Colin Campbell McDonald (17 November 1928 – 8 January 2021) was an Australian

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

er. He played in 47 Test matches from 1952 to 1961, and 192 first-class matches between 1947 and 1963. He was born in

Glen Iris, Victoria Glen Iris is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Boroondara and Stonnington local government areas. Glen Iris recorded a population of 26,131 at the 2 ...

Biography

An opening batsman, he made his Test debut in the 5th Test against

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...

at Sydney in January 1952, alongside fellow debutants George Thoms, also an opening batsman, and

Richie Benaud Richard Benaud (; 6 October 1930 – 10 April 2015) was an Australian cricketer who, after his retirement from international cricket in 1964, became a highly regarded commentator on the game. Benaud was a Test cricket all-rounder, blending l ...

. Uniquely, Thoms and McDonald also opened the batting for the same state team, Victoria, and the same club team,

Melbourne University The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb no ...

that season. Thoms retired from cricket to concentrate on his medical career as a gynaecologist, and McDonald formed a successful opening partnership with Jim Burke. McDonald played in two stints for the

Melbourne Cricket Club The Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) is a sports club based in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1838 and is one of the oldest sports clubs in Australia. The MCC is responsible for management and development of the Melbourne Cricket Ground, ...

. McDonald was the top scorer (32 and 89) in both innings of the 1956 Test, Laker's Match at Old Trafford, in which

Jim Laker James Charles Laker (9 February 1922 – 23 April 1986) was an English professional cricketer who played for Surrey County Cricket Club from 1946 to 1959 and represented England in 46 Test matches. He was born in Shipley, West Riding of York ...

took 19 wickets. His career reached its zenith in

the Ashes The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. The term originated in a satirical obituary published in a British newspaper, '' The Sporting Times'', immediately after Australia's 1882 victory at The Oval, its first ...

series against

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in 1958/9. This was illustrated by him scoring the most runs of any player in Test cricket in the calendar year of 1959. He reached his highest Test score, 170, in the 4th Test against England at

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

, although he was retired hurt for much of the second day, and a second century in the 5th Test on his home ground in Melbourne. He was also captain of Victoria in 1958/9 and 1960/1. He retired from Test cricket in 1961, during the tour to England, as a result of a wrist injury. He attended Scotch College Melbourne and

, and was a schoolteacher for a short period. After working as an insurance broker, he was executive director of

Tennis Australia Tennis Australia Limited is the governing body for Tennis in Australia. It is owned by Australian states and territories. The association organises national and international Tennis tournaments including the Australian Open, the Australian Open S ...

where he had a pivotal role in building the National Tennis Centre now known as Rod Laver Arena. He was an ABC cricket commentator in the 1960s and 1970s. His elder brother, Ian McDonald played first-class cricket for Victoria, and his mother's cousin, Keith Rigg, played for Victoria and Australia. McDonald published his memoirs, ''CC, The Colin McDonald Story: Cricket, Tennis, Life'' in 2009 with a foreword by

. On 8 January 2021, McDonald died aged 92.

References

External links

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Profile
from Victorian Premier Cricket {{DEFAULTSORT:McDonald, Colin 1928 births 2021 deaths Australia Test cricketers Victoria cricketers International Cavaliers cricketers Melbourne Cricket Club cricketers People educated at Scotch College, Melbourne Australian cricketers Cricketers from Melbourne Members of the Order of Australia University of Melbourne alumni People from Glen Iris, Victoria