Test cricket is the the ultimate form of the game. Every player strives to play the format to put their skills to the test (no pun intended). Just like any sport or a format of a game, it didn't exist since the dawn of time. Its roots go back to 1877 in a pre-Ashes match between Australia and England.
The term "test match" was coined during the English tour of Australia in 1861–62 but in a different context. It meant that the English team was testing itself against each of the Australian colonies.
Following Lillywhite's tour, Australian teams reciprocated, beginning with Dave Gregory's team in 1878. By the beginning of 1892, eight English teams had visited Australia and seven Australian teams had visited England. In its issue of 25 February 1892, Cricket: A Weekly Record of the Game revived the term "test match" and freely applied it to the three international matches which had just been played in Australia by Lord Sheffield's XI; starting with the match at the MCG which was billed as Lord Sheffield's Team v Combined Australia. The report began: "There was no little appropriateness in fixing the first of the three great test matches for January 1."
The match between Australia and England was initially billed as All England v A Combined New South Wales and Victoria XI and only granted Test match status retrospectively. An indication of the rapid rise that cricket had enjoyed in Australia, it was an even contest throughout; the hosts on top even without their strike bowler, Fred Spofforth, who sat out because he was displeased by the non-selection of Billy Murdoch.
While there had already been four major tours by English sides to Australia, the team arranged and captained by James Lillywhite that left England in November 1876 was the first to visit as a business venture rather than following an invitation.
Three years earlier, W.G. Grace had led a similar venture but there had been deep divisions within the group and Lillywhite's Cricketers Companion had noted that it was unlikely that any attempt to mix amateurs and professionals would happen again.
Lillywhite, who had been involved in that unhappy trip, learnt from his experiences and relied entirely on professionals, leaving all the amateurs at home. While he had a strong bowling attack, the best batsmen were by and large the absent amateurs - the previous summer only four of the top 26 in the averages were professionals. And with every penny spent eating into the venture's profits, the squad was made up of only 12 players, meaning very little rest for those involved.
This was also the first trip to play matches against anything other than odds. The Australian teams were generally considered to be too weak to meet on equal terms and so opposing sides fielded as many as 22 players. That helped account for the remarkable number of wickets and eyebrow-raising analyses of the leading bowlers on such trips. Alfred Shaw took 19 for 50 against XXII of Newcastle, for example.
Australia's cricketers were improving fast and Lillywhite's side were challenged to an 11-a-side game by New South Wales shortly before the tour diverted to New Zealand for six weeks in mid-January 1877. Although the tourists had the better of a draw in the two-day game, the other states were not about to be outdone and Victoria issued a similar challenge.
Meanwhile, Lillywhite's side played eight odds matches in New Zealand. While there, they lost wicketkeeper, Ted Pooley, an inveterate gambler, who was left languishing in a Christchurch jail after a betting scandal and so they returned to Australia with the core 11 players.
The financial demands of playing as many games as possible meant that Lillywhite had accepted the Victorians' offer and on 15 March, barely 24 hours after they arrived back, the 18th match of the tour took place at the MCG between Lillywhite's XI and a Combined Australia XI; a side raised between the Victoria and New South Wales authorities.
Although not advertised as an international, it is recognised that this was the first match between two representative teams and it was subsequently given the accolade of being cricket's first official Test.
England came into the game in a poor state, exhausted by endless cricket and travelling without a chance to rest - Pooley never rejoined the squad - and the reserve keeper, Harry Jupp, was suffering from an inflammation of the eyes. One of the XI, James Southerton, was 49 when he made his debut. Jupp was not trusted to keep wicket but the lack of any reserve meant that he had to play. As it was, he top-scored for England with 63 in their first innings.
Australia, too, had their problems, with a simmering row between the Victoria and New South Wales associations undermining preparations. The biggest loss came when the great fast bowler Fred Spofforth refused to play because he disapproved of the choice of wicketkeeper, insisting in vain that Billy Murdoch play. The selectors brought in Frank Allen as Spofforth's replacement, only for Allen to pull out after deciding he preferred to attend a local fair.
Around 1 500 spectators were inside the MCG when, shortly after one o'clock on a sunny afternoon, the first ball in Test cricket was bowled by Alfred Shaw to Charles Bannerman. The first run came off the next delivery and the first wicket in the fourth over; when Allen Hill bowled Nat Thompson. The ignominy of the first duck fell to Edward Gregory later in the day.
The MCG, at the time, had one newly built grandstand that could seat 2 000; with the remainder of the ground surrounded by a grass bank. By the close, 4 500 people had turned up, but few bothered to use the stand, which was said to have only a smattering of people in it all day.
At the close, 17:00 - there had been around three-and-a-half hours' play - Bannerman had made 126 out of 166-6, Test cricket's first hundred. The two teams spent the evening at the opera.
Bannerman continued to dominate the next day until, shortly after lunch, the middle finger on his right hand was split by a lob from George Ulyett, forcing him to retire hurt on 165. His percentage of the innings - 67.3% - remains a record. It was not the best innings and he was helped by what contemporary reports described as poor bowling and fielding. He was dropped when in single figures - a simple chance to mid-off hit a nonplussed Tom Armitage in the stomach.
Armitage, determined to make amends, bet his captain £7 to £1 that he would make a fifty. He failed in that regard as well. In his defence, he, like several of his team-mates, had suffered from severe seasickness on the return trip from New Zealand and was reportedly barely able to stand on the morning of the match.
In reply to Australia's 245, England were bowled out for 196, Billy Midwinter taking 5 for 78. It would have been far worse had either umpire spotted that Jupp had trodden on his wicket before he had scored but he survived the appeal, to the booing of the crowd.
England did better second time round, dismissing Australia for 104 in front of a third-day crowd of 12 000. Bannerman, severely incapacitated and given a rousing reception as he walked out, was again dropped, this time before scoring but it wasn't nearly such a costly miss, as he made only 4.
Chasing 154 to win, England were skittled for 108, with slow bowler, Tom Kendall (like Bannerman, born in England), taking 7 for 55. Their chase might not have been helped by the large lunch and copious quantity of beer they consumed during the break. They lost Allen Hill second ball, slogging to mid-on and within an hour were 22-4. From there, on a wearing pitch, there was no way back.
The margin of Australia's victory was 45 runs, a result remarkably repeated in the Centenary Test in March 1977. "The combined team worked together with the utmost harmony and goodwill," reported The Australian.
There were the almost customary moans about the quality of the pitch and the umpiring, but of more concern to Lillywhite's men was their share of the gate money. Southerton noted that throughout the trip "the financial returns rarely tallied with the estimated number of people present."
The Australian XI were all presented with a gold watch each by the Victoria Cricket Association - captain Dave Gregory getting a slightly larger one - while a public subscription raised £83 for Bannermann and £23 for Kendall and wicketkeeper John Blackham.
Although England squared the series by winning the second Test, the Australians were jubilant at having shown that they could match their rivals. One newspaper summed up the mood in an editorial on the day Lillywhite's side set sail for home. "It shows that in bone as muscle, activity, athletic vigour, and success in field sports, the Englishmen born in Australia do not fall short of the Englishmen born in Surrey or Yorkshire."
"For the time being," wrote the Argus, "we must forget we are Victorians and New South Wales and our geographical distinctions, and only remember that we are of one nation - Australia."
The first list of matches considered to be "Tests" was conceived and published by South Australian journalist, Clarence P. Moody, in his 1894 book, Australian Cricket and Cricketers, 1856 to 1893–94. Moody's proposal was well received by Charles W. Alcock, editor of Cricket in England and his list of 39 matches was reproduced in the 28 December 1894 issue as part of an article entitled "The First Test Match."
The list begins with the MCG match played 15–17 March 1877 and ends with the recent match at the Association Ground, Sydney played 14–20 December 1894.
All 39 were retrospectively recognised as Test matches, as was the unlisted 1890 Old Trafford match that was abandoned without a ball being bowled. No South African matches were included in Moody's list but three against England were also given retrospective Test status. Moody became a newspaper editor and founded the Adelaide Sunday Mail in 1912.
India, New Zealand and West Indies were invited to attend the ICC's third meeting on 31 May 1926 and subsequently became full members on the same day. At the meeting, it was agreed that the membership of the ICC should comprise, "governing bodies of cricket in countries within the Empire to which cricket teams are sent or which send teams to England."
This definition regrettably excluded the United States, which had regularly received teams from England since 1859 and had also sent several teams to play in England. The meeting also discussed the "farcical" limit of three days for Tests and it was unanimously agreed to establish an allotment of "more than three days for tests [sic] in England, which should be played out if possible."
The MCC representatives confirmed that the English counties would be consulted in regard to the Australian proposal that at least four days should be permitted for Test matches. The meeting further discussed the use of eight-ball overs and heard that all the State Cricket Associations in Australia had been consulted by the Australian Board of Control, with a unanimous decision that the eight-ball over was in the best interests of the game.
From this point onward, the ICC met "on an almost annual basis" except during war years, to set out future Test tours, checking that players were properly qualified and encouraging the use of turf instead of matting pitches. Possible law changes were also discussed.
West Indies toured England for their Test debut on 23 June 1928 against England at Lord's as part of a three-Test series. England won each match batting only once, with the West Indies being largely outplayed. However, they had shown their huge potential in a series of reciprocal tours in the previous decade.
New Zealand made their Test debut on 10 January 1930 at Lancaster Park as England toured New Zealand for a three-Test series. Due to a quirk of scheduling, the series between previously agreed tours (Australia in 1928–29 & 1932–33 and South Africa in 1930–31), England was also playing a four-Test series against the West Indies at the same time.
Due to the third Test of the England-New Zealand series being affected by rain, a fourth was arranged to start on 21 February 1930 at Eden Park. The third Test of the England-West Indies series also began on the same day at Bourda. It was the only time one country has played in two Test matches on the same day. England won the New Zealand series 1–0, with three draws.
The fourth Test of the England-West Indies series was timeless. England made 849 from 259 overs in the first innings, with Andy Sandham scoring 325, then the world record score; it was also the first Test triple century.
England bowled the West Indies out for 286 from 111.5 overs, establishing a first-innings lead of 563. England's captain, Calthorpe, was criticised for not enforcing the follow-on but the age of his side was likely a major factor.
England thus batted again, notching 272 from 79.1 overs before declaring 9 wickets down. With time seemingly unlimited, the West Indies were set 836 to win. At the close of play on the seventh day, they had scored 408 runs for the loss of five wickets, but two days of rain followed. As was the case with the infamous Durban match in 1939 (The Timeless Test), England's ship was departing and the game had to finish a draw.
India toured England for their debut in Tests on 25 June 1932. England won the only Test by 158 runs.
Test cricket has evolved over decades, eventually settling on a five-day duration and a six-ball over as the standard in the late 1970s.
Since that first match, Test cricket has flourished and endured. Between 13 Test playing nations in the men’s format, there have been 2 456 Tests played and a further 143 women’s Tests. A unifying force, Test cricket continues to bring together people and cultures. Some of the credit for this should go to the Lillywhite touring team of 1877.
His side may have lost the first Test as well as their wicket keeper, Ted Pooley, an obsessive gambler who had been left behind in New Zealand after a disputed bet turned into a brawl, but they did whet the public's appetite. Test cricket was born, it's name apparently originating from the proper 'test' of the relative strength of the two sides.
The game has allowed for the growth of legends, inspired glittering careers and fostered competitive rivalries between nations, the world is – as Sir Donald Bradman proclaimed – richer for the flourishing of Test cricket.
Test cricket continues to grow and become popular. I, too, enjoy the format. While it can be dull at times, it does has have its moments where you can't do anything else but glare and keep your eyes on the "idiot box" and the game until it reaches its climax.
Live long and prosper, Test cricket!