Ten Cricketers Who Played Their First And Last Test At the Same Venue

The stars have to be aligned perfectly for any cricketer to feature at the same venue in their first and the final Test. It doesn’t matter whether the prospect has a compelling record in that ground or enjoyed a promising debut. Coming back to the setting where it all began for them has to be one of their most memorable moments.

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The air completely changes when the player strides out to fulfil their duties for one last time. And especially if the one is the athlete’s home ground, they find themselves greeted with sumptuous reception and applause. Additionally, the players’ family members may also be present at the scene to commemorate the occasion.

We take a look at ten cricketers who played their first and last Test at the same venue:

Ricky Ponting – WACA, Perth:

The former Australian captain was not only one of the greatest skippers but also batsmen of his time. Ponting was known for taking the attack to the opposition from the get-go. With over 13000 runs in both Tests and ODIs in 168 and 375 games respectively, he is Australia’s highest run-getter and was a significant figure during their dominant period.

The Tasmanian burst into the international scene in 1995, making his Test debut at the WACA in Perth. He scored a flamboyant 96 against Sri Lanka in his first appearance in whites for Australia. However, the 45-year old could manage scores of only 4 and 8 in his final Test against South Africa, which was also at the WACA. In the picturesque venue, Ponting has 965 runs in 17 Tests with one century and six fifties.

Brett Lee – Melbourne Cricket Ground

Arguably one of the fastest bowlers to have played the game, Brett Lee rattled the most comfortable batsmen with his menacing pace. While the likes of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne threatened the batsmen cunningly, Lee treated them with raw speed. The New South Wales bowled his fastest ball in Tests of 157.4 kph against South Africa in 2002.

In his first-ever Test at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground against India in 1999, Lee took a fifer. He followed his five-wicket burst with another two wickets as the hosts stood triumphant. But the pacer’s red-ball international career couldn’t go beyond 76 Tests due to a fragile body. In Lee’s final Test at the MCG against South Africa in 2008, he couldn’t pick up a single wicket. The 43-year old’s 34 out of 310 Test wickets have come at the ‘G’.

Dale Steyn – St. George’s Park, Port Elizabeth

Unquestionably, one of the best bowlers of this generation, Dale Steyn had everything in his armoury to trouble the batsmen. Not only he excelled in home conditions, but also decoded the knack of picking wickets in sub-continent decks. With 439 wickets in 93 Test matches, Steyn is the highest wicket-taker for the Proteas.

Nevertheless, the speedster didn’t have a flourishing start to his career at St. George’s Park in Port Elizabeth, which also happens to be his home ground. The 36-year old managed to pick up only three wickets at nearly five runs an over against England in his debut in 2003. Steyn finished wicketless in his final Test in 2019 and retired from the format after a few months, owing to frequent injuries. His wickets-tally at the venue amounts to 21 in six Tests with a solitary five-wicket haul.

Graeme Smith – Newlands, Cape Town

Graeme Smith has been an integral figure in South Africa’s rise in international cricket after the infamous match-fixing saga in 2000. Thus far, Smith is the most successful captain in Test matches with 53 victories from 109 fixtures. As both leader and batsman, Graeme Smith has played a significant role in Proteas’ multiple Test series victories in venues like Australia and England.

The southpaw made his Test debut back in 2002 against Australia in Cape Town. He made scores of 3 and 68 in a losing effort. Not only the former captain played his final Test at the same venue in 2014 but also against the same opposition. The Johannesburg-born cricketer managed numbers of 5 and 3 in his retirement game. The 117-Test veteran has an imposing record with 1363 out of his 9265 runs at the Newlands in 17 matches.

Jacques Kallis – Kingsmead, Durban

Jacques Kallis is counted amongst the best all-rounders alongside the likes of Gary Sobers, Richard Hadlee, Imran Khan, Kapil Dev, and Ian Botham. Thus far, Kallis is the only player to have scored 10000 runs and taken 250 wickets in both ODIs and Tests. In whites, the all-rounder is the third-highest run-getter with 13289 runs in 166 games.

Kallis’ debut took place at the Kingsmead, Durban back in 1995 against England. The match ended in a draw as the debutant could manage only a single. But he finished his career with a flourish in Durban, scoring a century in the first innings as the hosts beat India by ten wickets. At the Kingsmead, the 44-year old also heads the run-scoring charts with 1266 runs in 16 games.

Paul Harris – Newlands, Cape Town

A tall spin-bowler, Paul Harris burst into the international arena in 2007 and supposedly came for another left-armer, Nicky Boje. The Zimbabwean-born spinner moved to South Africa and made his debut for the Nashua Titans in 1998/99. Harris holds the record for taking 49 wickets in a single domestic season.

The left-arm spinner played the first of his 37 Tests in Cape Town against India in 2007. He took five wickets in his first Test, including four in the first innings. There followed a short burst of performances after that; however, his career could never get a massive lift. Four years later, at the same venue and against the same opposition, the 41-year old featured in his final game for Proteas in whites, going wicketless.

Matt Prior – Lord’s Cricket Ground, London

A quintessential Test keeper-batsman, Matt Prior became the bedrock of the English team that climbed the Test rankings for a brief period. His efforts in the 2010-11 Ashes series were exemplary, scoring 252 runs at 50.40 and affecting 23 dismissals. Prior holds the record for the second-most number of dismissals by an English gloveman in whites after Alan Knott with 256 of them.

The South African-born enjoyed a dream start to his Test career, scoring a century at the Lord’s in 2007 against West Indies. Despite a batting average of 40 in 79 Tests, Prior hasn’t played red-ball cricket for England since 2014. The Lord’s match in 2014 against India was his final in which he could contribute only 23 and 12. The emergence of candidates like Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow made it difficult for the veteran to make a comeback.

Andrew Strauss – Lord’s Cricket Ground, London

Andrew Strauss was one of the most successful captains for England. Strauss’ most significant achievement as the skipper was retaining the Ashes in 2010-11 in Australia by 3-1 after 31 years. As a player, the South African-born was part of the Ashes victories in 2005 and 2009. Post that, the Englishmen also leapt to the top of the ICC Test rankings, overthrowing India under his leadership.

As a batsman, Strauss had a compact technique, strong on all sides of the wicket. His Test debut in 2004 at the Home of Cricket against New Zealand was a highly fulfilling one. Not only the southpaw made a century in his first innings but also crafted a century as an opener, nailing a target of 250 plus comfortably.

But during the home series against South Africa, the skipper’s place came under doubt due to lack of runs. The 43-year old played his 100th and last game at the Lord’s against the Proteas, managing 20 and 1 in a losing effort. The hosts lost their number one ranking as well as the series by 2-0. Nevertheless, the left-handed batsman’s 1562 runs out of 7037 Test runs at 52.06 came at the famous venue.

Shane Warne – Sydney Cricket Ground

It’s none other than Shane Warne, who is the finest exponent of leg-spin in the modern era. As a leg-spinner with plenty of deadly variations, Warne tamed batsmen at will, his favourite opponent being England. His 708 Test wickets in 145 fixtures are the second-most in the world and the most by an Australian bowler.

The Victorian’s debut came at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 1992 against India, which wasn’t as promising. The leggie could snap only one wicket at the cost of 150 runs. However, 15 years later, when he retired, Warne was the highest wicket-taker in the world.

Along with Damien Martyn, Justin Langer, and McGrath, Warne also hung up his boots after Australia thrashed England by 5-0 in Sydney to reclaim the urn. In Sydney, the 50-year old has 64 wickets in 14 Tests with four fifer and two ten-wicket hauls.

Ramnaresh Sarwan – Kensington Oval, Barbados

West Indian batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan was one of the classiest batsmen to watch. Along with Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the right-handed batsman carried the hopes of their side during uncertainties. He is also one of the few batsmen, who slammed four centuries in the fourth innings during his Test career.

The Guyanese had a promising start to his red-ball career, scoring 84 and 11 in Barbados against Pakistan. Sadly, Sarwan’s final Test in 2011 at the same venue against India could yield only 26 runs across two innings. In 11 matches at the Kensington Oval, the 39-year old has 752 runs with a high score of 291. Overall, he managed 5842 runs in 87 Tests at 40.01.

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