One-Test wonder

In cricket, a one-Test wonder is usually a cricketer who is only selected for one Test match during his career and never represents his country again. This is not necessarily due to a poor performance and can be for numerous reasons, such as injury or strong competition from other players.^[1][2][3] The term is also used in rugby.^[4]

More rarely, the term may refer to a player who has played in more than one Test, but was very successful only once. Examples include the bowlers Narendra Hirwani of India^[5] and Bob Massie of Australia,^[6] both of whom took eight wickets in each innings of their debut matches, but then failed to live up to their early promise.

Notable examples[]

As of May 2021, there have been 453 players who have only played one Test match.^[7][8] Some of the best performances by these players are:

• Andy Ganteaume, who scored 112 for the West Indies in his only Test innings in 1948, and so has one of the highest Test batting averages of all time.^[9]
• Rodney Redmond is the only other player to have scored a century in his only Test, scoring 107 and 56 while opening the batting for New Zealand in 1973.^[10]
• West Indian Vic Stollmeyer, brother of Jeff Stollmeyer, scored 96 in his only Test in 1939.^[11]
• Mick Malone took five wickets in an innings and scored 46 in his only Test for Australia in 1977, leaving him with a bowling average of 12.83 and a batting average of 46, before joining World Series Cricket.
• Stuart Law scored 54 not out in his only Test innings for Australia in 1995, leaving him without a Test average as he was not required to bat in the second innings.^[12]
• Gobo Ashley took 7 for 95 for South Africa in the only opposition innings of his single Test in 1889.^[13]
• Charles Marriott recorded match figures of 11 for 96 (5 for 37 and 6 for 59) in his only Test for England in 1933.^[14][15] No other bowler has taken more than ten wickets in his only Test.^[16]
• Among wicket-keepers, Indian player Rajindernath made four stumpings in his only Test in 1952, but was not called on to bat.^[17]

Other notable occurrences of players' only test are:

• Ed Joyce played in Ireland's first Test match in May 2018, and announced his retirement from all cricket one week later.^[18]
• Andy Lloyd scored 10 runs (not out) for England in his only test against the West Indies, in June 1984, before being struck on the head (helmeted), by a short-pitched delivery from Malcolm Marshall. Although subsequently recovering from the injury, he never played for his national team again.
• Darren Pattinson is an unusual one-Test wonder in that he played a single Test for England, while his brother James Pattinson had a more successful Test career with Australia.

Instances of one-Test wonders are reasonably common: about one in eight Test cricketers are picked only once for their country.^[1] Occasionally, one-Test wonders have been recalled to Test cricket after a gap of several years. One example was Ryan Sidebottom, who was recalled for his second Test in 2007 after his debut in 2001.^[19] Coincidentally his father, Arnie Sidebottom, was a one-Test wonder.^[20]

As of May 2007, fourteen one-Test wonders have also played in a single One Day International for their team.^[16]

References[]

External links[]

• Ultimate One-Test wonder, Cricinfo, 31 December 2005