On This Day: 145 years ago, the first day of the first-ever Test match

When one talks about cricket rivalries, many will often say that Australia vs England Ashes rivalry is the oldest. Officially, they may be right. The USA and Canada participated against each other in cricketing contests during the 1850s. There is a famous rivalry on USA and Canada that has not been highlighted much. Officially, though, the first-ever instance of a Test match in cricket took place 145 years ago on March 15. It was between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It was a match that ushered cricket in a new direction and forever changed the dynamics of the sport.

The England side that came to Australia was the first time that a team had come on a business venture. The team had played some cricket matches in New Zealand. However, they arrived in Australia with one player apparently in jail for gambling. The rest of the squad was suffering from injuries, meaning that there were only 11 fit players in the side.

The Australia side was also hamstrung due to infighting and lack of quality. In fact, such was the level of Australian quality that previous tours had involved making 22 players take the field. In one instance of a tour game, an England bowler took 19 for 50. Yet, the stage was set for an iconic match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground between Australia and England. The capacity of the MCG at that time was only 2000 but it proved to be a classic.

History and a solid win

After one o’clock on March 15, the first ball in Test cricket was bowled by Alfred Shaw to Charles Bannerman. The first run came off the next delivery. The first wicket in the fourth over, when Allen Hill bowled Nat Thompson. Edward Gregory registered the first duck. Bannerman would go on to become the first batsman to score a Test century on debut. Australia ended on 245. 

Billy Midwinter became the first Australian bowler to take a five-wicket haul as Australia took a 49-run lead. Shaw, who had taken three wickets in the first innings, responded with 5/38 as Australia were bundled out for 104.

Chasing 154 for a win, England lost four wickets for 22 runs. However, they steadied the innings due to solid knocks from John Selby and Harry Charlwood. However, during the lunch break, the England team made one big mistake. The drank too much beer and the lunch break was extended. The delays saw them losing momentum. Tom Kendall took 7/55 as Australia won by 45 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the series.

The humiliation that England suffered jolted them. Although they managed to level the series 1-1, Test cricket had thrown up an entirely surprising aspect of the game. What began as a match in front of 500 people soon ended with 12000 on the day of Australia’s victory. Remarkably, 100 years later, history would be repeated. England and Australia played at the MCG and the victory margin was the same which was 45 runs. 

March 15 will forever be remembered as the day Test cricket was born. It is a format that is adored by the purists. It is respected as the pinnacle of cricket by every cricketer and nation.