The 1876–77 tour of Australia and New Zealand was at the time considered to be another professional

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 ...

tour of the colonies, as similar tours had occurred previously, but retrospectively it became classified as the first

Test cricket Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC). A match consists of four innings (two per team) and is scheduled to last f ...

tour of Australia by the

English cricket team The England cricket team represents England and Wales in international cricket. Since 1997, it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club (the MCC) since 1903. Engl ...

. The English team is sometimes referred to as

James Lillywhite James Lillywhite (23 February 1842 – 25 October 1929) was an English Test cricketer and an umpire. He was the first ever captain of the English cricket team in a Test match, captaining two Tests against Australia in 1876–77, losing the fi ...

's XI. In all, they played 23 matches but only three including the two Tests are recognised as first-class. The first match started at the

Adelaide Oval Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the city centre and North Adelaide. The venue is predominantly used for cricket and Australian rules football, but has also played host to rugby l ...

on 16 November 1876 and the last at the same venue on 14 April 1877. There were fifteen matches in Australia and, between January and March, eight in New Zealand. A rival tour had been proposed by Fred Grace but was cancelled, enabling most of the best players of the Australian colonies to participate in two matches against

's side.

Fred Spofforth Frederick Robert Spofforth (9 September 1853 – 4 June 1926), also known as "The Demon Bowler", was arguably the Australian cricket team's finest pace bowler of the nineteenth century. He was the first bowler to take 50 Test wickets, and the fi ...

, widely regarded as the best Australian fast bowler, controversially withdrew from the first match in protest over the omission of

Billy Murdoch William Lloyd Murdoch (18 October 1854 – 18 February 1911) was an Australian cricketer who captained the Australian national side in 16 Test matches between 1880 and 1890. This included four tours of England, one of which, in 1882, gave ri ...

as wicket-keeper. Starting on 15 March 1877 the two sides played two matches, later designated Test matches, and the series was drawn 1-1. For more details about the establishment of Test cricket, see the first Test tour: 1876/7. Although both matches have Test status, this series is not considered to be part of

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 ...

, which began in 1882.

Squads

Ted Pooley Edward William Pooley (13 February 1842 – 18 July 1907) was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Surrey and Middlesex between 1861 and 1883. In 1877, he was supposed to be England's wicket-keeper in what would be the first Te ...

was also a member of the English touring party, but had had to be left behind in New Zealand after he was charged with assault.

Matches

First Test

Second Test

Records

Individual records

Team records

Other records

Alfred Shaw Alfred Shaw (29 August 1842 – 16 January 1907) was an eminent Victorian cricketer and rugby footballer, who bowled the first ball in Test cricket and was the first to take five wickets in a Test innings (5/35). He made two trips to North Amer ...

(Eng) bowled the first ball in Test cricket. *

Charles Bannerman Charles Bannerman (3 July 1851 – 20 August 1930) was an English-born Australian cricketer. A right-handed batsman, he represented Australia in three Test matches between 1877 and 1879. At the domestic level, he played for the New South Wale ...

(Aus) faced the first ball in Test cricket. *

(Aus) scored the first run in Test cricket. * Ned Gregory (Aus) took the first duck in Test cricket. *

(Aus) scored the first century in Test cricket. *

(Aus) scored 69.6% of his team's match runs, still a world record. *

Allen Hill Allen Hill may refer to: * Allen Hill (cricketer), English cricketer and umpire * Allen Hill (scientist), professor of bioinorganic chemistry * Allen Hill (physician), American physician and politician See also * Alan Hill (disambiguation) ...

(Eng) took the first wicket in Test cricket. *

(Eng) took the first catch in Test cricket. * Billy Midwinter (Aus) took the first five-wicket haul in Test cricket. *

Jack Blackham John McCarthy Blackham (11 May 1854 – 28 December 1932) 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 fa ...

(Aus) took the first catch by a wicket-keeper in Test cricket. *

(Aus) effected the first stumping in Test cricket. *

(Eng) was the first Englishman to have taken a five-wicket haul in Test cricket. *

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

is the first team to have won a Test match.

External links

''CricketArchive'' – tour itinerary
Retrieved 24 May 2014. {{DEFAULTSORT:English cricket team in Australia and New Zealand in 1876-77 1876 in Australian cricket 1876 in English cricket 1877 in Australian cricket 1877 in English cricket 1877 in New Zealand cricket

1876 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Reichsbank opens in Berlin. ** The Bass Brewery Red Triangle becomes the world's first registered trademark symbol. * February 2 – The National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs is ...

1877 Events January–March * January 1 – Queen Victoria is proclaimed ''Empress of India'' by the ''Royal Titles Act 1876'', introduced by Benjamin Disraeli, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom . * January 8 – Great ...

International cricket competitions from 1844 to 1888 New Zealand cricket seasons from 1863–64 to 1889–90 March 1877 sports events April 1877 sports events