England in Australia 1911-12

The tour of the MCC's team in Australia was, in a cricket sense, a triumphant success. the Englishmen won the rubber of five Test matches by four to one. Mr P. F. Warner was chosen to captain the side, but after scoring 151 in the opening match against South Australia he had a serious illness, and could take no further part in the tour, the leadership devolving on Mr Douglas, who, after the first Test match, proved himself an excellent captain.

Mr Warner wrote in the Westminster Gazette: "The team had some rare batting triumphs, but the batting never struck me as being relatively so good as the bowling and general out-cricket. Of our bowlers, Foster and Barnes achieved wonders. Finer bowling than theirs I have never seen on hard, true wickets. In the Test matches they took 66 wickets (Barnes 34, Foster 32) out of the 95 that fell.

"I have long since exhausted my vocabulary of praise in favour of Rhodes and Hobbs, and thanks in a very large degree to their superlative work, our batting was eminently successful. In innings after innings they gave us a wonderful start. Gunn batted most consistently, while Woolley played a great innings in the final Test, and is a beautiful batsman. I would as soon see him bat as anyone in the world.

"Every man was animated by one thought - the honour of English cricket - and we are proud and happy to have returned victorious. The knockdown blow I suffered has been to a large extent compensated for by the success of my men, for it is something to have taken two teams to Australia which on both occasions returned unconquered."

Match reports for

1st Test: Australia v England at Sydney, Dec 15-21, 1911
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2nd Test: Australia v England at Melbourne, Dec 30, 1911 - Jan 3, 1912
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3rd Test: Australia v England at Adelaide, Jan 12-17, 1912
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4th Test: Australia v England at Melbourne, Feb 9-13, 1912
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5th Test: Australia v England at Sydney, Feb 23-Mar 1, 1912
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