The Australian cricket team for the 5th Test against the West Indies at Sydney in January 1952. Richie Benaud is back row, second from right.
In the final article of the series, brothers who played Test cricket but not together are listed. Also are mentioned husbands and wives, brothers-in-law and brothers and sisters who played in Tests.
Let’s start off with brothers who played in Tests but not together.
Australia
England
South Africa
West Indies
New Zealand
India
Pakistan
Sri Lanka
Will Australia’s David Hussey join his elder brother Mike at Test level, although they have played together in one-day Internationals?
Australia’s fast-medium bowler Terry Alderman’s younger sister Denise opened Australian women’s batting in the 1981-82 World Cup and scored 117 and 77.
Roger and Ruth Prideaux were the first husband and wife to play Test cricket. Roger played three Tests for England in 1968 and Ruth (married surname Westbrook) had represented England earlier as a wicket-keeper in the 1957-58 series in Australia.
Sir Richard Hadlee and Karen Hadlee provide another Test playing couple. Karen represented New Zealand in the 1970’s.
Her finest performance was in a minor match in 1973 when she captured all ten wickets for twelve runs. Even the great Richard has not been able to duplicate this achievement.
Now let us broaden the focus by bringing in in-laws. England’s Chris White is the brother-in-law of Australia’s Darren Lehmann. They played together in the first three Ashes Tests of 2002-03 in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. White dismissed Lehmann in the Adelaide and Perth Tests.
To end on a quirky note, Tom Lowry, New Zealand’s first Test captain, had two sisters who married cricket captains; England’s Percy Chapman and Reg Bettington of NSW and Oxford University.
Did you know that Australia’s Steve and Mark Waugh and New Zealanders James and Hamish Marshall are not the only twins to play together in a cricket Test?
In women’s cricket two pairs of twins have represented their countries. Jamaica fielded identical twin sisters Molly and Polly Coombs in their inaugural Test series against England in 1970. New Zealand included sisters Elizabeth and Rosemary Signal against England in the 1984 Leeds Test.
The brotherhood of cricket is alive and well despite many recent problems. In a way the game itself is one big family and may its camaraderie prosper.
Roarers are requested to add to my compilations.
Sources: Famous Cricketing Families by KM-H, Simon & Schuster, Aust., 2000; Almanac, Perivale, Aust., 2006; several Wisden publications UK.
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