The ComBat was a cricket bat made of aluminium that was the subject of an incident at the WACA cricket ground in Perth in December 1979 .
115-397: Australia were playing England in the first Test, and were in trouble at the end of the first day, at a score of 232/8, with Dennis Lillee not out. When the second day of play began, Lillee emerged onto the field carrying not the traditional willow bat, but a cricket bat made from aluminium . The bat, manufactured by the company of Lillee's friend Graeme Monaghan, was intended only as
230-453: A six to tie off the last ball. The aftermath of the incident soured political relations between Australia and New Zealand, with several leading political and cricketing figures calling it "unsportsmanlike" and " not in the spirit of cricket ". Australia continued its success up until the early 1980s, built around the Chappell brothers, Dennis Lillee , Jeff Thomson and Rod Marsh . The 1980s
345-531: A 1–0 loss to Pakistan in a two match Test series against Pakistan in the UAE and a 2–1 defeat against India in a four match Test series , they found success against Sri Lanka, winning the two Test match series 2–0. In 2019, Australia played in the Cricket World Cup , where they finished second in the group stage before being knocked out by England at Edgbaston in the semi-final. Australia later went on to retain
460-472: A Test century in just 70 minutes. England regained the Ashes in 1904 under the captaincy of Pelham Warner . R. E. Foster scored 287 on his debut and Wilfred Rhodes took 15 wickets in a match. In 1905–06, England lost 4–1 against South Africa. England avenged the defeat in 1907, when they won the series 1–0 under the captaincy of Foster. However, they lost the 1909 Ashes series against Australia, using 25 players in
575-511: A cheap replacement for traditional cricket bats for schools and developing countries. Nevertheless, Lillee decided to use it in the Test match as a marketing stunt, and at that point, there were no rules against using such a bat. This was not the first time Lillee had used an aluminium bat, as he had employed one 12 days previously in a Test against the West Indies without incident. The trouble began on
690-516: A founding nation, is a Full Member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) with Test , One Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) status. Until the 1990s, Scottish and Irish players also played for England as those countries were not yet ICC members in their own right. England and Australia were the first teams to play a Test match (15–19 March 1877), and along with South Africa , these nations formed
805-506: A great attraction to the British public. With Australia sending a weakened team and the South African bowlers being ineffective England dominated the tournament winning four of their six matches. The match between Australia and South Africa at Lord's was visited by King George V , the first time a reigning monarch had watched Test cricket. England went on one more tour before the outbreak of
920-451: A large circle of sorrowing friends and acquaintances. R. I. P. As a result of this loss, the tour of 1882–83 was dubbed by England captain Ivo Bligh as "the quest to regain the ashes". England, with a mixture of amateurs and professionals, won the series 2–1. Bligh was presented with an urn that contained some ashes, which have variously been said to be of a bail , ball or even
1035-509: A margin of "very few notches". Such matches were repeated on numerous occasions for the best part of a century. In 1846 William Clarke formed the All-England Eleven . This team eventually competed against a United All-England Eleven with annual matches occurring between 1847 and 1856. These matches were arguably the most important contest of the English season if judged by the quality of
1150-499: A record breaking stand of 359 between Hutton and Cyril Washbrook . The decade ended with England drawing the Test series against New Zealand, with every match ending in a draw. Their fortunes changed on the 1953 Ashes tour as they won the series 1–0. England did not lose a series between their 1950–51 and 1958–59 tours of Australia and secured famous victory in 1954–55 under the captaincy of Len Hutton , thanks to Frank Tyson whose 6/85 at Sydney and 7/27 at Melbourne are remembered as
1265-443: A victory by four wickets. The first Test match on English soil occurred in 1880 with England victorious; this was the first time England fielded a fully representative side with W. G. Grace included in the team. England lost their first home series 1–0 in 1882, with The Sporting Times printing an obituary on English cricket: OF ENGLISH CRICKET , WHICH DIED AT THE OVAL ON 29th AUGUST, 1882, Deeply lamented by
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#17328581388011380-447: A view was expressed in the press that their elevation had proved a mistake although Learie Constantine did the double on the tour. In the 1929–30 season England went on two concurrent tours with one team going to New Zealand (who were granted Test status earlier that year) and the other to the West Indies. Despite sending two separate teams England won both tours beating New Zealand 1–0 and the West Indies 2–1. The 1930 Ashes series saw
1495-426: A woman's veil, and so The Ashes was born. A fourth match was then played which Australia won by four wickets. However, the match was not considered part of the Ashes series. England dominated many of these early contests, with England winning the Ashes series 10 times between 1884 and 1898. During this period England also played their first Test match against South Africa in 1889 at Port Elizabeth . England won
1610-539: A world record 364 for England, and with Chuck Fleetwood-Smith conceding 298 runs in England's world record total of 7/903. Ross Gregory , a notable young batsman who played two Tests before the war, was killed in the war. The team continued its success after the end of the Second World War with the first Test (also Australia's first against New Zealand) being played in the 1945–46 season against New Zealand. Australia
1725-519: A young Don Bradman dominate the tour, scoring 974 runs in his seven Test innings. He scored 254 at Lord's, 334 at Headingley and 232 at The Oval . Australia regained the Ashes winning the series 3–1. As a result of Bradman's prolific run-scoring the England captain Douglas Jardine chose to develop the already existing leg theory into fast leg theory, or bodyline , as a tactic to stop Bradman. Fast leg theory involved bowling fast balls directly at
1840-588: Is displayed under the V-neck and the sponsor's logo is again displayed on the right side of the chest. The baggy green , the Australian Test cricket cap, is considered an essential part of the cricketing uniform and as a symbol of the national team, with new players being presented with one upon their selection in the team. The cap and the helmet both prominently display the Australian cricketing coat-of-arms instead of
1955-539: Is one of the most successful teams in ODI cricket history, winning more than 60 per cent of their matches, with a record eight World Cup final appearances ( 1975 , 1987 , 1996 , 1999 , 2003 , 2007 , 2015 , and 2023 ) and have won the World Cup a record six times: 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2015, and 2023. Australia is the first (and only) team to appear in four consecutive World Cup finals (1996, 1999, 2003, and 2007), surpassing
2070-549: The 1912 Triangular Tournament in England, with Australia fielding what was generally considered a second-rate side. This was the last series before the war, and no more cricket was played by Australia for eight years; Tibby Cotter was killed in Palestine during the war. Test cricket resumed in the 1920/21 season in Australia with a touring English team captained by Johnny Douglas losing all five Tests to Australia, captained by
2185-473: The 1921 tour of England , winning three out of the five Tests in Warwick Armstrong 's last series. The side was, on the whole, inconsistent in the latter half of the 1920s, losing its first home Ashes series since the 1911–12 season in 1928–29. The 1930 tour of England heralded a new age of success for the Australian team. The team, led by Bill Woodfull – the "Great Un-bowlable" – featured legends of
2300-697: The 1978–79 Ashes series 5–1, the team's worst Ashes result in Australia. Graham Yallop was named as captain for the Ashes, with Kim Hughes taking over for the 1979–80 tour of India . Rodney Hogg took 41 wickets in his debut series, an Australian record. WSC players returned to the team for the 1979–80 season after a settlement between the ACB and Kerry Packer. Greg Chappell was reinstated as captain. The underarm bowling incident of 1981 occurred when, in an ODI against New Zealand, Greg Chappell instructed his brother Trevor to bowl an underarm delivery to New Zealand batsman Brian McKechnie with New Zealand needing
2415-496: The 2006–07 Ashes series which Australia won 5 nil, Australia slipped in the rankings after the retirements of key players. In the 2013/14 Ashes series, Australia again defeated England 5 nil and climbed back to third in the ICC International Test rankings. In February/March 2014, Australia beat South Africa , the number one team in the world, 2–1 and overtook them to return to the top of the rankings. In 2015, Australia won
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#17328581388012530-525: The Australian domestic limited-overs cricket tournament and the Big Bash League . Australia are the current ICC World Test Championship and ICC Cricket World Cup champions. They are regarded as the most successful cricket team in the history of cricket. The national team has played 867 Test matches, winning 414, losing 233, 218 drawn and with 2 tied. As of May 2022 , Australia is ranked first in
2645-452: The Cricket World Cup , losing just one game for the tournament. On 25 March 2018, during the third Test match against hosts South Africa ; players Cameron Bancroft , Steve Smith , David Warner and the leadership group of the team were implicated in a ball tampering scandal. Smith and Bancroft admitted to conspiring to alter the condition of the ball by rubbing it with a piece of adhesive tape containing abrasive granules picked up from
2760-477: The First World War , beating South Africa 4–0, with Barnes taking 49 wickets in the series. England's first match after the war was in the 1920–21 season against Australia. Still feeling the effects of the war England went down to a series of crushing defeats and suffered their first whitewash losing the series 5–0. Six Australians scored hundreds while Mailey spun out 36 English batsmen. Things were no better in
2875-600: The ICC Champions Trophy twice ( 2006 and 2009 ) making them the first and the only team to be back to back winners in the Champions Trophy tournaments. The national team has played 203 Twenty20 International matches, winning 112, losing 84, tying 3, and with 4 ending in a no-result . As of May 2022 , Australia is ranked fifth in the ICC T20I Championship on 251 rating points. Australia have won
2990-574: The ICC Men's T20 World Cup once, defeating New Zealand in the 2021 Final . On 12 January 2019, Australia won an ODI against India at the Sydney Cricket Ground by 34 runs, to record their 1,000th win in international cricket. Australia are the reigning World Test Champions and World Cup Champions , winning both titles in 2023, the former against India at The Oval in London and the latter at
3105-767: The ICC T20 World Cup in 2010 and 2022 , and were runners-up in 2016 . As of September 2024 , England are ranked third in Tests, seventh in ODIs and fourth in T20Is by the ICC. The first recorded incidence of a team with a claim to represent England comes from 9 July 1739 when an "All-England" team, which consisted of 11 gentlemen from any part of England exclusive of Kent , played against "the Unconquerable County" of Kent and lost by
3220-657: The ICC Test Championship on 128 rating points. Australia is the most successful team in Test cricket history, in terms of overall wins, win–loss ratio, and wins percentage. Australia have won the ICC World Test Championship once, defeating India in 2023 . Test rivalries centre on The Ashes (with England ), the Border–Gavaskar Trophy (with India ), the Frank Worrell Trophy (with
3335-463: The Laws of cricket were amended to state that the blade of the bat was to be made of wood ( Law 5 ). The bat that Lillee used is still in his possession; after the match ended, he had it signed by both teams. Brearley, realising a sales stunt when he saw one, simply signed the bat "Good luck with the sales". The match itself was described by Wisden as "enthralling" and ended with only 14.4 overs remaining in
3450-493: The Melbourne Cricket Ground came to be regarded as the inaugural Test match. The combined Australian XI won this Test match by 45 runs with Charles Bannerman of Australia scoring the first Test century. At the time, the match was promoted as James Lillywhite's XI v Combined Victoria and New South Wales . The teams played a return match on the same ground at Easter, 1877, when Lillywhite's team avenged their loss with
3565-588: The West Indies ), the Trans-Tasman Trophy (with New Zealand ), and matches against South Africa . The team has played 1,008 ODI matches, winning 613, losing 352, tying 9 and with 34 ending in a no-result . As of May 2022 , Australia is ranked third in the ICC ODI Championship on 107 rating points, though have been ranked first for 141 of 185 months since its introduction in 2002. Australia
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3680-466: The first ever Test match in 1877; the team also plays One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) cricket, participating in both the first ODI, against England in the 1970–71 season and the first T20I, against New Zealand in the 2004–05 season, winning both games. The team draws its players from teams playing in the Australian domestic competitions – the Sheffield Shield ,
3795-406: The fourth Test of the series, in which Australia won by seven wickets chasing a target of 404, setting a new record for the highest run chase in Test cricket, with Arthur Morris and Bradman both scoring centuries, as well as for the final Test in the series, Bradman's last, where he finished with a duck in his last innings after needing only four runs to secure a career average of 100. Australia
3910-409: The national colours of Australia . There has been a variety of different styles and layouts used in both forms of the limited-overs game, with coloured clothing (sometimes known as "pyjamas") being introduced for World Series Cricket in the late 1970s. The Toyota or Qantas logo is prominently displayed on the shirts and other gears. The current T20I kit consists of green as the primary colour and gold as
4025-442: The "Big Ship" Warwick Armstrong. Several players from before the war, including Warwick Armstrong, Charlie Macartney , Charles Kelleway , Warren Bardsley and the wicket-keeper Sammy Carter , were instrumental in the team's success, as well as new players Herbie Collins , Jack Ryder , Bert Oldfield , the spinner Arthur Mailey and the so-called "twin destroyers" Jack Gregory and Ted McDonald . The team continued its success on
4140-413: The 1890 Ashes series 2–0, with the third match of the series being the first Test match to be abandoned. England lost 2–1 in the 1891–92 series, although England regained the urn the following year. England again won the 1894–95 series, winning 3–2 under the leadership of Andrew Stoddart . In 1895–96, England played South Africa, winning all Tests in the series. The 1899 Ashes series was the first tour where
4255-478: The 1962–63 Ashes series 1–1, meaning Australia retained the urn. Despite beating New Zealand 3–0, England went on to lose to the West Indies, and again failed in the 1964 Ashes, losing the home series 1–0, which marked the end of Dexter's captaincy. However, from 1968 to 1971 they played 27 consecutive Test matches without defeat, winning 9 and drawing 18 (including the abandoned Test at Melbourne in 1970–71). The sequence began when they drew with Australia at Lord's in
4370-438: The 20th century saw mixed results for England as they lost four of the eight Ashes series between 1900 and 1914. During this period, England lost their first series against South Africa in the 1905–06 season 4–1 as their batting faltered. England lost their first series of the new century to Australia in 1901–02 Ashes. Australia also won the 1902 series, which was memorable for exciting cricket, including Gilbert Jessop scoring
4485-406: The Ashes after Australia clinched the series 2–1. England hosted the World Cup in 1983 and reached the semi-finals, but their Test form remained poor, as they suffered defeats against New Zealand, Pakistan and the West Indies. Gower took over as skipper in 1984 and led the team to a 2–1 victory over India. They went on to win the 1985 Ashes 3–1, although after this came a poor run of form. Defeat to
4600-524: The Ashes during the 2019 Ashes series , the first time on English soil since 2001 , by winning the fourth Test at Old Trafford . In 2020–21, Australia hosted India for 3 ODIs, 3 T20Is, and 4 Tests. They won the ODI series 2–1, but lost the T20I series 2–1. Then, the two teams competed for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy which saw one of the greatest overseas Test triumphs by India in the 4th Test to win
4715-541: The Ashes in 1989 , the Australians got a roll on beating Pakistan , Sri Lanka and then followed it up with another Ashes win on home soil in 1991 . The Australians went on to the West Indies and had their chances but ended up losing the series. However, they bounced back and beat the Indians in their next Test series; with the retirement of the champion but defensive Allan Border, a new era of attacking cricket had begun under
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4830-507: The Australian Cricket Board which greatly weakened the player pool for the national sides, as most were either current representative players or on the verge of gaining honours. The so-called 'Golden Era' of Australian cricket occurred around the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century. This was a period in which Australian cricket recovered from the disruption caused by World Series Cricket to create arguably
4945-402: The Australian Test team at the time were signed to WSC – notable exceptions including Gary Cosier , Geoff Dymock , Kim Hughes and Craig Serjeant – and the Australian selectors were forced to pick what was generally considered a third-rate team from players in the Sheffield Shield . Former player Bob Simpson, who had retired 10 years previously after a conflict with the board, was recalled at
5060-534: The Cricket Australia emblem. At the end of 2011, ASICS was named the manufacturer of the whites and limited over uniforms from Adidas, with the ASICS logo being displayed on the shirt and pants. Players may choose any manufacturer for their other gear ( bat , pads , shoes, gloves, etc.). In One Day International (ODI) cricket and Twenty20 International cricket, the team wears uniforms usually coloured green and gold,
5175-591: The England team, can be largely split into three parts. Early in the decade, Illingworth's side dominated world cricket, winning the Ashes away in 1971 and then retaining them at home in 1972. The same side beat Pakistan at home in 1971 and played by far the better cricket against India that season. However, England were largely helped by the rain to sneak the Pakistan series 1–0 but the same rain saved India twice and one England collapse saw them lose to India. This was, however, one of (if not the) strongest England team ever with
5290-519: The Imperial Cricket Conference (the predecessor to today's International Cricket Council) on 15 June 1909. England and Australia also played the first ODI on 5 January 1971. England's first T20I was played on 13 June 2005, once more against Australia. As of 26 October 2024 , England have played 1,080 Test matches, winning 398 and losing 327 (with 355 draws). In the Test series against Australia, England play for The Ashes , one of
5405-465: The Indian batsman wore solar toupées instead of caps to protect themselves. Australia won the 1934 Ashes series 2–1 and kept the urn for the following 19 years. Many of the wickets of the time were friendly to batsmen resulting in a large proportion of matches ending in high scoring draws and many batting records being set. England drew the 1938 Ashes, meaning Australia retained the urn. England went into
5520-514: The MCC and the counties appointed a selection committee. There were three active players: Grace, Lord Hawke and Warwickshire captain Herbert Bainbridge . Prior to this, England teams for home Tests had been chosen by the club on whose ground the match was to be played. England lost the 1899 Ashes series 1–0, with Grace making his final Test appearance in the first match of the series. The start of
5635-639: The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, also against India . The Australian cricket team participated in the first Test match at the MCG in 1877. They defeated England by 45 runs, with Charles Bannerman making the first Test century with a score of 165. Test cricket, which only occurred between Australia and England at the time, was limited by the long distance between the two countries, which took several months by sea. Despite Australia's much smaller population,
5750-624: The Second Test of the 1968 Ashes series and ended in 1971 when India won the Third Test at The Oval by four wickets. They played 13 Tests with only one defeat immediately beforehand and so played a total of 40 consecutive Tests with only one defeat, dating from their innings victory over the West Indies at The Oval in 1966. During this period they beat New Zealand, India, the West Indies, and Pakistan, and under Ray Illingworth 's leadership, regained The Ashes from Australia in 1970–71. The 1970s, for
5865-424: The absence of their World Series players, especially in 1978, when England beat New Zealand 3–0 and Pakistan 2–0 before thrashing what was effectively Australia's 2nd XI 5–1 in 1978–79. The England team, with Brearley's exit in 1980, was never truly settled throughout the 1980s, which will probably be remembered as a low point for the team. While some of the great players like Botham, Gooch and Gower had fine careers,
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#17328581388015980-475: The age of 41 to captain Australia against India . Jeff Thomson was named deputy in a team that included seven debutants. Australia managed to win the series 3–2, mainly thanks to the batting of Simpson, who scored 539 runs, including two centuries; and the bowling of Wayne Clark , who took 28 wickets. Australia lost the next series 3–1 against the West Indies, which was fielding a full strength team; and also lost
6095-538: The batsman's body. The batsman would need to defend himself, and if he touched the ball with the bat, he risked being caught by one of a large number of fielders placed on the leg side. Using Jardine's fast leg theory, England won the next Ashes series 4–1, but complaints about the Bodyline tactic caused crowd disruption on the tour, and threats of diplomatic action from the Australian Cricket Board , which during
6210-420: The batsmen Border, David Boon , Dean Jones , the young Steve Waugh and the bowling feats of Alderman, Bruce Reid , Craig McDermott , Merv Hughes and to a lesser extent, Geoff Lawson who kept the Australian side afloat. With the emergence of players such as Ian Healy , Mark Taylor , Geoff Marsh , Mark Waugh , and Greg Matthews in the late 1980s, Australia was on the way back from the doldrums. Winning
6325-496: The captaincy due to his poor form, and was replaced by Brearley. Botham returned to form and played exceptionally in the remainder of the series, being named man of the match in the third, fourth and fifth Tests. The series became known as Botham's Ashes as England recorded a 3–1 victory. Keith Fletcher took over as captain in 1981, but England lost his first series in charge against India. Bob Willis took over as captain in 1982 and enjoyed victories over India and Pakistan, but lost
6440-451: The early 2000s and briefly in early 2020, in ODIs, Australia wore yellow helmets, before using green helmets as in test matches. Former suppliers were Asics (1999), ISC (2000–2001), Fila (2002–2003) and Adidas (2004–2010) among others. Before Travelex (and 3 in test matches), some of the former sponsors were XXXX (1990–1992), Coca-Cola (1993–1998), Fly Emirates (1999) and Carlton & United Breweries (2000–2001). Cricket Australia released
6555-489: The early part of the 1960s were Richie Benaud, who took a then-record number of wickets as a leg-spinner and who also captained Australia in 28 Tests, including 24 without defeat; Alan Davidson , who was a notable fast-bowler and also became the first player to take 10 wickets and make 100 runs in the same game in the first Test; Bob Simpson , who also later captained Australia for two different periods of time; Colin McDonald ,
6670-575: The end of the series, with Justin Langer replacing him. On 8 May 2018, Tim Paine was also named as the ODI captain while Aaron Finch was reinstated as T20I captain hours later, although Finch replaced Paine as the ODI captain after the 5–0 ODI series whitewash in England in June 2018. On 7 October 2018, Australia played their first Test match under new coach Justin Langer and a new leadership group, which included Tim Paine as Australia's 46th Test captain. After
6785-442: The fastest bowling ever seen in Australia. The 1956 series was remembered for the bowling of Jim Laker who took 46 wickets at an average of 9.62, including figures of 19/90 at Old Trafford . After drawing to South Africa, England defeated the West Indies and New Zealand comfortably. The England team then left for Australia in the 1958–59 season with a team that had been hailed as the strongest ever to leave on an Ashes tour but lost
6900-434: The final match of the series at The Oval 1–0 down, but won the final game by an innings and 579 runs. Len Hutton made the highest ever Test score by an Englishman, making 364 in England first innings to help them reach 903, their highest ever score against Australia. The 1938–39 tour of South Africa saw another experiment with the deciding Test being a timeless Test that was played to a finish. England lead 1–0 going into
7015-431: The final timeless match at Durban. Despite the final Test being 'timeless', the game ended in a draw after 10 days as England had to catch the train to catch the boat home. A record 1,981 runs were scored, and the concept of timeless Tests was abandoned. England went on one final tour of the West Indies in 1939 before the Second World War , although a team for an MCC tour of India was selected more in hope than expectation of
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#17328581388017130-410: The first Test match. In May 1977, Kerry Packer announced he was organising a breakaway competition – World Series Cricket (WSC) – after the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) refused to accept Channel Nine 's bid to gain exclusive television rights to Australia's Test matches in 1976. Packer secretly signed leading international cricketers to his competition, including 28 Australians. Almost all of
7245-563: The first-choice opening batsman for most of the 1950s and early '60s; Norm O'Neill , who made 181 in the Tied Test; Neil Harvey , towards the end of his long career; and Wally Grout , an excellent wicket-keeper who died at the age of 41. The Centenary Test was played in March 1977 at the MCG to celebrate 100 years since the first Test was played. Australia won the match by 45 runs, an identical result to
7360-426: The following grounds: For Test matches, the team wears cricket whites , with an optional sweater or sweater-vest , with a green and gold V-neck for use in cold weather. The sponsor's (currently Toyota for home matches and Qantas for away matches) logo is displayed on the right side of the chest while the Cricket Australia emblem is displayed on the left. If the sweater is being worn the Cricket Australia emblem
7475-557: The fourth ball of the day, when Lillee straight drove a ball from Ian Botham . The ball went for three runs , and nothing appeared untoward. However, Australian captain Greg Chappell thought that the ball should have gone for a four , and instructed twelfth man Rodney Hogg to deliver a conventional wooden bat to Lillee. As this was happening, English captain Mike Brearley complained to umpires Max O'Connell and Don Weser that
7590-449: The game including Bill Ponsford , Stan McCabe , Clarrie Grimmett and the young pair of Archie Jackson and Don Bradman . Bradman was the outstanding batsman of the series, scoring a record 974 runs, including one century, two double centuries and one triple century , a massive score of 334 at Leeds which including 309 runs in a day. Jackson died of tuberculosis at the age of 23 three years later, after playing eight Tests. The team
7705-537: The great Australian batsmen Victor Trumper was by general consent the best and most brilliant. " The years leading up to the start of World War were marred by conflict between the players, led by Clem Hill, Victor Trumper and Frank Laver , and the Australian Board of Control for International Cricket , led by Peter McAlister , who was attempting to gain more control of tours from the players. This led to six leading players (the so-called "Big Six") walking out on
7820-489: The ground (it was later revealed that sandpaper was used). Smith stated that the purpose was to gain an advantage by unlawfully changing the ball's surface in order to generate reverse swing . Bancroft had been filmed tampering with the ball and, after being informed he had been caught, he was seen to transfer a yellow object from a pocket to the inside front of his trousers to hide the evidence. Steve Smith and David Warner were stood down as captain and vice-captain during
7935-484: The last day's play, with Geoff Boycott carrying his own wooden bat through the innings and ending marooned on 99 not out. Australia won the match by 138 runs. Australia national cricket team Test kit ODI kit T20I kit The Australia national cricket team represents Australia in men's international cricket . Along with England , it is the joint oldest team in Test cricket history, playing in
8050-426: The latter half of the 1940s, and were to form the basis of the team for a good part of the next decade. The team that Don Bradman led to England in 1948 gained the moniker The Invincibles , after going through the tour without losing a single game. Of 31 first-class games played during the tour, they won 23 and drew 8, including winning the five-match Test series 4–0 with one draw. The tour was particularly notable for
8165-561: The latter half of the 1950s, first under the leadership of Ian Johnson, then Ian Craig and Richie Benaud . The series against the West Indies in the 1960–61 season was notable for the Tied Test in the first game at the Gabba , which was the first in Test cricket. Australia ended up winning the series 2–1 after a hard-fought series that was praised for its excellent standards and sense of fair play. Stand-out players in that series as well as through
8280-585: The leadership of firstly Mark Taylor and then Steve Waugh . The 1990s and early 21st century were arguably Australia's most successful periods, unbeaten in all Ashes series played bar the famous 2005 series and achieving a hat-trick of World Cups . This success has been attributed to the restructuring of the team and system by Border, successive aggressive captains, and the effectiveness of several key players, most notably Glenn McGrath , Shane Warne , Justin Langer , Matthew Hayden , Steve Waugh, Adam Gilchrist , Michael Hussey and Ricky Ponting . Following
8395-470: The likes of Illingworth, Geoffrey Boycott , John Edrich , Basil D'Oliveira , Dennis Amiss , Alan Knott , John Snow and Derek Underwood at its core. The mid-1970s were more turbulent. Illingworth and several others had refused to tour India in 1972–73 which led to a clamour for Illingworth's job by the end of that summer – England had just been beaten 2–0 by a flamboyant West Indies side – with several England players well over 35. Mike Denness
8510-526: The list of their 2024–2025 national contracts on 28 March 2024. Players can still be upgraded to national contracts throughout the year by receiving 12 upgrade points. A Test is worth five points, while each ODI and T20 international is worth two. This is a list of every active player who is contracted to Cricket Australia, has played for Australia since November 2023 or was named in the recent Test, ODI or T20I squads. Uncapped players are listed in italics . Last updated: 25th November 2024 A red box around
8625-420: The matches being played. Test cricket resumed after the war in 1946, and England won their first match back against India. However, they struggled in the 1946–47 Ashes series, losing 3–0 in Australia under Wally Hammond 's captaincy. England beat South Africa 3–0 in 1947 with Denis Compton scoring 1,187 runs in the series. The 1947–48 series against the West Indies was another disappointment for England, with
8740-422: The metallic bat was damaging the soft, leather cricket ball. Although the umpires told Lillee he had to change his bat, Lillee instructed Hogg that he wasn't going to, and assumed a posture to face the next delivery. Brearley, Lillee and the umpires held an animated discussion for almost ten minutes, before Chappell decided that the game would be held up if things continued. He emerged onto the ground, took one of
8855-411: The most famous trophies in all of sport, and they have won the urn on 32 occasions. England have also played 805 ODIs, winning 403. They have appeared in the final of the Cricket World Cup four times ( 1979 , 1987 , 1992 ), and winning their first in 2019 ; they have also finished as runners-up in two ICC Champions Trophies ( 2004 and 2013 ). England have played 199 T20Is, winning 104. They won
8970-445: The next few Ashes series losing the 1921 Ashes series 3–0 and the 1924–25 Ashes 4–1. England's fortunes were to change in 1926 as they regained the Ashes and were a formidable team during this period dispatching Australia 4–1 in the 1928–29 Ashes tour. In the same year the West Indies became the fourth nation to be granted Test status and played their first game against England. England won each of these three Tests by an innings, and
9085-427: The next highest average. He would have finished with an average of over 100 runs per innings if he had not been dismissed for a duck in his last Test. He was knighted in 1949 for services to cricket. He is generally considered one of Australia's all-time greatest sporting heroes, if not the greatest. Test cricket was again interrupted by war , with the last Test series in 1938 made notable by Len Hutton scoring
9200-513: The old record of three consecutive World Cup appearances by the West Indies (1975, 1979 , and 1983 ) and the first and only team to win 3 consecutive World Cups (1999, 2003, and 2007). The team was undefeated in 34 consecutive World Cup matches until the 2011 Cricket World Cup where Pakistan beat them by 4 wickets in the Group stage. Australia is also the second team to win a World Cup (2015) on home soil, after India ( 2011 ). Australia have also won
9315-503: The opposing team fielding more than 11 players to make for a more even contest. This first Australian tour was mostly against odds of at least 18/11. The tour was so successful that Parr led a second tour in 1863–64 . James Lillywhite led a subsequent England team which sailed on the P&;O steamship Poonah on 21 September 1876. They played a combined Australian XI, for once on even terms of 11-a-side. The match, starting on 15 March 1877 at
9430-784: The players. The first overseas tour occurred in September 1859 with England touring North America . This team had six players from the All-England Eleven, six from the United All-England Eleven and was captained by George Parr . With the outbreak of the American Civil War , attention turned elsewhere. English tourists visited Australia in 1861–62 with this first tour organised as a commercial venture by Messrs Spiers and Pond, restaurateurs of Melbourne . Most matches played during tours prior to 1877 were "against odds", with
9545-399: The process. England also lost to South Africa, with Jack Hobbs scoring his first of 15 centuries on the tour. England toured Australia in 1911–12 and beat their opponents 4–1. The team included the likes of Rhodes, Hobbs, Frank Woolley and Sydney Barnes . England lost the first match of the series but bounced back and won the next four Tests. This proved to be the last Ashes series before
9660-411: The secondary colour. The ODI is the opposite of the T20I kit, with gold as the primary colour and green as the secondary colour. However, since Australia beat New Zealand at the MCG in the 2015 Cricket World Cup wearing the gold uniform, it has also become their primary colour, with the hats used being called 'floppy gold', formerly known as 'baggy gold', a limited-overs equivalent to a baggy green. Until
9775-472: The series 2–1, with the 3rd Test being drawn. In 2021, Australia named a 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup with regular limited overs captain Aaron Finch leading the side. In finals , they would face their trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand and win the match to claim their maiden T20 World Cup Trophy. On 19 November 2021, Tim Paine resigned from the captaincy due to off-the-field misconduct, and
9890-469: The series 4–0 as Richie Benaud 's revitalised Australians were too strong, with England struggling with the bat throughout the series. On 24 August 1959, England inflicted its only 5–0 whitewash over India . All out for 194 at The Oval, India lost the last test by an innings. England's batsman Ken Barrington and Colin Cowdrey both had an excellent series with the bat, with Barrington scoring 357 runs across
10005-505: The series and Cowdrey scoring 344. The early and middle 1960s were poor periods for English cricket. Despite England's strength on paper, Australia held the Ashes and the West Indies dominated England in the early part of the decade. May stood down as captain in 1961 following the 1961 Ashes defeat . Ted Dexter succeeded him as captain but England continued to suffer indifferent results. In 1961–62, they beat Pakistan, but also lost to India. The following year saw England and Australia tie
10120-421: The side losing 2–0 following injuries to several key players. England suffered further humiliation against Bradman's invincible side in the 1948 Ashes series. Hutton was controversially dropped for the third Test, and England were bowled out for just 52 at The Oval. The series proved to be Bradman's final Ashes series. In 1948–49, England beat South Africa 2–0 under the captaincy of George Mann. The series included
10235-410: The spirit of the game", and commented "The incident served only to blacken Lillee's reputation and damage the image of the game as well as, eventually, the Australian authorities because of their reluctance to take effective disciplinary action". After the game, sales of the bat skyrocketed for a few months, with Monaghan giving Lillee a small cut of the profits. This lasted for only a few months before
10350-404: The sport from 1930 until his retirement in 1948, setting new records for the highest score in a Test innings (334 vs England at Headingley in 1930), the most runs (6996), the most centuries (29), the most double centuries and the highest Test and first-class batting averages. His record for the highest Test batting average – 99.94 – has never been beaten. It is almost 40 runs per innings above
10465-402: The strongest Test team in history. Under the captaincy of Allan Border and the new fielding standards put in place by new coach Bob Simpson, the team was restructured and gradually rebuilt their cricketing stocks. Some of the rebel players returned to the national side after serving their suspensions, including Trevor Hohns , Carl Rackemann and Terry Alderman. During these lean years, it was
10580-439: The team seldom succeeded in beating good opposition throughout the decade and did not score a home Test victory (except against minnows Sri Lanka) between September 1985 and July 1990. Botham took over the captaincy in 1980 and they put up a good fight against the West Indies, losing a five match Test series 1–0, although England were humbled in the return series. After scoring a pair in the first Test against Australia, Botham lost
10695-468: The team under the captaincy of Joe Darling , Monty Noble and Clem Hill , winning eight of ten tours. It is considered to have lasted from the 1897–98 English tour of Australia and the 1910–11 South African tour of Australia. Outstanding batsmen such as Joe Darling , Clem Hill , and Reggie Duff , all helped Australia to become the dominant cricketing nation for most of this period. Victor Trumper became one of Australia's first sporting heroes, who
10810-440: The team was very competitive in early games, producing stars such as Jack Blackham , Billy Murdoch , Fred "The Demon" Spofforth , George Bonnor , Percy McDonnell , George Giffen , and Charles "The Terror" Turner . Most cricketers at the time were either from New South Wales or Victoria , with the notable exception of George Giffen, the star South Australian all-rounder . One of the highlights of Australia's early history
10925-417: The third Test while head coach, Darren Lehmann was suspected to have assisted Cameron Bancroft to tamper the ball. The ICC imposed a one-match ban and 100%-match-fee fine on Smith, while Bancroft was fined 75 percent of his match fee and received 3 demerit points. Smith and Warner were both stripped of their captaincy roles by Cricket Australia and sent home from the tour (along with Bancroft). Tim Paine
11040-475: The tour sent the following cable to the MCC in London: Bodyline bowling assumed such proportions as to menace best interests of game, making protection of body by batsmen the main consideration. Causing intensely bitter feeling between players as well as injury. In our opinion is unsportsmanlike. Unless stopped at once likely to upset friendly relations existing between Australia and England. Later, Jardine
11155-489: The two countries, as leading Australian political figures, including the Governor of South Australia , Alexander Hore-Ruthven , protested to their English counterparts. The series ended in a 4–1 win for England but the bodyline tactics used were banned the year after. The Australian team put the result of this series behind them, winning their next tour of England in 1934. The team was led by Bill Woodfull on his final tour and
11270-474: The war. The 1912 season saw England take part in a unique experiment. A nine-Test triangular tournament involving England, South Africa and Australia was set up. The series was hampered by a very wet summer and player disputes however and the tournament was considered a failure with the Daily Telegraph stating: Nine Tests provide a surfeit of cricket, and contests between Australia and South Africa are not
11385-539: The willow bats from Hogg, and instructed Lillee to be quiet and use the bat; Lillee threw his aluminium bat away in disgust ("throwing the offending lump of metal fully 40 yards towards the pavilion"), and grudgingly took the wooden bat. Lillee was not censured or disciplined for this incident; both the umpires and the Australian Cricket Board decided to let Lillee off with only a warning. Wisden Cricketers' Almanack said that Lillee's "'unsavoury' behaviour partly overshadowed other individual performances more in keeping with
11500-563: The year indicates tournaments played within Australia England cricket team Test kit ODI kit T20I kit The England men's cricket team represents England and Wales in international cricket . Since 1997, it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club (the MCC) since 1903. England , as
11615-806: Was a period of relative mediocrity after the turmoil caused by the Rebel Tours of South Africa and the subsequent retirement of several key players. The rebel tours were funded by the South African Cricket Board to compete against its national side, which had been banned—along with many other sports, including Olympic athletes—from competing internationally, due to the South African government's racist apartheid policies. Some of Australia's best players were poached: Graham Yallop, Carl Rackemann , Terry Alderman , Rodney Hogg, Kim Hughes, John Dyson , Greg Shipperd , Steve Rixon and Steve Smith amongst others. These players were handed three-year suspensions by
11730-422: Was appointed as captain for the fourth Test. Cricket Australia then suspended Smith and Warner from playing for 12 months and Bancroft for 9 months. Smith and Bancroft could not be considered for leadership roles for 12 months after the suspension, while Warner is banned from leadership of any Cricket Australia team for life. In the aftermath of these events, Darren Lehmann announced his resignation as head coach at
11845-471: Was by far the most successful team of the 1940s, being undefeated throughout the decade, winning two Ashes series against England and its first Test series against India . The team capitalised on its ageing stars Bradman, Sid Barnes , Bill Brown and Lindsay Hassett while new talent, including Ian Johnson , Don Tallon , Arthur Morris , Neil Harvey , Bill Johnston and the fast bowling pair of Ray Lindwall and Keith Miller , who all made their debut in
11960-407: Was cremated and the ashes taken to Australia.” This was the start of the famous Ashes series, in which Australia and England play a series of Test matches to decide the holder of the Ashes. To this day, the contest is one of the fiercest rivalries in sport. The 'Golden Age' of Australian Test cricket occurred around the end of the 19th century, concluding at the beginning of the 20th century, with
12075-407: Was less successful in the 1950s, losing three consecutive Ashes series to England, including a horrendous 1956 Tour of England , where the 'spin twins' Laker and Lock destroyed Australia, taking 61 wickets between them, including Laker taking 19 wickets in the game (a first-class record) at Headingley , a game dubbed Laker's Match . However, the team rebounded to win five consecutive series in
12190-450: Was made ODI captain. 2023 was a memorable year for Australia where they won their maiden ICC World Test Championship title (which made them the first team in history to win all major ICC Trophies across all formats), and retained the Ashes . In November, they won the World Cup for the 6th time, defeating the host India in the final. Australia currently plays International cricket at each of
12305-412: Was notably dominated by Ponsford and Bradman, who twice put on partnerships of over 380 runs, with Bradman once again scoring a triple century at Leeds. The bowling was dominated by the spin pair of Bill O'Reilly and Clarrie Grimmett, who took 53 wickets between them, with O'Reilly twice taking seven-wicket hauls. Sir Donald Bradman is widely considered the greatest batsman of all time. He dominated
12420-602: Was probably the 1976–77 win over India in India. When Greig was discovered as being instrumental in World Series Cricket, he was sacked, and replaced by Mike Brearley . Brearley's side showed again the hyperbole that is often spoken when one side dominates in cricket. While his side of 1977–80 contained some young players who went on to become England greats, most notably future captains Ian Botham , David Gower and Graham Gooch , their opponents were often very much weakened by
12535-418: Was removed from the captaincy and the Laws of Cricket changed so that no more than one fast ball aimed at the body was permitted per over, and having more than two fielders behind square leg was banned. England's following tour of India in the 1933–34 season was the first Test match to be staged in the subcontinent. The series was also notable for Stan Nichols and Nobby Clark bowling so many bouncers that
12650-570: Was replaced by Pat Cummins , who became Australia's 47th Test captain, with Steve Smith named as his deputy. Under Pat Cummins, Australia retained 2021-22 Ashes at home by winning the series 4-0. Australia then toured Pakistan in March 2022 for the first time since 1998 to play 3 test matches and 3 ODIs and one-off T20. Australia won all the series. Australia failed to advance to knockouts in 2022 T20 World Cup . Australia's white ball captain Finch retired from international cricket. Afterwards, Pat Cummins
12765-420: Was the 1882 Test match against England, which took place at The Oval . In this match, Fred Spofforth took 7/44 in the game's fourth innings, saving the match by preventing England from making their 85-run target. After this match, The Sporting Times , a major newspaper in London at the time, printed a mock obituary in which the death of English cricket was proclaimed and the announcement made that "the body
12880-524: Was the surprising choice but only lasted 18 months; his results against poor opposition were good, but England were badly exposed as ageing and lacking in good fast bowling against the 1974–75 Australians, losing that series 4–1 to lose the Ashes. Denness was replaced in 1975 by Tony Greig . While he managed to avoid losing to Australia, his side were largely thrashed the following year by the young and very much upcoming West Indies for whom Greig's infamous "grovel" remark acted as motivation. Greig's finest hour
12995-425: Was widely considered Australia's greatest batsman before Bradman became one of the most popular players. He played a record (at the time) of a number of Tests at 49, and scored 3163 runs at a high for the time average of 39.04. He died in 1915 at the age of 37 from kidney disease, causing national mourning. The Wisden Cricketers' Almanack , in its obituary for him, called him Australia's greatest batsman: " Of all
13110-461: Was widely considered by Australian crowds as vicious and unsporting. Injuries to Bill Woodfull, who was struck over the heart, and Bert Oldfield , who received a fractured skull (although from a non-bodyline ball), exacerbated the situation, almost causing a full-scale riot from the 50 000 fans at the Adelaide Oval for the third Test. The conflict almost escalated into a diplomatic incident between
13225-423: Was widely considered unstoppable, winning nine of its next ten Tests. The 1932–33 England tour of Australia is considered one of the most infamous episodes of cricket, due to the England team's use of bodyline , where captain Douglas Jardine instructed his bowlers Bill Voce and Harold Larwood to bowl fast, short-pitched deliveries aimed at the bodies of the Australian batsmen. The tactic, although effective,
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