Terence Michael Alderman (born 12 June 1956) is a former
Australian international cricketer
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 striki ...
who played primarily as a right-arm fast-medium bowler.
He began his
first-class cricket
First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officiall ...
career in 1974 with Western Australia in the
Sheffield Shield
The Sheffield Shield (currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Marsh Sheffield Shield) is the domestic first-class cricket competition of Australia. The tournament is contested between teams from the six states of Australia. Sheffield Shi ...
and came to international prominence when he was chosen for the Australian national team to tour England in 1981. He was a poor batsman, passing fifty just once in his career and averaging barely eight in first-class cricket. He had three seasons in English
county cricket
Inter-county cricket matches are known to have been played since the early 18th century, involving teams that are representative of the historic counties of England and Wales. Since the late 19th century, there have been two county championship ...
, with
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Kent. A club representing the county was first founded in 1842 but Ke ...
in 1984 and 1986 and with
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Gloucestershire. Founded in 1870, Gloucestershire have always ...
in 1988.
In the 1981 Ashes series he took 42
Test
Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to:
* Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities
Arts and entertainment
* ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film
* ''Test'' (2014 film), ...
wickets, including nine on debut,
the biggest haul in a series since
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 ...
's 46 in 1956 and the fourth-highest total of all time. Alderman's 42 wickets is the record for the most wickets taken in a series without taking
10 wickets in a match
In cricket, a ten-wicket haul occurs when a bowler takes ten wickets in either a single innings or across both innings of a two-innings match. The phrase ten wickets in a match is also used.
Taking ten wickets in a match at Lord's earns the bow ...
. He was named as a
Wisden Cricketer of the Year
The ''Wisden'' Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', based primarily on their "influence on the previous English season". The award began in 1889 with the naming ...
in the Almanack's 1982 edition.
He was unable to play for over a year after a shoulder injury sustained on 13 November 1982, when he rashly tackled an English-supporting ground invader at the
WACA Ground
The WACA (formally the WACA Ground) is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. The stadium's name derives from the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association.
The WACA has been referred to as Wester ...
in
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
.
Alderman took part in an
unofficial Australian tour of South Africa in 1985–86 and 1986–87, when that country was banned from Test cricket as a
Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
anti-
apartheid
Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
sanction. As a result, he received a 3-year ban from international cricket which disqualified him from playing in the
1985 Ashes series
The Australian cricket team toured England in the 1985 season to play a six-match Test series against England. England won the series 3–1 with two matches drawn. England therefore regained The Ashes.
Test series summary First Test
Second T ...
in England.
Following his suspension, Alderman returned to the Australian side and resumed his success against England, taking 41 wickets in the
1989 Ashes series
The 1989 Ashes series was a series of Test cricket matches contested between England and Australia for the Ashes. It formed part of the 1989 Australian tour of England. The six-Test series began on 8 June 1989 at Headingley in Leeds and ended on ...
and another 16 in the
1990–91 series, his final
Ashes appearance. He rarely enjoyed similar success against other countries. His final Test series was against the
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 Greater A ...
in 1990–91, where he ended his career with 170 Test wickets.
Early life
Alderman was born at
Subiaco, Western Australia
Subiaco (known colloquially as Subi) is an inner-Western suburbs (Perth), western suburb of Perth, the capital of Western Australia. It is approximately west of Perth's central business district, in the City of Subiaco local government area. H ...
, the fourth of five children. His father, William, represented Western Australia in
Australian Rules Football
Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...
and opened the batting and bowling for Western Australia Colts without ever playing first-class cricket.
Alderman studied at Aquinas College in Perth, playing both football and cricket. He bowled in his high school team's first eleven from his third year at high school onwards and was coached by
Bert Rigg during his last two years. Alderman represented Western Australia at a schoolboys' carnival in Melbourne in 1972-73 and was chosen in the Australian schoolboys team to play a governors eleven.
Cricket career
In 1973-74 Alderman played for WA Colts in Melbourne and Adelaide. He took six wickets in a game in Melbourne. He made his first-class debut in 1974/75. In his first game, a Gillette Cup match,
Ian Chappell
Ian Michael Chappell (born 26 September 1943) is a former cricketer who played for South Australia and Australia. He captained Australia between 1971 and 1975 before taking a central role in the breakaway World Series Cricket organisation. Born ...
took 24 runs off his second over. He was twelfth man for two Sheffield Shield games against South Australia and Victoria before being picked against New South Wales in Sydney. He took 5/63 but pulled a hamstring and had to return home. In total he took 18 first-class wickets that summer at an
average
In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, ...
of 28.
The following summer he took 17 wickets at 26 and in 1976/77 he only took 8 wickets at 17. During
World Series Cricket
World Series Cricket (WSC) was a commercial professional cricket competition staged between 1977 and 1979 which was organised by Kerry Packer and his Australian television network, Nine Network. WSC ran in commercial competition to establishe ...
, Alderman took 28 wickets at 21 during the 1977/78 summer. The following season he took 26 wickets at 18.69, but was overlooked for national selection.
Alderman had his best season in 1979/80 taking 42 wickets at 28.09 before going to play for Watsonians in Scotland in the northern summer of 1980. In 1980-81 he took 32 wickets at 26, a performance which earned him selection on the 1981 Ashes tour.
1981 Ashes
Alderman had a superb Ashes series.
He was picked in the first test and took 4/68 and 5/62, helping bowl Australia to victory. He found things harder going in the second, with 1-79 and 1-42, a game that ended in a draw. In the third test Alderman took 3/59 in the first innings; England followed on, and Alderman helped reduce England to 7–135 with 4 wickets and two catches. Ian Botham counter-attacked and Alderman's final figures were 6/135 - Australia collapsed chasing and lost the game.
In the fourth test Alderman bowled beautifully for figures of 5/42 and 3/65 but Australia's batsman collapsed again and lost the game. Australia lost the fifth test, Alderman taking 4/88 and 5/109. In the sixth drawn test Alderman took 3/84 and 2/60. He had taken 42 wickets in the test series at 51 first class wickets on tour at 20.86.
Alderman was picked as one of Wisden's five
cricketers of the year
The ''Wisden'' Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', based primarily on their "influence on the previous English season". The award began in 1889 with the naming ...
.
1981-82
Alderman kept in the Australian side the following summer. In the first test against Pakistan he took 4/36 and 2/43, helping Australia win. The going was harder in the second test, with 2/74 and 0/37. In the third test Alderman went for 0/62.
Alderman played in two tests against the West Indies. He took 2/54 and 2/23 in the first match, but is probably best remembered for his batting in the first innings - he joined
Kim Hughes
Kimberley John Hughes (born 26 January 1954) is a former cricketer who played for Western Australia, Natal and Australia. He captained Australia in 28 Test matches between 1979 and 1984 before captaining a rebel Australian team in a tour of ...
when the score was 9/155 and stuck around for 43 more runs which proved crucial (Alderman made 10). He suffered in the second test, taking 0/73 and 1/46. Alderman did not play in the third test, which the West Indies won.
He took 37 first class wickets that summer at 16.94.
Alderman toured New Zealand in 1982 taking 12 wickets at 30 and was picked for the 1982 tour of Pakistan. Australia went with a two-spin attack for the first two tests and Alderman was left out. He returned for the third test despite barely bowling during the tour, taking 2/144 in an Australian defeat. He only took four first class wickets on tour at 65.
1982-83: Injury
Alderman was injured in the first test of the 1982/83 Ashes. He had taken 1/84 in the first innings when there was a pitch invasion. Alderman was hit in the back of the head by a member of the crowd, Gary Donnison. Alderman recalled, "he ran off, and I could see that there were no police in the vicinity so I attempted to apprehend him." Alderman charged at Donnison and tackled him to the ground but fell on his shoulder and injured himself. "I can't remember a lot of how I fell ... but I was immediately aware I was injured ... it was very painful indeed," Alderman said. "At the time I thought it would just pop back in - little did I know that it would be a year before I could bowl in a competitive match again," he said. "I had to learn to swim a mile a day for eight months. What is tough in sport, is that if you have a physical injury or problem, no one wants to know you. In a way, when I came back, it was like starting another career."
He took 18 first class wickets that summer at 19.61.
Alderman was unable to force his way back into the Australian side over the 1983/84 summer. However 30 first class wickets at 25.26 saw him picked for the West Indies.
Return to Test cricket
Alderman was selected for the tour of the West Indies in 1984. He took 1/64 and 0/43 in the first test. In the second test he took 2/91 but had some success with the bat, scoring 21 in Australia's second innings and taking part in a 61-run partnership with Alan Border. In the third test Alderman took 1/152 and 0/18. He was dropped for the final two tests. Alderman took 15 first class wickets on tour at 43.6. After the tour he played his first season of county cricket in England with
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Kent. A club representing the county was first founded in 1842 but Ke ...
.
Alderman made his way back into the Australian side for the first test against the West Indies during 1984/85. He took 6/128 but the West Indies won by an innings. He took 3/107 in the second test, which ended with Kim Hughes' resignation as Australian captain. After going wicketless in the third Test he was dropped for the final two Tests of the series.
Alderman took 44 wickets at 28.34 that summer. He was picked to tour England in 1985 but lost his spot when it was revealed he had signed to play in South Africa. Alderman says he was motivated by financial conditions after being left off the contract list of Australian players in 1984. "The board was; not thinking of me for the future.! I was 28 and I had a family to think of, The opportunity to go to South Africa and to get a nest egg came up. It pointed out to me the lack of security you have when you play this, game. 'It's so fickle: one minute you are up,'the next you are down."
Playing in South Africa, 1985/86–1986/87
In South Africa Alderman took 23 wickets at 21.21 in 1985/86. He played for Kent again in 1986 and took 98 wickets at 19.20. In 1986/87 he took 18 wickets at 32.77. Alderman later admitted his trips to South Africa had been disappointing bowling-wise and he set himself the goal of getting back in the Australian team by the 1989 Ashes.
Return to Australia
Alderman returned to domestic cricket in Australia in 1987/88, taking 39 wickets at 24.20. He played for
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Gloucestershire. Founded in 1870, Gloucestershire have always ...
in England in 1988, taking 75 wickets at 22.81.
Alderman was available for international selection from the 1988/89 season onwards. He was overlooked for the first two Tests but back for the third, taking 4/68 and 3/78. Alderman took 48 first class wickets in 1988/89 at 20.93 and was selected for the 1989 Ashes in England.
1989 Ashes
Alderman toured for Australia in 1989. In the first test he took 5/107 and 5/44, helping Australia to a big win. In the second he took 3/60 and 6/128. In the third he went for 3/61; the fourth, 0/49 and 5/66; the fifth 5/69 and 2/32; the sixth 5-66 and 2-30.
He took 70 first class wickets on tour at 15.64.
Final Test years
In Australia, Alderman took 3/73 and 1/59 against New Zealand in November 1989 and 3/81 against Sri Lanka in the first Test in December. He took 2/71 and 0/38 in the second Test. Against Pakistan in January 1990 he took 3/30 and 5/105 in the first Test. He took 34 first class wickets over the 1989/90 summer at 23.05.
He toured New Zealand in 1990 taking 4/46 and 0/27 in the only Test played on the tour. Alderman kept his place in the Australian side to play England in the 1990/91 Ashes. He took 2/44 and 6/47 in the first Test; 2/86 and 0/19 in the second; 3/62 and 0/29 in the third; he did not play in the fourth but took 0/66 and 3/75 in the fifth. He took 31 first class wickets at 28.38 that summer and was picked to tour the West Indies.
Alderman's final Test was on the tour of the West Indies in 1991 when he took nine wickets at 38.44 on the tour, playing in just one of the Test matches, taking one wicket in the match.
Final years of cricket
In 1991/92 Alderman took 29 wickets at 31.82 but was overlooked for national selection. His last first-class season was in 1992/93. He took 20 wickets at 36.35.
Awards
In 2000, Alderman was awarded the
Australian Sports Medal
The Australian Sports Medal is an award given to recognise achievements in Australian sport to commemorate Australian participation in major sporting events. Original recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, offi ...
for being the all-time leading wicket taker for Western Australia.
Family and personal life
Alderman's sister
Denise Emerson
Denise Emerson (; born 13 May 1960) is an Australian former cricketer who played as a right-handed batter. She appeared in seven Test matches and 21 One Day Internationals for Australia between 1982 and 1987, including playing at the 1982 World ...
is married to former Test umpire
Ross Emerson
Ross Alexander Emerson (born 26 February 1954) is a former Australian cricket umpire who is best known for calling Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan for throwing. He also played grade cricket for Petersham-Marrickville in the Sydney g ...
and herself played seven Tests for the
Australian women's cricket team
The Australian women's national cricket team (formerly also known as the Southern Stars) represent Australia in international women's cricket. Currently captained by Meg Lanning and coached by Shelley Nitschke, they are the top team in all worl ...
.
Alderman is an alumnus of
Aquinas College, Perth
, motto_translation = Truth ConquersMassam, p. 18
, location = Salter Point, Perth, Western Australia
, country = Australia
, patron = Saint Thomas Aquinas
, coordinates =
, pushpin_map = Australia Perth
, pushpin_image ...
.
Notes
References
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alderman, Terry
1956 births
Living people
Australian cricketers
Australian expatriate sportspeople in England
Australia One Day International cricketers
Australia Test cricketers
Australian cricket commentators
Cricketers who have taken five wickets on Test debut
Cricketers from Perth, Western Australia
Gloucestershire cricketers
Kent cricketers
People educated at Aquinas College, Perth
Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal
Sportsmen from Western Australia
Western Australia cricketers
Western Australian Sports Star of the Year winners
Wisden Cricketers of the Year