In 1938/39, there was a timeless Test played between England and South Africa in Durban but the game was declared a draw after 10 days as one team had to board the ship back home.
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Recently, in the ICC World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand, former England cricketer Nasser Hussain felt strange in the commentary box. When he announced that it was day 6 of the Ultimate Test, Hussain said that this was ‘the first time I have said this’. In the past, there was one Test between the Rest of the World and Australia in 2005 which saw the Super Test in Sydney. The match was slated for six days but Australia ended the match in three days.
The ICC World Test Championship cycle went to the sixth day only because the first and fourth day in Southampton got washed out. New Zealand won the match and became the first ICC World Test Champions. However, 83 years ago, there was a match that went to 10 days. It was the first Timeless Test, with South Africa taking on England in Durban.
The match would have witnessed history. But, it was declared a draw for the most bizarre reasons of them all. The Timeless Test was once again a case of so near yet so far in revolutionizing cricket.
From 1877 to 1939, there were many Timeless Tests. There was never a concept of a five-day Test match. It was a matter of sheer skill that matches would end in four or five days. The schedule was designed primarily on the shipping schedule between both the sides. In 1929, Australia and England played a Test for eight days in Melbourne and the hosts won by five wickets. Contrary to historical records, the 1938/39 England Test against South Africa in Durban was not the first in history. It was the first time such a concept was held in South Africa.
England held a 1-0 lead in the five-Test series heading into the final match at Durban. In the previous match at Kingsmead, England won by an innings and 13 runs. Heading into the final Test, England held all the aces.
South Africa chose to bat and they notched up 530 on a placid deck. Pietar van der Bijl and Dudley Nourse hit centuries. Alan Melville, the South Africa captain, Eric Dalton and Ronnie Grieveson all hit fifties. England toiled for 202 overs, with Reg Perks taking 5/100.
England managed only 316 with Les Ames hitting 84. However, he did not get much support with Dalton taking 4/59. South Africa built up a mammoth 695-run lead with Melville hitting a magnificent century. However, there were problems galore. There was no aggression and there would be a time when batsmen were ultra-cautious. Nourse, who had scored a century, told Wisden, “My attitude was, the longer we batted, the more runs we would score. That way we should probably win. So, I felt they would just have to prise me out.”
There were two rest days in the Timeless Test. However, when England began, the attitude and positivity was a lot more.
Leonard Hutton hit 55 and shared a partnership of 120 for the opening wicket with Paul Gibb. From that point on, it was a batting exhibition. Gibb hit 120 while Bill Edrich hit 219. Wally Hammond, at that time the greatest batsman in the world with Sir Don Bradman, hit 140 and Eddie Paynter responded with 75.
England were within striking distance of a world record. For 218.2 overs, England had reached 654/5 and they could have gone on. However, the match was declared a draw for a bizarre reason. England’s players needed to catch the ship back home. Had they missed it, they would have been stranded in South Africa for a long time. With World War 2 approaching, England’s players had to be back home.
Wisden heaped scorn upon the Timeless Test and many cricket committees in England and Australia called for the concept to be scrapped. After World War 2, with attitude and playing styles changed, the need for a Timeless Test was shunned. The heroes from both the sides went on to have fruitful careers in international cricket.
Pieter van der Bijl finished with a Test average of 51. Dudley Nourse became the first great South Africa player and he had an average of 53 with nine centuries. Leonard Hutton would play 79 Tests for England. He would be best remembered for scoring 364 against Australia at The Oval. His average of 56 would be a testament to his greatness.
To give Hutton company, there was Wally Hammond. He was considered the greatest at that time to Sir Don Bradman. He had the same average as Hutton with 56 but his tally of centuries was greater with 22 as compared to Hutton’s 19. Paynter had a reputation of being a fighter to the core.
During Douglas Jardine’s Bodyline series, Paynter was severely dehydrated. Instead, he was summoned from the hospital and he played a match-saving inning. He was given wine on the pitch as he looked to curb his dehydration. The Timeless Test would have been a magnificent revolution in Test cricket. However, it failed and since then, has not been repeated.
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