South African cricket team in England in 1924

The South African cricket team toured England in the 1924 season to play a five-match Test series against England.

England won the series 3-0 with 2 matches drawn.

The South African squad

On 3 January 1924, the selectors named a 15-man squad for the tour of England. Billy Zulch was considered the most notable omission although he had only recently returned to playing cricket during the 1923-24 Currie Cup. Before leaving South Africa, captain Herbie Taylor indicated that Sid Pegler would be given a chance on the tour despite him not being in the original squad selection.

The squad set sail from Cape Town on 4 April aboard the Arundel Castle, arriving in Southampton on 21 April.

Name	Birth date	Domestic team	Batting Style	Bowling Style	Test caps
Batsmen
Herbie Taylor (c)	(1889-05-05)5 May 1889 (aged 34)	Natal	Right-handed	Right arm unknown	19
Bob Catterall	(1900-07-10)10 July 1900 (aged 23)	Rhodesia	Right-handed	Right arm medium	5
Mick Commaille (vc)	(1883-02-21)21 February 1883 (aged 41)	Western Province	Right-handed	—	5
Nummy Deane	(1895-07-21)21 July 1895 (aged 28)	Transvaal	Right-handed	—	0
Philip Hands	(1890-03-18)18 March 1890 (aged 34)	Western Province	Right-handed	Right arm unknown	6
George Hearne	(1888-03-27)27 March 1888 (aged 36)	South Western Districts	Right-handed	—	2
Dave Nourse	(1879-01-25)25 January 1879 (aged 45)	Natal	Left-handed	Left arm medium	40
Wicket-keepers
Fred Susskind	(1891-06-08)8 June 1891 (aged 32)	Transvaal	Right-handed	—	0
Tommy Ward	(1887-08-02)2 August 1887 (aged 36)	Transvaal	Right-handed	—	18
All-rounder
Jimmy Blanckenberg	(1893-12-31)31 December 1893 (aged 30)	Natal	Right-handed	Right arm medium	13
Bowlers
George Bissett	(1905-11-05)5 November 1905 (aged 18)	Griqualand West	Right-handed	Right arm fast	0
Claude Carter	(1881-04-23)23 April 1881 (aged 43)	Natal	Right-handed	Slow left arm orthodox	7
Cec Dixon	(1891-02-12)12 February 1891 (aged 33)	Transvaal	Right-handed	Right arm medium	1
Doug Meintjes	(1890-06-09)9 June 1890 (aged 33)	Transvaal	Right-handed	Right arm fast-medium	2
Buster Nupen	(1902-01-02)2 January 1902 (aged 22)	Transvaal	Right-handed	Right arm fast-medium	6
Sid Pegler	(1888-07-28)28 July 1888 (aged 35)	Transvaal	Right-handed	Right arm medium, Legbreak	11

• The ages and Test caps are as at the start of the tour (3 May 1924).

George Parker (24) also played three first-class matches (including the first two Tests) and Aubrey Faulkner (42) played one match, the Third Test. The manager was George Allsop, who had held the role on three previous tours of England.

Test series summary

First Test

14–17 June 1924 (3-day match) Scorecard

England	v	South Africa
438 (124 overs) JB Hobbs 76 GM Parker 6/152 (37 overs)		30 (12.3 overs) HW Taylor 7 AER Gilligan 6/7 (6.3 overs)
		390 (f/o) (143.4 overs) RH Catterall 120 AER Gilligan 5/83 (28 overs)

England won by an innings and 18 runs Edgbaston, Birmingham Umpires: HR Butt and W Reeves

• South Africa won the toss and elected to field.
• 15 June were taken as rest days.
• H Sutcliffe, APF Chapman, R Kilner, MW Tate and GEC Wood (all ENG), and MJ Susskind, HG Deane and GM Parker (all SA) made their Test debuts.
  
• Parker, an expatriate fast bowler from Cape Town then playing for Eccleshill in the Bradford League, was called up to strengthen the South African bowling and responded with six wickets.
• South Africa's score of 30 at Edgbaston is still the only completed innings in Test match history where no batsman reached double figures.
• The 75 balls in the South African 2nd innings is still the fewest balls in a completed Test match innings.

Second Test

28 June–1 July 1924 (3-day match) Scorecard

South Africa	v	England
273 (116 overs) RH Catterall 120 RK Tyldesley 3/52 (24 overs)		531/2d (118 overs) JB Hobbs 211 GM Parker 2/121 (24 overs)
240 (123.4 overs) MJ Susskind 53 RK Tyldesley 3/50 (36 overs)

England won by an innings and 18 runs Lord's, London Umpires: F Chester and HI Young

• South Africa won the toss and elected to bat.
• 29 June was taken as a rest day.
• RK Tyldesley (ENG) made his Test debut.
  
• The England score of 531-2d is the highest Test innings in which all who batted scored at least a half-century.
• Parker ended his third and final first-class match as the only South African Test cricketer not to play first-class cricket in his own country.
• The first of only five occasions where a side has lost only two wickets while winning a Test match.

Third Test

12–15 July 1924 (3-day match) Scorecard

England	v	South Africa
396 (116 overs) EH Hendren 132 SJ Pegler 4/116 (35 overs)		132 (51.3 overs) HW Taylor 59* MW Tate 6/42 (17 overs)
60/1 (22.2 overs) H Sutcliffe 29* J Blanckenberg 1/23 (10 overs)		323 (f/o) (127 overs) HW Taylor 56 RH Catterall 56 RK Tyldesley 3/63 (24 overs)

England won by 9 wickets Headingley, Leeds Umpires: W Reeves and AE Street

• England won the toss and elected to bat.
• 13 July was taken as a rest day.

Fourth Test

26–29 July 1924 (3-day match) Scorecard

South Africa	v	England
116/4 (66.5 overs) TA Ward 50 MW Tate 3/34 (24 overs)

Match drawn Old Trafford, Manchester Umpires: HR Butt and AE Street

• South Africa won the toss and elected to bat.
• 27 July was taken as a rest day.
• There was no play on the second or third days.
• JCW MacBryan, G Geary and G Duckworth (all ENG) made their Test debuts.

Fifth Test

16–19 August 1924 (3-day match) Scorecard

South Africa	v	England
342 (124 overs) RH Catterall 95 MW Tate 3/64 (29 overs)		421/8 (131 overs) EH Hendren 142 CP Carter 3/85 (23 overs)

Match drawn The Oval, London Umpires: HR Butt and F Chester

• South Africa won the toss and elected to bat.
• 17 August was taken as a rest day.

Further reading

• Bill Frindall, The Wisden Book of Test Cricket 1877-1978, Wisden, 1979
• Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 1925

External links

• South Africa in England, 1924 at Cricinfo
• South Africa in British Isles 1924 at CricketArchive
• South Africa to England 1924 at Test Cricket Tours