Seven centuries.... Aussie Stan McCabe the star

By A.C. De Silva

CRICKET: Batting at its best. Those four words aptly describes what was served up in the amazing first Test between England and Australia at Trent Bridge, Nottingham in 1938.

It is unbelievable, but true that seven centuries, six separate batting records, and one of the greatest Test innings of all time was recorded in this Test.

For four-days spectators watched on orgy of making runs almost without parallel in Test cricket. In that time 1,496 runs were amassed for the loss of only 24 wickets. Yet at the end of the match, the mood of the players and public alike was one of frustration rather than elation for despite so much attractive cricket, it had all ended tamely in a draw.

From that moment on, then, four-day Tests were numbered and the thousands of fans who complain today that five-day Tests are too slow can lay the blame partly on the shoulders of the men who helped make that Nottingham match so memorable!

First there was Wally Hammond. His contribution to England's score was a modest 26, but by winning the toss and electing to bat first, he stuck a tremendous blow for his side. The pitch was a real "featherbed" and England's openers, Charlie Barnett and Len Hutton, lost no time in exploiting it to the full.

Bowlers flogged

Although Barnett should have been out twice in the first ten minutes, being dropped once and then playing on without disturbing the bails, he shrugged of these escapes and, abetted by Hutton, flogged the Australian attack. In the first session they put on 169, Barnett missing a century before lunch by two runs. When he finally went for 126, the partnership was worth 219 - the highest ever recorded by an opening pair in a Test in England - and the foundation had been laid for a mammoth total.

Hutton, a 21-year-old Test newcomer, continued to bat with the poise of a veteran, and he raced through the nineties to his coveted century.

When he was out without addition to his score and O'Reilly got rid of Edrich and Hammond, the Australian bowlers smiled for the first time in the match. From 219/0, England were now 281 for 4.

But then Denis Compton, another Test debutant, joined Eddie Paynter and in four hours they gave the bowlers a repeat of the hiding handed out by Barnett and Hutton.

Record stand

In a record fifth wicket stand they added 206, of which Compton got 102 - thus setting another record as the first time in a Test two players had scored a century while making their debut.

By the time Hammond decided to close, the total had reached 658 - England's highest ever - and Paynter was 216 not out.

Footsore and weary, the Australians set about saving the match, but at stumps on that Saturday evening with three wickets down for 138 and Bradman out, most critics agreed that, that the odds favoured England, especially as the pitch was showing signs of wear. When Australia's score tumbled to 194 for 6 wickets on the Monday morning, it looked as though only a second innings stand by Bradman could stave off defeat.

Stand McCabe was still there, but only mopping up operations were needed, it seemed, to finish off his tail-end partners and keep Australia's first innings total down around 250.

This would leave Australia still over 400 runs in arrears and give England about nine hours to get them out again.

But, the old cliche about "glorious uncertainty" of cricket might have been coined for what transpired in the next three hours. Relishing the situation, McCabe, who had already played two of the greatest innings in Test cricket (187 not out in Sydney in the 1932 "bodyline" series and 189 not out against South Africa at Johannesburg in 1935) proceeded to add a third that was possibly the most amazing of them all.

While his partners kept an end going, he set about taming the English attack in the finest display of hitting ever seen at Trent Bridge.

All bowling was alike to McCabe by now. Hooking, cutting and driving with equal ease, he took his own score past 150 and carried Australia's total over 300.

All out attack

When the ninth wicket fell at 334, Australia were still in serious trouble, 324 runs behind. Only Fleetwood - Smith was left to help him now, and not even the spin bowler's best friends would have classed him as anything more than a "rabbit" with the bat.

In a furious 10th wicket partnership, the Australians added 77 runs in 28 minutes - 72 of them by McCabe. Finally, with the total at 411, McCabe tried to hit Verity out of the ground and was caught in the covers after a spectacular innings of 232 (one six, 30 fours) made in only 235 minutes. He had knocked-up his runs - his highest Test score, and another record for the match - out of 300 scored while he was at the wicket, and had not given a single chance before his dismissal.

McCabe did not save the follow-on for Australia, but his effort was the most glorious failure in the annals of cricket.

Hopes crushed

Although the wicket was starting to break-up, the Australians - inspired by McCabe's epic innings - never gave the Englishmen, the slightest hope of winning the match when they followed-on.

When Jack Fingleton went for 40, Bradman joined Bill Brown and added 170 runs in a stubborn second wicket stand that crushed England's hopes of victory. McCabe brought the game back to life briefly with a hard-hitting 39, but once he went it was Bradman who dominated the final sessions, batting over six hours in a most uncharacteristic display for his 144 not out in Australia's total of 427 for 6 wickets.

With Brown's 133, this brought the total of centuries for the match to seven (including two double centuries) - easily a Test record then with such a lot of good batting, there were large crowds at the match and gate receipts for the match were Sterling Pound 8,060 - another Test record for England at that time.

It will be a long time before seven countries are scored in a Test match again - if at all!