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When Sam Robson made his Test debut for England against Sri Lanka last month, he became the tenth English cricketer who had been born in Australia.
When he made 127 in his second Test, he also became the highest scorer among this eclectic group.
Just who are the other nine? An incredible group of largely tragic figures.
Billy Murdoch, Jack Ferris, Sammy Woods and Albert Trott had all played Tests for Australia against England before being selected for the mother country.
Billy Murdoch
Born in Bendigo, he had been Australia’s captain on four tours to England, the scorer of Test cricket’s first double century and a giant of the pioneering days of international cricket. He left to play for Sussex and was nearly 40 when he made his one appearance for England in 1893 as a wicketkeeper batsman.
While visiting Australia in 1911, he suddenly collapsed at the MCG during a Test match and died at just 56 later that afternoon.
JJ Ferris
Ferris ad a remarkable bowling partnership with Charlie ‘the Terror’ Turner. He captured 48 wickets in eight Tests before joining Gloucestershire and playing his only Test with England with Murdoch in South Africa.
His death in 1900 in Durban has been thought to be of enteric fever while in uniform during the Boer War. More recent research from Max Bonnell in his biography “Something Uncommon in the Flight” suggests that having been “ignominiously discharged” from his unit, Ferris may have committed suicide.
As he was “penniless, disgraced, alone and far from …home…” it would not be surprising that he had “succumbed to despair”.
Albert Trott
Trott left no such doubt about his final moments. Just five days before the outbreak of World War I, he shot himself in his rented flat in Willesden. He had averaged 102.5 with the bat in his three Tests for Australia, while also taking 8 for 43 in his first Test.
However, something seemed to be amiss with him when the team for the 1896 tour to England was chosen, he was left out, despite his brother, Harry, being captain. His form in England in county cricket was superb especially in the 1899 and 1900 when he passed 200 wickets and 1000 runs in each season.
He played two Tests for England but was best known for his hit over the pavilion at Lords off the bowling of Monty Noble. The attraction of the bottle, depression, sleeplessness and a diagnosis of cancer (that later proved incorrect) culminated in his suicide on 30 July 1914 just five days before the outbreak of the Great War.
He shot himself in the head after he had scribbled his ‘will’ on the back of a laundry ticket. He had four pounds.
Ben and Adam Hollioake
The brothers made their Test debuts for England in the same match against Australia in 1997. Earlier that season, 19-year-old Ben had scored 68 off 43 balls in a one day international against an attack that included Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath.
He only went on to play one other Test. Having spent the English winter touring with the national one day squad in 2002, he had been at a family dinner in Perth when he crashed his Porsche into a wall.
His death at 24 is the youngest of any English Test cricketer.
Adam played four Test matches and 35 ODIs including a stint as captain. The effect of his brother’s death cast a pall over his career and life.
More recently he has turned to professional boxing and cage fighting but in 2010 the Hollioake Group, an Australian-based property company collapsed with a debt of $A20 million. The next year he was declared bankrupt.
Jason Gallian
Gallian had been an Australian under-19 captain. When he went to England, he had 15 years of first class cricket for three different counties. When captaining Nottinghamshire, teammate Kevin Pietersen put a restraining order on him to prevent Gallian talking about their differences.
Gallian had allegedly thrown Pieterson’s kit off the Trent Bridge balcony, breaking his bat. During this time he played three Tests and was another example of unfulfilled talent.
Tim Ambrose
Ambrose’s London born mother, Sally, wrote to a number of English county teams touting the talents of her son who had been playing for the New South Wales under 17 team. When Dave Gilbert, working at Surrey received the letter, plans were made for Tim to relocate to England as a wicketkeeper batsman.
Eventually he played for Surrey and Warwickshire and was picked for the England team in 11 Tests. He made 102 in his second Test but when he lost his place to Matt Prior in 2009 he admitted he lost “ all direction”, was awake 24 hours a day and “beyond miserable”.
In 2012 he revealed that this depression almost ended his career. However, he has experienced a revival and he is currently performing well in county cricket.
Sammy Woods and Gubby Allan
These two stand out as having far happier stories. Woods was a dominant all round sportsman and highly regarded character. He played Tests for Australia and England and rugby union for England.
Allan was born in Sydney and returned there with Jardine’s team in 1932-33 but refused to bowl bodyline. He became captain of England for 11 Tests, chairman of selectors, MCC President and was knighted in 1986. He died aged 87 in 1989 at a flat close to Lords.
So, on the eve of Sam Robson’s third Test, what a cursed group of cricketers he has joined!
Let’s wish him a more successful career for England and a happier life than most of this bunch.
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