Test cricket, we’ve got your number

The number 45 bodes well for cricket today Fortyfive years ago to the day Australia beat England by 45 runs to win the 1977 Centenary Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground MCG the exact margin of their victory over the old enemy in the firstever Test match held 100 years ago in March 1877The Centenary Test made for a thrilling game of cricket with either side in with a chance to win it on the final day It had an odd ring to it too The first two innings saw only 233 runs being scored but the next two totalled 836With every living player from either side invited to witness the Test and the majority of them making it on special flights out of the United Kingdom and the various Australian states Melbourne was the place to be in for a cricket loverAnd every playing member ndash from Amiss to Woolmer of England and Chappell to Walters on the Australian team sheet wanted to look their best as it were on a stage which could hold nothing less than top quality cricketThe preTest ceremonies involved a parade of Australian and England captains with 87yearold Jack Ryder leading the way for the hosts England had Bob Wyatt 76 whose side bore the brunt of Don Bradmanrsquos 758 runs in the 1934 series Tony Greig won the toss and sent Australia in something that went against convention amongst the most traditional practitioners of the game in the pavilion But Greigrsquos decision appeared sound with half the Australian side dismissed for 57 by lunch all out for 138 just after teaAmong the batsmen dismissed was opener Rick McCosker who was hit on the jaw by Bob Willis and the ball deflected on to his stumps The bandaged New South Welshman came out to bat in the second innings to help the recentlydeceased Rod Marsh become the first Australian wicketkeeper to score a Test century against England There is a bracket on the scoresheet to indicate that McCosker came out to bat at No10 and 25 in 85 minutes is the score etched against his name as Marsh got to his hundredThat was on Day Four when Chappell set England a 463run target and gave them 11 hours to get it Bad light brought an end to the fourth dayrsquos play with England needing another 272 runs for victory with only Bob Woolmer and future captain Mike Brearley back in the pavilion Derek Randall and Dennis Amiss had put on an unconquered 78 for the third wicket with Keith Fletcher Greig and Alan Knott to follow Amiss had a torrid time against Lillee while Randall used his penchant to chat to himself and others as fuel to carry onldquoHe is certainly an interesting character with a great temperament and attitude for Test cricket and is obviously training for the day when hersquos finished playing as a ballbyball commentator for the BBCrdquo wrote Chappell in the book The 100th SummerThe funny side of Randall showed up in the first innings as well when he picked himself from the ground after ducking a Lillee bouncer only to doff his England cap to the pace demonThere was some splendid sportsmanship too mdash displayed by Marsh when the wicketkeeper signalled that he had not cleanly taken a faint edge off Randallrsquos flashing bat despite umpire Tom Brooks raising his fingerFrom that lsquoescapersquo at 161 Randall went on to reach 174 in 446 minutes before Cosier caught him at short leg while Chappell bowled Amiss for 64 off a ball that kept low Lillee who had sent back Brearley and Fletcher added Knott Old and Underwood to his tally with OrsquoKeeffe accounting for Greig and Randall The England innings ended with Knott being trapped leg before by a rampaging Lillee who claimed his 11th wicket for the Test He wasnrsquot denied much that day except an autograph by the Queen she met the teams at tea time on the final day who politely declined to sign his autograph bookldquoNot nowrdquo she is reported to have said to LilleeThe Centenary Test was a heavyweight contest England were smarting from their two consecutive 197475 and 1975 Ashes loses And Greig who assumed the captaincy in 1975 was itching to get back at Australia to such an extent that he looked forward to success in the Centenary Test more than he did for the preceding Test series in India Some may call these warped priorities but then they didnrsquot tag the event The Test of the Century for nothingmiddayrsquos group sports editor Clayton Murzello is a purist with an open stanceHe tweets ClaytonMurzello Send your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individualrsquos and donrsquot represent those of the paper