Cricketers who scored centuries in both their first and last Tests

Bill Ponsford

Ponsford was one of the initial inductees into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame

William Bill Ponsford was one of the most legendary cricketers to have represented Australian cricket. Making his debut in the Sydney Test of the 1924-25 Ashes, he came in to bat at number three and partnered with his captain Herbert Collins to build a 190 run stand. He hit 8 fours en route his 110 run effort which eventually helped his team win the match.

Renowned for his ability to counter spin bowling, the heavy built batsman plundered bowling attacks as he amassed runs in first class cricket. His ability against the pacers though put a question mark on his completeness as a batsman as the Bodyline Ashes of 1932-33 played a huge role in cutting short his career.

In his last Test appearance at the Kennington Oval, London in 1934, Ponsford opened the batting and combined with number three batsman Sir Donal Bradman to pile up misery for the English bowlers as the duo stitched a 451 run stand- an Australian record for any wicket till date. 27 balls were dispatched to the fence en route his career-best 266 run knock as the Aussies thumped the Englishmen by a whopping margin of 562 runs and took back the Ashes 2-1.

Ponsford was a great servant o Australian cricket and his services have been recognised with a stand named after him at the majestic MCG and a statue outside the pavilion gates.

M: 29 | Inn: 48 | Runs: 2122 | HS: 266 | Avg: 48.23 | 100’s: 7