Six of the very best individual performances by Australians at Lord’s
The history of Lord’s is one decorated by moments - or days - of brilliance from the legends who have played there. Including these six Australians whose extraordinary feats lit up ‘the home of cricket’.
- Tim Paine exclusive: Warner v The Barmy Army
- Revealed: The science behind Smith’s technique
- Archer laughs off Langer’s Ashes scepticism
- MCC ignores Punter’s plea for neutral umpires
Australia travel to Lord’s for the second Test of this Ashes series hoping that one - or more - among them will turn in a performance that writes them in to the history of the famous old ground.
It has been a happy hunting ground for the tourists over the years, with countless examples of Australian brilliance on enemy turf.
Here are six of the best of them:
Live stream the Sri Lanka v NZ Test & T20I Series with KAYO SPORTS on your TV or favourite device. Get your 14-day free trial >
Don Bradman
1930 - second Test
Australia won by seven wickets
In what Don Bradman himself cited as the finest innings of his career, the greatest ever player to grace the game scored 254 as records tumbled under the majesty of his performance.
Across two days a faultless, chances innings revealed itself, with England’s bowlers powerless to do anything about it.
The innings was then the highest made by an Australian in Test matches and the highest individual score at Lord’s. And still stands as the highest return from a visiting batsman in an Ashes match at the ground.
Those who bore witness to Bradman’s innings lauded its clinical beauty in execution. Bradman himself later writing: “Practically without exception every ball went where it was intended to go, even the one from which I was dismissed, but the latter went slightly up in the air.”
That he was dismissed for a single run in Australia’s second innings did nothing to detract from the performance, with Australia then chasing down the simplest of targets, 72, to complete a seven wicket victory. The tourists would go on to win the five match series 2-1.
Glenn McGrath
1997 - second Test
Match drawn
One of many matches to be robbed of its natural conclusion by the vagaries of the English summer, Lord’s in 1997 nevertheless holds a place in all Australian cricket fans’ heart.
Being as it was the moment when one of the all-time greats served notice of his long and unyielding dominance over the old enemy to come.
Heading to England that year Australia had in their ranks a player of great promise and potential. After a return of 8 for 38 Glenn McGrath’s potential had been realised. He would never release his grip on English throats thereafter.
Mark Taylor sent England in to bat under grey, moody clouds with McGrath wasting little time in validating the decision.
The top three were removed for seven runs, Mark Butcher, Alec Stewart and, in what would become an recurring theme in Ashes matches of the period, Mike Atherton falling so cheaply their wickets were almost free.
The other five scalps arrived at regular intervals between rain breaks, Andy Caddick the last man out, to McGrath, with England skittled for 77.
The weather ended the contest for second time, but McGrath’s love affair with Lord’s had begun.
Kim Hughes
1980 - Centenary Test
Match drawn
Australia and England met in a one-off Test to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the two sides’ first ever meeting. What was supposed to be a celebration petered out to a disappointing draw in damp conditions.
But those who had gathered at the home of cricket — including surviving members from the famous 1921 team of Warwick Armstrong - were at least treated to one thrilling knock by Kim Hughes.
Hughes played with his customary adventure and brio in blitzing a score of 117 which included 14 fours and three sixes.
One of those maximum scores was so big it sailed over the roof of one of the stands biggest stands in the ground.
In a match interrupted by rain and repeated and infuriating checks of the pitch by umpires Dickie Bird and David Constant, and the captains, Greg Chappell and Ian Botham fizzled out somewhat, despite the drama of angry exchanges from the crowd.
Botham was struck on the head and Constant pushed members of the crowd blocking his path to the pavilion at one point, with an ugly skirmish ensuing.
With Australia pushing for victory despite the time lost to the weather, Hughes struck another audacious 84 from just 99 balls in the second innings to set up a declaration that left England needing 370 for victory in less than a day’s play on day six.
Instead of taking on the challenge, however, Geoffrey Boycott and David Gower dropped anchor to play out the draw.
But Hughes had long since won the moral victory.
Bob Massie
1972 - second Test
Australia won by eight wickets
A debut in the cauldron of Ashes conflict is a true baptism of fire.
But in 1972 it was a man putting on his Baggy Green for the first time who brought the heat. And how.
Bob Massie wrote his name into the record books — and on the honours board - with a stunning 16-wicket performance against England.
A fast bowler from Western Australia, Massie took the new ball with Dennis Lillee and immediately set about making his mark on top line cricket.
He blitzed through England’s top, middle and lower order to finish the first innings with figures of 8-84.
Proving it was no fluke, Massie outdid himself in the second innings, finishing with 8-53 and Australia went on to win the Test in a canter.
His rise to the top of the game, however, ended almost as quickly as it started.
He went on to play just five more Test matches and finished his career having added only a further 15 wickets to his personal ledger, one less than his haul at Lord’s that day.
Within 18-months of his Ashes debut, Massie was even dropped from the Western Australian state side.
His debut figures of 16-137 remained a Test-match record for 15 years before he was eventually topped by Indian Narendra Hirwani who took 16-136.
Allan Border
1985 - second Test
Australia won by four wickets
The 1985 tour proved an ultimately unsuccessful campaign for the visiting Australians. That they were still in it after four of the six Tests owed much to the dogged determination of their captain, what Wisden described at the time as the “determined and often daring batsmanship of Allan Border”.
At 1-1 with two to play, England ran through the final two Tests with crushing wins, but at Lord’s Border played a knock for the ages.
Robbed of a number of players due to their South African rebel tour bans, a weakened Australia lost by five wickets at Headingley and were in risk of folding again when reduced to 4-101 in their first innings, after England had posted 290.
Border, however, was not to be overawed by the situation, and forged a seven hour, 216 run stand with Greg Richie, Border ultimately falling just four short of what would have been a deserved double century.
Border’s work wasn’t done, called to the crease after another top order collapse when England had recovered to post a first innings lead of 127
Border’s unbeaten knock of 41 ensured he was there to guide Australia home to a four wicket victory that levelled the series.
From that point on Border’s wicket became the central pillar to Australia’s efforts. But he couldn’t do it on his own.
He had, however, shown how to lead in adversity and that match helped forge the legend of the uncompromising, tough as nails competitor that the 1989 team coalesced behind to seal a stunning series win next time around.
Steve Smith
2015 - second Test
Australia won by 405 runs
Steve Smith bossing an England attack in an Ashes match may be something now taken for granted, an act routinely extraordinary; his performance at Edgbaston last week simply the latest jaw-dropping display of a master craftsman bending the game to his own will.
It wasn’t always thus.
A maiden Ashes and Test century on the 2013 tour laid an early marker in proceedings and two more in the home series that followed elevated him to the upper echelons of the game.
But still the English needed convincing of the quality of a man whose unorthodox style didn’t perhaps sit quite right with the purists.
Doubts over his technique, however, were silenced at Lord’s in 2015 courtesy of a double century that was cut through with class and control.
His 215 was a triumph of nonconforming talent, twitching and fidgeting and shuffling across from leg stump over more than eight hours of physically and emotionally draining effort.
That it came on the ground where he made his anonymous debut five years prior — 13 runs and three wickets against Pakistan when playing as a leg-spinner — made it all the more enjoyable.
Then, as now, he showed particular disdain to Moeen Ali, whom he punished remorselessly.
His shot selection was measured, his hand-eye coordination otherworldly, and the cover drives things of sheer beauty.
LISTEN UP: Lord’s Test preview with Peter Lalor
The Australian’s chief cricket writer calls in from London with all the latest on Australia’s bid to go 2-0 up in the series.
Stream above now or search ‘Cricket Unfiltered’ on iTunes, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts from, and subscribe today to never miss an episode!
To dominate as batsman when on the road is the true mark of an exceptional talent. It wasn’t’ the first time he had done so, having recently prospered in South Africa coming in to this series.
As England won’t need reminding this week, nor was it to be the last.
No sympathy from Boland as Smith struggles continue
Steve Smith’s poor start to the home summer continued with a controversial LBW dismissal from Scott Boland, plus disappointing openers leaves selection door for spot at top of Australian order wide open.
The King’s return? Warner’s shock call on Test SOS
Dave Warner has sensationally declared his status should selectors send an SOS to the former Test opener for the upcoming series against India. Find out what he said, here.