Billy Zulch

(Redirected from John Zulch)

Johan Wilhelm Zulch (2 January 1886 – 19 May 1924) was a South African international cricketer who played 16 Test matches for South Africa between 1910 and 1921.

Billy Zulch
Cricket information
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm medium
International information
National side
Test debut1 January 1910 v England
Last Test26 November 1921 v Australia
Career statistics
Competition Test First-class
Matches 16 53
Runs scored 985 3,556
Batting average 32.83 41.83
100s/50s 2/4 9/17
Top score 150 185
Balls bowled 24 210
Wickets 0 5
Bowling average 24.40
5 wickets in innings 0
10 wickets in match 0
Best bowling 3/28
Catches/stumpings 4/– 19/–
Source: CricketArchive, 13 November 2022

Zulch was born in Lydenburg, Transvaal. His cricket career was interrupted by World War I, but he still managed 985 Test runs at an average of 32.83, with two Test centuries — both against Australia on his first overseas tour in 1910–11.

His 105 came in the only Test South Africa won on that tour. Zulch batted for three hours, and a hundred from Tip Snooke then boosted South Africa to 482; and, despite 214 from Australian batsman Victor Trumper, and a relative failure from Zulch with 14 in the second innings, South Africa went on to win by 38 runs.

In the 2nd Test (1921) against Australia at Old Wanderers in Johannesburg, Australian fast bowler Ted McDonald dismissed Zulch by breaking his bat so that fragments flew back to dislodge a bail, and the Zulch was given out, "hit wicket".[1][2]

He died in 1924, in Umkomaas, Natal, following a nervous breakdown.

Notes

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  1. ^ 2nd TEST: South Africa v Australia at Johannesburg, 12-16 Nov 1921 at www.cricinfo.com
  2. ^ The MCC have clarified this situation though, and in fact nowadays a batsman should not be given out if a splinter, or part of his bat, breaks the wicket, as it must be his whole bat that breaks the wicket. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 December 2006. Retrieved 3 January 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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