English cricket team in South Africa in 1948-49
Encyclopedia
The England national cricket team toured South Africa in the 1948-49 season. The tour was organised by the Marylebone Cricket Club
and the side played five Test matches
as England
and 16 other first-class matches as "MCC". Two of the first-class matches took place in Rhodesia
(now Zimbabwe
). There were also two non-first-class matches.
England won the first and last Test matches; the other three were drawn. Though the margin of victory in both the England wins was small, Wisden was in no doubt that the better team had won: "Much less than justice would have been done if England had not won the rubber," it said. "In all five Tests clearly they were the superior team".
secretary Brigadier Michael Green
was the tour manager.
The full team was:
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
and the side played five Test matches
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
as England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
and 16 other first-class matches as "MCC". Two of the first-class matches took place in Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
(now Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
). There were also two non-first-class matches.
England won the first and last Test matches; the other three were drawn. Though the margin of victory in both the England wins was small, Wisden was in no doubt that the better team had won: "Much less than justice would have been done if England had not won the rubber," it said. "In all five Tests clearly they were the superior team".
England team
The MCC team was captained by George Mann, with Billy Griffith as vice-captain. The WorcestershireWorcestershire County Cricket Club
Worcestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Worcestershire...
secretary Brigadier Michael Green
Michael Green (cricketer)
Michael Arthur Green, born at Bristol on 3 October 1891 and died at Kensington, London on 28 December 1971, was an all-round sportsman primarily known as a first-class cricketer for Gloucestershire and Essex, and as a cricket administrator who managed England tours to South Africa and Australia and...
was the tour manager.
The full team was:
- George Mann; Billy Griffith (wicketkeeper); Alec BedserAlec BedserSir Alec Victor Bedser, CBE was a professional English cricketer. He was the chairman of selectors for the English national cricket team, and the president of Surrey County Cricket Club...
; Denis ComptonDenis ComptonDenis Charles Scott Compton CBE was an English cricketer who played in 78 Test matches, and a footballer...
; Jack CrappJack CrappJohn "Jack" Frederick Crapp was an English cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Gloucestershire between 1936 and 1956, and played for England on tour in the winter of 1948-49....
; Godfrey EvansGodfrey EvansThomas Godfrey Evans CBE was an English cricketer who played for Kent and England.Described by Wisden as 'arguably the best wicket-keeper the game has ever seen', Evans collected 219 dismissals in 91 Test match appearances between 1946 and 1959 and a total of 1066 in all first-class matches...
(wicketkeeper); Cliff GladwinCliff GladwinClifford Gladwin was an English cricketer, who played for Derbyshire from 1939 to 1958, and in eight Tests for England from 1947 to 1949...
; Len HuttonLen HuttonSir Leonard "Len" Hutton was an English Test cricketer, who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England in the years around the Second World War as an opening batsman. He was described by Wisden Cricketer's Almanack as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket...
; Roly JenkinsRoly JenkinsRoly Jenkins was an English cricketer, almost exclusively for Worcestershire as a leg spinner in the period immediately after World War II...
; Charles Palmer; Reg SimpsonReg SimpsonReginald Thomas Simpson is an English former cricketer, who played in twentry seven Tests from 1948 to 1955.-Life and career:...
; Maurice TremlettMaurice TremlettMaurice Fletcher Tremlett was an English cricketer, who played for Somerset, Central Districts and England....
; Cyril WashbrookCyril WashbrookCyril Washbrook was an English cricketer, who played for Lancashire and England. He had a long career, split by World War II, and ending when he was aged 44. Washbrook, who is most famous for opening the batting for England with Len Hutton, which he did fifty one times, played a total of 592...
; Allan WatkinsAllan WatkinsAllan Watkins Allan Watkins Allan Watkins (born Albert John Watkins (21 April 1922 – 3 August 2011) was a Welsh cricketer, who played for England in fifteen Tests from 1948 to 1952. He toured India and Pakistan in 1951-2 with the MCC, and also participated in the 1955-6 'A' Tour to Pakistan...
; Doug WrightDoug Wright (cricketer)Douglas Vivian Parson Wright, better known as Doug Wright was an English cricketer. A leg-spinner for Kent and England from 1932 to 1957 he took a record seven hat-tricks in first class cricket. He played for Kent for 25 years and was their first professional captain from late 1953 to 1956...
; Jack YoungJack Young (cricketer)John Albert "Jack" Young was an English cricketer, who played for Middlesex and England. His first-class cricket career lasted from 1933 to 1956....
Test matches
- 1st Test at Kingsmead, DurbanDurbanDurban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
– England won by 2 wickets - 2nd Test at Ellis Park StadiumEllis Park StadiumEllis Park Stadium, also known because of its sponsorship by The Coca-Cola Company as Coca-Cola Park, is a rugby union and association football stadium in the city of Johannesburg, Gauteng Province, South Africa. It hosted the final of the 1995 Rugby World Cup, which was won by the country's...
, JohannesburgJohannesburgJohannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
– match drawn - 3rd Test at Newlands Cricket GroundNewlands Cricket GroundNewlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town is a South African cricket ground. It's the home of the Cape Cobras, who play in the SuperSport Series, MTN Domestic Championship and Standard Bank Pro20 competitions. It is also a venue for Test matches. Newlands is regarded as one of the most beautiful cricket...
, Cape TownCape TownCape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
– match drawn - 4th Test at Ellis Park StadiumEllis Park StadiumEllis Park Stadium, also known because of its sponsorship by The Coca-Cola Company as Coca-Cola Park, is a rugby union and association football stadium in the city of Johannesburg, Gauteng Province, South Africa. It hosted the final of the 1995 Rugby World Cup, which was won by the country's...
, JohannesburgJohannesburgJohannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
– match drawn - 5th Test at St George's Park, Port Elizabeth – England won by 3 wickets