South African cricket team in England in 1924

The South African cricket team toured England in the 1924 season to play a five-match Test series against England.

England won the series 3-0 with 2 matches drawn.

The South African squad edit

On 3 January 1924, the selectors named a 15-man squad for the tour of England.[1] Billy Zulch was considered the most notable omission although he had only recently returned to playing cricket during the 1923-24 Currie Cup.[2] Before leaving South Africa, captain Herbie Taylor indicated that Sid Pegler would be given a chance on the tour despite him not being in the original squad selection.[3]

The squad set sail from Cape Town on 4 April aboard the Arundel Castle, arriving in Southampton on 21 April.[4][5]

Name Birth date Domestic team Batting Style Bowling Style Test caps[6]
Batsmen
Herbie Taylor (c) (1889-05-05)5 May 1889 (aged 34) Natal Right-handed Right arm unknown 19
Bob Catterall (1900-07-10)10 July 1900 (aged 23) Rhodesia Right-handed Right arm medium 5
Mick Commaille (vc) (1883-02-21)21 February 1883 (aged 41) Western Province Right-handed 5
Nummy Deane (1895-07-21)21 July 1895 (aged 28) Transvaal Right-handed 0
Philip Hands (1890-03-18)18 March 1890 (aged 34) Western Province Right-handed Right arm unknown 6
George Hearne (1888-03-27)27 March 1888 (aged 36) South Western Districts Right-handed 2
Dave Nourse (1879-01-25)25 January 1879 (aged 45) Natal Left-handed Left arm medium 40
Wicket-keepers
Fred Susskind (1891-06-08)8 June 1891 (aged 32) Transvaal Right-handed 0
Tommy Ward (1887-08-02)2 August 1887 (aged 36) Transvaal Right-handed 18
All-rounder
Jimmy Blanckenberg (1893-12-31)31 December 1893 (aged 30) Natal Right-handed Right arm medium 13
Bowlers
George Bissett (1905-11-05)5 November 1905 (aged 18) Griqualand West Right-handed Right arm fast 0
Claude Carter (1881-04-23)23 April 1881 (aged 43) Natal Right-handed Slow left arm orthodox 7
Cec Dixon (1891-02-12)12 February 1891 (aged 33) Transvaal Right-handed Right arm medium 1
Doug Meintjes (1890-06-09)9 June 1890 (aged 33) Transvaal Right-handed Right arm fast-medium 2
Buster Nupen (1902-01-02)2 January 1902 (aged 22) Transvaal Right-handed Right arm fast-medium 6
Sid Pegler (1888-07-28)28 July 1888 (aged 35) Transvaal Right-handed Right arm medium, Legbreak 11
  • The ages and Test caps are as at the start of the tour (3 May 1924).

George Parker (24) also played three first-class matches (including the first two Tests) and Aubrey Faulkner (42) played one match, the Third Test. The manager was George Allsop, who had held the role on three previous tours of England.[7]

Test series summary edit

First Test edit

14–17 June 1924
(3-day match)
Scorecard
v
438 (124 overs)
JB Hobbs 76
GM Parker 6/152 (37 overs)
30 (12.3 overs)
HW Taylor 7
AER Gilligan 6/7 (6.3 overs)
390 (f/o) (143.4 overs)
RH Catterall 120
AER Gilligan 5/83 (28 overs)
England won by an innings and 18 runs
Edgbaston, Birmingham
Umpires: HR Butt and W Reeves
  • South Africa won the toss and elected to field.
  • 15 June were taken as rest days.
  • H Sutcliffe, APF Chapman, R Kilner, MW Tate and GEC Wood (all ENG), and MJ Susskind, HG Deane and GM Parker (all SA) made their Test debuts.
  • Parker, an expatriate fast bowler from Cape Town then playing for Eccleshill in the Bradford League, was called up to strengthen the South African bowling and responded with six wickets.[8]
  • South Africa's score of 30 at Edgbaston is still the only completed innings in Test match history where no batsman reached double figures.[9]
  • The 75 balls in the South African 2nd innings is still the fewest balls in a completed Test match innings.

Second Test edit

28 June–1 July 1924
(3-day match)
Scorecard
v
273 (116 overs)
RH Catterall 120
RK Tyldesley 3/52 (24 overs)
531/2d (118 overs)
JB Hobbs 211
GM Parker 2/121 (24 overs)
240 (123.4 overs)
MJ Susskind 53
RK Tyldesley 3/50 (36 overs)
England won by an innings and 18 runs
Lord's, London
Umpires: F Chester and HI Young
  • South Africa won the toss and elected to bat.
  • 29 June was taken as a rest day.
  • RK Tyldesley (ENG) made his Test debut.
  • The England score of 531-2d is the highest Test innings in which all who batted scored at least a half-century.[9]
  • Parker ended his third and final first-class match as the only South African Test cricketer not to play first-class cricket in his own country.[10]
  • The first of only five occasions where a side has lost only two wickets while winning a Test match.[11]

Third Test edit

12–15 July 1924
(3-day match)
Scorecard
v
396 (116 overs)
EH Hendren 132
SJ Pegler 4/116 (35 overs)
132 (51.3 overs)
HW Taylor 59*
MW Tate 6/42 (17 overs)
60/1 (22.2 overs)
H Sutcliffe 29*
J Blanckenberg 1/23 (10 overs)
323 (f/o) (127 overs)
HW Taylor 56
RH Catterall 56

RK Tyldesley 3/63 (24 overs)
England won by 9 wickets
Headingley, Leeds
Umpires: W Reeves and AE Street
  • England won the toss and elected to bat.
  • 13 July was taken as a rest day.

Fourth Test edit

26–29 July 1924
(3-day match)
Scorecard
v
116/4 (66.5 overs)
TA Ward 50
MW Tate 3/34 (24 overs)
Match drawn
Old Trafford, Manchester
Umpires: HR Butt and AE Street
  • South Africa won the toss and elected to bat.
  • 27 July was taken as a rest day.
  • There was no play on the second or third days.
  • JCW MacBryan, G Geary and G Duckworth (all ENG) made their Test debuts.

Fifth Test edit

16–19 August 1924
(3-day match)
Scorecard
v
342 (124 overs)
RH Catterall 95
MW Tate 3/64 (29 overs)
421/8 (131 overs)
EH Hendren 142
CP Carter 3/85 (23 overs)
Match drawn
The Oval, London
Umpires: HR Butt and F Chester
  • South Africa won the toss and elected to bat.
  • 17 August was taken as a rest day.

References edit

  1. ^ "Sports in Brief: Cricket". The Times. 4 January 1924. Retrieved 17 April 2024 – via The Times Digital Archive.
  2. ^ "Cricket: The South African Team". The Times. 5 January 1924. Retrieved 17 April 2024 – via The Times Digital Archive.
  3. ^ "Cricket: The South Africa Tour". The Times. 27 March 1924. Retrieved 17 April 2024 – via The Times Digital Archive.
  4. ^ "South African Test Team Sails For England". The Guardian. 5 April 1924. Retrieved 17 April 2024 – via ProQuest.
  5. ^ "Cricket: Arrival of the South Africans". The Times. 22 April 1924. Retrieved 17 April 2024 – via The Times Digital Archive.
  6. ^ "Statsguru - Tests - South African players by appearances (11 Oct 1902 and 3 May 1924)". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  7. ^ "Who's Who in the South African Cricket Team". The Cricketer. Vol. 5, no. 1. 3 May 1924. p. 12. Retrieved 17 April 2024 – via CricketArchive.
  8. ^ Frindall, Bill (2000). The Wisden Book Of Test Cricket: Volume 1 1877-1970. London: Headline Book Publishing. p. 155. ISBN 0747272735.
  9. ^ a b Walmsley, Keith (2003). Mosts Without in Test Cricket. Reading, England: Keith Walmsley Publishing Pty Ltd. p. 457. ISBN 0947540067..
  10. ^ Frindall, Bill (2000). The Wisden Book Of Test Cricket: Volume 1 1877-1970. London: Headline Book Publishing. p. 156. ISBN 0747272735.
  11. ^ "RECORDS / TEST MATCHES / TEAM RECORDS / VICTORY LOSING FEWEST WICKETS". stats.espncricinfo.com. Retrieved 17 August 2021.

Further reading edit

External links edit