History of Test cricket from 1884 to 1889

The history of Test cricket between 1884 and 1889 was one of English dominance over the Australians. England won every Test series that was played. The period also saw the first use of the word "Test" to describe a form of cricket when the Press used it in 1885. It has remained in common usage ever since.

In 1883 England had won the first Ashes series by beating Australia 2–1 away, though they had lost a fourth extra Test played at the end of their Australian tour. However, this last Test proved to be a blip as English dominance remained for the rest of the 1880s. Of the 19 England-Australia Tests played in the period from 1884 to 1889, England won 14, Australia 3, with 2 draws.

1889 saw the first English team to tour South Africa. England won both representative matches easily. These matches, and those on the other early English tours of South Africa, were only recognised as Tests retrospectively, the first official tour not taking place till 1905–6.Barclay's World of Cricket, 2nd edition, Collins, 1980, , p287.

English summer of 1884

The first representative match of the 1884 season was held at Lancashire's ground, Old Trafford, making it the first such match played there. The practice at the time was that the host ground authority would select the team. First Lancashire asked Lord Harris to captain the side, but he refused as he was unhappy about the proposed selection of John Crossland, a bowler, who many considered a thrower. So Lancashire chose their captain and hero, A N Hornby instead. In the end, Crossland did not play. Billy Murdoch's Australians had the better of a draw against A N Hornby's English eleven. The game was scheduled as a three-day match, but rain made no play possible on the first day. When England did get to bat at 12.05 pm on the second day, they lost their captain in the third over, and Grace went when the score was on 13, before rain intervened yet again to delay play. After a quarter of an hour play resumed, as did the England collapse: at lunch, they were 83 for 6. The sun shone throughout the interval, making the wicket even more difficult to play. Harry Boyle finished on 6 for 42 and Fred Spofforth on 4 for 42, with England dismissed at around 3.10 pm for only 95. The Australians fared better, making 86 for 2. Three quick wickets, the third of them being George Bonnor, who was reluctant to go after being driven back onto his stumps, saw the Aussies collapse to 97 for 5. But the innings recovered, and they finished on 182. England fared much better in their second innings: it took the Australians an hour and a quarter to make their first breakthrough, although Alfred Lucas was dropped when England had only notched up six. England reached parity with only 3 wickets down—and as it was then 4.40 am on the last day, a draw was a virtual certainty. The game ended with England 180 for 9.

The second representative match was at Lord's, and the Marylebone Cricket Club selected Lord Harris as their captain (as did Surrey for the third and last match, which was at the Oval). In the second Test, Australia made 229 in their first innings. During this innings, Billy Murdoch, the Australian captain, became the first substitute fielder to take a catch in Test cricket when he caught Australia's top scorer, Tup Scott, when he was on 75. Murdoch was helping out England after WG Grace suffered a finger injury! In their first innings England slumped to 135 for 5. As Dick Barlow went out to bat, Lord Harris instructed him, "For Heaven's sake, Barlow, stop the rot!" And this is exactly what Barlow did, scoring 38 as Allan Steel added 98 runs at the other end. In all, Steel made 149 in an innings that Plum Warner recounts in his book Lord's 1787–1945 was told enthusiastically to him at the Adelaide Oval in 1911 by Australian George Giffen, who played in the match. England went on to make 379. Australia were dismissed cheaply for 145 in their second innings, thanks to 7 for 36 from George Ulyett.

The third representative match was played at the Oval. Australia won the toss, went in to bat, and despite losing Bannerman early on for 4, made 551. Ideally, they would not have spent so much time batting, as it gave them less time to bowl England out twice to level the series. But the laws of cricket did not permit declarations until 1889, so they just piled on runs. Billy Murdoch scored Test cricket's first double century (211 in total), and Percy McDonnell and Tup Scott also made centuries. England's best bowler in the innings was Lyttelton with 4 for 19. Lyttelton was the wicket-keeper (Read and Grace kept wicket when Lyttelton bowled), with all 11 Englishmen getting a bowl, which was the first time this has happened in a Test match. England struggled to 181 for 8 in reply. At which point, Walter Read, who was furious at being sent in as low as number 10, thrashed 117 off 155 balls in 113 minutes as England recovered to 346. The follow-on was enforced as a matter of routine, but England only got to 85 for 2 in the 26 overs of play that remained before the game ended as a draw. England had won the series 1–0.

Australia in England 1884. Match length: 3 days. Balls per over: 4. Series result: England won 1–0. No. Date Home captain Away captain Venue Result 14 10,11,12 Jul 1884 A N Hornby Billy Murdoch Old Trafford DRAW 15 21,22,23 Jul 1884 Lord Harris Billy Murdoch Lord's ENG by Inns&5 runs 16 11,12,13 Aug 1884 Lord Harris Billy Murdoch The Oval DRAW

Lillywhite, Shaw and Shrewsbury's second tour 1884/5 James Lillywhite, Alfred Shaw and Arthur Shrewsbury had first organised a cricket tour to Australia in 1881/2. In 1884/5, they toured again, with a side which, when he was writing in 1901, Shaw considered to be the best ever to have left England. Lillywhite, who was now 42, confined himself to managing and umpiring, but Shaw and Shrewsbury played. The tour was marred by disputes over umpiring and money.

In the first representative match of the tour, Shaw's XI took on a team comprising Australians who had toured England 1884. This was the first Test match played at the Adelaide Oval. Even before the game started, there were a number of disputes. First, the English and Australian sides disputed the division of the takings. The South Australia Cricket Association intervened, and successfully mediated, but Englishmen still felt hard done by. Second, the Australians objected to Lillywhite umpiring. It is not clear why, although Lillywhite had controversially given a Victorian "not out" for a good lbw shout from Shaw in a game against Victoria in 1881/2, which was partly marred by match-fixing allegations. Therefore, two local umpires were used for the match, and there were many complaints that the Englishmen put pressure on them by over-appealing. However, they did not excel themselves for either side.

The game itself started well for Australia, who were 190 for 4 when Percy McDonnell went for 124. But they collapsed to 243 all out, after Billy Bates came on and got 5 for 31. England's reply went well, and they passed Australia's total with only 2 wickets down. Billy Barnes scored 134, as they went on to get 369. In reply, Australia, who were missing Bannerman through injury, could only make 191. England won by 8 wickets.

The Australians demanded 50% of the gate receipts for the second match at the MCG. They were turned down, and, as a result, the Australian side in this match showed 11 changes; Jack Blackham's run of playing in the first 17 Tests came to an end; for 5 Australians, this second game was the only Test they were to play. Lillywhite was allowed to umpire this Test, but it was the last time he was allowed to do so. Against this weakened Australian squad, Shaw's XI scored 401, before dismissing Australia for 279 and 126 to win by 10 wickets. Australia were 2–0 down in the series.

Back to fuller strength, Australia edged the third Test by 6 runs in a low-scoring affair at the SCG after Edwin Evans caught England's most successful batsman of the match, Wilfred Flowers at point. England's last 4 wickets fell for only 13 runs. In the fourth Test, England made 269 in their first innings. In reply George Bonnor then made 128 in 114 minutes in a magnificent innings on a bowler's pitch as Australia made 309. England chose to play their second innings on the same pitch. However, the wicket broke up and Spofforth (5 for 30) and Palmer (4 for 32) blitzed England for 77 in their second innings, off just 157 balls. Australia chose to bat on the wicket England had used in their first innings and knocked off the 38 runs they needed for the loss of only two wickets. The teams were now level on 2–2 with one match to play.

Disappointingly, the fifth Test was a one-sided affair. Australia won the toss and chose to bat on a well-watered pitch. And then tumbled to 99 for 9. Fred Spofforth, however, partially rescued them with a half-century when batting at number 11, and the Aussies ended on 163. Arthur Shrewsbury then became the first England captain to score a century as England put on 386. During Australia's second innings, Tom Garrett, one of the home players, had to deputise for umpire Hodges when Hodges refused to stand after tea on the third day because of England's complaints about his decisions. However, England were well on top, and Australia were dismissed for 125, with George McShane, who had stood as an umpire in the fourth Test, left stranded on 5 not out. England had won the series 3–2.

England in Australia 1884/5. Match length: Timeless. Balls per over: 4. Series result: England won 3–2. No. Date Home captain Away captain Venue Result 17 12,13,15,16 Dec 1884 Billy Murdoch Arthur Shrewsbury Adelaide Oval ENG by 8 wkts 18 1,2,3,5 Jan 1885 Tom Horan Arthur Shrewsbury Melbourne Cricket Ground ENG by 10 wkts 19 20,21,23,24 Feb 1885 Hugh Massie Arthur Shrewsbury Sydney Cricket Ground AUS by 6 runs 20 14,16,17 Mar 1885 Jack Blackham Arthur Shrewsbury Sydney Cricket Ground AUS by 8 wkts 21 21,23,24,25 Mar 1885 Tom Horan Arthur Shrewsbury Melbourne Cricket Ground ENG by Inns&98 runs

The English summer of 1886 The Australian tour of 1886 again came under the financial aegis of the Melbourne Cricket Club. Before it set off the team was rated the equal to the sides of 1882 and 1884, even though, as a result of continuing discord in the Australian camp, Murdoch, Horan, McDonner, Bannerman and Massie were all missing. The claim proved over-optimistic; the tourists lost all three Tests.

The composition of the English side for the first Test at Old Trafford caused some controversy. Lancashire County Cricket Club, the ground authority, originally selected their captain A N Hornby to captain England. However, Hornby injured his leg, and Allan Steel was chosen to captain England in his stead. 10,000 attended on the first day, which, although dull and overcast in the morning, turned out fine in the afternoon and gave the English bowlers little assistance. Australia were on 181 when the fifth wicket fell. However, the last five wickets went down for 24 runs. At close of play on the first day, England were 36 for the loss of WG Grace's wicket. By lunch on the second day, after some slow scoring, England were 140 for 5. After lunch, George Ulyett and Johnny Briggs were swiftly sent back to the pavilion. George Lohmann, who was dropped with only a single to his name, however, went on to make 32 and take the England total to 223. By the end of the second day, Australia were 36 runs to the good, with six second innings wickets remaining. On the third and final day, Australia, on a crumbling wicket, were only able set England 106 to win. England lost Grace, Shrewsbury and Read early for only 24 runs, and the Australians were always threatening. But in the end England got home with 4 wickets to spare at 5.40 pm Later Dick Barlow was presented with a silk scorecard of the match in honour of his 68 runs and 7 for 44 for England.