English cricket team in South Africa in 1895–96
An English cricket team, organised and led by Lord Hawke, toured South Africa from December 1895 to March 1896. The team played three matches against the South Africa national cricket team which were retrospectively awarded Test status. There is uncertainty about the status of South African cricket as a whole in the late nineteenth century and so only two of Hawke's matches against provincial teams, those involving Transvaal and Western Province, are rated first-class. Hawke's XI is designated England for the Test series which they won 3–0, winning all three matches by substantial margins. Tim O'Brien captained England in the first Test, although Hawke was playing, and Hawke was captain in the second and third Tests. The South African teams were captained by Ernest Halliwell (first two Tests) and Alfred Richards (third Test). Hawke's team was not a full-strength England team, but it did include four of the best players of the time in Tom Hayward, C. B. Fry, George Lohmann and Sammy Woods.[1]
Test series summary
England won the Test series 3-0.
First Test
13–14 February 1896 Scorecard |
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- South Africa won the toss and elected to field.
- RM Poore, JH Sinclair, CFW Hime, RA Gleeson, FJ Cook, J Middleton, JT Willoughby (all SA), and TW Hayward, CB Fry, AJL Hill, HR Bromley-Davenport, Lord Hawke, CW Wright, AM Miller and HR Butt (all ENG) made their Test debuts. SMJ Woods made his debut for ENG, having previously played for AUS.
- The match was completed in two days.
- The South African total of 30 was the lowest in Test cricket until 1954-55.
Second Test
2–4 March 1896 Scorecard |
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- England won the toss and elected to bat.
- CL Johnson, GH Shepstone, WHB Frank, CB Llewellyn, GA Rowe (all SA), and C Heseltine (ENG) made their Test debuts.
- Umpire Miller had played for England in the previous Test.
Third Test
21–23 March 1896 Scorecard |
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- England won the toss and elected to field.
- 22 March was taken as a rest day
- AR Richards, AW Seccull, GK Glover (all SA), and EJ Tyler (ENG) made their Test debuts.
- The match was completed in two days.
References
- "Lord Hawke's XI in South Africa in 1895–96". CricketArchive. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
External links