The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is the joint oldest team in
Test cricketTest cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
, having played in the first Test match in 1877. The team also plays One Day International cricket and
Twenty20 InternationalA Twenty20 International is a form of cricket which is played over 20 overs per side between two national cricket teams. The game is played under the rules of Twenty20 cricket...
, participating in both the first ODI, against England in the 1970–71 season and the first Twenty20 International, against
New ZealandThe New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the...
in the 2004–05 season, winning both games. The team mainly draws its players from teams playing in the Australian domestic competitions – the Sheffield Shield, the Australian Domestic One-Day Series and the
Big Bash LeagueThe KFC t20 Big Bash League is the Australian domestic Twenty20 cricket tournament. The Big Bash League replaces the previous competition, the KFC Twenty20 Big Bash and will feature city-based franchises instead of the state teams which had participated previously. The inaugural season will begin...
.
The Australian team has played 730 Test matches, winning 341, losing 192, drawing 195 and
tyingTied Test refers to a rare result in Test cricket. Only two ties have occurred in the 2,000 Tests played since 1877. The first was in 1960 and the second in 1986...
two. Australia is ranked the number-one team overall in Test cricket in terms of overall wins, win-loss ratio and wins percentage. Australia is currently ranked fourth in the
ICC Test ChampionshipThe ICC Test Championship is an international competition run by the International Cricket Council in the sport of cricket for the 10 teams that play Test cricket...
behind England, South Africa and India, and led the Test rankings for a record time of 74 months from 2003 to 2009.
Australia has played 752 ODI matches, winning 464, losing 256, tying eight and with 24 ending in no-result. They have led the
ICC ODI ChampionshipThe ICC ODI Championship is an international One Day International cricket competition run by the International Cricket Council. The competition is notional in that it is simply a ranking scheme overlaid on the regular ODI match schedule. After every ODI match, the two teams involved receive points...
since its inception for all but a period of 48 days in 2007. Australia have made record six
World CupThe ICC Cricket World Cup is the premier international championship of men's One Day International cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council , with preliminary qualification rounds leading up to a finals tournament which is held every four years...
final appearances (1975, 1987, 1996, 1999, 2003 and 2007) and have won the World Cup a record four times in total;
1987 Cricket World CupThe 1987 Cricket World Cup was the fourth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament. It was held from October 8 to November 8, 1987 in India and Pakistan — the first held outside England. The format was unchanged from 1983 except for a reduction in the number of overs a team played from 60...
,
1999 Cricket World Cup-England:-Outside England:-Group A:-Results:-------------------------------------------------------------Group B:-Results:------------------------------------------------------------...
,
2003 Cricket World Cup-Group stage tables and results:The top three teams from each pool qualify for the next stage, carrying forward the points already scored against fellow qualifiers, plus a quarter of the points scored against the teams that failed to qualify.-Pool A:...
and
2007 Cricket World CupThe 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007, using the sport's One Day International format...
. Australia is the first team to appear in 4 consecutive World Cup finals (1996, 1999, 2003 and 2007), surpassing the old record of 3 consecutive World Cup appearances by West Indies (1975, 1979 and 1983).
The team was undefeated in 34 consecutive World Cup matches until 19 March at the
2011 Cricket World CupThe 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was the tenth Cricket World Cup. It was played in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. It was Bangladesh's first time co-hosting a World Cup...
where Pakistan beat them by 4 wickets. Australia have also won the
ICC Champions TrophyThe ICC Champions Trophy is a One Day International cricket tournament, second in importance only to the Cricket World Cup. It was inaugurated as the ICC Knock Out tournament in 1998 and has been played every two years since, changing its name to the Champions Trophy in 2002...
twice – in 2006 and in 2009 – making them the first and the only team to become back to back winners in the Champions Trophy tournaments. The team has also played 39 Twenty20 Internationals, making the final of the
ICC World Twenty20The ICC World Twenty20 or ICC World T20 also referred to as the T20 World Cup is the international championship of Twenty20 cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council...
in 2010 before losing it to England.
History
Early history
The Australian cricket team participated in the first Test match at the
MCGThe Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
in 1877, defeating an English team by 45 runs, with
Charles BannermanCharles Bannerman was an Australian Test cricketer, a right-hand batsman, who played domestic cricket for New South Wales....
making the first Test century, a score of 165 retired hurt.
Test cricketTest cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
, which only occurred between Australia and England at the time, was limited by the long distance between the two countries, which would take several months by sea. Despite Australia's much smaller population, the team was very competitive in early games, producing stars such as
Jack BlackhamJohn McCarthy Blackham was a Test cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia.A specialist wicket-keeper, Blackham played in the first Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in March 1877 and the famous Ashes Test match of 1882...
,
Billy MurdochWilliam Lloyd Murdoch was an Australian cricketer, who captained the Australian team on tours to England in 1880, 1882 , 1884 and 1890...
,
Fred "The Demon" SpofforthFrederick Robert "Fred" Spofforth , also known as "The Demon Bowler", was arguably the Australian cricket team's finest pace bowler of the nineteenth century and was the first bowler to take 50 Test wickets, and the first to take a test hat-trick in 1879...
,
George BonnorGeorge John Bonnor was an Australian cricketer, known for his big hitting, who played between 1880 and 1888.-Career:...
,
Percy McDonnellPercy Stanislaus McDonnell was an Australian cricketer who captained the Australian Test team in six matches, including the tour of England in 1888....
,
George GiffenGeorge Giffen was a cricketer who played for South Australia and Australia. An all-rounder who batted in the middle order and often opened the bowling with medium-paced off-spin, Giffen captained Australia during the 1894–95 Ashes series and was the first Australian to score 10,000 runs and...
and
Charles "The Terror" TurnerCharles Thomas Biass Turner was a bowler who is regarded as one of the finest ever produced by Australia....
. Most cricketers at the time were either from
New South WalesThe New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
or
VictoriaThe Victorian cricket team, nicknamed the Bushrangers, is an Australian cricket team based in Melbourne, that represents the state of Victoria. It is administered by Cricket Victoria and draws its players from Melbourne's Premier Cricket competition...
, with the notable exception of
George GiffenGeorge Giffen was a cricketer who played for South Australia and Australia. An all-rounder who batted in the middle order and often opened the bowling with medium-paced off-spin, Giffen captained Australia during the 1894–95 Ashes series and was the first Australian to score 10,000 runs and...
, the star South Australian
all-rounderAn all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...
.
A highlight of Australia's early history was the 1882 Test match against England at
The OvalThe Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
. In this match
Fred SpofforthFrederick Robert "Fred" Spofforth , also known as "The Demon Bowler", was arguably the Australian cricket team's finest pace bowler of the nineteenth century and was the first bowler to take 50 Test wickets, and the first to take a test hat-trick in 1879...
took 7/44 in the game's fourth innings to save the match by preventing England from making their 85-run target. After this match
The Sporting TimesThe Sporting Times was a weekly British newspaper devoted chiefly to sport, and in particular to horse racing...
, 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 was cremated and the ashes taken to Australia." This was the start of the famous
AshesThe Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
series in which Australia and England play a
Test match seriesTest cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
to decide the holder of the Ashes. To this day, the contest is one of the fiercest rivalries in sport.
Golden Age
The so-called 'Golden Age' of Australian test cricket occurred around the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, with the team under the captaincy of
Joe DarlingJoseph "Joe" Darling CBE was an Australian cricketer who played 34 Test matches as a specialist batsman between 1894 and 1905. As captain, he led Australia in a total of 21 Tests, winning seven and losing four. In Test cricket, he scored 1657 runs at an average of 28.56 per innings, including...
,
Monty NobleMontague Alfred Noble was an Australian cricketer who played for New South Wales and Australia. A right-hand batsman, right-handed bowler who could deliver both medium pace and off-break bowling, capable fieldsman and tactically sound captain, Noble is considered as one of the great Australian...
and
Clem HillClement "Clem" Hill was an Australian cricketer who played 49 Test matches as a specialist batsman between 1896 and 1912. He captained the Australian team in ten Tests, winning five and losing five...
winning eight of ten tours it participated in between the 1897–98 English tour of Australia and the 1910–11 South African tour of Australia. Outstanding batsman such as
Joe DarlingJoseph "Joe" Darling CBE was an Australian cricketer who played 34 Test matches as a specialist batsman between 1894 and 1905. As captain, he led Australia in a total of 21 Tests, winning seven and losing four. In Test cricket, he scored 1657 runs at an average of 28.56 per innings, including...
,
Clem HillClement "Clem" Hill was an Australian cricketer who played 49 Test matches as a specialist batsman between 1896 and 1912. He captained the Australian team in ten Tests, winning five and losing five...
,
Reggie DuffReginald Alexander Duff was an Australian cricketer who played in 22 Tests between 1902 and 1905....
,
Syd GregorySydney Edward Gregory , sometimes known as Edward Sydney Gregory, was a cricketer who played for New South Wales and Australia. At the time of his retirement, he had played a world-record 58 Test matches during a career spanning 1890 to 1912...
,
Warren BardsleyWarren "Curly" Bardsley was an Australian Test cricketer. An opening batsman, Bardsley played 41 Tests between 1909 and 1926 and over 200 first-class games for New South Wales...
and
Victor TrumperVictor Thomas Trumper was an Australian cricketer known as the most stylish and versatile batsman of the Golden Age of cricket, capable of playing match-winning innings on wet wickets his contemporaries found unplayable. Archie MacLaren said of him, "Compared to Victor I was a cab-horse to a Derby...
, brilliant all-rounders including
Monty NobleMontague Alfred Noble was an Australian cricketer who played for New South Wales and Australia. A right-hand batsman, right-handed bowler who could deliver both medium pace and off-break bowling, capable fieldsman and tactically sound captain, Noble is considered as one of the great Australian...
,
George GiffenGeorge Giffen was a cricketer who played for South Australia and Australia. An all-rounder who batted in the middle order and often opened the bowling with medium-paced off-spin, Giffen captained Australia during the 1894–95 Ashes series and was the first Australian to score 10,000 runs and...
,
Harry TrottGeorge Henry Stevens "Harry" Trott was an Australian Test cricketer who played 24 Test matches as an all-rounder between 1888 and 1898. Although Trott was a versatile batsman, spin bowler and outstanding fielder, "... it is as a captain that he is best remembered, an understanding judge of...
and
Warwick ArmstrongWarwick Windridge Armstrong was an Australian cricketer who played 50 Test matches between 1902 and 1921. An all-rounder, he captained Australia in ten Test matches between 1920 and 1921 and was undefeated, winning eight Tests and drawing two...
and excellent bowlers including
Ernie JonesErnest Jones was an Australian sportsman, playing Test cricket and Australian rules football....
,
Hugh TrumbleHugh Trumble was an Australian cricketer who played 32 Test matches as a bowling all-rounder between 1890 and 1904. He captained the Australian team in two Tests, winning both. Trumble took 141 wickets in Test cricket—a world record at the time of his retirement—at an average of...
,
Tibby CotterAlbert "Tibby" Cotter was an Australian cricketer who played in 21 Tests between 1904 and 1912....
, Bill Howell,
Jack SaundersJohn Victor Saunders was an Australian cricketer who played in 14 Tests from 1902 to 1908....
and
Bill WhittyWilliam James "Bill" Whitty was an Australian Test cricketer who played 14 Tests from 1909 to 1912.-Early career:...
, all helped Australia to become the dominant cricketing nation for most of this period.
Victor TrumperVictor Thomas Trumper was an Australian cricketer known as the most stylish and versatile batsman of the Golden Age of cricket, capable of playing match-winning innings on wet wickets his contemporaries found unplayable. Archie MacLaren said of him, "Compared to Victor I was a cab-horse to a Derby...
became one of Australia's first sporting heroes, and was widely considered Australia's greatest batsman before Bradman and one of the most popular players. He played a record (at the time) number of tests at 48, and scored 3163 (another record) runs at a high for the time average of 39.04. His early death in 1915 at the age of 37 from kidney disease caused national mourning. The
Wisden Cricketers' AlmanackWisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
, in its obituary for him, called him Australia's greatest batsman: "
Of all 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 I were marred by
conflictThe Big Six cricket dispute that occurred in 1912 was a confrontation between the administrators and players of the sport of cricket in Australia. Six of Australia's leading cricketers refused an invitation to tour England for the 1912 Triangular Tournament. The six players were Warwick Armstrong,...
between the players, led by Clem Hill, Victor Trumper and
Frank LaverFrank Jonas Laver Frank Jonas Laver Frank Jonas Laver (7 December 1869, Castlemaine, Victoria 24 September 1919, East Melbourne, Victoria was an Australian cricketer who played in 15 Tests from 1899 to 1909....
, the
Australian Board of Control for International CricketCricket Australia, formerly known as the Australian Cricket Board, is the governing body for professional and amateur cricket in Australia. It was originally formed in 1905 as the Australian Board of Control for International Cricket...
(formed in 1905), led by
Peter McAlisterPeter Alexander McAlister was an Australian cricketer who played in 8 Tests from 1904 to 1909....
, who were attempting to gain more control of tours from the players. This led to six leading players (the so-called "Big Six") walking out on the
1912 Triangular TournamentThe 1912 Triangular Tournament was a Test cricket competition played between Australia, England and South Africa, the only Test-playing nations at the time....
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, with
Tibby CotterAlbert "Tibby" Cotter was an Australian cricketer who played in 21 Tests between 1904 and 1912....
being killed in
PalestinePalestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
during the war.
Cricket between the wars
Test cricket resumed in the 1920/21 season in Australia with a touring English team, captained by
Johnny DouglasJohn "Johnny" William Henry Tyler Douglas was a cricketer who was captain of the England team and an Olympic boxer.-Early life:...
losing all five Tests to Australia, captained by the "Big Ship"
Warwick ArmstrongWarwick Windridge Armstrong was an Australian cricketer who played 50 Test matches between 1902 and 1921. An all-rounder, he captained Australia in ten Test matches between 1920 and 1921 and was undefeated, winning eight Tests and drawing two...
. Several players from before the war, including Warwick Armstrong, Charlie Macartney,
Charles KellewayCharles Kelleway was an Australian cricketer who played in 26 Tests between 1910 and 1928....
,
Warren BardsleyWarren "Curly" Bardsley was an Australian Test cricketer. An opening batsman, Bardsley played 41 Tests between 1909 and 1926 and over 200 first-class games for New South Wales...
and the wicket-keeper
Sammy CarterHanson Carter was a cricketer who played for Australia and New South Wales.-Career:...
, were instrumental in the team's success, as well as new players
Herbie CollinsHerbert Leslie Collins was an Australian cricketer who played 19 Tests between 1921 and 1926. An all-rounder, he captained the Australian team in eleven Tests, winning five, losing two with another four finishing in draws...
, Jack Ryder,
Bert OldfieldWilliam Albert Stanley "Bert" Oldfield was an Australian cricket player. He played for New South Wales and the Australian cricket team as wicket-keeper....
, the spinner
Arthur MaileyArthur Alfred Mailey was an Australian cricketer who played in 21 Test matches between 1920 and 1926....
and the so-called "twin destroyers" Jack Gregory and
Ted McDonaldEdgar Arthur "Ted" McDonald was a cricketer who played for Tasmania, Victoria, Lancashire and Australia, as well as being an Australian rules footballer who played with Launceston Football Club, Essendon Football Club, and Fitzroy Football Club.A very fast bowler with the...
. The team continued its success on the
1921 Tour of EnglandAustralia won the 1921 Ashes series held in England. They won the first three matches against England, which meant that they had won eight in succession, an unequalled sequence in Ashes Tests, following the 5-0 drubbing they had administered to England in the 1920-21 season in Australia...
, winning three out of the five Tests in
Warwick ArmstrongWarwick Windridge Armstrong was an Australian cricketer who played 50 Test matches between 1902 and 1921. An all-rounder, he captained Australia in ten Test matches between 1920 and 1921 and was undefeated, winning eight Tests and drawing two...
's last series. The side was on the whole inconsistent in the latter half of the 1920s, losing its first home
Ashes seriesThe Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
since the 1911–12 season in 1928–29.
The Bradman Era
The
1930 Tour of EnglandAustralia won the 1930 Ashes series against England, winning two of the matches and losing one, with the other two tests drawn:*1st Test — England won by 93 runs - *2nd Test — Australia won by 7 wickets -...
heralded a new age of success for the Australian team. The team, led by
Bill WoodfullWilliam Maldon "Bill" Woodfull OBE was an Australian cricketer of the 1920s and 1930s. He captained both Victoria and Australia, and was best known for his dignified and moral conduct during the tumultuous bodyline series in 1932–33 that almost saw the end of Anglo-Australian cricketing ties...
– the "Great Un-bowlable" – featured legends of the game including
Bill PonsfordWilliam Harold "Bill" Ponsford MBE was an Australian cricketer. Usually playing as an opening batsman, he formed a successful and long-lived partnership opening the batting for Victoria and Australia with Bill Woodfull, his friend and state and national captain...
,
Stan McCabeStanley Joseph McCabe was an Australian cricketer who played 39 Test matches for Australia from 1930 to 1938. A short, stocky right-hander,...
,
Clarrie GrimmettClarence Victor "Clarrie" Grimmett was a cricketer; although born in New Zealand, he played most of his cricket in Australia. He is thought by many to be one of the finest early spin bowlers, and usually credited as the developer of the flipper.Grimmett was born in Caversham a suburb of Dunedin,...
and the young pair of
Archie JacksonArchibald "Archie" Jackson , occasionally known as Archibald Alexander Jackson, was an Australian cricketer who played eight Test matches as a specialist batsman between 1929 and 1931. A teenage prodigy, he played first grade cricket at only 15 years of age and was selected for New South Wales at 17...
and
Don BradmanSir Donald George Bradman, AC , often referred to as "The Don", was an Australian cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time...
. 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
tuberculosisTuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
at the age of 24 three years later, after playing eight tests. The team 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
bodylineBodyline, also known as fast leg theory bowling, was a cricketing tactic devised by the English cricket team for their 1932–33 Ashes tour of Australia, specifically to combat the extraordinary batting skill of Australia's Don Bradman...
, where captain
Douglas JardineDouglas Robert Jardine was an English cricketer and captain of the England cricket team from 1931 to 1933–34.When describing cricket seasons, the convention used is that a single year represents an English cricket season, while two years represent a southern hemisphere cricket season because it...
instructed his bowlers
Bill VoceBill Voce was an English cricketer. He played for the Nottinghamshire and England, and was an instrumental part of England's infamous Bodyline tour of Australia in 1932–1933.-Life and career:...
and
Harold LarwoodHarold Larwood was an English cricket player, an extremely accurate fast bowler best known for his key role as the implementer of fast leg theory in the infamous "bodyline" Ashes Test series of 1932–33....
to bowl fast, short-pitched deliveries aimed at the bodies of the Australian batsmen. The tactic, although effective, was widely considered by Australian crowds as vicious and unsporting. Injuries to
Bill WoodfullWilliam Maldon "Bill" Woodfull OBE was an Australian cricketer of the 1920s and 1930s. He captained both Victoria and Australia, and was best known for his dignified and moral conduct during the tumultuous bodyline series in 1932–33 that almost saw the end of Anglo-Australian cricketing ties...
, who was struck over the heart, and
Bert OldfieldWilliam Albert Stanley "Bert" Oldfield was an Australian cricket player. He played for New South Wales and the Australian cricket team as wicket-keeper....
, 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 OvalThe Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...
for the Third Test. The conflict almost escalated into a diplomatic incident between the two countries, as leading Australian political figures, including the
Governor of South AustraliaThe Governor of South Australia is the representative in the Australian state of South Australia of Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia. The Governor performs the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as does the Governor-General of Australia at the national level.In...
,
Alexander Hore-RuthvenBrigadier General Alexander Gore Arkwright Hore-Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie VC, GCMG, CB, DSO & Bar, PC was a British soldier and colonial governor and the tenth Governor-General of Australia. Serving for 9 years and 7 days, he is the longest serving Governor-General in Australia's history...
, 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 managed to overcome the damaging series, winning their next tour of England in 1934. The team was led by
Bill WoodfullWilliam Maldon "Bill" Woodfull OBE was an Australian cricketer of the 1920s and 1930s. He captained both Victoria and Australia, and was best known for his dignified and moral conduct during the tumultuous bodyline series in 1932–33 that almost saw the end of Anglo-Australian cricketing ties...
on his final tour, and 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
spinSpin bowling is a technique used for bowling in the sport of cricket. Practitioners are known as spinners or spin bowlers.-Purpose:The main aim of spin bowling is to bowl the cricket ball with rapid rotation so that when it bounces on the pitch it will deviate, thus making it difficult for the...
pair of
Bill O'ReillyWilliam Joseph "Bill" O'Reilly , often known as Tiger O'Reilly, was an Australian cricketer, rated as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. Following his retirement from playing, he became a well-respected cricket writer and broadcaster.O'Reilly was one of the best spin bowlers to...
and
Clarrie GrimmettClarence Victor "Clarrie" Grimmett was a cricketer; although born in New Zealand, he played most of his cricket in Australia. He is thought by many to be one of the finest early spin bowlers, and usually credited as the developer of the flipper.Grimmett was born in Caversham a suburb of Dunedin,...
, who took 53 wickets between them, with O'Reilly twice taking seven wicket hauls.
Sir
Donald BradmanSir Donald George Bradman, AC , often referred to as "The Don", was an Australian cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time...
is widely considered the greatest batsman of all time. He dominated the sport from 1930 until his retirement in 1948, setting new records for the highest score in a test innings (334 vs England at
HeadingleyHeadingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie ....
in 1930), the most number of runs (6996), the most number of
centuriesIn the sport of cricket, a batsman reaches his century when he scores 100 or more runs in a single innings. The term is also included in "century partnership" which occurs when two batsmen add 100 runs to the team total when they are batting together. A century is regarded as a landmark score for...
(29), the most number of double centuries and the greatest Test and
first-classFirst-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
batting averages. His record for the highest Test batting average – 99.94 – has never been beaten. It is almost 40 runs above 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
duckIn the sport of cricket, a duck refers to a batsman's dismissal for a score of zero.-Origin of the term:The term is a shortening of the term "duck's egg", the latter being used long before Test cricket began...
in his last Test. He was
knightA knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
ed in 1949 for services to cricket. He is generally considered one of Australia's greatest sporting heroes.
Test cricket was again interrupted by war, with the last Test series in 1938 made notable by
Len HuttonSir Leonard "Len" Hutton was an English Test cricketer, who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England in the years around the Second World War as an opening batsman. He was described by Wisden Cricketer's Almanack as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket...
making a world record 364 for England, with
Chuck Fleetwood-SmithLeslie O'Brien "Chuck" Fleetwood-Smith was a cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia. Known universally as "Chuck", he was the "wayward genius" of Australian cricket during the 1930s...
conceding 298 runs in England's world record total of 7–903.
Ross GregoryRoss Gerald Gregory was an Australian Test cricketer.Gregory, a diminutive gifted right-hand batsman, was a precocious batting talent, making his debut for Victoria while still at school and his Test cricket debut before the age of 21 in the 1936-37 season, after scoring 128 for his state against...
, a notable young batsman who played two Tests before the war, was killed in the war.
Cricket after World War II
The team continued its success after the end of the Second World War, with the first Test (also Australia's first against
New ZealandThe New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the...
) being played in the 1945–46 season against New Zealand. Australia 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
IndiaThe Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
. The team capitalised on its ageing stars Bradman,
Sid BarnesSidney George Barnes was an Australian cricketer and cricket writer, who played 13 Test matches between 1938 and 1948. Able to open the innings or bat down the order, Barnes was regarded as one of Australia's finest batsmen in the period immediately following the Second World War...
,
Bill BrownWilliam Alfred "Bill" Brown, OAM was an Australian cricketer who played 22 Tests between 1934 and 1948, captaining his country in one Test. A right-handed opening batsman, his partnership with Jack Fingleton in the 1930s is regarded as one of the finest in Australian Test history...
and
Lindsay HassettArthur Lindsay Hassett MBE was a cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia. The diminutive Hassett was an elegant middle-order batsman, described by Wisden as, "... a master of nearly every stroke ... his superb timing, nimble footwork and strong wrists enabled him to make batting look a...
while new talent, including
Ian JohnsonIan William Geddes Johnson CBE was an Australian cricketer who played 45 Test matches as a slow off-break bowler between 1946 and 1956. Johnson captured 109 Test wickets at an average of 29.19 runs per wicket and as a lower order batsman made 1,000 runs at an average of...
,
Don TallonDonald "Don" Tallon was an Australian cricketer who played 21 Test matches as a wicket-keeper between 1946 and 1953...
,
Arthur MorrisArthur Robert Morris MBE is a former Australian cricketer who played 46 Test matches between 1946 and 1955. An opener, Morris is regarded as one of Australia's greatest left-handed batsmen. He is best known for his key role in Don Bradman's Invincibles side, which made an undefeated tour of...
,
Neil HarveyRobert Neil Harvey MBE is a former Australian cricketer who represented the Australian cricket team between 1948 and 1963, playing in 79 Test matches. He was the vice-captain of the team from 1957 until his retirement...
,
Bill JohnstonWilliam Arras Johnston was an Australian cricketer who played in forty Test matches from 1947 to 1955. A left arm pace bowler, as well as a left arm orthodox spinner, Johnston was best known as a spearhead of Don Bradman's undefeated 1948 touring team, well known as "The Invincibles"...
and the
fast bowlingFast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
pair of
Ray LindwallRaymond Russell Lindwall MBE was a cricketer who represented Australia in 61 Tests from 1946 to 1960. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time. He also played top-flight rugby league football with St...
and
Keith MillerKeith Ross Miller MBE was an Australian Test cricketer and a Royal Australian Air Force pilot during World War II. Miller is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever all-rounder. Because of his ability, irreverent manner and good looks he was a crowd favourite...
, who all made their debut in 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 notably for the
Fourth TestThe Fourth Test of the 1948 Ashes series was one of five Tests in a cricket series between Australia and England. The match was played at Headingley Stadium at Leeds from 22 to 27 July with a rest day on 25 July. Australia won the match by seven wickets to take an unassailable 3–0 series lead...
of the series, in which Australia won by seven wickets chasing a target of 404, setting a new record for the highest runchase in Test cricket, with
Arthur MorrisArthur Robert Morris MBE is a former Australian cricketer who played 46 Test matches between 1946 and 1955. An opener, Morris is regarded as one of Australia's greatest left-handed batsmen. He is best known for his key role in Don Bradman's Invincibles side, which made an undefeated tour of...
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 was less successful in the 1950s, losing three consecutive Ashes series to England, including a horrendous
1956 Tour of EnglandThe Australian cricket team toured England in the 1956 season to play a five-match Test series against England for The Ashes.England won the series 2-1 with 2 matches drawn and therefore retained The Ashes....
, where the 'spin twins'
LakerJames "Jim" Charles Laker was a cricketer who played for England in the 1950s, known for "Laker's match" in 1956 at Old Trafford, when he took nineteen wickets in England's victory against Australia...
and
LockGraham Anthony Richard Lock was an English cricketer, who played primarily as a left-arm spinner. He played in forty nine Tests for England taking 174 wickets at 25.58 each.-Life and career:...
destroyed Australia, taking 61 wickets between them, including Laker taking 19 wickets in the game (a first-class record) at
LeedsHeadingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie ....
, a game dubbed Laker's Match.
However, the team rebounded to win five consecutive series in the latter half of the 1950s, first under the leadership of
Ian JohnsonIan William Geddes Johnson CBE was an Australian cricketer who played 45 Test matches as a slow off-break bowler between 1946 and 1956. Johnson captured 109 Test wickets at an average of 29.19 runs per wicket and as a lower order batsman made 1,000 runs at an average of...
, then
Ian CraigIan David Craig is a former Australian Test cricketer who represented Australia in 11 Tests between 1953 and 1958. A slightly built right-handed batsman, Craig holds the record for being the youngest Australian to make a first-class double century, gain Test selection and captain his country...
and
Richie BenaudRichard "Richie" Benaud OBE is a former Australian cricketer who, since his retirement from international cricket in 1964, has become a highly regarded commentator on the game....
. The series against the West Indies in the 1960–61 season was notable for the
Tied TestTied Test refers to a rare result in Test cricket. Only two ties have occurred in the 2,000 Tests played since 1877. The first was in 1960 and the second in 1986...
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 the early part of the 1960s were
Richie BenaudRichard "Richie" Benaud OBE is a former Australian cricketer who, since his retirement from international cricket in 1964, has become a highly regarded commentator on the game....
, who took a then-record number of wickets as a
leg-spinnerLeg spin is a type of spin bowling in the sport of cricket. A leg spinner bowls right-arm with a wrist spin action, causing the ball to spin from right to left in the cricket pitch, at the point of delivery. When the ball bounces, the spin causes the ball to deviate sharply from right to left, that...
, and who also captained Australia in 28 Tests, including 24 without defeat;
Alan DavidsonAlan Keith Davidson, AM, MBE is a former Australian cricketer of the 1950s and 1960s. He was an all rounder: a hard-hitting lower-order left-handed batsman, and an outstanding left-arm fast-medium opening bowler...
, who became the first player to take 10 wickets and make 100 runs in the same game in the first Test, and was also a notable fast-bowler;
Bob SimpsonRobert Baddeley Simpson AO is a former cricketer who played for New South Wales, Western Australia and Australia, captaining the national team from 1963–64 until 1967–68, and again in 1977–78. He later had a highly successful term as the coach of the Australian team...
, who also later captained Australia for two different periods of time; Colin McDonald, the first-choice opening batsman for most of the 1950s and early '60s;
Norm O'NeillNorman Clifford O'Neill OAM was an cricketer who played for New South Wales and Australia. A right-handed batsman known for his back foot strokeplay, O'Neill made his state debut aged 18, before progressing to Test selection aged 21 in late 1958...
, who made 181 in the Tied Test;
Neil HarveyRobert Neil Harvey MBE is a former Australian cricketer who represented the Australian cricket team between 1948 and 1963, playing in 79 Test matches. He was the vice-captain of the team from 1957 until his retirement...
, towards the end of his long career; and
Wally GroutArthur Theodore Wallace Grout was a Test cricketer who kept wicket for Australia and Queensland.Grout played in 51 Test matches between 1957 and 1966...
, an excellent
wicket-keeperThe wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike...
who died at the age of 41.
1970s and onward
The
Centenary TestCentenary Test refers to two matches of Test cricket played between the English cricket team and the Australian cricket team, the first in 1977 and the second in 1980. These matches were played to mark the 100th anniversaries of the first Test cricket matches played in Australia and in England ...
was played in March 1977 at the
MCGJoseph McGinty Nichol , better known as McG, is an American director and producer of film and television, as well as a former record producer....
to celebrate 100 years since the first Test was played. Australia ended winning by 45 runs, an identical result to the first Test match.
In May 1977
Kerry PackerKerry Francis Bullmore Packer, AC was an Australian media tycoon. The son of Sir Frank Packer and Gretel Bullmore, the Packer family company owned controlling interest in both the Nine television network and leading Australian publishing company Australian Consolidated Press, which were later...
announced he was organising a breakaway competition –
World Series CricketWorld Series Cricket was a break away professional cricket competition staged between 1977 and 1979 and organised by Kerry Packer for his Australian television network, Nine Network. The matches ran in opposition to established international cricket...
(WSC) – after the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) refused to accept
Channel NineThe Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
'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 the Australian Test team at the time were signed to WSC – notable exceptions including
Gary CosierGary John Cosier is a former Australian test cricketer who played in 18 Tests and 9 ODIs from 1975 to 1979. Cosier's star shone very briefly following a sensational test debut, when he became only the ninth Australian to post a century in his first Test.-Cricket career:The stocky, redheaded Cosier...
,
Geoff DymockGeoffrey Dymock is a former Australian and Queensland cricketer. He played in 21 Tests and 15 One Day Internationals between 1974 and 1980. He was the third bowler to dismiss all eleven opposition players in a test match, and remains one of only six players to have achieved this unusual...
,
Kim HughesKimberley John Hughes is a former cricketer who played for Western Australia, Natal and Australia. He captained Australia in 28 Tests between 1979 and 1984 before captaining a "rebel" Australian team in a tour of South Africa, who at the time were subject to a sporting boycott.A right-handed...
and
Craig SerjeantCraig Stanton Serjeant is a former Australian cricketer who played in 12 Tests and 3 ODIs from 1977 to 1978....
– 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 SimpsonRobert Baddeley Simpson AO is a former cricketer who played for New South Wales, Western Australia and Australia, captaining the national team from 1963–64 until 1967–68, and again in 1977–78. He later had a highly successful term as the coach of the Australian team...
, who had retired 10 years previously after a conflict with the board, was recalled at the age of 41 to captain Australia against India.
Jeff ThomsonJeffrey Robert Thomson is a former Australian cricketer. Known as "Thommo", he was one of the fastest bowlers ever to play Test cricket and was the opening partner of fellow fast bowler Dennis Lillee; their combination was one of the most fearsome in Test cricket history...
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 ClarkWayne Maxwell Clark is a former Australian cricketer who played in 10 Tests and 2 ODIs from 1977 to 1979....
, who took 28 wickets. Australia lost the next series – against the West Indies, who were fielding a full team – 3–1, and also lost the 1978–79 Ashes series 5–1, the team's worst Ashes result in Australia.
Graham YallopGraham Neil Yallop is a former cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia. He captained Australia briefly during the tumultuous era of World Series Cricket in the late 1970s...
was named as captain for the Ashes, with Kim Hughes taking over for the 1979–80 tour of India.
Rodney HoggRodney Malcolm Hogg is a former Victorian, South Australian and Australian cricketer. He was a fast bowler. Hogg played in 38 Tests and 71 ODIs between 1978 and 1985. In Tests he took 123 wickets at an average of 28.47.-Career:...
still managed to take 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 ChappellGregory Stephen Chappell MBE is a former cricketer who captained Australia between 1975 and 1977 and then joined the breakaway World Series Cricket organisation, before returning to the Australian captaincy in 1979, a position he held until his retirement 1983...
was reinstated as captain.
The
underarm bowling incident of 1981The underarm bowling incident of 1981 took place on 1 February 1981, when Australia was playing New Zealand in a One Day International cricket match, the third of five such matches in the final of the Benson & Hedges World Series Cup, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground...
occurred when, in a against
New ZealandThe New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the...
, Greg Chappell instructed his brother
Trevor ChappellTrevor Martin Chappell is a former Australian cricketer, a member of the South Australian Chappell family which excelled at cricket...
to bowl an
underarm deliveryIn cricket, underarm bowling is as old as the sport itself. Until the introduction of the roundarm style in the first half of the 19th century, bowling was performed in the same way as in bowls, the ball being delivered with the hand below the waist...
to New Zealand batsman Brian McKechnie, with New Zealand needing a six to win 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 1980s, built mainly around the likes of
Bob SimpsonRobert Baddeley Simpson AO is a former cricketer who played for New South Wales, Western Australia and Australia, captaining the national team from 1963–64 until 1967–68, and again in 1977–78. He later had a highly successful term as the coach of the Australian team...
, the Chappell brothers,
Dennis LilleeDennis Keith Lillee, AM, MBE is a former Australian cricketer rated as the "outstanding fast bowler of his generation"...
, and
Rod MarshRodney William Marsh MBE is a former Australian wicketkeeper.A colourful character, Marsh had a Test career spanning from the 1970–71 to the 1983–84 Australian season. In 96 Tests, he set a world record of 355 wicketkeeping dismissals, the same number his pace bowling Western...
. The 1980s was a period of relative mediocrity after the turmoil caused by
World Series CricketWorld Series Cricket was a break away professional cricket competition staged between 1977 and 1979 and organised by Kerry Packer for his Australian television network, Nine Network. The matches ran in opposition to established international cricket...
and the subsequent retirement of several key players, and it was not until the captaincy of
Allan BorderAllan Robert Border AO is a former Australian cricketer. A batsman, Border was for many years the captain of the Australian team. His playing nickname was "A.B.". He played 156 Test matches in his career, a record until it was passed by fellow Australian Steve Waugh...
that the team was restructured. The 1990s and early 21st century were arguably Australia's most successful period, unbeaten in all Ashes series played bar the famous
2005 seriesThe 2005 Ashes series was that year's edition of the long-standing and storied cricket rivalry between England and Australia. Starting on 21 July 2005, England and Australia played five Tests, with the Ashes held by Australia as the most recent victors...
and achieving a hat-trick of
World CupsThe ICC Cricket World Cup is the premier international championship of men's One Day International cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council , with preliminary qualification rounds leading up to a finals tournament which is held every four years...
. This success has been attributed to the restructuring of the team and system by Border, successive shrewd captains, and the effectiveness of several key players, most notably
Glenn McGrathGlenn Donald McGrath AM , nicknamed "Pigeon", is a former Australian cricket player. He is one of the most highly regarded fast-medium pace bowlers in cricketing history, and a leading contributor to Australia's domination of world cricket from the mid-1990s to the early 21st century...
,
Shane WarneShane Keith Warne is a former Australian international cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. In 2000, he was selected by a panel of cricket experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, the only specialist bowler selected in the quintet...
,
Steve WaughStephen Rodger "Steve" Waugh, AO is a former Australian cricketer and fraternal twin of cricketer Mark Waugh. A right-handed batsman, he was also a successful medium-pace bowler...
,
Adam GilchristAdam Craig Gilchrist AM , nicknamed "Gilly" or "Churchy", is an Australian international cricketer who currently captains Kings XI Punjab and recently captained Middlesex. He is an attacking left-handed batsman and record-breaking wicket-keeper, who redefined the role for the Australian national...
and
Ricky PontingRicky Thomas Ponting , nicknamed Punter, is an Australian cricketer, a former captain of the Australian cricket team between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 2011 in One Day International cricket. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very...
. In recent years however, following the retirement of most of this group of players, Australia has lost series to both India and England and has dropped to fifth place in the
ICC Test ChampionshipThe ICC Test Championship is an international competition run by the International Cricket Council in the sport of cricket for the 10 teams that play Test cricket...
rankings.
India
Australian captain
Steve WaughStephen Rodger "Steve" Waugh, AO is a former Australian cricketer and fraternal twin of cricketer Mark Waugh. A right-handed batsman, he was also a successful medium-pace bowler...
referred to India as the "Final Frontier", as that was the only place where Australia hadn't won a series in over thirty years. Australia lost in the 2001 series 2–1 and when India came to Australia for Waugh's farewell series in 2003–04, they drew the series 1–1 and came close to winning it after scoring a national record 705 but not enforcing the
follow-onFollow-on is a term used in the sport of cricket to describe a situation where the team that bats second is forced to take its second batting innings immediately after its first, because the team was not able to get close enough to the score achieved by the first team batting in the first innings...
.
However, later in the year, the side (captained by
Adam GilchristAdam Craig Gilchrist AM , nicknamed "Gilly" or "Churchy", is an Australian international cricketer who currently captains Kings XI Punjab and recently captained Middlesex. He is an attacking left-handed batsman and record-breaking wicket-keeper, who redefined the role for the Australian national...
) won in India for the first time in 35 years. The Australians won this series 2–1 (with one match rained out on the last day).
Pakistani Tour 2004–05
The 2004–05 summer season in Australia was against the touring
Pakistani cricket teamThe Pakistan cricket team is the national cricket team of Pakistan. Pakistan, represented by the Pakistan Cricket Board , is a full member of the International Cricket Council, and thus participates in , and cricket matches....
which Australia won convincingly, several matches ending on the 4th day (of 5). The first Test of 2005 ended with: AUS 568 and 1/62 v PAK 304 and 325; Ponting made 207 in the first innings, laying to rest a minor media issue of him not making a Test 100 in his first season as captain.
2005 Ashes
The 2005 Ashes tour to England became a watershed event in Australian cricket when, for the first time since 1986–87 a Test series was lost to the old enemy England, and
The AshesThe Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
were thus surrendered. The summer started with four defeats in one week in one day matches (to England in a Twenty20 match,
SomersetSomerset County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Somerset...
in a warm up match, and then
BangladeshThe Bangladesh national cricket team is a national cricket team representing Bangladesh. The team is administered by the Bangladesh Cricket Board . Bangladesh is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status...
and England in successive One Day Internationals). Australia and England tied the final match of the first One Day International series, before Australia won the second series 2–1.
The first Test match at
Lord'sLord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
was a convincing victory for Australia, with
Glenn McGrathGlenn Donald McGrath AM , nicknamed "Pigeon", is a former Australian cricket player. He is one of the most highly regarded fast-medium pace bowlers in cricketing history, and a leading contributor to Australia's domination of world cricket from the mid-1990s to the early 21st century...
impressing in particular. Captain
Ricky PontingRicky Thomas Ponting , nicknamed Punter, is an Australian cricketer, a former captain of the Australian cricket team between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 2011 in One Day International cricket. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very...
afterwards famously said:
We’ve a very good chance of winning 5–0. However at the second Test at
EdgbastonEdgbaston Cricket Ground, also known as the County Ground or Edgbaston Stadium, is a cricket ground in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, England...
star bowler Glenn McGrath was ruled out by an ankle injury after stepping on a ball in the practice nets; Ponting put England in to bat on a fair batting wicket (England scored 407 runs on the first day) and England eventually won a pulsating match by two runs and so levelled the series. England dominated the rain-affected third Test at
Old TraffordOld Trafford is a cricket ground situated on Talbot Road in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester. It has been the home of Lancashire County Cricket Club since its foundation in 1864, having been the ground of Manchester Cricket Club from 1857...
, but a fine rearguard innings by Ponting just saved Australia on the final day and the match was drawn. In the fourth Test at
Trent BridgeTrent Bridge is a Test, One-day international and County cricket ground located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England and is also the headquarters of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. As well as International cricket and Nottinghamshire's home games, the ground has hosted the Finals Day of...
Australia were again outplayed and forced to follow-on for the first time in 191 Test matches and eighteen years. England struggled in their second innings but eventually got the 129 runs they needed to win, losing seven wickets in the process. Australia needed to win the fifth and final Test at
The OvalThe Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
to level the series and retain the Ashes but were hampered by bad weather, a strong England bowling performance on the fourth day and England's excellent batting (led by
Kevin PietersenKevin Peter Pietersen, MBE is a South African-born English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional off spin bowler who plays for England and Surrey...
and tailender
Ashley GilesAshley Fraser Giles MBE is a retired English cricketer. Giles played the entirety of his 14-year first-class career at Warwickshire County Cricket Club where he is now employed as Director of Cricket...
) on the final day before the match ended in a draw, handing England a 2–1 series win.
Ageing stars such as
HaydenMatthew Lawrence Hayden AM is a former Australian cricketer, and was signed to the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL until the 2010 season. Hayden is a powerful and aggressive left-handed opening batsman, known for his ability to score quickly at both Test and one day levels.Hayden holds the record...
,
GilchristAdam Craig Gilchrist AM , nicknamed "Gilly" or "Churchy", is an Australian international cricketer who currently captains Kings XI Punjab and recently captained Middlesex. He is an attacking left-handed batsman and record-breaking wicket-keeper, who redefined the role for the Australian national...
,
MartynDamien Richard Martyn is a former Australian cricketer. He played for the national team sporadically in 1992–1994 before becoming a regular ODI player in 1999–2000 and a regular Test player in 2001 until his retirement in late 2006...
,
GillespieJason Neil Gillespie is an Australian cricketer who formerly represented Australia at international level, in both Tests and One Day Internationals, and South Australia, Yorkshire and Glamorgan at first-class level. His primary role is as a right-arm fast-medium bowler, but he is also a competent...
and
KasprowiczMichael Scott Kasprowicz is a former Australian Test cricketer. He is a right arm fast bowler, effective outfielder and useful lower order batsman, and has enjoyed a successful career both in Australia and in the English county scene since making his debut for Queensland as a seventeen year old in...
underperformed in the tour with Gillespie being subsequently dropped for new and younger talent. On the other hand
Shane WarneShane Keith Warne is a former Australian international cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. In 2000, he was selected by a panel of cricket experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, the only specialist bowler selected in the quintet...
, who took 40 wickets and scored 249 runs, gave an all-round good performance. Members of the old guard (Ponting,
LangerJustin Lee Langer AM is a former international cricketer who represented Australia in 105 Test matches and the current Assistant Coach and Batting Coach of the Australian cricket team. A left-handed batsman, his opening partnership with Matthew Hayden was one of the most successful of all time...
,
LeeBrett Lee is an Australian cricketer.After breaking into the Australian Test team, Lee was recognised as one of the fastest bowlers in world cricket...
and McGrath) also played well.
ICC Super Series
The ICC (International Cricket Council) sanctioned a test and three-match one-day series for 2005. This series was to be played between the top ranking test and One Day International nations (according to rankings as at April 2005) and an internationally selected Rest of the World XI. Australia was the top ranked nation in both forms of the game as at April 2005.
Australia had an opportunity to begin the rebuilding process following the Ashes series loss at the
Super TestThe ICC Super Series 2005 was a cricket series played in Australia in October 2005 and featuring some of the world's best cricketers. There were two teams playing: Australia, the world's ranked number one side, and an ICC World XI made up of some of the best non-Australian cricketers...
held against a Rest of the World team in Sydney in October. Although the match was of poor quality with the World team underperforming, it was a good opportunity for some of the Australian team to get back on track. Many did, especially Hayden who scored 111 and 87 and Gilchrist who scored 94 in the first innings and made seven dismissals.
Stuart MacGillStuart Charles Glyndwr MacGill is a former right-arm leg spin bowler of the Australian cricket team, with a domestic career at Western Australia, New South Wales, Nottinghamshire, Devon and Somerset...
(who had not played in the 2005 Ashes) took nine wickets. Overall, the Australian Cricket Team clean swept the World XI Team 3–0 in the One Day International Series, and also won the six-day Test Match.
West Indies
In November Australia continued to perform well winning a three match Test series with the
West IndiesThe West Indian cricket team, also known colloquially as the West Indies or the Windies, is a multi-national cricket team representing a sporting confederation of 15 mainly English-speaking Caribbean countries, British dependencies and non-British dependencies.From the mid 1970s to the early 1990s,...
comfortably. Stars were Hayden (who was clearly intent on proving that rumours of his cricketing death were premature – he scored 445 runs at an average of 89) and
HusseyMichael Edward Killeen Hussey is an Australian cricketer, a left-handed specialist batsman. Hussey is also widely known by his nickname Mr Cricket. Hussey was a relative latecomer to both the one-day international and Test Australian teams, debuting at 28 and 30 years of age in the respective...
who had an auspicious debut season. Gilchrist, however, was out of touch with the bat as he had been in England throughout the month.
South Africa Tour
In the 2006 cricket tour to South Africa, Australia lost the one-day series 3–2 after a record-breaking final ODI. Setting South Africa a world record target of 434 off 50 overs (the previous record being 398/5 scored by Sri Lanka vs Kenya 10 years previously), South Africa managed to beat Australia by 1 wicket with a new record score of 438. Earlier, Ricky Ponting top-scored with 164 off 105 balls. South Africa's
Herschelle GibbsHerschelle Herman Gibbs is a South African cricketer, more specifically a batsman.Gibbs was schooled at St Joseph's Marist College and then Diocesan College in Rondebosch...
, likewise batting at number 3, went on to score 175 off 111 balls thereby playing an instrumental role in the run chase. Many other records were broken in the same match. A total of 872 runs were scored (The previous record was 693 when India beat Pakistan by five runs in Karachi in March 2004).
Mick LewisMichael Llewellyn "Mick" Lewis is an Australian cricketer.-Grade career and state career:Born in Greensborough, Victoria, Lewis was a grade cricketer who played for Northcote and the Victorian Bushrangers gave him his first-class debut in the 1999/2000 season...
had the ignominy of becoming the most expensive bowler in ODI history with figures of 0/113 in his 10 overs.
In the test series that followed however, Australia won convincingly with
Brett LeeBrett Lee is an Australian cricketer.After breaking into the Australian Test team, Lee was recognised as one of the fastest bowlers in world cricket...
and
Stuart ClarkStuart Rupert Clark is an Australian International cricketer who plays domestic cricket for the New South Wales Blues. He plays as a right-arm fast-medium bowler...
(Man of the Series) playing particularly well.
Bangladesh Tour
Following the South African series, Australia toured
BangladeshThe Bangladesh national cricket team is a national cricket team representing Bangladesh. The team is administered by the Bangladesh Cricket Board . Bangladesh is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status...
for a two-test series. Despite expectations of a one-sided contest, the first test proved a very close affair with Bangladesh (historically the weakest test-playing nation) scoring more than 400 first-innings runs and bowling Australia out for 269 in the first innings on a very good batting wicket and ultimately setting Australia a challenging 307 for victory. Ponting's men were able to win this match by three wickets. However, in the second match Australia dominated throughout, winning by an innings and 80 runs. In Australia's only innings,
Jason GillespieJason Neil Gillespie is an Australian cricketer who formerly represented Australia at international level, in both Tests and One Day Internationals, and South Australia, Yorkshire and Glamorgan at first-class level. His primary role is as a right-arm fast-medium bowler, but he is also a competent...
became the first
nightwatchmanIn the sport of cricket, a nightwatchman is a lower-order batsman who comes in to bat higher up the order than usual near the end of the day's play...
to score a double century with 201 not out.
2006–07 Ashes
After winning the
ICC Champions TrophyThe ICC Champions Trophy is a One Day International cricket tournament, second in importance only to the Cricket World Cup. It was inaugurated as the ICC Knock Out tournament in 1998 and has been played every two years since, changing its name to the Champions Trophy in 2002...
convincingly, Australia went home for their summer to play England in a five-test series.
The first test took place in
BrisbaneBrisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
at the Gabba. The second test took place in
AdelaideThe Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...
from 1 December. The third match of the series was held at the
WACA GroundThe WACA is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. WACA are the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association....
in the West Australian city of
PerthPerth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
. Following the Third test victory, Australia reclaimed the Ashes, already having achieved a winning margin of 3–0 in the best of five series. England lamented the shortest period of Ashes retention in the history of the tournament, dating back to 1882. In the days following the historic win in Perth, spin bowler
Shane WarneShane Keith Warne is a former Australian international cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. In 2000, he was selected by a panel of cricket experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, the only specialist bowler selected in the quintet...
announced that he would retire from international cricket at the conclusion of the fifth and final Sydney test in January 2007. This also prompted
Justin LangerJustin Lee Langer AM is a former international cricketer who represented Australia in 105 Test matches and the current Assistant Coach and Batting Coach of the Australian cricket team. A left-handed batsman, his opening partnership with Matthew Hayden was one of the most successful of all time...
, Australian opening batsmen at the time, to announce his retirement from Test cricket after the 5th test as well. Fast bowler
Glenn McGrathGlenn Donald McGrath AM , nicknamed "Pigeon", is a former Australian cricket player. He is one of the most highly regarded fast-medium pace bowlers in cricketing history, and a leading contributor to Australia's domination of world cricket from the mid-1990s to the early 21st century...
later announced he too would retire from international cricket after the
2007 Cricket World CupThe 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007, using the sport's One Day International format...
.
The fourth match of the series was played at the MCG. Australia took victory in just three days, only needing one innings of batting to outscore England. The fifth match in Sydney ended with Australia capturing a 10 wicket victory. The Australians completed a 5–0 whitewash of the Ashes series, the first time either side had achieved such a feat since the 1920–21 series.
2006–07 ODI season
Following the Ashes victory over England, Australia began the 2007 Commonwealth Bank Tri-series against England and New Zealand with a series of largely comfortable victories, leading to their coach John Buchanan complaining that the lack of opposition was undermining Australia's World Cup bid. However, injuries to key players contributed to Australia losing two matches in the qualification games and the final 2–0 to an also injury hit England. With Ponting rested for the series against New Zealand, Australia under
Michael HusseyMichael Edward Killeen Hussey is an Australian cricketer, a left-handed specialist batsman. Hussey is also widely known by his nickname Mr Cricket. Hussey was a relative latecomer to both the one-day international and Test Australian teams, debuting at 28 and 30 years of age in the respective...
lost the
Chappell-Hadlee TrophyThe Chappell-Hadlee Trophy in cricket is an annual ODI series between Australia and New Zealand. It is named after legendary cricketing families from the two countries, the Chappell brothers of Australia and Walter Hadlee and his three sons, , of New Zealand.The trophy is currently held by...
3–0, their first One Day series loss in New Zealand for 33 years. The loss also cost them the overall number one ranking for the first time since the rankings began.
2007 World Cup
Australia dominated the
2007 Cricket World CupThe 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007, using the sport's One Day International format...
, remaining unbeaten through the tournament. They dominated with the bat and ball. Remarkably they lost just 42 wickets in 11 matches, while claiming 104 out of 110 of their opponents. The best batsman for the tournament was
Matthew HaydenMatthew Lawrence Hayden AM is a former Australian cricketer, and was signed to the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL until the 2010 season. Hayden is a powerful and aggressive left-handed opening batsman, known for his ability to score quickly at both Test and one day levels.Hayden holds the record...
, getting three centuries and 659 runs at an average of 73. Australia's keeper
Adam GilchristAdam Craig Gilchrist AM , nicknamed "Gilly" or "Churchy", is an Australian international cricketer who currently captains Kings XI Punjab and recently captained Middlesex. He is an attacking left-handed batsman and record-breaking wicket-keeper, who redefined the role for the Australian national...
starred in the World cup Final, scoring 149 in a convincing and controversial Australian win. Bowler
Glenn McGrathGlenn Donald McGrath AM , nicknamed "Pigeon", is a former Australian cricket player. He is one of the most highly regarded fast-medium pace bowlers in cricketing history, and a leading contributor to Australia's domination of world cricket from the mid-1990s to the early 21st century...
was named Man of the Series for his magnificent contribution with the ball.
Recent Seasons
| HOME |
AWAY |
| | Test | One Day International | Twenty20Twenty20 is a form of cricket, originally introduced in England for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board , in 2003. A Twenty20 game involves two teams, each has a single innings, batting for a maximum of 20 overs. Twenty20 cricket is also known as T20 cricket...
| Test | One Day International | Twenty20Twenty20 is a form of cricket, originally introduced in England for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board , in 2003. A Twenty20 game involves two teams, each has a single innings, batting for a maximum of 20 overs. Twenty20 cricket is also known as T20 cricket...
|
| Last match won |
3rd Test v England 2010 |
7th ODI v England 2011 |
2nd T20 v England 2011 |
1st Test v Sri Lanka 2011 |
2nd ODI v Sri Lanka 2011 |
ICC World T20 v West Indies 2010 |
| Last match lost |
5th Test v England 2010–11 |
4th ODI v England 2011 |
1st T20 v England 2011 |
2nd Test v India 2010 |
3rd ODI v Sri Lanka 2011 |
2nd T20 v Sri Lanka 2011 |
| Last series won |
Pakistan 2009–10 The Pakistan cricket team toured Australia for a 3-match Test series, a 5-match ODI series, and 1 Twenty20 International from 19 December 2009 to 5 February 2010....
|
England 2010–11 |
West Indies 2009–10 |
Sri Lanka 2011 The Australian cricket team toured Sri Lanka from 6 August to 20 September 2011. The tour consisted of two Twenty20 Internationals , five One Day Internationals and three Tests played for Warne-Muralidaran Trophy. Four uncapped players had been named in the Australian Test squad; Shaun Marsh,...
|
Bangladesh 2011 The Australian cricket team toured Bangladesh between 9 April to 13 April 2011. The tour consisted of three One Day Internationals . Michael Clarke was announced as the Australian captain, following Ricky Ponting's resignation.-Squads:-1st ODI:-2nd ODI:...
|
New Zealand 2004–05 |
| Last series lost |
England 2010–11 |
Sri Lanka 2010 The Sri Lankan cricket team toured Australia between 31 October and 7 November 2010. The tour consisted of one T20I and three One Day Internationals. Sri Lanka's One Day International series victory was their first series win in Australia.-Only T20I:-1st ODI:...
|
Only T20 Sri Lanka 2010 The Sri Lankan cricket team toured Australia between 31 October and 7 November 2010. The tour consisted of one T20I and three One Day Internationals. Sri Lanka's One Day International series victory was their first series win in Australia.-Only T20I:-1st ODI:...
|
India 2010–11 |
India 2010–11 |
Sri Lanka 2011 The Australian cricket team toured Sri Lanka from 6 August to 20 September 2011. The tour consisted of two Twenty20 Internationals , five One Day Internationals and three Tests played for Warne-Muralidaran Trophy. Four uncapped players had been named in the Australian Test squad; Shaun Marsh,...
|
| – |
Source:Cricinfo.com. Last Updated 7 January 2011 |
Source:Cricinfo.com. Last updated: 7 November 2010. |
Source:Cricinfo.com. Last updated: 31 October 2010. |
Source: Cricinfo.com. Last Updated 9 October 2010 |
Source:Cricinfo.com. Last updated: 24 October 2010. |
Source:Cricinfo.com. Last updated: 11 May 2010. |
Upcoming fixtures
- Australia toured Sri Lanka in August 2011
The Australian cricket team toured Sri Lanka from 6 August to 20 September 2011. The tour consisted of two Twenty20 Internationals , five One Day Internationals and three Tests played for Warne-Muralidaran Trophy. Four uncapped players had been named in the Australian Test squad; Shaun Marsh,...
. 2 Twenty20 Matches, 5 One Day International Matches, 3 Test Matches playing for the Warne-Muralidaran TrophyThe Warne-Muralidaran Trophy is awarded to the winner of the Australia – Sri Lanka Test cricket series from 2007/08 season onwards. The trophy is named after the two leading wicket takers in Test cricket, Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan and Australia's Shane Warne...
- Australia are currently touring South Africa in September–November 2011
-1st T20I:-2nd T20I:-1st ODI:-2nd ODI:-3rd ODI:-1st Test:South Africa won the toss and elected to field. At the end of the first day, Australia had made 214 for the loss of 8 wickets, with South African bowler Dale Steyn picking up 4 wickets for 31 runs...
. 2 Twenty20 3 One Day Internationals, 2 Test Matches
- Australia will host New Zealand in December 2011
The New Zealand cricket team will tour Australia from December 1, 2011 to December 13, 2011. The tour will consist of two Tests played for the Trans Tasman Trophy.-Squads:-New South Wales XI v New Zealanders:-Australia A v New Zealanders:-1st Test:...
. 2 Test Matches for Trans Tasman TrophyThe Trans Tasman Trophy is a trophy played for by Australia and New Zealand in the sport of cricket. The trophy is awarded to the team that wins a Test series, or one-off Test match, between the two nations. If the series is a draw, the holder keeps the trophy. It was first competed for in the...
- Australia will host India in December 2011–12
-2nd Test:-3rd Test:-4th Test:-1st T20I:-2nd T20I:-External links:*...
and January 2012 2 Twenty20 Matches, 4 Test Matches playing for the Border–Gavaskar Trophy and a Tri-Series with Sri Lanka
- Australia will host India &Sri Lanka a One Day International Tri-Series in February.- March 2012
The 2011–12 edition of the Commonwealth Bank Series is an upcoming One Day International cricket tournament will held in Australia. This is a tri-nation series between Australia, India, and Sri Lanka...
Team colours
For
TestTest cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
matches, the team wears cricket whites, with an optional
sweaterA sweater, jumper, pullover, sweatshirt, jersey or guernsey is a garment intended to cover the torso and arms. It is often worn over a shirt, blouse, T-shirt, or other top, but may also be worn alone as a top...
or sweater-vest with a
green and goldThe national colours of Australia are green and gold, as proclaimed by Sir Ninian Stephen, the Governor-General of Australia on 19 April 1984...
V-neck for use in cold weather. The sponsor's (currently
VodafoneVodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...
for Home Test Matches and
Victoria BitterVictoria Bitter is one of the many iconic beers manufactured in the Australian state of Victoria. VB currently maintains the highest market share of all beer sold in Australia, both on tap and packaged...
for Away Test Matches) logo is displayed on the right side of the chest while the
Cricket AustraliaCricket Australia, formerly known as the Australian Cricket Board, is the governing body for professional and amateur cricket in Australia. It was originally formed in 1905 as the Australian Board of Control for International Cricket...
coat-of-arms is displayed on the left. If the sweater is being worn the coat-of-arms is displayed under the V-neck and the sponsor's logo is again displayed on the right side of the chest. The
baggy greenThe baggy green is the evolution of a cricket cap of green colour, which has been worn by Australian Test cricketers since around the turn of the twentieth century. The cap was not originally baggy as evidenced by photographs of early players...
, the Australian 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
helmetIn the sport of cricket, batsmen often wear a helmet to protect themselves from injury by the cricket ball, which is very hard and can be bowled to them at speeds over ....
also prominently displays the Australian cricketing coat-of-arms.
ASICSASICS is a Japanese athletic equipment company. ASICS produces professional footwear and sports equipment designed for football, running, netball, tennis, badminton, squash, martial arts, cricket, golf, wrestling, track & field, cross-training, volleyball, cheerleading, lacrosse, and for many other...
currently manufactures the whites and limited over uniforms, with the ASICS logo being displayed on the shirt and pants. Players may choose any manufacturer for their other gear (
batA cricket bat is a specialised piece of equipment used by batsmen in the sport of cricket to hit the ball. It is usually made of willow wood. Its use is first mentioned in 1624....
,
padsPads are protective equipment used by batters in the sports of cricket and baseball, and by goaltenders in hockey, bandy and lacrosse. They serve to protect the legs from impact by a hard ball or puck at high speed which could otherwise cause injuries to the lower leg.In cricket, pads fall into...
, shoes, gloves, etc.).
In One Day International cricket and
Twenty20 InternationalA Twenty20 International is a form of cricket which is played over 20 overs per side between two national cricket teams. The game is played under the rules of Twenty20 cricket...
cricket, the team wears uniforms usually coloured
green and goldThe national colours of Australia are green and gold, as proclaimed by Sir Ninian Stephen, the Governor-General of Australia on 19 April 1984...
, Australia's national colours. There have 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 CricketWorld Series Cricket was a break away professional cricket competition staged between 1977 and 1979 and organised by Kerry Packer for his Australian television network, Nine Network. The matches ran in opposition to established international cricket...
in the late 1970s. The sponsors' logos (the Commonwealth Bank for Home ODIs,
KFCKFC, founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. KFC has been a brand and operating segment, termed a concept of Yum! Brands since 1997 when that company was spun off from PepsiCo as Tricon Global...
for Home Twenty20s and
Victoria BitterVictoria Bitter is one of the many iconic beers manufactured in the Australian state of Victoria. VB currently maintains the highest market share of all beer sold in Australia, both on tap and packaged...
for Away ODIs and Away Twenty20) are prominently displayed on the shirts and other gears. The Current Home ODI Kit consist the primary color green and yellow the secondary. The Away Kit is the opposite of the Home Kit with yellow the primary color and green the secondary. The Home Twenty20s uniform consist of black with the natural colors of Australian green and yellow strips.
International grounds
Eighteen different grounds in Australia have been used for international cricket (
TestsTest cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
, ODIs and
Twenty20 InternationalA Twenty20 International is a form of cricket which is played over 20 overs per side between two national cricket teams. The game is played under the rules of Twenty20 cricket...
s). Five were only used once, during the
1992 World Cup-New Zealand:-Round Robin Stage:Co-hosts New Zealand proved the surprise packet of the tournament, winning their first seven games to finish on top of the table after the round robin. The other hosts, Australia, were one of the pre-tournament favourites but lost their first two matches. They...
, while three (all in
TasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
) only hosted games during 1980s
World Series CupThe World Series Cup was the name of the One Day International cricket tournament that took place in Australia every season between Australia and two touring teams from 1979-80 to 1995-96. The tournament was renamed the World Series from 1990-1. This was the very first of the One Day International ...
s. The main six used are:
- The Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
(MCG) in Melbourne, VictoriaVictoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
(first used for Test cricket in 1877).
- The Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
(SCG) in Sydney, New South WalesNew South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
(first used in 1882).
- Adelaide Oval
The Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...
in AdelaideAdelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, South Australia (first used in 1884).
- Brisbane Cricket Ground
The Brisbane Cricket Ground, commonly known as The Gabba, is a major sports stadium in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland. It is named after the suburb of Woolloongabba, in which it is located....
(commonly known as 'The Gabba') in BrisbaneBrisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Queensland (first used in 1931).
- The Western Australian Cricket Association Ground
The WACA is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. WACA are the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association....
(commonly known as 'The WACA') in PerthPerth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, Western Australia (first used in 1970).
- Bellerive Oval
Bellerive Oval, also known as its sponsored name Blundstone Arena, is primarily a cricket and Australian Rules Football ground located in Bellerive, City of Clarence, on the eastern shore of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia...
in HobartHobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
, Tasmania (first used in 1989).
Other grounds which have been used for Test cricket are:
- The Brisbane Exhibition Ground
The Brisbane Exhibition Ground , is a showground established in Brisbane during 1875 especially for Ekka . The Exhibition ground is owned and operated by the Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland...
in BrisbaneBrisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Queensland (hosted two Tests between 1928 and 1930; no longer used for cricket).
- Marrara Oval
Marrara Stadium is a sports ground in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. The ground was built in 1991 and Australian rules football and Cricket are primarily played at the venue...
in Darwin, the Northern TerritoryThe Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
(hosted two Tests against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in 2003 and 2004).
- Cazaly's Stadium
Cazaly's Stadium, also known by its sponsorship name as Bundaberg Rum Stadium, is a sports stadium in Cairns, Australia, that is named after former VFL legend Roy Cazaly....
in Cairns, Queensland (hosted two Tests against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in 2003 and 2004).
Grounds which have been used for One Day Internationals only are:
- The TCA Ground
The TCA Ground, or Tasmanian Cricket Association Ground, is one of two First Class standard cricket grounds in Hobart, Tasmania in Australia...
in HobartHobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
, Tasmania (used for one ODI in the 1985 World Series CupThe World Series Cup was the name of the One Day International cricket tournament that took place in Australia every season between Australia and two touring teams from 1979-80 to 1995-96. The tournament was renamed the World Series from 1990-1. This was the very first of the One Day International ...
).
- The NTCA Ground
The Northern Tasmania Cricket Association Ground, better known as the NTCA Ground, is a multi-use sports venue in Launceston, Australia. It is currently used mostly for club cricket matches and has a capacity of under 10,000....
in LauncestonLaunceston is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia at the junction of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River. Launceston is the second largest city in Tasmania after the state capital Hobart...
, Tasmania (used for one ODI in the 1986 World Series CupThe World Series Cup was the name of the One Day International cricket tournament that took place in Australia every season between Australia and two touring teams from 1979-80 to 1995-96. The tournament was renamed the World Series from 1990-1. This was the very first of the One Day International ...
).
- Devonport Oval
Devonport Oval is an Australian rules football, cricket and athletics stadium in Devonport, Tasmania.It is the home stadium for the Devonport Football Club in the Tasmanian State League and for the Devonport Cricket Club in the NWTCA competition....
in Devonport-Sport:The Devonport Football Club is an Australian Rules team competing in the Tasmanian Statewide League. The Devonport Rugby Club is a Rugby Union team competing in the Tasmanian Rugby Union Statewide League...
, Tasmania (used for one ODI in the 1987 World Series CupThe World Series Cup was the name of the One Day International cricket tournament that took place in Australia every season between Australia and two touring teams from 1979-80 to 1995-96. The tournament was renamed the World Series from 1990-1. This was the very first of the One Day International ...
).
- Harrup Park in Mackay
Mackay is a city on the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia, about north of Brisbane, on the Pioneer River. Mackay is nicknamed the sugar capital of Australia because its region produces more than a third of Australia's cane sugar....
, Queensland (hosted one ODI during the 1992 World Cup-New Zealand:-Round Robin Stage:Co-hosts New Zealand proved the surprise packet of the tournament, winning their first seven games to finish on top of the table after the round robin. The other hosts, Australia, were one of the pre-tournament favourites but lost their first two matches. They...
that was abandoned after two balls).
- Eastern Oval
Eastern Oval is a cricket ground in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. The first recorded match on the ground in 1862 when Ballarat played HH Stephenson's XI. The ground was an important early centre of cricket in Victoria, hosting the Australia team, as well as personal teams from important...
in Ballarat, Victoria (hosted one ODI during the 1992 World Cup-New Zealand:-Round Robin Stage:Co-hosts New Zealand proved the surprise packet of the tournament, winning their first seven games to finish on top of the table after the round robin. The other hosts, Australia, were one of the pre-tournament favourites but lost their first two matches. They...
).
- Manuka Oval
Manuka Oval is a 13,550 capacity ground located in the suburb of Griffith, adjacent to Manuka, a business district of Canberra, Australia's capital....
in CanberraCanberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, ACTThe Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
(hosted one ODI during the 1992 World Cup-New Zealand:-Round Robin Stage:Co-hosts New Zealand proved the surprise packet of the tournament, winning their first seven games to finish on top of the table after the round robin. The other hosts, Australia, were one of the pre-tournament favourites but lost their first two matches. They...
and another in the 2008 Commonwealth Bank Series).
- Berri Oval
Berri Oval is a cricket ground in Berri, South Australia, Australia. The first recorded match on the ground came when South Australia Country played the touring West Indians in 1961. A number of Youth One Day Internationals were held at the ground in the late 1980s...
in BerriBerri is a town in the Riverland region of South Australia. It is 238 kilometres north-east of Adelaide, the capital of the state of South Australia. It is primarily an agricultural and viticultural town on the north bank of the Murray River...
, South Australia (hosted one ODI during the 1992 World Cup-New Zealand:-Round Robin Stage:Co-hosts New Zealand proved the surprise packet of the tournament, winning their first seven games to finish on top of the table after the round robin. The other hosts, Australia, were one of the pre-tournament favourites but lost their first two matches. They...
).
- Lavington Sports Ground
Lavington Sports Ground is an Australian rules football stadium located in Hamilton Valley, a suburb on the north-west fringe of Albury, New South Wales, Australia. The capacity of the venue is estimated at around 20,000...
in AlburyAlbury is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia, located on the Hume Highway on the northern side of the Murray River. It is located wholly within the boundaries of the City of Albury Local Government Area...
, New South Wales (hosted one ODI during the 1992 World Cup-New Zealand:-Round Robin Stage:Co-hosts New Zealand proved the surprise packet of the tournament, winning their first seven games to finish on top of the table after the round robin. The other hosts, Australia, were one of the pre-tournament favourites but lost their first two matches. They...
).
- Docklands Stadium in Melbourne, Victoria
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
(hosted several ODIs, including all of Melbourne's games in 2006 when the MCG was unavailable due to the 2006 Commonwealth GamesThe 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
– the only indoorA retractable roof is a kinetic architectural element used in many sports venues, in which a roof made of a suitable material can readily be mechanically deployed from some retracted or open position into a closed or extended position that completely covers the field of play and spectator areas...
stadium used for cricket in Australia).
Personnel
This is a list of every player to have played for Australia in the last year, and the forms of the game in which they have played.
Each year, Cricket Australia's National Selection Panel (NSP) names a list of 25 players for the coming year, from which selectors choose Test, One-Day and Twenty20 International teams. Salaries are based on a player ranking system decided by the NSP as well as match fees, tour fees and prize money for on-field success. The base retainer for the lowest ranked player is A$200,000 in 2011–12. Uncontracted players remain eligible for selection and can be upgraded to a Cricket Australia contract if they gain regular selection.
The 2011–12 list was announced on 7 June 2011.
Key
- S/N Shirt number
- 1 Player does not hold a Cricket Australia contract.
- 2 Shane Watson is an All-Rounder who is an Opener
| Name |
Age |
Batting Style |
Bowling Style |
State |
Forms |
S/N |
| Test and ODI Captain; Higher Middle-Order Batsman |
Michael ClarkeMichael John Clarke is an Australian cricketer. He was appointed captain of the Test and ODI teams on 30 March 2011. Nicknamed 'Pup', he is a right-handed batsman, and occasional left-arm orthodox spin bowler...
|
|
Right-Handed Bat |
Slow Left Arm Orthodox |
 New South WalesThe New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
|
Test, ODI |
23 |
| Twenty20 Captain; Lower Middle-Order Batsman |
Cameron WhiteCameron Leon White is an Australian cricketer and current Australian Twenty20 captain. A powerful middle order batsman and right-arm leg-spin bowler, White made his first-class cricket debut as a teenager in the 2000–01 season for the Victorian Bushrangers as a bowling all-rounder...
|
|
Right-Handed Bat |
Right-Arm Leg-BreakLeg spin is a type of spin bowling in the sport of cricket. A leg spinner bowls right-arm with a wrist spin action, causing the ball to spin from right to left in the cricket pitch, at the point of delivery. When the ball bounces, the spin causes the ball to deviate sharply from right to left, that...
|
 VictoriaThe Victorian cricket team, nicknamed the Bushrangers, is an Australian cricket team based in Melbourne, that represents the state of Victoria. It is administered by Cricket Victoria and draws its players from Melbourne's Premier Cricket competition...
|
ODI, Twenty20 |
7 |
| Test, ODI and T20 Vice-Captain; All Rounder |
| Shane Watson Shane Robert Watson is an Australian cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-handed fast medium bowler. He mainly bats as an opener in international cricket, although he does not do so domestically....
2 |
|
Right-Handed Bat |
Right-Arm Fast-MediumFast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
|
New South WalesThe New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
|
Test, ODI, Twenty20 |
33 |
| Opening Batsmen |
| Phillip Hughes |
|
Left-Handed Bat |
Right-Arm Off BreakOff spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket which is bowled by an off spinner, a right-handed spin bowler who uses his or her fingers and/or wrist to spin the ball from a right-handed batsman's off side to the leg side...
|
New South WalesThe New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
|
Test |
2 |
David WarnerDavid Andrew Warner is an Australian cricketer. A quick-scoring left-handed opening batsman, Warner is the first Australian cricketer in 132 years to be selected for a national team in any format without experience in first-class cricket...
1 |
|
Left-Handed Bat |
Right-Arm Leg-BreakA leg break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. A delivery of a right-handed leg spin bowler. Leg breaks are also colloquially known as leggies or wrist spinners, as the wrist is the body part which is primarily used to impart spin on the ball, as opposed to the fingers in the case of...
|
New South WalesThe New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
|
Twenty20 |
31 |
| Higher Middle-Order Batsmen |
| Usman Khawaja Usman Khawaja is an Australian cricketer. He was awarded player of the Australian Under 19 Championship in 2005 and also played for Australia in the 2006 U-19 Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka as an opening batsman. His club side is Randwick-Petersham....
|
|
Left-Handed Bat |
Right-Arm MediumFast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
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New South WalesThe New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
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Test |
89 |
| Shaun Marsh Shaun Edward Marsh is an Australian cricketer who plays for the Western Warriors in Australian domestic cricket and has represented Australia at One Day International and Twenty20 International levels...
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Left-Handed Bat |
Slow Left-Arm Orthodox |
 Western AustraliaThe Western Australia cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team representing the state of Western Australia...
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Test, ODI,Twenty20 |
9 |
| Ricky Ponting Ricky Thomas Ponting , nicknamed Punter, is an Australian cricketer, a former captain of the Australian cricket team between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 2011 in One Day International cricket. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very...
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Right-Handed Bat |
Right-Arm MediumFast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
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 TasmaniaThe Tasmanian cricket team, nicknamed the Tigers, represents the Australian state of Tasmania in cricket tournaments. They compete annually in the Australian domestic senior men's cricket season, which currently consists of the first-class Sheffield Shield, the limited overs Ford Ranger Cup, and...
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Test, ODI |
14 |
| Lower Middle-Order Batsmen |
| Callum Ferguson Callum James Ferguson is an Australian cricketer who currently plays Australian Domestic cricket for South Australia.He represented Australia at Under 19 level and debuted for the Australia one-day side in 2009...
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Right-Handed Bat |
Right-Arm MediumFast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
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 South AustraliaThe South Australia cricket team, nicknamed the Southern Redbacks and known as the West End Redbacks due to their sponsorship agreement with local brewers West End, are an Australian first class cricket team based in Adelaide, South Australia, and represent the state of South Australia...
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ODI,Twenty20 |
12 |
| David Hussey David John Hussey is an Australian cricketer. Hussey is a right-handed batsman and can also bowl right-arm offbreaks. He is the younger brother of Australian Test cricketer Michael Hussey.-Australian domestic career:...
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Right-Handed Bat |
Right-Arm Off-Break |
VictoriaThe Victorian cricket team, nicknamed the Bushrangers, is an Australian cricket team based in Melbourne, that represents the state of Victoria. It is administered by Cricket Victoria and draws its players from Melbourne's Premier Cricket competition...
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ODI, Twenty20 |
29 |
| Michael Hussey Michael Edward Killeen Hussey is an Australian cricketer, a left-handed specialist batsman. Hussey is also widely known by his nickname Mr Cricket. Hussey was a relative latecomer to both the one-day international and Test Australian teams, debuting at 28 and 30 years of age in the respective...
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Left-Handed Bat |
Right-Arm MediumFast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
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Western Australia The Western Australia cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team representing the state of Western Australia...
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Test, ODI, Twenty20 |
48 |
| Wicket-Keeper-Batsmen |
| Brad Haddin |
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Right-Handed Bat |
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New South WalesThe New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
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Test, ODI, Twenty20 |
57 |
| Tim Paine Timothy David Paine is an Australian cricketer who plays for the Tasmanian Tigers in Australian domestic cricket and for the University of Tasmania Cricket Club in club cricket. He is a right-handed batsman and wicket-keeper, as well as a right arm bowler at junior level...
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Right-Handed Bat |
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TasmaniaThe Tasmanian cricket team, nicknamed the Tigers, represents the Australian state of Tasmania in cricket tournaments. They compete annually in the Australian domestic senior men's cricket season, which currently consists of the first-class Sheffield Shield, the limited overs Ford Ranger Cup, and...
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Test, ODI, Twenty20 |
36 |
| All-Rounders |
| Steve Smith Steven Peter Devereux "Steve" Smith is an Australian international cricketer who currently plays for the New South Wales Blues. An all-rounder, Smith bats right-handed and bowls right arm leg spin. Smith has played for the Kent Second XI, New South Wales, the Sutherland Cricket Club and Illawong...
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Right-Handed Bat |
Right-Arm Leg-BreakA leg break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. A delivery of a right-handed leg spin bowler. Leg breaks are also colloquially known as leggies or wrist spinners, as the wrist is the body part which is primarily used to impart spin on the ball, as opposed to the fingers in the case of...
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New South WalesThe New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
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Test, ODI, Twenty20 |
49 |
Mitchell JohnsonMitchell Guy Johnson is an Australian cricketer. He is a left-arm fast bowler and left-handed batsman. He was awarded the International Cricket Council's 2009 "Cricketer of the Year" award, the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy.-Career:...
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Left-Handed Bat |
Left-Arm FastFast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
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Western Australia The Western Australia cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team representing the state of Western Australia...
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Test, ODI, Twenty20 |
25 |
| John Hastings John Wayne Hastings is a cricketer for the Victorian Bushrangers.-Statistics:A tall all-rounder who combines right-arm fast-medium bowling with strong lower-order batting. At the end of the 2006–07 season he was recruited from New South Wales, where he had represented the state in under-age and...
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Right-Handed Bat |
Right-Arm Fast-MediumFast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
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VictoriaThe Victorian cricket team, nicknamed the Bushrangers, is an Australian cricket team based in Melbourne, that represents the state of Victoria. It is administered by Cricket Victoria and draws its players from Melbourne's Premier Cricket competition...
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ODI, Twenty20 |
41 |
| Steve O'Keefe Stephen Norman John O'Keefe is an Australian cricketer and current New South Wales player. O'Keefe made his First-Class debut for New South Wales against Tasmania in November 2005. O'Keefe took 2 wickets and score 10 runs on debut...
1 |
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Right-Handed Bat |
Slow left-arm orthodox Left-arm orthodox spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket.Left-arm orthodox spin is bowled by a left arm bowler using the fingers to spin the ball from right to left of the cricket pitch...
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New South WalesThe New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
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Twenty20 |
72 |
| Pace Bowlers |
| Doug Bollinger Douglas Erwin Bollinger is a professional Australian cricketer who currently plays first-class cricket for the New South Wales Blues and international cricket for Australia. He is a left-handed batsman and a left-arm fast bowler...
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Left-Handed Bat |
Left-Arm Fast-MediumFast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
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New South WalesThe New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
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Test, ODI |
4 |
| Patrick Cummins Patrick James Cummins is an Australian cricketer. A bowler, he made his first Test appearance at the The Wanderers ground in Johannesburg in November 2011, becoming Australia's youngest test cricketer since Ian Craig in 1953. Cummins took 1/38 and 6/79, becoming the second youngest test cricketer ...
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Right-Handed Bat |
Right-Arm FastFast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
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New South WalesThe New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
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Test, ODI, Twenty20 |
30 |
| Ryan Harris Ryan James Harris is an Australian cricketer, currently signed up to play domestic cricket for Yorkshire in 2010. A right-arm fast bowler, he played with the Southern Redbacks from 2001–02 to 2007–08...
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Right-Handed Bat |
Right-Arm Fast-MediumFast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
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 QueenslandThe Queensland cricket team, nicknamed the Bulls, are the Brisbane-based Queensland representative cricket team in Australia's domestic cricket tournaments:*Sheffield Shield, 4-day matches with first-class status, since the 1926/27 season...
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Test, ODI, Twenty20 |
45 |
| Ben Hilfenhaus Benjamin William Hilfenhaus is an Australian cricketer who plays for the Tasmanian Tigers in Australian domestic cricket. Hilfenhaus plays club cricket for Tasmania University Cricket Club. Prior to turning fully professional, he worked as a bricklayer as well as playing cricket...
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Right-Handed Bat |
Right-Arm Fast-MediumFast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
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TasmaniaThe Tasmanian cricket team, nicknamed the Tigers, represents the Australian state of Tasmania in cricket tournaments. They compete annually in the Australian domestic senior men's cricket season, which currently consists of the first-class Sheffield Shield, the limited overs Ford Ranger Cup, and...
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Test |
20 |
Brett LeeBrett Lee is an Australian cricketer.After breaking into the Australian Test team, Lee was recognised as one of the fastest bowlers in world cricket...
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Right-Handed Bat |
Right-Arm FastFast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
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New South WalesThe New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
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ODI, Twenty20 |
58 |
| James Pattinson James Lee Pattinson is an Australian cricketer who currently plays for Victoria.- Playing career :Pattinson played for Dandenong Cricket Club in Victorian Premier Cricket and also played for Australia in the 2008 Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia.On Wednesday 23 December 2009, James broke the record...
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Left-Handed Bat |
Right-Arm Fast-MediumFast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
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VictoriaThe Victorian cricket team, nicknamed the Bushrangers, is an Australian cricket team based in Melbourne, that represents the state of Victoria. It is administered by Cricket Victoria and draws its players from Melbourne's Premier Cricket competition...
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Test, ODI, Twnety20 |
19 |
| Peter Siddle Peter Matthew Siddle is an Australian Test cricketer. He is a specialist right-arm fast-medium bowler who plays for Victoria and the Australia national cricket team.-Early life and career:...
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Right-Handed Bat |
Right-Arm Fast-MediumFast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
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VictoriaThe Victorian cricket team, nicknamed the Bushrangers, is an Australian cricket team based in Melbourne, that represents the state of Victoria. It is administered by Cricket Victoria and draws its players from Melbourne's Premier Cricket competition...
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Test, ODI, Twenty20 |
10 |
| Mitchell Starc Mitchell Aaron Starc is an Australian cricketer who currently plays first-class cricket for the New South Wales Blues. He is a left-arm fast bowler....
1 |
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Left-Handed Bat |
Left-Arm Fast-MediumFast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
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New South WalesThe New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
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ODI, Twenty20 |
56 |
| Trent Copeland Trent Aaron Copeland is an Australian cricket player. He is a right-arm fast bowler who currently plays first-class cricket for the New South Wales Blues...
1 |
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Right-Handed Bat |
Right-Arm Medium-FastFast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
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New South WalesThe New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
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Test |
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Shaun TaitShaun William Tait is a professional Australian cricketer, who currently plays only in the Twenty20 format. Tait plays domestic cricket for South Australia and is also a representative for Australia at Twenty20 International level; he has also represented his country in One Day Internationals and...
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Right-handed bat |
Right-arm FastFast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
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South AustraliaSouth Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
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Twenty20 |
32 |
| Spin Bowlers |
Xavier DohertyXavier John Doherty is an Australian cricketer who plays Australian domestic cricket with the Tasmanian Tigers and for the Australia. He is a left-handed batsman and a slow left arm orthodox bowler...
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Left-Handed Bat |
Left-Arm Orthodox Left-arm orthodox spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket.Left-arm orthodox spin is bowled by a left arm bowler using the fingers to spin the ball from right to left of the cricket pitch...
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TasmaniaThe Tasmanian cricket team, nicknamed the Tigers, represents the Australian state of Tasmania in cricket tournaments. They compete annually in the Australian domestic senior men's cricket season, which currently consists of the first-class Sheffield Shield, the limited overs Ford Ranger Cup, and...
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Test, ODI |
3 |
Nathan HauritzNathan Michael Hauritz is an Australian cricketer who has represented Australia in Tests, One-dayers and Twenty20 Internationals. He is mainly noted for his off spin bowling....
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Right-Handed Bat |
Right-Arm Off-Break |
New South WalesThe New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
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Test, ODI |
43 |
| Jason Krejza Jason John Krejza is an Australian cricketer. He also plays for the Tasmanian Tigers and Leicestershire. Krejza's father was a association football player from Czechoslovakia and his mother was born in Poland...
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Right-Handed Bat |
Right-Arm Off-Break |
TasmaniaThe Tasmanian cricket team, nicknamed the Tigers, represents the Australian state of Tasmania in cricket tournaments. They compete annually in the Australian domestic senior men's cricket season, which currently consists of the first-class Sheffield Shield, the limited overs Ford Ranger Cup, and...
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Test, ODI |
18 |
| Nathan Lyon Nathan Lyon is an Australian cricketer. He has also worked as a member of the ground staff team at the Adelaide Oval after completing a four year apprenticeship at Manuka Oval.-Early career:...
1 |
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Right-Handed Bat |
Right-Arm Off-Break |
South Australia |
Test |
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Coaching staff
- Head Coach: Mickey Arthur
John Michael "Mickey" Arthur is a South African cricketer who played South African domestic cricket from 1986 to 2001. He coached the South African national team from 2005 to 2010, and has been recently appointed coach of the Australia national cricket team.-Biography:Arthur was born in...
- Assistant Coach & Batting Coach: Justin Langer
Justin Lee Langer AM is a former international cricketer who represented Australia in 105 Test matches and the current Assistant Coach and Batting Coach of the Australian cricket team. A left-handed batsman, his opening partnership with Matthew Hayden was one of the most successful of all time...
- Assistant Coach & Bowling coach: Craig McDermott
Craig John McDermott is a former Australian cricketer. He is currently the bowling coach for the Australian cricket team....
- Assistant Coach & Fielding Coach: Steve Rixon
Stephen John Rixon is the newly appointed Australian cricket fielding coach.He played in 13 Tests and 6 One Day Internationals between 1977 and 1985. He came into the Australian side as wicket-keeper in 1977–78 after Rodney Marsh joined World Series Cricket, losing his place on Marsh's return...
- Team Manager: Gavin Dovey
- Strength and Conditioning Coach: Stuart Karppinen
Stuart James Karppinen is an Australian cricketer, who played for Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory between 1997 and 2003. He is the current strength and conditioning coach of the Australian national team.-Early career:Karppinen was born in Townsville but moved to Canberra...
- Team Physiotherapist: Alex Kountouris
- Performance Analyst: Michael Marshall
Team
- Australia have been involved in the only two Tied Test
Tied Test refers to a rare result in Test cricket. Only two ties have occurred in the 2,000 Tests played since 1877. The first was in 1960 and the second in 1986...
s played. The First occurred against the West Indies at Brisbane in December 1960. The Second occurred against India at Madras in September 1986.
- Australia are also the only team to have lost a Test after enforcing the follow-on
Follow-on is a term used in the sport of cricket to describe a situation where the team that bats second is forced to take its second batting innings immediately after its first, because the team was not able to get close enough to the score achieved by the first team batting in the first innings...
, having been the losing side in all three such matches:
- The first Test in the 1894–95 Ashes.
- The third Test of the 1981 Ashes
The tour by the Australian cricket team in England in 1981 included the 51st Ashes series of Test matches between Australia and England. Despite having been 1–0 down after two Tests, England won the next three Tests to finish 3–1 victors , thus retaining the Ashes...
.
- The second Test in the 2000–01 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against India.
- Australia are the most successful Test team in cricketing history. They have won more than 330 Test matches at a rate of 47%. The next best performance is by South Africa at 35%.
- Australia's lowest total in a Test match innings was recorded at Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
against England in May 1902. Australia were bowled all out for 36.
- Australia's largest victory in a Test match came on 24 February 2002. Australia defeated South Africa by an innings and 360 runs in Johannesburg
BIDVest Wanderers Stadium is a stadium situated just south of Sandton in Illovo, Johannesburg in Gauteng Province, South Africa. Test, One Day and First class cricket matches are played here. It is also the home ground for the Highveld Lions, formerly known as Gauteng .The stadium has a seating...
.
- Australia holds the record for most consecutive wins with 16. This has been achieved twice; from October 1999 to February 2001, and from December 2005 to January 2008.
- Australia shares the record for most consecutive series victories winning 9 series from October 2005 to June 2008. This record is shared with England.
- Australia's highest total in a Test match innings was recorded at Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
against the West Indies in June 1955. Australia posted 758/8 in their first innings with five players scoring a century.
- Australia have won the ICC Test Championship 6 times since it started – 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008.
Appearances
- Steve Waugh
Stephen Rodger "Steve" Waugh, AO is a former Australian cricketer and fraternal twin of cricketer Mark Waugh. A right-handed batsman, he was also a successful medium-pace bowler...
has appeared in the most Tests for Australia, playing in 168 tests. Allan BorderAllan Robert Border AO is a former Australian cricketer. A batsman, Border was for many years the captain of the Australian team. His playing nickname was "A.B.". He played 156 Test matches in his career, a record until it was passed by fellow Australian Steve Waugh...
is next with 156 matches.
Batting
- Charles Bannerman
Charles Bannerman was an Australian Test cricketer, a right-hand batsman, who played domestic cricket for New South Wales....
faced the first ball in Test cricket, scored the first runs in Test cricket and scored the first test century and half-century.
- Charles Bannerman
Charles Bannerman was an Australian Test cricketer, a right-hand batsman, who played domestic cricket for New South Wales....
also scored 67.34% of the Australian first innings total in match 1. This record remains to this day as the highest percentage of an innings total that has been scored by a single batsman.
- Ricky Ponting
Ricky Thomas Ponting , nicknamed Punter, is an Australian cricketer, a former captain of the Australian cricket team between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 2011 in One Day International cricket. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very...
has scored the most runs for Australia in Test match cricket with 12,363 runs. Allan BorderAllan Robert Border AO is a former Australian cricketer. A batsman, Border was for many years the captain of the Australian team. His playing nickname was "A.B.". He played 156 Test matches in his career, a record until it was passed by fellow Australian Steve Waugh...
in second with 11,174 runs in 265 innings while Steve WaughStephen Rodger "Steve" Waugh, AO is a former Australian cricketer and fraternal twin of cricketer Mark Waugh. A right-handed batsman, he was also a successful medium-pace bowler...
has 10,927 in 260 innings.
- Ricky Ponting
Ricky Thomas Ponting , nicknamed Punter, is an Australian cricketer, a former captain of the Australian cricket team between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 2011 in One Day International cricket. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very...
is the first ever Australian batsman in history to pass 12,000 Test runs.
- Matthew Hayden
Matthew Lawrence Hayden AM is a former Australian cricketer, and was signed to the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL until the 2010 season. Hayden is a powerful and aggressive left-handed opening batsman, known for his ability to score quickly at both Test and one day levels.Hayden holds the record...
holds the record for the most runs in a single innings by an Australian with 380 in the first test against Zimbabwe at Perth in October 2003.
- Donald Bradman
Sir Donald George Bradman, AC , often referred to as "The Don", was an Australian cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time...
holds the record for the highest average by an Australian (or any other) cricketer with a remarkable average of 99.94. Bradman played 52 tests and struck 29 centuries and 13 fifties in them.
- Ricky Ponting
Ricky Thomas Ponting , nicknamed Punter, is an Australian cricketer, a former captain of the Australian cricket team between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 2011 in One Day International cricket. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very...
holds the record for the most centuries by an Australian cricketer with 39. Former Australian captain Steve WaughStephen Rodger "Steve" Waugh, AO is a former Australian cricketer and fraternal twin of cricketer Mark Waugh. A right-handed batsman, he was also a successful medium-pace bowler...
is in second position with 32 centuries from 260 innings.
- Allan Border
Allan Robert Border AO is a former Australian cricketer. A batsman, Border was for many years the captain of the Australian team. His playing nickname was "A.B.". He played 156 Test matches in his career, a record until it was passed by fellow Australian Steve Waugh...
holds the record for the most fifties by an Australian cricketer with 63 in 265 innings.
- Glenn McGrath
Glenn Donald McGrath AM , nicknamed "Pigeon", is a former Australian cricket player. He is one of the most highly regarded fast-medium pace bowlers in cricketing history, and a leading contributor to Australia's domination of world cricket from the mid-1990s to the early 21st century...
holds the record for the most ducksIn the sport of cricket, a duck refers to a batsman's dismissal for a score of zero.-Origin of the term:The term is a shortening of the term "duck's egg", the latter being used long before Test cricket began...
by an Australian cricketer with 35 in 138 innings.
Bowling
- Billy Midwinter
William Evans Midwinter was a cricketer who played four Test matches for England, sandwiched in between eight Tests that he played for Australia...
picked up the first five-wicket haul in a test innings in match 1.
- Fred Spofforth
Frederick Robert "Fred" Spofforth , also known as "The Demon Bowler", was arguably the Australian cricket team's finest pace bowler of the nineteenth century and was the first bowler to take 50 Test wickets, and the first to take a test hat-trick in 1879...
performed Test cricket's first hat-trickA hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
by dismissing Vernon Royle, Francis McKinnon and Tom Emmett in successive balls.
- Fred Spofforth
Frederick Robert "Fred" Spofforth , also known as "The Demon Bowler", was arguably the Australian cricket team's finest pace bowler of the nineteenth century and was the first bowler to take 50 Test wickets, and the first to take a test hat-trick in 1879...
also took the first 10-wicket match haul in Test cricket.
- Shane Warne
Shane Keith Warne is a former Australian international cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. In 2000, he was selected by a panel of cricket experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, the only specialist bowler selected in the quintet...
holds the record for the most wickets by an Australian cricketer with 708 wickets in 145 Test matches.
- Arthur Mailey
Arthur Alfred Mailey was an Australian cricketer who played in 21 Test matches between 1920 and 1926....
holds the record for the best bowling figures in an innings by an Australian cricketer with 9/121 against England in February 1921.
- Bob Massie
Robert Arnold Lockyer Massie is a former Australian cricketer who played in 6 Tests and 3 ODIs from 1972 to 1973.A swing bowler, he had a relatively short international career but is remembered for a Test debut in 1972 at Lord's where he took eight wickets in each innings, with figures of 16/137...
holds the record for the best bowling figures in a match by an Australian cricketer with 16/137 against England in June 1972. That was also his first match for Australia.
- JJ Ferris holds the record for the best bowling average by an Australian bowler, taking 61 wickets at 12.70 in his career.
- Clarrie Grimmett
Clarence Victor "Clarrie" Grimmett was a cricketer; although born in New Zealand, he played most of his cricket in Australia. He is thought by many to be one of the finest early spin bowlers, and usually credited as the developer of the flipper.Grimmett was born in Caversham a suburb of Dunedin,...
holds the record for the most wickets in a test series with 44 against South Africa in 1935–36.
Fielding and wicketkeeping
- Jack Blackham
John McCarthy Blackham was a Test cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia.A specialist wicket-keeper, Blackham played in the first Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in March 1877 and the famous Ashes Test match of 1882...
performed the first stumping in Test cricket in match 1.
- Mark Waugh
Mark Edward Waugh AM is a former Australian cricketer, who represented Australia in Test matches from early 1991 to late 2002, and made his One-Day International debut in 1988. Waugh is regarded as one of the most elegant and gifted stroke makers to ever play the game. His nickname is "Junior" as...
holds the record for the most catches in a career by an Australian fielder with 181 in 128 matches.
- Adam Gilchrist
Adam Craig Gilchrist AM , nicknamed "Gilly" or "Churchy", is an Australian international cricketer who currently captains Kings XI Punjab and recently captained Middlesex. He is an attacking left-handed batsman and record-breaking wicket-keeper, who redefined the role for the Australian national...
holds the record for the most dismissals in a career by an Australian wicketkeeper with 416 in 96 matches
Team
- Australia's highest total in a One Day International innings is 434/4 scored off 50 overs against South Africa at Johannesburg
BIDVest Wanderers Stadium is a stadium situated just south of Sandton in Illovo, Johannesburg in Gauteng Province, South Africa. Test, One Day and First class cricket matches are played here. It is also the home ground for the Highveld Lions, formerly known as Gauteng .The stadium has a seating...
on 12 March 2006. This was a world record before the South Africans surpassed this score in the second innings.
- Australia's lowest total in a One Day International innings is 70. This score has occurred twice. Once against New Zealand in 1986, and once against England in 1977.
- Australia's largest victory in a One Day International is 256 runs. This occurred against Namibia
The Namibia cricket team is the team that represents the country of Namibia in international cricket matches. It is governed by Cricket Namibia, an associate member of the International Cricket Council since 1992 and became part of the High Performance Program in 2007. They took part in the 2003...
at the 2003 World Cup-Group stage tables and results:The top three teams from each pool qualify for the next stage, carrying forward the points already scored against fellow qualifiers, plus a quarter of the points scored against the teams that failed to qualify.-Pool A:...
in South Africa.
- Australia have won the ICC ODI Championship 8 times since it started – 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010.
- Australia are the only team in the history of the World Cup
The ICC Cricket World Cup is the premier international championship of men's One Day International cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council , with preliminary qualification rounds leading up to a finals tournament which is held every four years...
to win 3 consecutive tournaments dated back in 1999-England:-Outside England:-Group A:-Results:-------------------------------------------------------------Group B:-Results:------------------------------------------------------------...
, 2003-Group stage tables and results:The top three teams from each pool qualify for the next stage, carrying forward the points already scored against fellow qualifiers, plus a quarter of the points scored against the teams that failed to qualify.-Pool A:...
and 2007The 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007, using the sport's One Day International format...
. Australia were also are undefeated in the World CupThe ICC Cricket World Cup is the premier international championship of men's One Day International cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council , with preliminary qualification rounds leading up to a finals tournament which is held every four years...
for a record 34 matches in the Tournament, the last time Australia were defeated in a World Cup match was back in 1999-England:-Outside England:-Group A:-Results:-------------------------------------------------------------Group B:-Results:------------------------------------------------------------...
against Pakistan, this streak was broken again by Pakistan in the 2011 Cricket World CupThe 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was the tenth Cricket World Cup. It was played in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. It was Bangladesh's first time co-hosting a World Cup...
.
Appearances
- Ricky Ponting
Ricky Thomas Ponting , nicknamed Punter, is an Australian cricketer, a former captain of the Australian cricket team between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 2011 in One Day International cricket. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very...
has the most One Day International appearances for Australia played 362. Steve WaughStephen Rodger "Steve" Waugh, AO is a former Australian cricketer and fraternal twin of cricketer Mark Waugh. A right-handed batsman, he was also a successful medium-pace bowler...
is next with 325 matches for Australia.
Batting
- Ricky Ponting
Ricky Thomas Ponting , nicknamed Punter, is an Australian cricketer, a former captain of the Australian cricket team between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 2011 in One Day International cricket. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very...
has the most One Day International Runs by an Australian Batman 13,291 runs.
- Ricky Ponting
Ricky Thomas Ponting , nicknamed Punter, is an Australian cricketer, a former captain of the Australian cricket team between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 2011 in One Day International cricket. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very...
has the most One Day International Centuries by an Australian Batman 30 Centuries.
- Ricky Ponting
Ricky Thomas Ponting , nicknamed Punter, is an Australian cricketer, a former captain of the Australian cricket team between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 2011 in One Day International cricket. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very...
has the most One Day International fifties by an Australian Batman 79 One Day International fifties.
- Ricky Ponting
Ricky Thomas Ponting , nicknamed Punter, is an Australian cricketer, a former captain of the Australian cricket team between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 2011 in One Day International cricket. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very...
is the first Australian Batman his history to pass 10,000 One Day International Runs.
- Shane Watson
Shane Robert Watson is an Australian cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-handed fast medium bowler. He mainly bats as an opener in international cricket, although he does not do so domestically....
has the highest individual score in an innings by an Australian Batsman 185*.
- Shane Watson
Shane Robert Watson is an Australian cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-handed fast medium bowler. He mainly bats as an opener in international cricket, although he does not do so domestically....
has hit the most sixes in a single innings by an Australian and the World Record 15 sixes.
Bowling
- Glenn McGrath
Glenn Donald McGrath AM , nicknamed "Pigeon", is a former Australian cricket player. He is one of the most highly regarded fast-medium pace bowlers in cricketing history, and a leading contributor to Australia's domination of world cricket from the mid-1990s to the early 21st century...
has the most One Day International Wickets by an Australian Bowler 380 Wickets.
- Glenn McGrath
Glenn Donald McGrath AM , nicknamed "Pigeon", is a former Australian cricket player. He is one of the most highly regarded fast-medium pace bowlers in cricketing history, and a leading contributor to Australia's domination of world cricket from the mid-1990s to the early 21st century...
has the best bowling figures by an Australian Bowler 7/15.
- Brett Lee
Brett Lee is an Australian cricketer.After breaking into the Australian Test team, Lee was recognised as one of the fastest bowlers in world cricket...
has the most 5-Wicket Hauls by an Australian Bowlers 9 times he has taken 5 wickets or more.
Fielding and Wicket-Keeping
- Adam Gilchrist
Adam Craig Gilchrist AM , nicknamed "Gilly" or "Churchy", is an Australian international cricketer who currently captains Kings XI Punjab and recently captained Middlesex. He is an attacking left-handed batsman and record-breaking wicket-keeper, who redefined the role for the Australian national...
has most dismissals by an Australian Wicket-Keeper with 470.
- Adam Gilchrist
Adam Craig Gilchrist AM , nicknamed "Gilly" or "Churchy", is an Australian international cricketer who currently captains Kings XI Punjab and recently captained Middlesex. He is an attacking left-handed batsman and record-breaking wicket-keeper, who redefined the role for the Australian national...
has the most catches taken by an Australian Wicket-Keeper with 416 catches.
- Adam Gilchrist
Adam Craig Gilchrist AM , nicknamed "Gilly" or "Churchy", is an Australian international cricketer who currently captains Kings XI Punjab and recently captained Middlesex. He is an attacking left-handed batsman and record-breaking wicket-keeper, who redefined the role for the Australian national...
has the most stumping made by an Australian Wicket-Keeper with 54 Stumping.
- Ricky Ponting
Ricky Thomas Ponting , nicknamed Punter, is an Australian cricketer, a former captain of the Australian cricket team between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 2011 in One Day International cricket. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very...
has the most catches by a fielder 154 catches.
Tournament history
World Cup recordThe ICC Cricket World Cup is the premier international championship of men's One Day International cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council , with preliminary qualification rounds leading up to a finals tournament which is held every four years...
|
| Year |
Round |
Position |
GP |
W |
L |
T |
NR |
 1975-Group B:-Knockout stage:-Semifinals:In the best World Cup performance to date by a bowler, Gary Gilmour took six wickets as England were bowled all out for 93 , after falling to 37/7...
|
Second Place |
2/8 |
5 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
| 1979 The 1979 Cricket World Cup was the second edition of the tournament and was won by the West Indies. It was held from June 9 to June 23, 1979 in England. The format had remained unchanged from 1975. Eight countries participated in the event. The preliminary matches were played in 2 groups of 4...
|
Round 1 |
6/8 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1983The 1983 ICC Cricket World Cup was the third edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament. It was held from 9 June to 25 June 1983 in England and was won by India. Eight countries participated in the event. The preliminary matches were played in two groups of four teams each, and each...
|
Round 1 |
6/8 |
6 |
2 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
  1987The 1987 Cricket World Cup was the fourth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament. It was held from October 8 to November 8, 1987 in India and Pakistan — the first held outside England. The format was unchanged from 1983 except for a reduction in the number of overs a team played from 60...
|
Champions |
1/8 |
8 |
7 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
  1992-New Zealand:-Round Robin Stage:Co-hosts New Zealand proved the surprise packet of the tournament, winning their first seven games to finish on top of the table after the round robin. The other hosts, Australia, were one of the pre-tournament favourites but lost their first two matches. They...
|
Round 1 |
5/9 |
8 |
4 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
 1996The 1996 Cricket World Cup, also called the Wills World Cup after its official sponsors, was the sixth edition of the tournament organized by the International Cricket Council . It was the second World Cup to be hosted by Pakistan and India, and for the first time by Sri Lanka...
|
Second Place |
2/12 |
7 |
5 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
| 1999 -England:-Outside England:-Group A:-Results:-------------------------------------------------------------Group B:-Results:------------------------------------------------------------...
|
Champions |
1/12 |
10 |
7 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
 2003-Group stage tables and results:The top three teams from each pool qualify for the next stage, carrying forward the points already scored against fellow qualifiers, plus a quarter of the points scored against the teams that failed to qualify.-Pool A:...
|
Champions |
1/14 |
11 |
11 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
 2007The 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007, using the sport's One Day International format...
|
Champions |
1/16 |
11 |
11 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
 2011The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was the tenth Cricket World Cup. It was played in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. It was Bangladesh's first time co-hosting a World Cup...
|
Quarter finalist |
5/14 |
7 |
4 |
2 |
| 1 |
2015The 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup will be the 11th ICC Cricket World Cup, and will be jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand. The location of the games will be evenly split, with the location of the final yet to be decided....
|
Qualified |
– |
– |
– |
– |
– |
– |
2019The 2019 Cricket World Cup will be hosted by England and Wales. This will be the twelfth Cricket World Cup competition, and the fifth time it will be held in England, following the 1975, 1979, 1983 and 1999 World Cups....
|
Qualified |
– |
– |
– |
– |
– |
– |
| Total |
Automatic Qualification at all times |
4/10 |
76 |
55 |
19 |
1 |
0 |
World Twenty20 recordThe ICC World Twenty20 or ICC World T20 also referred to as the T20 World Cup is the international championship of Twenty20 cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council...
|
| Year |
Round |
Position |
GP |
W |
L |
T |
NR |
| 2007 |
Semi Final |
3/12 |
6 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
2009The 2009 ICC World Twenty20 was an international Twenty20 cricket tournament which took place in England in June 2009. It was the second ICC World Twenty20 tournament, following the inaugural event in South Africa in September 2007...
|
Round 1 |
11/12 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
| 2010 -------------------------------------------------Group A:---------Group B:---------Group C:---------Group D:---------Super 8s:...
|
Second Place |
2/12 |
7 |
6 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
| Total |
Automatic qualification at all times |
0/3 |
15 |
9 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
| Champions Trophy record The ICC Champions Trophy is a One Day International cricket tournament, second in importance only to the Cricket World Cup. It was inaugurated as the ICC Knock Out tournament in 1998 and has been played every two years since, changing its name to the Champions Trophy in 2002...
|
| Year |
Round |
Position |
GP |
W |
L |
T |
NR |
1998The 1998 ICC KnockOut Trophy was a One Day International cricket tournament held in Bangladesh. It was the first tournament apart from the World Cups to involve all test playing nations...
|
Qtr Final |
6/9 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
 2000The 2000 ICC KnockOut Trophy was a One Day International cricket tournament held in Kenya. New Zealand were crowned champions and cashed the winner's cheque of US$250 000. It was their first win in a major ICC tournament...
|
Qtr Final |
5/11 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
| 2002 -Semifinals: -Finals: =*Ricky Ponting *Adam Gilchrist *Michael Bevan*Jason Gillespie*Nathan Hauritz*Matthew Hayden*Brett Lee*Darren Lehmann*Jimmy Maher...
|
Semi Final |
4/12 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
| 2004 The 2004 ICC Champions Trophy was held in England in September 2004. Twelve teams, including the Test nations, together with Kenya, and – making their One Day International debut – the USA, competed in fifteen matches spread over sixteen days at three venues Edgbaston, The Rose Bowl and The...
|
Semi Final |
3/12 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
| 2006 The 2006 ICC Champions Trophy was a One Day International cricket tournament held in India from 7 October to 5 November 2006. It was the fifth edition of the ICC Champions Trophy...
|
Champions |
1/12 |
5 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
| 2009 |
Champions |
1/8 |
5 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Total |
6 appearances |
2/6 |
18 |
12 |
5 |
0 |
1 |
Under the Southern Cross I Stand
The
team songA fight song is primarily an American and Canadian sports term, referring to a song associated with a team. In both professional and amateur sports, fight songs are a popular way for fans to cheer for their team...
is "Under the Southern Cross I Stand," which is sung by the players after every victory and "treated with reverential consideration and respect" within the team. The official lyrics are as follows, though when it is sung by the players, the word "little" in the last line is replaced by "
bloodyBloody is the adjectival form of blood but may also be used as an expletive attributive in Australia, Britain, Ireland, Canada, Singapore, South Africa , New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Anglophone Caribbean and Sri Lanka...
" or an expletive.
- Under the Southern Cross I Stand
- A sprig of wattle in my hand,
- A native of my native land,
- Australia you little beauty.
The authorship of this "Under the Southern Cross I Stand" is credited to former wicketkeeper
Rod MarshRodney William Marsh MBE is a former Australian wicketkeeper.A colourful character, Marsh had a Test career spanning from the 1970–71 to the 1983–84 Australian season. In 96 Tests, he set a world record of 355 wicketkeeping dismissals, the same number his pace bowling Western...
, who was apparently inspired by
Henry LawsonHenry Lawson was an Australian writer and poet. Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial period and is often called Australia's "greatest writer"...
's 1887 poem, "Flag of the Southern Cross". Marsh initially had the role of leading the team in singing it, and on his retirement he passed it on to
Allan BorderAllan Robert Border AO is a former Australian cricketer. A batsman, Border was for many years the captain of the Australian team. His playing nickname was "A.B.". He played 156 Test matches in his career, a record until it was passed by fellow Australian Steve Waugh...
. The other players to have taken on the role are
David BoonDavid Clarence Boon MBE , nicknamed Boony, is a former Australian cricketer whose international playing career spanned the years 1984–1995...
(when Border took over the captaincy),
Ian HealyIan Andrew Healy is a former cricketer who played for Queensland and Australia. A specialist wicketkeeper and useful right-hand middle-order batsman, he made an unheralded entry to international cricket in 1988, after only six first-class games. His work ethic and combativeness was much needed...
(on Boon's retirement),
Ricky PontingRicky Thomas Ponting , nicknamed Punter, is an Australian cricketer, a former captain of the Australian cricket team between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 2011 in One Day International cricket. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very...
(on Healy's retirement),
Justin LangerJustin Lee Langer AM is a former international cricketer who represented Australia in 105 Test matches and the current Assistant Coach and Batting Coach of the Australian cricket team. A left-handed batsman, his opening partnership with Matthew Hayden was one of the most successful of all time...
(when Ponting took over the captaincy). The role currently belongs to
Michael HusseyMichael Edward Killeen Hussey is an Australian cricketer, a left-handed specialist batsman. Hussey is also widely known by his nickname Mr Cricket. Hussey was a relative latecomer to both the one-day international and Test Australian teams, debuting at 28 and 30 years of age in the respective...
, who took it on when Langer retired in January 2007.
See also
- Allan Border Medal
The Allan Border Medal is considered to be the biggest individual prize in Australian cricket. First awarded in 2000, the medal is named after former Australian captain Allan Border and recognises the most outstanding Australian cricketer of the past season as voted by his peers, the media and...
- Australia A cricket team
The Australia A cricket team is a cricket team representing Australia and is the second team of the Australian cricket team. They have also played far more one-day than first-class matches; indeed they have played only three first-class games against equivalent A sides, against South Africa A in...
- Australian Cricket Hall of Fame
The Australian Cricket Hall of Fame is a part of the Australian Gallery of Sport and Olympic Museum in the National Sports Museum at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. This Hall of Fame commemorates the greatest Australian cricketers of all time....
- Australia national women's cricket team
- List of Australia national cricket captains
- List of Australia ODI cricketers
- List of Australia Test cricketers
- List of Australia Test wicket-keepers
External links