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Celebrating 40 years since the Centenary Test

Dennis Lillee was a star of the Centenary Test. (Image: Flickr/zoonabar CC BY-SA 2.0)
Roar Guru
28th February, 2017
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This week marks the 40th anniversary of the landmark Centenary Test between Australia and England, played at the MCG in March, 1977.

The game was significant not just because it marked 100 years since the first ever Test match had been played, but also because it was the last home Test the Australian team played before the emergence of World Series Cricket.

There were some amazing individual performances in the Centenary Test.

Most famously, Australian opener Rick McCosker had his jaw broken by a Bob Willis bouncer in the first innings and returned courageously to bat towards the end of the second innings. Remember, this was in the pre-helmet era. He just came out in his baggy green cap with his jaw heavily bandaged.

Dennis Lillee took 6-26 in England’s first innings to bowl them out for 95. This put Australia back in the match after they had been skittled for 138 in their own first innings.

A 21-year-old David Hookes made his Test debut and hit England captain Tony Greig for five consecutive boundaries.

Wicketkeeper Rod Marsh hit a crucial century in Australia’s second innings, helping to set England an improbable, world-record second innings target of 463.

England of course made an incredible 417 in their second innings to fall just short of victory, with Derek Randall scoring 174 to be named man of the match, just ahead of Lillee, who took five second-innings wickets to finish with 11 for the match.

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Amazingly, Australia’s winning margin of 45 runs was exactly the same as our winning margin 100 years earlier, in the first Test match ever played.

The line-ups of the two teams for that historic match were as follows:

Australia
Ian Davis
Rick McCosker
Gary Cosier
Greg Chappell (captain)
David Hookes
Doug Walters
Rod Marsh
Gary Gilmour
Kerry O’Keeffe
Max Walker
Ray Bright (12th man)

England
Bob Woolmer
Mike Brearley
Derek Randall
Dennis Amiss
Keith Fletcher
Tony Greig (captain)
Alan Knott
Chris Old
John Lever
Derek Underwood
Bob Willis
Graham Barlow (12th man)

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