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Test Cricket Tours - England to South Africa 1995-96

 

Tour of  South Africa 1995-96               Captain : Mike Atherton              

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

England’s 76th Test tour

(October 1995 - January 1996)

 

 

Fifteenth Test-playing tour of South Africa by England  

(previous tour 1964-65:

           first tour since readmission)

       

 

 

 

 

This was England’s first tour of South Africa since Mike Smith’s M.C.C. side thirty years before. With the World Cup in India and Pakistan to follow, it was “an absurdly punishing schedule”, lasting five months

As England manager as well as coach and chief selector, Ray Illingworth stamped his authority firmly on all aspects of the tour, but his generation appeared detached from the modern player’s attitudes. With old-school coaches Edrich and Lever in tow, the manner in which they were trying to get the best out of England’s only fast bowler Devon Malcolm was only the worst example of an outmoded approach. Malcolm was subsequently fined for a newspaper column for expressing his point of view.

With two Tests ruined by rain and two others drawn, England arrived at Cape Town for the final match with a chance of gaining a series victory.  But a last-wicket partnership of 73 runs by South Africa in a low-scoring match condemned England to defeat within three days.

The tour highlight was England’s rearguard at Johannesburg.  From before lunch on the fourth day of the second Test Mike Atherton withstood the South African bowlers, with Jack Russell his companion for five hours, was one of the greatest defensive actions seen in Test cricket to save a match.

 

Other England tours

 

Previous Test tour

Australia 1994-95

 

 

Next Test tour

Zimbabwe 1996-97

 

 

Next tour of South Africa

1999-2000

 

 

 

 

Members of the Test tour party

 (16  +  1)

 

 

Opening batsmen:  Mike Atherton, Alec Stewart.

Middle-order batsmen John Crawley, Graeme Hick, Graham Thorpe, Mark Ramprakash, Robin Smith

Wicket-keeper: Jack Russell

Slow bowlers: Richard Illingworth, Mike Watkinson.

Fast bowlers: Angus Fraser, Dominic Cork, Darren Gough, Devon Malcolm, Mark Ilott, Peter Martin

 

 

 

 

 

 

M A Atherton

La

27

RHB             captain

ODI

 

D G Cork

Dy

24

RHB      RFM

ODI

 

J P Crawley

La

24

RHB

 

 

A R C Fraser

Mx

30

RFM

 

 

D Gough

Yo

25

RF

ODI

 

G A Hick

Wo

29

RHB

ODI

 

R K Illingworth

Wo

32

SLA

ODI

 

M C Ilott

Ex

25

LFM

 

 

R L Johnson    w/d

Mx

20

RFM

 

 

D E Malcolm

Dy

32

RF

 

 

P J Martin     added

La

27

RFM

ODI

 

M R Ramprakash

Mx

26

RHB

ODI

 

R C Russell

Gs

32

WK

ODI

 

R A Smith

Ha

32

RHB

ODI

 

A J Stewart

Sy

32

RHB opener      WK   vice-captain

ODI

 

G P Thorpe

Sy

26

LHB

ODI

 

M Watkinson

La

34

RM / OB

ODI

 

 

Selected for the one-day internationals:

P A J DeFreitas

ODI

 

N H Fairbrother

ODI

 

D A Reeve

ODI

 

N M K Smith

ODI

 

C White

ODI

 

 

 

 

 

  

County representation:

 

Dy – Derbyshire (2)

Ex  -  Essex (1)

Gs - Gloucestershire (1)

Ha - Hampshire (1)

La - Lancashire (4)

Mx - Middlesex (2)

Sy - Surrey (2)

Wo - Worcestershire (2)

Yo - Yorkshire (1)

 

 

  

Average age of  team at time of first Test match

(16 November 1995): 

   29 yrs  1  month.

 

 

 

 

 

ODI   member of the one-day international squad

 

 

 

 

 

 

Test Appearances made before the tour

 

Smith 57,  Atherton 51,  Stewart 48,  Russell 39,  Hick 37,  Malcolm 34,  Fraser 29,  Thorpe 21,  Ramprakash 17,  Gough 10,  Crawley 9,  Illingworth 6,  Cork 5,  Ilott 3,  Martin 3,  Watkinson 3,  Gallian 2.

 

 

 

 

 

Tour Officials

 

Ray Illingworth

Tour Manager

John Barclay

Assistant Manager

John Edrich

Batting Coach

Peter Lever

Bowling Coach

Wayne Morton

Physiotherapist

Philip Bell

Doctor

Malcolm Ashton

Scorer

Rory ….

Security manager

 

 

 

 

 

Selectors

 

Ray Illingworth (chairman),  David Graveney,  Fred Titmus and Mike Atherton (captain) – met at Lord’s and picked both the Test touring team and an ‘A’ team to Pakistan.

 

 

 

 

 

Selection

 

Not considered: 

Tour Party Announced  : on  x September 1995. 

Stewart, Gough, Smith (cheekbone) and Malcolm (knee surgery) were selected subject to fitness tests.

Mark Ramprakash had scored 2147 runs at an average of 93.35, including ten centuries, in the 1995 season.

Not selected:   Phil DeFreitas,  Alan Wells.

Withdrawn:.Richard Johnson withdrew after back trouble, replaced by Peter Martin.

 

 

Time between selection and departure from England

   days

 (September  - 18 October)

 

 

 

Travel

Heathrow  Q  Johannesburg

 

 

Departure from Heathrow Airport, London, was on 18 October 1995. After a 10-hour flight, the team landed in Johannesburg on Thursday.

 

 

Time spent in South Africa

    95 days

(19 October -  22 January)

 

 

 

On-tour selection panel

 

Atherton and Illingworth made the decisions.



 

 

 

 

Reinforcements

 

J E R Gallian 

La

 

RM / OB

 

 

Jason Gallian  was drafted in from the England ‘A tour of Pakistan when John Crawley pulled a hamstring in the Third Test. He arrived in Durban on 20 December after a 30-hour journey from Peshawar.

Thorpe had to go home for one week because of his wife’s illness. Ilott strained a thigh in the 4th Test and was unable to play again on the tour.

For the one-day internationals, Phil DeFreitas, Neil Fairbrother, Dermot Reeve, Neil Smith, Craig White came in.

 

 

 

 

 

Fixtures/Results

 

a

ϯ RandjesfonteiN

N.F.Oppenheimer’s XI

Won 112 r

b

ϯ Springs

Easterns

Won 5 w

c

Soweto

Sth African Invitation XI

Drawn

d

East London

Border

Won inns 53

e

Kimberley

South Africa ‘A’

Lost 6 w

f

CENTURION

SOUTH AFRICA   First Test

DRAWN

g

Bloemfontein

Free State

Drawn

h

ϯ Bloemfontein

Free State

Won 7 w

i

JOHANNESBURG

SOUTH AFRICA  Second Test

DRAWN

j

Paarl

Boland

Drawn

k

ϯ Paarl

Boland

Won 74 r

l

DURBAN

SOUTH AFRICA  Third Test

DRAWN

m

Pietermaritzburg

South African Students

Drawn

n

PORT ELIZABETH

SOUTH AFRICA  Fourth Test

DRAWN

o

CAPE TOWN

SOUTH AFRICA  Fifth Test

LOST 10 w

p

ϯ Cape Town

Western Province

Lost 3 w

q

§ Cape Town

South Africa (1st ODI)

Lost 6 r

r

§ Bloemfontein

South Africa (2nd ODI)

Won 5 w

s

§ Johannesburg

South Africa (3rd ODI)

Lost 3 w

t

§  Centurion

South Africa (4th ODI)

Lost 7 w

u

§ Durban

South Africa (5th ODI)

Lost 5 w

v

§ East London

South Africa (6th ODI)

Lost 14 r

w

§ Port Elizabeth

South Africa (7th ODI)

Lost 64 r

 

 

 

ϯ not first-class

§  one-day international

 

Time spent in South Africa before First Test

   2 days

(19 October - 17 November)

 

 

 

 

Test appearances on tour

 

5  -   Atherton,  Cork,  Hick,  Russell,  Smith,  Stewart,  Thorpe

3  -   Fraser,  Illingworth,  Martin, 

2  -   Gough,  Ilott,  Malcolm,  Ramprakash, 

1  -   Crawley,  Gallian,  Watkinson.

0  -  

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

Match appearances

 

 

 

 

 

T  Test match

o  one-day international 

x other match 

 

 W won  L lost  D drawn

N no result   A abandoned

u unknown result

 

 

 

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

i

j

k

l

m

n

o

p

q

r

s

t

u

v

w

M A Atherton

x

x

x

 

x

T

x

x

T

 

x

T

x

T

T

x

o

o

o

 

o

o

o

D G Cork

 

x

 

x

 

T

x

x

T

 

x

T

 

T

T

 

o

o

 

o

o

o

o

J P Crawley

x

 

x

x

 

 

x

 

 

x

x

T

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A R C Fraser

 

x

x

 

x

T

 

x

T

 

x

 

 

 

T

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

J E R Gallian

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

x

T

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

D Gough

x

x

 

x

x

T

 

x

T

x

 

 

 

 

 

x

o

 

o

o

o

o

o

G A Hick

 

x

x

x

x

T

 

x

T

x

x

T

x

T

T

 

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

R K Illingworth

x

x

x

x

 

T

x

 

 

x

 

T

x

T

 

 

 

 

 

o

 

o

o

M C Ilott

x

 

x

x

 

 

x

 

 

x

 

T

x

T

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

D E Malcolm

x

 

x

 

x

 

x

 

T

 

x

 

 

 

T

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

P J Martin  

 

x

 

x

 

 

x

x

 

x

x

T

x

T

T

 

o

o

 

 

o

o

o

M Ramprakash

x

x

 

x

x

T

x

x

T

 

x

 

 

 

 

x

 

o

o

o

 

 

 

R C Russell

x

 

x

x

x

T

 

x

T

x

x

T

x

T

T

x

 

 

o

o

o

o

o

R A Smith

x

x

x

x

x

T

x

 

T

x

 

T

x

T

T

 

 

 

o

o

o

o

o

A J Stewart

x

x

x

x

x

T

x

x

T

x

 

T

x

T

T

 

o

o

 

o

o

 

 

G P Thorpe

 

x

 

 

x

T

x

x

T

x

x

T

x

T

T

x

o

o

 

o

o

o

o

M Watkinson

x

 

x

 

x

 

 

x

 

x

x

 

x

 

T

x

 

 

o

 

 

 

 

P A DeFreitas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

x

 

o

o

o

o

 

 

N Fairbrother

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

x

o

o

o

 

 

o

o

D A Reeve

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

x

o

 

o

 

 

 

 

N M K Smith

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

x

o

o

 

 

 

 

 

C White

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

x

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

 RESULTS

W

W

D

W

L

D

D

W

D

D

W

D

D

D

L

L

L

W

L

L

L

L

L

 

 

 

 

 

 

England’s six previous Test tour results

 

 

 

 

 

Highlights

 

  Graeme Hick  scored 141 in the first Test before thunderstorms caused the match to be abandoned

  In the second Test match at Johannesburg Jack Russell took the world record by holding eleven catches in a Test.

  Dominic Cork had 5-84 and 4-74 in the second Test (Devon Malcolm took six wickets and was then dropped)

  England’s great rearguard action to save the Johannesburg Test centred around Mike Atherton’s 10¾-hour 185*.

  Atherton shared a partnership of 119 for the sixth wicket with Russell (29 not out facing 235 balls in 274 minutes)

  Peter Martin had tidy figures of 4 for 60 in the rain-affected third Test, and 3-39 in the fourth

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tour Summary

 

 

F

W

L

D

Aban

Test Matches

  5

0

1

4

-

Other first-class matches

  6

1

1

4

-

§ One-day internationals

  7

1

6

0

-

ϯMinor matches

  5

4

1

0

-

All Matches

23

6

9

8

-

 

 

 

 

F  Fixtures   W  Won   L  Lost   D Drawn   T  Tied  Canc  Cancelled  Aban  abandoned

 

 

 

 

Return to England

Johannesburg  Q London

 

 

John Crawley (hamstring) and Mark Ilott (strained thigh) went home early injured.

Angus Fraser, Jason Gallian and Devon Malcolm flew home from Cape Town after the Fifth Test on 8 January.

The ODI team returned to England on 22 January before flying out to Pakistan to practise for the 1996 World Cup tournament.

 

 

Time away from England

  96 days 

 (18 October - 22 January)

 

 

 

Finances

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts of the tour

 

 

“England Tour of South Africa 1995 - 96 Official Tour Brochure”  by Susan Doull  (United Cricket Board)

 

 

 

 

Postscript

 

 

Ray Illingworth blamed the presence of wives and children for distracting his players and contributing to bringing about defeat against South Africa in 1995-96 and the following winter they were banned from the tour of Zimbabwe and New Zealand. Illingworth’s contract ended in the spring partly because he was not prepared to spend another winter touring

 

 

 

 

 

Other Test tours in 1995-96

 

 

 

 

 

 

Acknowledgements

To general reading of The Times newspaper digital archive (Gale Group);  Jamaica Gleanor archive;  National Library of Australia Trove; Papers Past NZ.

From former British Newspaper Library, Colindale and online:  The Age, Melbourne Argus, Bangladesh Daily Star, Barbados Advocate, Canberra Times, Daily Telegraph, Dawn, Eastern Daily Press, The Hindu, The Independent (Dhaka), Indian Express, The Island (Lanka), Lahore Times, New Nation, New Zealand Auckland Herald, Sri Lanka Daily News, Stabroek News, Straits Times, Sydney Morning Herald, The Telegraph (Calcutta), Times of India , The Tribune Chandigarh, Trinidad Guardian, The West Australian.

cricketweb.net;  ESPN cricinfo;  cricket archive; www.cricketcountry; www.coverpoint

Magazines/periodicals including Australian Cricket, B & H West Indies Annual, The Cricketer International, Cricketer Quarterly, Indian Cricket, Indian Cricket Field Annual, Playfair Cricket Monthly, Shell Cricket Almanack of New Zealand, Wisden Cricket Monthly, Wisden Book of Test Cricket, Wisden’s Cricketers’ Almanack.

Men In White, A History of Australian Cricket (Harte), A History of Indian Cricket (Bose), A History of West Indies Cricket (Manley)

Biography and tour books (own collection and at the M.C.C. Library at Lord’s Ground)                     ALL CONTENTS OF THE TEST-CRICKET-TOURS.CO.UK WEBSITE  ARE COPYRIGHT

 

 




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