Famous Cricketers No 58 - Trevor Bailey

1958/59 - M.C.C. in Australia After a run of non-stop English success the wheels came off with a vengeance in Australia in the winter of 1958/59. A revitalised Australian team led by Richie Benaud beat England 4-0 in the Test series, the winning margins being eight wickets, eight wickets, ten wickets and nine wickets. Bailey played in all five Tests, opening the innings in the second and third matches. He scored 200 runs at an average of 20. His highest score was the 68 he made at Brisbane in the second innings of the First Test going in first wicket down and batting for seven hours and thirty-eight minutes and scoring off only forty of the 426 balls he received. He was perhaps unfairly blamed in some quarters for this innings the defensive nature of which set the tone for England’s subsequent defeat, but it was not his fault if the stroke players failed at the other end. As a bowler he bowled only 75 overs in the Series taking 4 wickets at 64.75. He made a pair in the 5th Test at Melbourne in what was to prove his final Test appearance. It was a sad end to a great Test career. Although he was to score a further 11,266 first class runs and take a further 786 wickets, performing the Double four more times, he was never selected to play for England again. Own Team O M R W Opp Ct Total Total 403. M.C.C. v Western Australia, Perth, October 17, 18, 20, 21 (Match drawn) lbw b R.A.Gaunt 6 351 12 3 23 0 221 1 not out 34 146-4d 4 0 12 0 124-3 404. M.C.C. v Combined XI, Perth, October 24, 25, 27, 28 (Match drawn) b R.B.Strauss 17 349 9 2 26 0 260 not out 71 259-4 405. M.C.C. v South Australia, Adelaide, October 31, November 2, 3 (M.C.C. won by nine wickets) c D.Harris b J.W.Martin 11 245 5 1 18 0 165 1 did not bat - 115-1 - - - - 194 406. M.C.C. v Victoria, Melbourne, November 7, 8, 10, 11 (M.C.C. won by 87 runs) c L.V.Maddocks b L.F.Kline46 396 8 2 12 0 252 did not bat - 149-3d 10 1 36 2 J.H.Shaw lbw 206 I.R.Huntington b 407. M.C.C. v New South Wales, Sydney, November 14, 15, 17, 18 (Match drawn) not out 14 177 19 1 62 1 R.Benaud c and b 391-7d 2 c P.I.Philpott b R.Benaud 6 356-6 408. M.C.C. v Queensland, Brisbane, November 28, 29, December 1, 2 (Match drawn) c B.Fisher b R.R.Lindwall 33 151 21 8 28 1 P.J.P.Burge b 210 c B.Fisher b W.T.Walmsley 4 71-4 409. ENGLAND v AUSTRALIA, Brisbane, December 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 (Australia won by eight wickets) c A.T.W.Grout b R.Benaud 27 134 13 2 35 3 C.C.McDonald c T.W.Graveney 186 N.C.O’Neill c T.W.Graveney P.J.P.Burge c M.C.Cowdrey b K.D.Mackay 68 198 5 1 21 0 147-2 410. M.C.C. v Tasmania, Hobart, December (13), 15, 16 (Match drawn) b E.N.Richardson 5 229-7d - - - - 94-4 411. ENGLAND v AUSTRALIA, Melbourne, December 31, January 1, 2, 4, 5 (Australia won by eight wickets) c R.Benaud b I.Meckiff 48 259 16 0 50 0 308 c J.W.Burke b I.Meckiff 14 87 - - - - 42-2 412. ENGLAND v AUSTRALIA, Sydney, January 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15 (Match drawn) lbw b I.Meckiff 8 219 5 0 19 0 357 c sub b R.Benaud 25 287-7d - - - - 54-2 413. M.C.C. v New South Wales, Sydney, January 23, 24, 26, (27) (Match drawn) st D.A.Ford b J.W.Burke 54 303 18 6 40 2 J.W.Burke b 215 N.C.O’Neill b - - - - 44-0 414. ENGLAND v AUSTRALIA, Adelaide, January 30, 31, February 2, 3, 4, 5 (Australia won by ten wickets) b A.K.Davidson 4 240 22 2 91 1 J.W.Burke c M.C.Cowdrey 476 1 c A.T.W.Grout b R.R.Lindwall 6 270 - - - - 36-0 51