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| Full name | William Lloyd Murdoch | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1854-10-18)18 October 1854 Sandhurst,Colony of Victoria | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 18 February 1911(1911-02-18) (aged 56) Melbourne,Victoria, Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Batsman, occasionalwicket-keeper | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National sides | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Test debut (cap 13/79) | 31 March 1877 Australia v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 22 March 1892 England v South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1875/76–1893/94 | New South Wales | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1893–1899 | Sussex | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1900–1904 | London County | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source:CricketArchive,2 December 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
William Lloyd Murdoch (18 October 1854 – 18 February 1911) was an Australiancricketer who captained theAustralian national side in 16Test matches between 1880 and 1890. This included four tours of England, one of which,in 1882, gave rise toThe Ashes. In 2019 Murdoch was inducted into theAustralian Cricket Hall of Fame.[2]
AlthoughVictorian-born, Murdoch was raised inSydney, and played his Australian domestic cricket forNew South Wales, making hisfirst-class debut in 1875. His Test debut camein 1877, in what was retrospectively classed as the second Test match to be played. Murdoch began his career as awicket-keeper, but at Test level kept wicket only once, withJack Blackham being preferred. As abatsman, Murdoch scored both the first double century in Test cricket (211 against England in 1884) and the first triple century in Australian domestic cricket (321 against Victoria in 1882). In later years, he settled in England, playing county cricket forSussex (1893 to 1899, as captain) andLondon County (1900 to 1904). In 1892, he toured South Africa withEngland and played in one Test match, making him one of the few cricketers to representmore than one international team. Murdoch's final first-class match came at the age of 49, in August 1904. He died inMelbourne in 1911, aged 56.
Murdoch was born in Sandhurst (nowBendigo),Victoria, to Gilbert Murdoch and his wife Susanna (née Fleigge).[3] His father was an American of Scottish descent, who had been a corporal in the U.S. Army prior to emigrating fromMaryland toTasmania in 1849. He died shortly before his son's birth.[4] The family moved to New South Wales in the early 1860s. Both Billy Murdoch and his older brother, Gilbert, subsequently studied law at theUniversity of Sydney. Billy Murdoch married Jemima Watson (1863–1917) daughter ofJohn Boyd Watson on 8 December 1884 at the Free Church of England, Collingwood, Victoria, Australia.[5]
Murdoch made hisfirst-class entry in 1875, at the time regarded as the finestwicketkeeper in Australia, and a highly rated right-handedbatsman. He played in the secondTest match ever played, the 1877 clash againstEngland at theMelbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Later that year, he qualified as a solicitor and opened up a practice, "Murdoch & Murdoch", with his brother Gilbert, although it was short-lived, going bankrupt in 1877. Murdoch established himself as one of the era's greatest batsmen over the next few years,[6] leading Australia in several Test series against England. In 1881–82 he became the first man other thanW. G. Grace to score a first-class triple century when, as captain, he made 321 forNew South Wales againstVictoria at theSCG.[7][8] The innings comprised 38 fours, nine threes, 41 twos and 60 singles from all of ten Victorian bowlers. It was this knock which established him in the public reckoning as Australia's finest batsman. So unvanquishable was he thatTom Horan (with whom Murdoch would share many a fine batting stand in the years to come) was reduced to bowlingLeg theory, the first known instance of that controversial tactic.
Murdoch was never far from controversy. His omission aswicketkeeper in the very first Test resulted in Australia's premier fast bowler,Fred Spofforth, boycotting the match. In1884 as captain ofAustralia he was involved in the players' strike, where the Australian players refused to play unless they received a greater share of the gate takings. He was also the batsman whose contentiousrun out caused friction between New South Wales and a visiting English team led byLord Harris, which also caused aspectator riot.
His best Test performances more often occurred inEngland where both his Test hundreds were scored, 153 not out in the first Test in the old country in1880 atThe Oval, and 211 at the same ground four years later. The former score was the first instance of a captain scoring a Test century, whilst the latter score was the first double-century made in Test cricket.[6]
In 1878, Murdoch toured England and North America with Australia's first representative cricket team, participating in a famous victory over aMarylebone Cricket Club (MCC) side. On the 1880 and 1884 tours of England he led the Australian batting averages. In England, he was regarded as a superb captain and enough of a gentleman to be invited to captainSussex, which he did for several seasons. He was widely regarded the finest Australianbatsman of his day, being bettered only by the English champion,W. G. Grace.
Murdoch was more of an off-side player whose drives and cut strokes were regarded as among the best of his day; but his leg-side play was reputedly not so strong, and his ability against good spin bowling was not as impressive as it might be. Also, he was believed to be lacking in command against top-class pace bowling on difficult wickets; if conditions, were perfect, however, his batting often followed suit.
He again visited England in 1890, and although he topped that season's averages, he did not have an opportunity to regain his best form. He then settled in England, qualified for Sussex, and captained the county for several seasons. Along with former Australian Test teammateJohn Ferris, he represented his adoptive land againstSouth Africa inCape Town in March 1892.[6]
His style of play did not favour him in wet seasons, but he made many good scores over a period of about 15 years. Among these may be mentioned 155 forLondon County againstLancashire in 1903, and in the following year 140 forGentlemen v Players, though he was then in his forty-ninth year.
Murdoch's standing as one of the greatest first-class batsmen of his era were strengthened by his statistics; 16,953 runs scored in 391 matches at theaverage of 26.86 at a time when batting averages were much lower than in modern times.
Murdoch died inMelbourne,Australia on 18 February 1911; present at the Test match between Australia and South Africa, he was seized withapoplexy during the lunchinterval and died later in the afternoon. His body was embalmed and brought back toEngland for burial atKensal Green Cemetery inLondon.
Murdoch's Test captaincy record for Australia was: 16 matches, five wins, seven losses, four draws.
He also became the firstsubstitute to take a catch in only the fifteenth Test match ever played – a feat he managed for the opposition.[6][9]
Media related toBilly Murdoch at Wikimedia Commons| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Australian Test cricket captains 1880 – 1884/5 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Australian Test cricket captains 1890 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Australian Test wicket-keepers 1877–1890 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Sussex county cricket captain 1893–1899 | Succeeded by |
| Records | ||
| Preceded by | World Record – Highest individual score in Test cricket 211vs England at The Oval 1884 | Succeeded by |
