Flashback: The first batsman to score two centuries in a Lord’s Test
For any player, scoring a century for his team in a Test match is one of the aspirations. Sometimes, the player continues his form in both the innings and slams a century in each of the innings. There have been many instances of a player hitting a hundred in both innings of a Test match.
But, do you know, who was the first-ever cricketer to score two centuries in a Lord’s Test? It was George Headley, the player who was given the name ‘The Black Bradman’ for his excellent batting skills. Headley achieved this major milestone in the test match against England in 1939. He was born on 30th May 1909 in Panama.
The historic Test
In the Lord’s Test played in 1939, the West Indies captain Rolph Grant elected to bat first after winning the toss. For the team, George Headley played a wonderful knock of 106 runs with the help of 13 fours. Apart from him, the opener batsman Jeffrey Stollmeyer also made a vital contribution of 59 runs including 3 fours. West Indies got all-out after scoring 277 runs in 81.4 overs. For England, Bill Copson picked up 5 wickets for 85 runs in 24 overs, while Bill Bowes took 3 wickets for 86 runs.
In response to the West Indies’ total, England opener Len Hutton struck a wonderful hundred, scoring 196 runs including 21 fours. Denis Compton, who came to bat at number 5, also played a fine knock of 120 runs with the help of 16 fours. England declared their first innings at a score of 404/5 in 95 overs.
West Indies were under pressure after conceding a big lead in the first innings, and again George Headley stood tall for the team and scored 107 runs. However, he did not get support from other batsmen, and the whole West Indies team got dismissed for 225 runs. Bill Copson again starred with the ball picking up 4 wickets for 67 runs.
England now needed to score just 99 runs in the fourth innings to win, and they did it comfortably. They won the match by 8 wickets, achieving the target in 17.7 overs. This meant that a historical performance by George Headley went in vain.
