Charles Bannerman
The Australian batsman who etched his name into cricket history by scoring the very first run and first century in Test match cricket.
1851–1930 (age 79)·Australian cricketer·Birthday: July 3
Biography
Charles Bannerman didn't just play in the first Test match; he *was* the first Test match. On a March afternoon in 1877 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the English-born, Australian-raised right-hander took strike to Alfred Shaw's first ball. The run he scored from it entered the ledger as the inaugural run in Test cricket history. What followed was a performance of such dominance it defined the occasion. Battling a fierce English attack, Bannerman crafted a brilliant 165, the first Test century ever made, before retiring hurt with a split finger. His score constituted over two-thirds of Australia's total—a record percentage that still stands. Though his international career was brief, curtailed by business commitments and injury, that one immortal innings secured his legacy. In later years, he served as a first-class umpire, a quiet presence on the field where he had once made such a monumental noise.
#1 When Charles Was Born
The biggest hits of 1851
Charles's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1851Born
1856Started school
1864Became a teenager
President: Abraham Lincoln
1867Could drive
President: Andrew Johnson
1869Could vote
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1872Turned 21
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1881Turned 30
President: Chester A. Arthur
1891Turned 40
President: Benjamin Harrison
1901Turned 50
Queen Victoria dies, ending the Victorian era
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1911Turned 60
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 in New York
President: William Howard Taft
1921Turned 70
First commercial radio broadcasts
President: Warren G. Harding"My Man" — Fanny Brice
1930Died at 79
Pluto discovered
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,510President: Herbert Hoover"Body and Soul" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: All Quiet on the Western Front
Key Achievements
- Scored 165 in the first-ever Test match in 1877, the inaugural Test century.
- His score represented 67.34% of Australia's total in that innings, a Test record that still stands.
- He made the very first run in Test cricket history.
Did You Know?
He was born in England but emigrated to Australia with his family as a young child.
He retired hurt during his historic 165 after a ball split his finger.
After his playing days, he umpired 12 first-class matches.
“That first run was just a single, but it opened the innings for a nation.”
