The Prime Minister's XI or PM's XI (formerly Australian Prime Minister's Invitation XI) is an invitational

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 st ...

team picked by the

Prime Minister of Australia The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister heads the executive branch of the federal government of Australia and is also accountable to federal parliament under the princip ...

for an annual match held at the

Manuka Oval Manuka Oval is a sporting venue in Canberra, the capital of Australia. It is located in Griffith, in the area of that suburb known as Manuka. Manuka Oval has a seating capacity of 13,550 people and an overall capacity of 16,000 people, althoug ...

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

against an overseas touring team. The Australian team usually consists of up and coming grade cricketers from the

region and state players. In 1962–63 Sir

Donald Bradman Sir Donald George Bradman, (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), nicknamed "The Don", was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. Bradman's career Test batting average of 99.94 has b ...

came out of retirement to play for the Prime Minister's XI against the MCC; it was the last time he ever played cricket and he was freakishly bowled by

Brian Statham John Brian Statham, (17 June 1930 – 10 June 2000) was an English professional cricketer from Gorton, in Manchester, who played for Lancashire County Cricket Club from 1950 to 1968 and for England from 1951 to 1965.Robert Menzies The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

"It wouldn't happen in a thousand years. Anyway that's my final appearance at the wicket."

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

lost the December 1999 PM's XI by 164 runs.

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 ...

lost the 2002 Prime Minister's XI. In 2003 there was a match between the PM's XI and an

ATSIC The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) (1990–2005) was the Australian Government body through which Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders were formally involved in the processes of government affecting ...

Chairperson's XI held at

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 ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

won the match in January 2005 with a five-wicket victory with seven overs remaining. The 2005–06 match was changed from

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

to 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 Greate ...

. The team announced was captained by

Justin Langer Justin Lee Langer (21 November 1970) is an Australian cricket coach and former cricketer. He is the former coach of the Australia men's national team, having been appointed to the role in May 2018 and leaving in February 2022. A left-handed ba ...

. The match on 2 December 2005 had to end early due to the Canberra storms, with Australia getting 4/316, and West Indies finishing in the 31st over at 3/174. The PM's XI won by six runs using the Duckworth-Lewis method. In 2006–2007 England lost to the Prime Minister's XI by 166 runs. The game was scheduled earlier than usual (10 November) due to the Ashes Series. It was the first English tour match of the summer. In 2014, the Prime Minister's XI suffered the biggest defeat in the history of the match against England after being bowled out for just 92. In 2018 the Prime Minister's XI beat South Africa by 4 wickets.

List of matches

Notable matches

Prime Minister's XI vs MCC 1954–55

In the

MCC tour of Australia in 1954–55 The Marylebone Cricket Club tour of Australia in 1954-55 under the captaincy of Len Hutton was its eleventh since it took official control of overseas tours in 1903-04. The touring team played as England in the Ashes series against Australia, but ...

the cricket loving Prime Minister of Australia

Robert Menzies The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

invited the MCC to a reception on the evening before the match and the ex-Australian captain

Lindsay Hassett Arthur Lindsay Hassett (28 August 1913 – 16 June 1993) was an Australian cricketer who played for Victoria and the Australian national team. The diminutive Hassett was an elegant middle-order batsman, described by '' Wisden'' as, "... a mas ...

recited a ditty about facing "Typhoon" Tyson.

''They say that this bloke Tyson is fast!''
''Faster than Larwood so they say!''
''They also say that he takes a run-up of a hundred yards!''
''Fast - psshaw! I'm not scared of him and his long run.''
''Tomorrow when I bat, I'll hook him out of sight!''

When he finished there was a thunder-clap from the storm outside "Listen, he's just started his run-up!" joked Hassett. The match was a game played in one day with each side playing one innings rather than

Limited overs cricket Limited overs cricket, also known as one-day cricket or white ball cricket, is a version of the sport of cricket in which a match is generally completed in one day. There are a number of formats, including List A cricket (8-hour games), Twen ...

in the modern sense of the term. Hutton won the toss and opened with

Bill Edrich William John Edrich (26 March 1916 – 24 April 1986) was a first-class cricketer who played for Middlesex, Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), Norfolk and England. Edrich's three brothers, Brian, Eric and Geoff, and also his cousin, John, all pla ...

, but both were out for 25/2, but

Peter May Peter May may refer to: * Peter W. May, American businessman * Peter May (cricketer) (1929–1994), English Test cricketer *Peter May (writer) Peter May (born 20 December 1951) is a Scottish television screenwriter, novelist, and crime writer ...

made 101 and added 98 with Vic Wilson (29) and 76 with

Tom Graveney Thomas William Graveney (16 June 1927 – 3 November 2015) was an English first-class cricketer, representing his country in 79 Test matches and scoring over 4,800 runs. In a career lasting from 1948 to 1972, he became the 15th player to scor ...

(56).

Johnny Wardle Johnny Wardle (8 January 1923 – 23 July 1985) was an English spin bowling cricketer whose Test Match career lasted between 1948 and 1957. His Test bowling average of 20.39 is the lowest in Test cricket by any recognised spin bowler since ...

scooped and swatted 37 not out and the MCC declared on 278/7 after 40 eight-ball overs. The match had a party atmosphere and Hassett gave 9 of his players a bowl, six of them took a wicket and himself 2/34 with his medium pacers. Tailender Ian Johnson opened the Australian bowling and was out for 4, but his partner was the big hitting Richie Benaud who smashed the ball all over the ground in his 113 as the Prime Minister's XI made 247 off 30.3 overs at over a run a ball. One of his sixes was caught by the

Governor General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy ...

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

Sir William Slim and a businessman donated £35 and 10 shillings to local charities, 30 shillings for each six and 10 shillings for each four. Veteran batsman

Sam Loxton Samuel John Everett Loxton (29 March 19213 December 2011) was an Australian cricketer, footballer and politician. Among these three pursuits, his greatest achievements were attained on the cricket field; he played in 12 Tests for Australia f ...

hit 47 and

Keith Miller Keith Ross Miller (28 November 1919 – 11 October 2004) 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. His ability, irreverent m ...

38 as

's fast bowling cost him 40 runs off 5 overs, though he did take 2 wickets.

(4/73) produced a middle order collapse from 195/2 to 234/7 with Vic Wilson helping him with three catches. When Hassett came in to bat Tyson was brought on and took an outrageously long run up before bowling a slow donkey drop. He then bowled a real bouncer that hit Hassett on the hand before catching him off

Len Hutton Sir Leonard Hutton (23 June 1916 – 6 September 1990) was an English cricketer. He played as an opening batsman for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1934 to 1955 and for England in 79 Test matches between 1937 and 1955. '' Wisden Cricke ...

's leg spin (3/15) for a 31 run victory.

Prime Minister's XI vs MCC 1958–59

On the

MCC tour of Australia in 1958–59 The Marylebone Cricket Club tour of Australia in 1958-59 under the captaincy of Peter May was its twelfth since it took official control of overseas tours in 1903-1904. The touring team played as England in the 1958–59 Ashes series against ...

Prime Minister

had five Australian captains in his team;

, Ian Johnson, Arthur Morris,

Ian Craig Ian David Craig (12 June 193516 November 2014) was an Australian cricketer who represented the Australian national team in 11 Tests between 1953 and 1958. A right-handed batsman, Craig holds the records for being the youngest Australian to ...

and

Ray Lindwall Raymond Russell Lindwall (3 October 1921 – 23 June 1996) 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 leag ...

, the all-rounder

and a Victorian wicket-keeper called Les Botham. They batted first and the opener Morris hit 14 boundaries in his 79 and Brian James, a New South Wales Country player hit 5 sixes in his 88 before retiring hurt.

took 2/38 with his leg-spin and

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 Yo ...

2/61. They declared on 288/7 off 38 eight-ball overs in two hours and thirty-five minutes, leaving the MCC roughly the same number of overs in slightly less time. Peter Richardson was out for a duck to Lindwall, Ted Dexter thrashed 76 before hitting his wicket and

Colin Cowdrey Michael Colin Cowdrey, Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge, (24 December 19324 December 2000) was an English first-class cricketer who played for Oxford University (1952–1954), Kent County Cricket Club (1950–1976) and England (1954–1975). Univers ...

struck 101 runs in 84 minutes with 10 boundaries to win the match by four wickets. After the victory the MCC batted on to entertain the crowd and Cowdrey reached his century before he was caught by Hassett off Morris (4/46), who ran through the lower order with his part-time leg-spin and they were all out for 332.

Prime Minister's XI vs MCC 1962–63

In the MCC tour of Australia in 1962–63 there was intense anticipation for the match against the Prime Minister's XI as the 54-year-old

Sir Donald Bradman Sir Donald George Bradman, (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), nicknamed "The Don", was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. Bradman's career Test batting average of 99.94 has bee ...

agreed to captain the team after 14 years without playing cricket. The thorough man that he was Bradman started practicing for the big day and 10,000 men, women and children came to see him bat for the last time. His old foe the MCC assistant-manager

Alec Bedser Sir Alec Victor Bedser (4 July 1918 – 4 April 2010) was a professional English cricketer, primarily a medium-fast bowler. He is widely regarded as one of the best English cricketers of the 20th century. Bedser played first-class cricket fo ...

agreed to play and the Bradman Pavilion was unveiled at the

. The

Australian Prime Minister The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister heads the executive branch of the federal government of Australia and is also accountable to federal parliament under the princi ...

was a keen cricket fan who initiated these matches in 1951 and the money raised was donated to

Legacy In law, a legacy is something held and transferred to someone as their inheritance, as by will and testament. Personal effects, family property, marriage property or collective property gained by will of real property. Legacy or legacies may refer ...

, a charity for the dependents of deceased Australian servicemen. Ted Dexter won the toss and elected to bat with Bradman fielding at first slip they rattled the fence with 36 fours and birthday-boy

Fred Trueman Frederick Sewards Trueman, (6 February 1931 – 1 July 2006) was an English cricketer who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and the England cricket team. He had professional status and later became an author and broadcaster. Acknowled ...

hit a six. David Sheppard top-scored with 72 and

made 42. Richie Benaud took 2/62 off 8 overs, but the bowling honours went to the Canberra leg-spinner G. Brown, who took 3/61. Dexter nicked a ball off Brown to Wally Grout, but was called back by Bradman when he walked as the umpire gave him not out. "Lord Ted" lofted the next ball to Cowper at extra-cover and walked off for 22. Dexter declared the innings at 253/7, leaving the Prime Minister's XI 254 to win and

Bob Cowper Robert Maskew Cowper (born 5 October 1940) is a former cricketer who played Test cricket for Australia from 1964 to 1968, and Sheffield Shield cricket for Victoria and Western Australia from 1960 to 1970. Cricket career Bob Cowper was the son ...

(47) and Ray Flockton (45) got the home team off to a good start with 7 boundaries apiece. They had both departed and the score was 108/3 when the name of Bradman came up on the board and the great man in a baggy green cap walked out to the crease to a standing ovation, surrounded by photographers and greeted by the England team.

's leg-spin got him off the mark with a straight-drive and in the next over from

Brian Statham John Brian Statham, (17 June 1930 – 10 June 2000) was an English professional cricketer from Gorton, in Manchester, who played for Lancashire County Cricket Club from 1950 to 1968 and for England from 1951 to 1965.Don Chipp hit a single to put Bradman on strike. Although it was the intention of the MCC to let Bradman get some runs, and to bat against Bedser, Statham bowled a leg-cutter that came off the inside edge, brushed the pads and bounced onto the stumps with just enough force to dislodge a bail and the Don was out. Statham threw up his hands in anguish and the crowd was stunned, but "the little man, after one brief look back at his broken wicket, walked quickly away, the step firm, the head erect, but the shoulders, one thought, now slightly stooped. He had made one scoring stroke, for four. The crowd watched him go and sighed. How much they wanted just a half-hour, at least, of him—as the Englishmen had." In his last Test 14 years before he had been bowled by

Eric Hollies William Eric Hollies (5 June 1912 – 16 April 1981) was an English cricketer, who is mainly remembered for taking the wicket of Donald Bradman for a duck in Bradman's final Test match innings, in which he needed only four runs for a Test aver ...

for a duck, four runs short of a Test average of 100.00. He reached the pavilion to the commiserations of the Prime Minister and the

Duke of Norfolk Duke of Norfolk is a title in the peerage of England. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the title refers to the county of Norfolk. The current duke is Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk. The dukes ...

and told them "It wouldn't happen in a thousand years. Anyway that's my final appearance at the wicket." After this the rest of the match was an anticlimax.

Neil Harvey Robert Neil Harvey (born 8 October 1928) is an Australian former cricketer who was a member of 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. ...

was out for 3 and the PM's XI were 123/6 before Richie Benaud (63) and

Ken Mackay Kenneth Donald Mackay (24 October 1925 – 13 June 1982) was an Australian cricketer who played in 37 Test matches between 1956 and 1963. Biography He was universally known as "Slasher", an ironic reference to his often back-to-the-wall battin ...

(49) restored the situation, but David Allen (5/68) took three quick wickets, G. Brown was unable to bat so the PM's XI were out for 250 and the MCC won by 3 runs.

invited both teams to dinner and at the end of his speech presented a delighted

with a silver tankard as a birthday present from the Australian people. The Duke joked to the Prime Minister "I suppose you know you've just destroyed the disciplinary labours of several months?"Trueman, p. 373

Prime Minister's XI vs MCC 1965–66

On the

MCC tour of Australia in 1965–66 The Marylebone Cricket Club tour of Australia in 1965–66 under the captaincy of M.J.K. Smith was its fourteenth since it took official control of overseas tours in 1903-1904. The touring team played as England in the 1965–66 Ashes series ag ...

the

had a team that consisted of Australian Test players such as Wally Grout, Alan Connolly and

, retired veterans

, Richie Benaud and Jim Burke, young talent like Keith Stackpole and the teenaged Paul Sheahan as well as the famous West Indian fast bowler

Wes Hall Sir Wesley Winfield Hall (born 12 September 1937) is a Barbadian former cricketer and politician. A tall, strong and powerfully built man, Hall was a genuine fast bowler and despite his very long run up, he was renowned for his ability to bow ...

. Benaud captained the team and fulfilled 90% of his duties by winning the toss and choosing to bat. Thanks to Burke (79), Sheahan (60), Benaud (45) and Stackpole (32 not out) the Prime Minister's XI hit 288/7 in 35 overs, with the wickets shared amongst the touring bowlers with Jeff Jones taking 2/21, David Larter 2/43 and Bob Barber 2/72. The declaration came halfway through the day and the MCC's 289/8 also took 35 overs, though they passed 200 for the loss of two wickets as

Geoff Boycott Sir Geoffrey Boycott (born 21 October 1940) is a former Test cricketer, who played cricket for Yorkshire and England. In a prolific and sometimes controversial playing career from 1962 to 1986, Boycott established himself as one of England's m ...

made 95 before he was run out,

52 and M.J.K. Smith 51 not out. Eight bowlers were used, but the best was Jim Burke who took 2/5 with his infamous chucking action, dismissing John Murray and Jones for ducks in the closing minutes of the match.

References

, ''May's Men in Australia'', Stanley Paul, 1959 * A.G. Moyes and Tom Goodman, ''With the M.C.C. in Australia 1962–63, A Critical Story of the Tour'', The Sportsmans Book Club, 1965 * E.W. Swanton, ''Swanton in Australia, with MCC 1946–1975'', Fontana, 1977 *

, ''As It Was, The Memoirs of Fred Trueman'', Pan Books, 2004 *

Frank Tyson Frank Holmes Tyson (6 June 1930 – 27 September 2015) was an England international cricketer of the 1950s, who also worked as a schoolmaster, journalist, cricket coach and cricket commentator after emigrating to Australia in 1960. Nicknamed "T ...

, ''In the Eye of the Typhoon: The Inside Story of the MCC Tour of Australia and New Zealand 1954/55'', Parrs Wood Press, 2004

External links

Statistics
{{coord, -35.318, 149.135, region:AU-ACT_type:event, display=title Australia in international cricket Sport in Canberra Cricket teams in Australia Prime Minister of Australia 1951 establishments in Australia Men's national sports teams of Australia