The Australia and New Zealand tour of the England cricket team in 1876–77 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 of three or more days scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officially adju ...

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

Test cricket Test cricket is a Forms of cricket, format of the sport of cricket, considered the game’s most prestigious and traditional form. Often referred to as the "ultimate test" of a cricketer's skill, endurance, and temperament, it is a format of i ...

tour of Australia by the

English cricket team The England men's cricket team represents cricket in England, England and cricket in Wales, Wales in international cricket. Since 1997, it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), having been previously governed by Maryleb ...

. The English team is sometimes referred to as James Lillywhite'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 The Adelaide Oval is a stadium in Adelaide in the state of South Australia. It is located in the Adelaide Parklands, parklands. The venue is predominantly used for cricket and Australian rules football, but has also played host to rugby league, ...

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 James Lillywhite's side. Fred Spofforth, widely regarded as the best Australian fast bowler, controversially withdrew from the first match in protest over the omission of Billy Murdoch 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 biennially 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, ...

, which began in 1882.

Squads

Ted Pooley 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 a 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 America and fo ...

(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 Wal ...

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

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

(Aus) made 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 country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

is the first team to have won a Test match and remain the only country to win their inaugural 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 * January 1 ** The Reichsbank opens in Berlin. ** The Bass Brewery Red Triangle becomes the world's first registered trademark symbol. *January 27 – The Northampton Bank robbery occurs in Massachusetts. February * Febr ...

1877 Events January * 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 Sioux War of 1876: Batt ...

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