William Lloyd Murdoch captained Australia in 16 Tests through the 1880s, scored the first Test 200 (211 at the Oval in 1884), held the Test record score (153* against England in 1880) for several years, and was the architect of Australia's 7-run win at the Oval in 1882. He later (controversially) played one Test for England against South Africa in 1891-92.
Murdoch began as a wicketkeeper, switched to top-order batting, and became Australia's captain by 1880. His combination of cricketing talent and lawyer's command made him a natural choice as captain.
By 1880 Murdoch was the established Australian top-order batsman and captain. The September 1880 Oval Test was his first major statement.
Murdoch was born in Sandhurst (Bendigo), Victoria, in 1854 and was a NSW lawyer when he was selected for the inaugural 1877 Test, in which he kept wicket. By 1880 he was Australia's batting leader; the September 1880 153* at the Oval — on his 25th birthday, made in Australia's follow-on to save the match — set a Test record that stood for years.
In 1882 he was Australia's captain at the Oval Test that birthed the Ashes. His first-innings 13 and second-innings 6 were modest, but his strategic command of the field — and his tactical changes during Spofforth's 7/44 — were widely credited.
The 1884 Oval Test was his statistical masterpiece: 211 in 525 minutes, the first Test 200, made on a flat pitch with three dropped chances. He led Australia in the 1880, 1882, 1884, 1888 and 1890 tours of England, at a frequency no other Australian captain has matched in any era.
His 1890 tour of England, when he was already 36 and clearly past his best, was financially disastrous and led to his retirement from Australian cricket. He emigrated to England, qualified for Sussex, and in March 1892 played one Test for England against South Africa at Cape Town. He thus became the second man (after Billy Midwinter) to play Test cricket for two countries.
Murdoch died of a heart attack at the MCG on 18 February 1911, watching a Test between Australia and South Africa. He was 56.
Sep 1880: 153* on 25th birthday — Test record at the time.
1882: Captains Australia in Oval Test that births the Ashes.
1884: 211 at Oval — first Test 200.
1880, 1882, 1884, 1888, 1890: Captains five Australian tours of England.
1891-92: Plays one Test for England against South Africa.
1911: Dies at MCG watching Australia-SA Test.
18 Oct 1854
Born in Sandhurst (Bendigo), Victoria.
Mar 1877
First Test, as wicketkeeper.
Sep 1880
153* at Oval — Test record.
Aug 1882
Captains Australia at Oval Ashes-birth Test.
Aug 1884
211 at Oval — first Test 200.
1890
Last Australian tour as captain.
Mar 1892
One Test for England v South Africa.
18 Feb 1911
Dies at MCG, aged 56.
“Murdoch played the noblest innings of his career.”
Murdoch's switch to England raised eyebrows but did not generate the public storm that, say, Allan Lamb's qualification for England in the 1980s would. Test nationality rules were only just being formalised. He played for Sussex through the 1890s and lived in Brighton until his return to Australia in retirement.
Australia's first great Test captain — Murdoch led 16 Tests, scored the first Test 200, and along with Spofforth was the central figure in the foundation of the Ashes legend.
Murdoch was one of the foundational figures of Australian Test cricket. His captaincy in the era of Spofforth, Boyle, Bonnor and Bannerman set the template for every Australian Test side that followed. The 211 at the Oval was a Test record that held for almost two decades. He is remembered both in Australia (the Murdoch Stand at the SCG) and in England (his Sussex memberships and grave in Kensal Green).
Yorkshire v Essex
1932-06-16
On 15-16 June 1932 Herbert Sutcliffe (313) and Percy Holmes (224*) put on 555 for the first wicket against Essex at Leyton, breaking the world first-class record for any wicket and adding a layer of folklore — including a scoreboard that read 554 for several minutes and a hastily reversed declaration — that has clung to the partnership ever since.
Australia v England
1933-02-14
With the fate of the Bodyline series in the balance and England 216 for 6 chasing 340, Eddie Paynter checked himself out of a Brisbane hospital where he was being treated for acute tonsillitis, taxied to the Gabba in pyjamas and a dressing gown, and batted for nearly four hours to score 83. England drew level on first innings, won the Test by six wickets and the series 4-1.
Australia
1934-09-25
Days after the 1934 Oval Test, Bradman fell seriously ill with appendicitis that progressed to peritonitis. With antibiotics not yet available, he was given little chance of survival; his wife Jessie left Adelaide on a sea voyage to England prepared for the worst. He recovered after weeks of intensive nursing in a London nursing home and returned to first-class cricket the following Australian summer.