Match Outlines

England in Australia 1920-21 Five Tests. Australia Won 5 - 0. Balls per over: 6 Playing Hours: 5 hr days (timeless) Captains: WW Armstrong (Aus), JWHT Douglas (Eng) The upheaval to cricket caused by world war was extended in 1919 when the virulent Spanish flu, which killed thousands in Australia and millions worldwide, caused further chaos. But successful tours by an Australian Forces team in both England and Australia had fuelled the pent-up public demand for resumption of sporting ties, thus bringing a slightly reluctant MCC to Australia in 1920 under the captaincy of Johnny Douglas. English cricket had little depth, however – Sydney Barnes, aged 40, had declined to tour – and the team was outclassed. Fortunately, they still had Jack Hobbs, who had wanted to emigrate but whose application to play for South Australia had been turned down by the South Australian Cricket Association! Both teams, by necessity, had some older players. Warwick Armstrong, after some debate, had been appointed Australia’s captain at age 41; he was said to be no tactician, but was admired for his ability to stand up for his players and recover some ground lost in the pre-war debacle. There were also a couple of young champions in the side who made a critical difference. One of them, Herbie Collins, made the most of his debut in Sydney with 70 and 104, while the depth of Australia’s batting, with recognised batsmen down to Number 9, was shown in the second innings 581 which included six half-centuries. Another, pace bowler and heavy hitter Jack Gregory, dominated the second Test, with 100 off 115 balls (from Number 9) and 7 for 69 in the first innings. In both Tests, strong resistance from Hobbs was to no avail. Hobbs had more support in Adelaide, where England’s batsmen put up their best effort to lead by almost 100 on the first innings, in spite of 162 from Collins. Charles Kelleway, dropped third ball, faced another 401 balls for 147, after which his colleagues flayed the tiring bowling on a flat pitch, to reach Australia’s best-ever second innings score, 582. Hobbs, 123 off 155 balls, then ensured that Australia had to work hard for victory, but Arthur Mailey, who took 10 for 302 in the match, was the perfect bowler to bowl a side out when there were runs to play with. With 1,753 runs off 532 overs, it was the highest-scoring Test match so far. England’s bowlers just could not overcome Australia’s depth in the final two Tests. In Melbourne, the 140-kilogram Armstrong reportedly had been drinking, and also suffering from recurrent malaria, when he went into bat, but still scored his third century of the series. Mailey, who had inexplicably been denied the ball in the earlier Melbourne Test, now took thirteen wickets including five with his last 19 balls. He was the first, and so far the only, Australian to take nine in an innings. Returning to Sydney, England, now decimated by injury and fielding a couple of walking wounded, had to endure another thrashing; it was the first series to finish in a 5-0 whitewash. Charlie Macartney (170 off 227 balls) and Jack Gregory added 198 in 134 minutes for the fourth wicket; among the spectators were visitors from Bowral, George Bradman and his 12-year-old son Donald, who returned home suitably inspired. Mailey finished with an absolutely extraordinary combination of 36 wickets for 946 runs from four Tests. Perhaps the most amazing thing is that he was also the least economical (in runs per over) of the wicket-taking bowlers in the series. Hobbs scored an honourable 505 runs, in a side utterly beaten, but Collins' 557 runs at 62, and Armstrong's 464 at 77, told the real story..

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