Australian cricket team in England in 1888

The Australian cricket team in England in 1888 played 37 first-class matches including three Tests. England won the series 2–1, after losing the first Test. The next time England would come back from one down to win a three match Test series at home was in July 2020, after they beat the West Indies 2–1.^[1]

Charlie Turner claimed 283 wickets in first-class matches for Australia in England during 1888.

Touring party

• Alick Bannerman
• Jack Blackham (wicket-keeper)
• George Bonnor
• Harry Boyle
• Jack Edwards
• John Ferris
• Affie Jarvis (wicket-keeper)
• Sammy Jones
• John Lyons
• Percy McDonnell (captain)
• Harry Trott
• Charlie Turner
• Sammy Woods
• Jack Worrall

The 1888 Australia national cricket team

Test matches

First Test

Australian captain Percy McDonnell won the toss and chose to bat first. The visitors scored 116 runs in their innings, during which only Percy McDonnell, Jack Blackham and Test debutant Jack Edwards scored 20 runs or more. The English bowlers, led by Bobby Peel, who claimed four wickets and Johnny Briggs, who took three, ran through the Australian batting line-up. At the close of play on the opening day, England had scored eighteen runs for the loss of three wickets (18/3).

Resuming at 11.30 on day two, the score was lifted to 22, on which score England lost Walter Read, W. G. Grace (failing to add to his overnight ten), and Tim O'Brien. When Steel fell four runs later, England were seven wickets down and still eleven runs short of avoiding the follow-on. Thanks to Briggs, who top-scored for England with seventeen runs, the hosts managed to reach 53 from exactly fifty overs, after 55 minutes of play on the second day. The famous combination of John Ferris and Charlie Turner took eight of the wickets to fall, Turner picking up a five-for.

When Ferris and Turner arrived at the wicket in Australia's second innings, they found their side on eighteen for seven, with Lohmann and Peel demolishing the top- and middle-order. Turner scored a dozen and Ferris twelve, but The Daily Telegraph remarked that "it has to be said that never in the annals of cricket has such a fortunate innings as that of Ferris been compiled".

England needed 124 to win, but it managed to get only halfway. Of the home team's second innings of 62, Grace scored 24, "far and away the best batting display of the match," said the Daily Telegraph. Allan Steel, the captain, also chipped in with an unbeaten ten, but he was the only other batsman to reach double figures. Turner and Ferris claimed five wickets each, making for match figures of ten for 63 and eight for 45 respectively. The aforementioned newspaper, however, believed that Peel's first innings' four for 36 was a far better performance, as the wicket had been easier than at any other stage of the match.

This win was Australia's first over England since that at Sydney three years earlier. After that, the Antipodeans had been defeated on seven successive occasions. In the eight years since the 1880 visit, this was only Australia's second win in England, the other being the famous Test at the Oval in 1882.^[2]

16 – 17 July Scorecard

Australia	v	England
116 (71.2 overs) Percy McDonnell & Jack Blackham 22 Bobby Peel 4/36		53 (50 overs) Johnny Briggs 17 Charlie Turner 5/27
60 (29.2 overs) John Ferris 20* Bobby Peel 4/14		62 (47 overs) W. G. Grace 24 John Ferris 5/26

Australia won by 61 runs Lord's, London Umpires: Frank Farrands and Charles Pullin

• Australia won the toss and decided to bat.

Second Test

13 – 14 August Scorecard

Australia	v	England
80 (90.3 overs) Jack Edwards 26 Johnny Briggs 5/25		317 (138.2 overs) Bobby Abel 70 Charlie Turner 6/112
100 (69.2 overs) Percy McDonnell 32 Billy Barnes 5/32

England won by an innings and 137 runs The Oval, London Umpires: Robert Carpenter and Frank Farrands

• Australia won the toss and decided to bat.

Third Test

30 – 31 August Scorecard

England	v	Australia
172 (113.1 overs) W. G. Grace 38 Charlie Turner 5/86		81 (52.2 overs) John Lyons 22 Bobby Peel 7/31
		70 (31.1 overs) John Lyons 32 Bobby Peel 4/37

England won by an innings and 21 runs Old Trafford, Manchester Umpires: Frank Farrands and Charles Pullin

• England won the toss and decided to bat.

Other first-class matches

No.	Date	Opponents	Venue	Result	Ref
1	7–8 May	CI Thornton's XI	JW Hobbs Ground, Norbury	Won by six wickets	[3]
2	14–15 May	Surrey	The Oval, London	Won by an innings and 154 runs	[4]
3	17–19 May	Oxford University	Christ Church Ground, Oxford	Won by an innings and 19 runs	[5]
4	21–22 May	Yorkshire	Bramall Lane, Sheffield	Won by an innings and 64 runs	[6]
5	24–25 May	Lancashire	Old Trafford, Manchester	Won by 23 runs	[7]
6	28–29 May	Gentlemen of England	Lord's, London	Drawn	[8]
7	31 May–1 June	Players	The Oval, London	Lost by ten wickets	[9]
8	4–5 June	Nottinghamshire	Trent Bridge, Nottingham	Lost by ten wickets	[10]
9	7–9 June	Cambridge University	Fenner's, Cambridge	Drawn	[11]
10	11–13 June	Oxford University Past and Present	County Ground, Leyton	Won by 74 runs	[12]
11	14–16 June	Middlesex	Lord's, London	Won by eight wickets	[13]
12	18–20 June	England XI	Edgbaston, Birmingham	Won by ten wickets	[14]
13	21–23 June	Marylebone Cricket Club	Lord's, London	Won by 14 runs	[15]
14	25–27 June	Yorkshire	Park Avenue, Bradford	Drawn	[16]
15	28–30 June	North	Old Trafford, Manchester	Won by five wickets	[17]
16	2–4 July	Liverpool and District	Aigburth, Liverpool	Won by 130 runs	[18]
17	12–13 July	England XI	County Ground, Stoke-on-Trent	Won by an innings and 135 runs	[19]
18	19–21 July	Sussex	County Ground, Hove	Lost by 58 runs	[20]
19	23–25 July	Cambridge University Past and Present	County Ground, Leyton	Drawn	[21]
20	26–28 July	Yorkshire	Fartown, Huddersfield	Drawn	[22]
21	30 July–1 August	Surrey	The Oval, London	Drawn	[23]
22	2–4 August	England XI	Central Recreation Ground, Hastings	Won by an innings and 27 runs	[24]
23	6–8 August	Kent	St Lawrence Ground, Canterbury	Won by 81 runs	[25]
24	9–11 August	Gloucestershire	Clifton College Close Ground, Bristol	Lost by 257 runs	[26]
25	16–18 August	Nottinghamshire	Trent Bridge, Nottingham	Lost by an innings and 199 runs	[27]
26	20–22 August	Gloucestershire	College Ground, Cheltenham	Lost by eight wickets	[28]
27	23–25 August	England XI	Crystal Palace Park, London	Lost by 78 runs	[29]
28	27–29 August	Oxford and Cambridge Universities Past and Present	United Services Recreation Ground, Portsmouth	Drawn	[30]
29	3–4 September	England XI	St George's Road, Harrogate	Won by 56 runs	[31]
30	6–8 September	Lord Londesborough's XI	North Marine Road Ground, Scarborough	Lost by 155 runs	[32]
31	10–12 September	A Shrewsbury's Australian Team	Recreation Ground, Holbeck	Lost by four wickets	[33]
32	13–14 September	A Shrewsbury's Australian Team	Old Trafford, Manchester	Lost by nine wickets	[34]
33	17–19 September	South	Central Recreation Ground, Hastings	Won by nine wickets	[35]
34	20–22 September	Surrey	The Oval, London	Won by 34 runs	[36]

Results

First-class matches, excluding Test matches

Played	Won by Australia	Lost by Australia	Drawn
34	17 (50.0%)	10 (29.4%)	7 (20.6%)

Batting averages

Player	Matches	Innings	Runs	Average	Highest Score	100s	50s
Percy McDonnell	35	58	1,331	23.35	105	1	6
George Bonnor	36	60	1,155	20.26	119	2	5
Harry Trott	36	61	1,081	18.32	73	0	3
Alick Bannerman	33	59	887	17.05	93*	0	3
Charlie Turner	36	56	789	14.61	103	1	1
Affie Jarvis	31	48	569	12.64	39	0	0
Jack Worrall	36	57	517	11.00	46	0	0
Qualification: 500 runs. Source: CricketArchive.[37]

Bowling averages

Player	Matches	Balls	Wickets	Average	BBI	5wi
Charlie Turner	36	9,702	283	11.68	9/15	12
John Ferris	37	8,321	199	14.74	8/41	3
Harry Trott	36	1,916	43	25.83	5/74	1
Qualification: 40 wickets. Source: CricketArchive.[38]