One day match Flag of Australia (converted).svg Prime Minister's XI6 runs (DLS) [a]
10 Nov 2006 John Howard Flag of England.svg  England One day match Flag of Australia (converted).svg Prime Minister's XI166 runs
30 Jan 2008 Kevin Rudd Flag of Sri Lanka.svg  Sri Lanka One day match Flag of Sri Lanka.svg Sri Lanka4 wickets
29 Jan 2009 Kevin Rudd Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand One day match Flag of Australia (converted).svg Prime Minister's XI6 wickets
4 Feb 2010 Kevin Rudd WestIndiesCricketFlagPre1999.svg  West Indies One day match WestIndiesCricketFlagPre1999.svg West Indies90 runs (DLS) [a]
10 Jan 2011 Julia Gillard Flag of England.svg  England One day match Flag of England.svg England7 wickets (DLS) [a]
3 Feb 2012 Julia Gillard Flag of Sri Lanka.svg  Sri Lanka One day matchMatch abandoned [a]
29 Jan 2013 Julia Gillard WestIndiesCricketFlagPre1999.svg  West Indies One day match Flag of Australia (converted).svg Prime Minister's XI23 runs
14 Jan 2014 Tony Abbott Flag of England.svg  England One day match Flag of England.svg England172 runs
14 Jan 2015 Tony Abbott Flag of England.svg  England One day match Flag of England.svg England60 runs
23 Oct 2015 Malcolm Turnbull Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand One day match Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand102 runs
15 Feb 2017 Malcolm Turnbull Flag of Sri Lanka.svg  Sri Lanka One day match Flag of Sri Lanka.svg Sri Lanka5 wickets
31 Oct 2018 Scott Morrison Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa One day match Flag of Australia (converted).svg Prime Minister's XI4 wickets
24 Oct 2019 Scott Morrison Flag of Sri Lanka.svg  Sri Lanka One day match Flag of Australia (converted).svg Prime Minister's XI1 wicket
23–26 Nov 2022 Anthony Albanese WestIndiesCricketFlagPre1999.svg  West Indies Four day match Match drawn
6–9 Dec 2023 Anthony Albanese Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan Four day match Match drawn
1 Dec 2024 Anthony Albanese Flag of India.svg  India One day match Flag of India.svg India 6 wickets

Results by Prime Minister and Party

PartyPlayedWonLostDrawnAbandonedWin Percentage
Labor 23992439.1
Liberal 2711141040.7
Prime MinisterPlayedWonLostDrawnWin PercentageIn Office
Robert Menzies 714114.31939-41,1949-66
Bob Hawke 1144036.41983-91
Paul Keating 4300751991-96
John Howard 1486057.11996-07
Kevin Rudd 312033.32007-2010,2013
Julia Gillard 311033.32010-2013
Tony Abbott 202002013-15
Malcolm Turnbull 202002015-2018
Scott Morrison 22001002018-2022
Anthony Albanese 301202022-present

Notable matches

Prime Minister's XI vs MCC 1954–55

8 December 1954
scorecard
MCC
v
Prime Minister's XI
MCC won by 31 runs
Manuka Oval, Canberra, Australia

In the MCC tour of Australia in 1954–55 the cricket loving Prime Minister of Australia Robert Menzies invited the MCC to a reception on the evening before the match and the ex-Australian captain Lindsay Hassett recited a ditty about facing "Typhoon" Tyson.

They say that this bloke Tyson is fast!
Faster than Larwood so they say!
They also say that he takes a run-up of a hundred yards!
Fast - psshaw! I'm not scared of him and his long run.
Tomorrow when I bat, I'll hook him out of sight!

From left to right: Ray Lindwall, Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies, Lindsay Hassett and Frank Worrell. MenziesHassettLindwallWorrell.jpg
From left to right: Ray Lindwall, Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies, Lindsay Hassett and Frank Worrell.

When he finished there was a thunder-clap from the storm outside "Listen, he's just started his run-up!" joked Hassett. The match was a game played in one day with each side playing one innings rather than Limited overs cricket in the modern sense of the term. Hutton won the toss and opened with Bill Edrich, but both were out for 25/2, but Peter May made 101 and added 98 with Vic Wilson (29) and 76 with Tom Graveney (56). Johnny Wardle scooped and swatted 37 not out and the MCC declared on 278/7 after 40 eight-ball overs. The match had a party atmosphere and Hassett gave 9 of his players a bowl, six of them took a wicket and himself 2/34 with his medium pacers. Tailender Ian Johnson opened the Australian batting and was out for 4, but his partner was the big hitting Richie Benaud who smashed the ball all over the ground in his 113 as the Prime Minister's XI made 247 off 30.3 overs at over a run a ball. One of his sixes was caught by the Governor General Field Marshal Sir William Slim and a businessman donated £35 and 10 shillings to local charities, 30 shillings for each six and 10 shillings for each four. Veteran batsman Sam Loxton hit 47 and Keith Miller 38 as Bill Edrich's fast bowling cost him 40 runs off 5 overs, though he did take 2 wickets. Johnny Wardle (4/73) produced a middle order collapse from 195/2 to 234/7 with Vic Wilson helping him with three catches. When Hassett came in to bat Tyson was brought on and took an outrageously long run up before bowling a slow donkey drop. He then bowled a real bouncer that hit Hassett on the hand before catching him off Len Hutton's leg spin (3/15) for a 31 run victory. [6]

Prime Minister's XI vs MCC 1958–59

10 February 1959
scorecard
v
MCC
MCC won by 4 wickets
Manuka Oval, Canberra, Australia

On the MCC tour of Australia in 1958–59 Prime Minister Robert Menzies had five Australian captains in his team; Lindsay Hassett, Ian Johnson, Arthur Morris, Ian Craig and Ray Lindwall, the all-rounder Sam Loxton and a Victorian wicket-keeper called Les Botham. They batted first and the opener Morris hit 14 boundaries in his 79 and Brian James, a New South Wales Country player hit 5 sixes in his 88 before retiring hurt. Tom Graveney took 2/38 with his leg-spin and Jim Laker 2/61. They declared on 288/7 off 38 eight-ball overs in two hours and thirty-five minutes, leaving the MCC roughly the same number of overs in slightly less time. Peter Richardson was out for a duck to Lindwall, Ted Dexter thrashed 76 before hitting his wicket and Colin Cowdrey struck 101 runs in 84 minutes with 10 boundaries to win the match by four wickets. After the victory the MCC batted on to entertain the crowd and Cowdrey reached his century before he was caught by Hassett off Morris (4/46), who ran through the lower order with his part-time leg-spin and they were all out for 332.

Prime Minister's XI vs MCC 1962–63

6 February 1963
scorecard
MCC
v
253/7 (dec)
D.S. Sheppard 72
R. Benaud 2/62
MCC win by 3 runs
Manuka Oval, Canberra, Australia
Umpires: G.F. Connelly (AUS) and J.G. Humphries (AUS)
Sir Donald Bradman came out of retirement to play for the Prime Minister's XI, the last time he ever batted; "that's my final appearance at the wicket." DonaldBradman.jpg
Sir Donald Bradman came out of retirement to play for the Prime Minister's XI, the last time he ever batted; "that's my final appearance at the wicket."

In the MCC tour of Australia in 1962–63 there was intense anticipation for the match against the Prime Minister's XI as the 54-year-old Sir Donald Bradman agreed to captain the team after 14 years without playing cricket. The thorough man that he was Bradman started practicing for the big day and 10,000 men, women and children came to see him bat for the last time. His old foe the MCC assistant-manager Alec Bedser agreed to play and the Bradman Pavilion was unveiled at the Manuka Oval. The Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies was a keen cricket fan who initiated these matches in 1951 and the money raised was donated to Legacy, a charity for the dependents of deceased Australian servicemen. Ted Dexter won the toss and elected to bat with Bradman fielding at first slip they rattled the fence with 36 fours and birthday-boy Fred Trueman hit a six. David Sheppard top-scored with 72 and Colin Cowdrey made 42. Richie Benaud took 2/62 off 8 overs, but the bowling honours went to the Canberra leg-spinner G. Brown, who took 3/61. Dexter nicked a ball off Brown to Wally Grout, but was called back by Bradman when he walked as the umpire gave him not out. "Lord Ted" lofted the next ball to Cowper at extra-cover and walked off for 22. Dexter declared the innings at 253/7, leaving the Prime Minister's XI 254 to win and Bob Cowper (47) and Ray Flockton (45) got the home team off to a good start with 7 boundaries apiece. They had both departed and the score was 108/3 when the name of Bradman came up on the board and the great man in a baggy green cap walked out to the crease to a standing ovation, surrounded by photographers and greeted by the England team. Tom Graveney's leg-spin got him off the mark with a straight-drive and in the next over from Brian Statham the Australian politician Don Chipp hit a single to put Bradman on strike. Although it was the intention of the MCC to let Bradman get some runs, and to bat against Bedser, Statham bowled a leg-cutter that came off the inside edge, brushed the pads and bounced onto the stumps with just enough force to dislodge a bail and the Don was out. Statham threw up his hands in anguish and the crowd was stunned, but "the little man, after one brief look back at his broken wicket, walked quickly away, the step firm, the head erect, but the shoulders, one thought, now slightly stooped. He had made one scoring stroke, for four. The crowd watched him go and sighed. How much they wanted just a half-hour, at least, of him—as the Englishmen had." [7] In his last Test 14 years before he had been bowled by Eric Hollies for a duck, four runs short of a Test average of 100.00. He reached the pavilion to the commiserations of the Prime Minister and the Duke of Norfolk and told them "It wouldn't happen in a thousand years. Anyway that's my final appearance at the wicket." [2] After this the rest of the match was an anticlimax. Neil Harvey was out for 3 and the PM's XI were 123/6 before Richie Benaud (63) and Ken Mackay (49) restored the situation, but David Allen (5/68) took three quick wickets, G. Brown was unable to bat so the PM's XI were out for 250 and the MCC won by 3 runs. Robert Menzies invited both teams to dinner and at the end of his speech presented a delighted Fred Trueman with a silver tankard as a birthday present from the Australian people. The Duke joked to the Prime Minister "I suppose you know you've just destroyed the disciplinary labours of several months?" [8] [9] [10]

Prime Minister's XI vs MCC 1965–66

17 December 1965
scorecard
v
MCC
MCC win by 2 wickets
Manuka Oval, Canberra, Australia
Umpires: B.M Chapman (AUS) and G. Connolly (AUS)

On the MCC tour of Australia in 1965–66 the Prime Minister of Australia Robert Menzies had a team that consisted of Australian Test players such as Wally Grout, Alan Connolly and Bob Cowper, retired veterans Neil Harvey, Richie Benaud and Jim Burke, young talent like Keith Stackpole and the teenaged Paul Sheahan as well as the famous West Indian fast bowler Wes Hall. Benaud captained the team and fulfilled 90% of his duties by winning the toss and choosing to bat. Thanks to Burke (79), Sheahan (60), Benaud (45) and Stackpole (32 not out) the Prime Minister's XI hit 288/7 in 35 overs, with the wickets shared amongst the touring bowlers with Jeff Jones taking 2/21, David Larter 2/43 and Bob Barber 2/72. The declaration came halfway through the day and the MCC's 289/8 also took 35 overs, though they passed 200 for the loss of two wickets as Geoff Boycott made 95 before he was run out, Colin Cowdrey 52 and M.J.K. Smith 51 not out. Eight bowlers were used, but the best was Jim Burke who took 2/5 with his infamous chucking action, dismissing John Murray and Jones for ducks in the closing minutes of the match.

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Rain intervened / stopped play

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian cricket team in England in 1948</span> Visit to England by the Australian cricket team in 1948

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Len Hutton captained the English cricket team in Australia in 1954–55, playing as England against Australia in the 1954–55 Ashes series and as the MCC in other matches on the tour. It was the first time that an England team had toured Australia under a professional captain since the 1880s. After losing the First Test by an innings, they beat Australia 3–1 and retained the Ashes. The combination of Frank Tyson, Brian Statham, Trevor Bailey, Johnny Wardle and Bob Appleyard made it one of the strongest bowling sides to tour Australia, and it was the only team of any nationality to defeat Australia at home between 1932–33 and 1970–71.

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It was a tour which saw all sorts of perverse happenings – from an injury list that never stopped, to the dis-satisfaction with umpiring and bowlers' actions that so undermined morale. From various causes England gave below their best...

<span class="mw-page-title-main">English cricket team in Australia in 1962–63</span> International cricket tour

The England cricket team toured Australia and New Zealand between October 1962 and March 1963 with a one-match stopover in Colombo, en route to Australia. The tour was organised by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and, in all matches other than Tests, the team was called MCC. In Australia, the tour itinerary consisted of 15 first-class matches, including the five-match Test series against Australia in which The Ashes were at stake. It was the last England cricket tour of Australia where the team travelled by ship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1958–59 Ashes series</span> International cricket tour

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">1954–55 Ashes series</span> International cricket tour

The 1954–55 Ashes series consisted of five cricket Test matches, each of six days with five hours play each day and eight ball overs. It formed part of the MCC tour of Australia in 1954–55 and the matches outside the Tests were played in the name of the Marylebone Cricket Club. The England team was captained by Len Hutton, the first professional cricketer to lead an MCC tour of Australia. The Australian team under Ian Johnson was confident of victory, but despite losing the First Test by an innings England won the series 3–1 and retained the Ashes. They were the only touring team to win a series in Australia between 1932–33 and 1970–71 and only the second of three touring teams to win a series in Australia from behind. The tour is best remembered for the bowling of Frank "Typhoon" Tyson, who was at the time regarded as the fastest, most frightening bowler ever seen in Australia. The series saw a phenomenal concentration of bowling prowess on both sides – four of the bowlers had career Test averages under 21, another five under 25 and the remaining four under 30. Unsurprisingly therefore, the ball dominated the bat for most of the series and each side only topped 300 in an innings twice. Unlike the following series in 1958–59 there were rarely any umpiring disputes and Keith Miller wrote "Mel McInnes, Colin Hoy and Ron Wright were our leading umpires in the 1954–55 M.C.C. tour of Australia, and I have no hesitation in saying that McInnes gave the finest exhibition of umpiring in a Test series that I have experienced".

The 1958-59 Australians defeated the touring England team 4-0 in the 1958–59 Ashes series. They were seen by the English press as having little chance of winning the series against the powerful England touring team. They had only one recognised great player, Neil Harvey and had lost the fast bowling combination of Ray Lindwall and Keith Miller and the other veterans of Don Bradman's Invincible 1948 team. There were, however, signs of recovery to those who would see them and E.W. Swanton believed that on their home ground Australia would be a shade better than England. The best indication of the forthcoming series was the M.C.C. and Australian tours of South Africa in 1956-57 and 1957-58. South Africa had a strong team in the 1950s, stunning the cricketing world by drawing 2-2 in Australia in 1953-54, losing 3-2 in the closely fought 1955 series in England and fighting back from a 2-0 deficit to draw 2-2 with Peter May's England in 1956-57. In 1957-58 Ian Craig led a team labelled as the weakest to leave Australia to a 3-0 victory over the Springboks with Richie Benaud, Alan Davidson, Wally Grout, Ken Mackay, Colin McDonald, Jim Burke and Lindsay Kline all in fine form. Norm O'Neill was not taken on tour, but struck innings of 175 in three hours and 233 in four hours in successive games against Victoria and was regarded as the "New Bradman".

The 1954–55 Australians lost 3–1 to the touring England team in the 1954–55 Ashes series. The Australian teams of the 1940s and early 1950s were strong even after the retirement of Don Bradman as many of his great 1948 side remained. Australia had lost only one series since 1932–33, when they lost he Ashes to Len Hutton in the exceptionally close fought 1953 Ashes series, but had played no Test cricket since. They had thrashed John Goddard's West Indian team 4–1 in 1951–52 after his triumphant 3–1 win in England, but had surprisingly been held to a 2–2 series draw against Jack Cheetham's South Africans in 1952–53. The general opinion in Australia was that they would win the return series, especially after the great victory in the First Test. "Although Australian batting was unsound by the old standards the presence of more all-rounders gave them the slightly better chance" wrote E.W. Swanton "all-rounders are said to hold the key to Test matches. Australia had four or five to England's one..."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MCC tour of Australia in 1950–51</span>

The Marylebone Cricket Club tour of Australia in 1950–51 under the captaincy of Freddie Brown was its tenth since it took official control of overseas tours in 1903–1904. The touring team played as England in the 1950–51 Ashes series against Australia, but as the MCC in all other games. In all there were 25 matches; 5 Test matches, 11 other first-class matches and 9 minor matches. Denis Compton was made Brown's vice-captain, the only time that a professional cricketer held this position on an MCC tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MCC tour of Australia in 1954–55</span>

The Marylebone Cricket Club tour of Australia in 1954-55 under the captaincy of Len Hutton was its eleventh since it took official control of overseas tours in 1903-04. The touring team played as England in the Ashes series against Australia, but as MCC in all other games. In all there were 23 matches; 5 Test matches, 12 other First Class matches and 6 minor matches. It was the only time that a professional cricketer captained an MCC tour of Australia. It was one of the MCC's most successful tours, the Ashes being retained and the team winning five of their victories by an innings.

The Marylebone Cricket Club tour of Australia in 1958-59 under the captaincy of Peter May was its twelfth since it took official control of overseas tours in 1903-1904. The touring team played as England in the 1958–59 Ashes series against Australia, but as the MCC in all other games. In all there were 20 matches; 5 Test matches, 12 other First Class matches and 3 minor matches. It was billed as the strongest MCC team ever to tour Australia and dominated the early matches, and its heavy defeat in the Test series was seen as one of the great upsets in cricket.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1946–47 Ashes series</span> Cricket series

The 1946–47 Ashes series consisted of five cricket Test matches, each of six days with five hours play each day and eight ball overs. Unlike pre-war Tests in Australia, matches were not timeless and played to a finish. It formed part of the MCC tour of Australia in 1946–47 and England played its matches outside the Tests in the name of the Marylebone Cricket Club. The England team was led by the veteran Wally Hammond and his vice-captain Norman Yardley with the strong batting line up of Len Hutton, Cyril Washbrook, Bill Edrich, Denis Compton and Joe Hardstaff, but a weak bowling attack that relied on pre-war bowlers like the 37-year-old Bill Voce of Bodyline fame and the mercurial leg-spinner Doug Wright. The two successes of the tour were the newly capped Alec Bedser, who would carry the England bowling attack until 1955, and Godfrey Evans who would be England's first choice wicketkeeper until 1959. England had drawn the Victory Tests 2–2 in 1945 and were thought to be equal in strength, but Hammond lost 3–0 to Don Bradman's Australian team which had only two other pre-war players – Lindsay Hassett and Sid Barnes, who had played 5 Tests between them – and was packed with fresh talent in the shape of Arthur Morris, Keith Miller, Ray Lindwall, Colin McCool, Ernie Toshack and Don Tallon. There were several controversial umpiring decisions which assumed greater significance as they favoured Australia and in particular Don Bradman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MCC tour of Australia in 1946–47</span>

The Marylebone Cricket Club tour of Australia in 1946-47 under the captaincy of Wally Hammond was its ninth since it took official control of overseas tours in 1903-1904 and the first since the Second World War. The touring team played as England in the 1946–47 Ashes series against Australia, but as the MCC in all other games. In all there were 25 matches; 5 Test matches, 13 other First Class matches and 7 minor matches. Australia had been suffering a drought since 1937, but this ended as it rained in every match the MCC played on tour, including tropical thunderstorms twice in Brisbane and again in Sydney. However, this had an adverse effect on the pitches and denied the touring team adequate practice and lead to many draws.

Hammond's ill-equipped army returned to England beaten, yet deserving of the highest honours for their sportsmanship, their ability to smile in the face of certain disaster and also for their success in gaining the objective of their invasion - the spreading of cricket goodwill from the Homeland to a Dominion.

References

Citations

  1. "Manuka Oval – Canberra, ACT". Manukaoval.com.au. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Moyes and Goodman, pp. 138–139
  3. "2003 PM's XI v ATSIC Chairman's XI Cricket Match". Australian Broadcasting Corporation . Archived from the original on 3 August 2004. Retrieved 1 December 2005.
  4. "England claim rare tour victory". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  5. "The Home of CricketArchive". Cricketarchive.com. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  6. Tyson p. 113–116
  7. Moyes and Goodman, p. 138
  8. Moyes and Goodman, pp. 137–139
  9. Swanton, pp. 127–128 and pp. 135–136
  10. Trueman, p. 373

Books

35°19′05″S149°08′06″E / 35.318°S 149.135°E / -35.318; 149.135