7 Facts you should know about the very first Test Match

#4 The many “firsts”

The first delivery in Test cricket was bowled by Alfred Shaw of England

The first delivery in Test cricket was bowled by Alfred Shaw of England and was faced by the legendary Australian opener Charles Bannerman. The first ball was a dot and the first run came from the next delivery off Bannerman’s blade.

Bannerman went on to score Test cricket’s first century, but unfortunately also became the first batsman to retire hurt, when he broke the index finger on his right hand just after lunch on Day 2. As a result, W. Newing, got the opportunity to become the first ever substitute fielder in a Test match.

Allen Hill of England claimed the very first Test wicket when he bowled Australia’s Nathaniel Thompson – and also took the very first catch in Test cricket to dismiss T. P. Horan off Alfred Shaw’s bowling. Australian captain Dave Gregory was the first cricketer to be run out in the Test match, while his brother Ned Gregory earned the dubious distinction of scoring the first duck later in the innings.

In England’s first innings, Australian medium pacer Midwinter picked up Test cricket’s first ever five-wicket haul, and in England’s second innings, wicket-keeper Blackham claimed the first Test match stumping.