Cricket facts and records: List of firsts in Test cricket

Bowling records

First wicket and hauls

The first wicket was taken by Allen Hill (Eng) to dismiss Nat Thomson for 1 run as bowled.

The first 5-wicket haul in an innings is by Billy Midwinter (Aus). He had figures of 5/78 in the first innings of the inaugural Test.

The first bowler to take 10 wickets in a match is Fred Spofforth (Aus). He finished with figures of 13/110 vs England at Melbourne on 2nd January 1879.

The first bowler to take 15 wickets in a match is Johnny Briggs (Eng). He finished with 15/28 vs South Africa at Cape Town on 25th March 1889.

The first bowler to take all 10 wickets in an innings is Jim Laker (Eng). He took 10/53 vs Australia at Manchester on 26th July 1956.

Jim Laker – First bowler to take all 10 wickets in an innings

Individual milestones – Matches

The first player to play 25 Test matches is Jack Blackham (Aus), on 13th August 1888. He played 35 matches in his career.

The first player to play 50 Test matches is Syd Gregory (Aus), on 26th July 1909. He finished his Test career with 58 matches.

The first player to play 75 Test matches is Wally Hammond (Eng), on 24th June 1939. He played 85 Test matches in his career.

The first player to play 100 Test matches is Colin Cowdrey (Eng), on 11th July 1968. He played 114 Tests in his career.

Colin Cowdrey – First player to play 100 Test matches

The first player to play 125 Test matches is Sunil Gavaskar (Ind), on 13th March 1987. He played 125 Test matches.

The first player to play 150 Test matches is Allan Border (Aus), on 3rd December 1993. He finished his career with 156 Test matches.

The first player to play 175 Test matches is Sachin Tendulkar (Aus), on 16th December 2010. He has played 198 Test matches so far and is on the way to become the first ever player to play 200 Test matches.

First dismissals – All types

The first batsman to be out or dismissed was Nat Thomson (Aus). He was dismissed bowled for 1 run by Allen Hill. He is also the first batsman to be dismissed bowled on 15th March 1877.

The first batsman to be dismissed caught was Tom Horan (Aus). He was caught by Allen Hill for 12 runs off the bowling of Alfred Shaw in the first Test match on 15th March 1877.

The first batsman to be dismissed as run out was Dave Gregory (Aus). He was run out at the score of 1 run in the first ever Test match on 15th March 1877.

The first batsman to be dismissed LBW was Harry Jupp (Eng). He was out LBW by Tom Garrett (Aus) for 63 runs in the first Test match on 16th March 1877.

The first batsman to be dismissed caught and bowled was James Lillywhite Jnr (Eng). He was dismissed on 10 runs by Tom Kendall in the first Test match on 17th March 1877.

The first batsman to be dismissed stumped was Alfred Shaw (Eng). He was stumped on 2 by Jack Blackham (wicketkeeper) in the first Test on 19th March 1877.

The first batsman to be dismissed hit wicket was George Bonner (Aus). He was dismissed by the England bowler Ted Peate on score of 6 runs at Old Trafford on 11th July 1884.

The first batsman to be dismissed handled the ball was Russell Endean (SA) vs Eng at Cape Town on 5th January 1957.

The first and the only batsman to be dismissed obstructing the field was Sir Len Hutton (Eng) vs SA at the Oval on 18th August 1951.

The first batsman to be dismissed retired out was Marvan Atapattu (SL). He left the field after scoring 201 vs Bangladesh at Colombo on 7th September 2001.

No batsman has been dismissed as “Timed out” or “Hitting the ball twice” in Test cricket.

*Caught and Bowled is not one of the dismissal types in Cricket.

This was a short description about some of the major records and facts in Test history. Stay tuned for the future article consisting details about first players to cross every 1000 run mark, bowlers with each 100 wicket mark, first man of the match award winner, first man of the series award winner, first centuries by captains, first centuries in losses, and many more records.

*Cricket facts and records – First in Test cricket is a compilation of the first occasion of any happening in Test cricket.