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Full name Norman Gordon
Born August 6, 1911, Boksburg, Transvaal
Current age 97 years 69 days
Major teams South Africa,Transvaal
Also known as Mobil
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm fast
Batting and fielding averages
Mat
Inns
NO
Runs
HS
Ave
100
50
6s
Ct
St
Tests
5
6
2
8
7*
2.00
0
0
0
1
0
First-class
29
31
10
109
20
5.19
0
0
8
0
Bowling averages
Mat
Inns
Balls
Runs
Wkts
BBI
BBM
Ave
Econ
SR
4w
5w
10
Tests
5
8
1966
807
20
5/103
7/162
40.35
2.46
98.3
0
2
0
First-class
29
7181
2803
126
6/61
22.24
2.34
56.9
8
0
Career statistics
Test debut
South Africa v England at Johannesburg, Dec 24-28, 1938 scorecard
Last Test
South Africa v England at Durban, Mar 3-14, 1939 scorecard
Test statistics
First-class span
1933/34 - 1948/49
Profile
Norman Gordon was unfortunate in that he broke into the South African side just before the war, and was too old by the time it ended. A right-arm quick, he made his debut for Transvaal in 1933-34 but took some time to find his feet as at that time the transition was being made from matting to turf wickets and he struggled to adapt. He played in all five Tests against England in 1938-39, bowling tirelessly in a series during which bat dominated ball. He conceded 100 runs in four innings, but was the leading wicket-taker on either side (20). At Durban, in the Timeless Test, he sent down 92.2 eight-ball overs (taking 1 for 256), and would almost certainly have toured England in 1940 where the conditions would have suited him. He was known as "Mobil", because he used to slick down his unruly hair with handfuls of Vaseline. Martin Williamson
