OTD, December 20, 1894: England wins first six-day Test by 10 runs vs Australia at Sydney. After winning the toss, Australia opted to bat first. After losing two quick three-wickets, George Giffen and Frank Iredale stitched a remarkable partnership. After Iredale ended his innings in 81 runs, Syd Gregory then joined Giffen. Giffen scored a thrilling 161, while Gregory’s magical double century propelled Australia to a colossal total of 586.
In the second innings, England struggled against the supreme Australian bowling attack. Albert Ward stood up with a crucial 75-run knock. Adding to this, Bill Brockwell and Johnny’s knocks helped them to put on a score of 325 runs. The Aussies forced them for a follow-on, and Albert Ward led the charge. With a brilliant ton, he gave a massive score to England’s total. Along with him, Francis Ford and Johnny Briggs’ excellence, England ended their second innings with 437 runs on the board.
After delivering with the bat, Australia’s Giffen took a thrilling four-wicket haul, and Harry Trott and Charlie Turner kept the domination alive with two wickets each. As the English side tried to form a partnership, Aussie bowlers denied but England’s fiery bounce back shook the Aussie dominance.
It was a Test cricket marathon five days of unreal thrills. This Sydney Test between two arch-rivals brought the ultimate thrill on the fifth day. After four grueling days of battle, rain intervened on day five, turning the contest on its head. With Australia chasing victory and England just short of a win, the weather flipped the script. After a night-long rainfall, the pitch started helping bowlers. Being dumped and tacky due to rain, the pitch turned into a nightmare for the batters but was helpful for spinners, and England took advantage of it. Starting on a strong note in the last innings, Australia was 129/2, but the English spinner turned the game.
Utilizing the pitch’s assistance, Bobby Patel and Johnny Briggs became the living nightmare for the hosts, and that provided England a memorable Ashes victory. Australia collapsed, losing eight wickets for just 36 runs, while Peel’s magical six-wicket haul sealed the drama. England emerged victorious by a mere 10 runs. That dramatic match will forever be remembered and it happened on this day so many years back.
