Flashback: The first cricketer to play 100 Tests
Test cricket is the ultimate format in the sport of cricket. A player dreams of donning the white jersey and playing the purest format in his career. But reaching a century of matches in something extraordinary and exceptional. Many great players have featured in over 100 Tests but Colin Cowdrey was the first one to do so.
Former England cricketer Cowdrey wrote his name in the history books when he became the first-ever player to appear in 100 Test games. He achieved this feat against Australia in the third of the five-match Ashes series at Edgbaston in Birmingham in 1968.
If this milestone wasn’t enough, Cowdrey registered one more spectacular feat in the same Test as the right-handed batter also became the first player to smash a hundred in the 100th Test. England batted first and Cowdrey, who was also the skipper of the side, stuck 104 off 247 with the help of 15 fours. He is one of the nine players in the history of the format to slam a century in the landmark match.
His record was then achieved by Pakistan’s Javed Miandad 21 years later against India in 1989. A total of 71 cricketers have featured in 100 games and Cowdrey was the first one to do so. His countryman Geoffrey Boycott was the second player to reach the landmark of a century of matches.
Having made his debut way back in 1954, Cowdrey’s last appearance in Tests came against Australia in the year 1975 as he ended up his career by scoring 7624 runs in 114 games. He slammed 22 tons and 38 fifties in 188 inns at an average of 44.06 with the highest score of 182 in his 21-year-long career. Cowdrey’s only ODI appearance came against Australia in Melbourne in 1971.
