11/13 Thomson, the first wicket-taker in ODI, is ‘no more’

November 13, 2022

Allan Thomson has played only one ODI match in his career.

However, this former Australian pacer became the owner of a unique milestone in that one match. He is the first wicket-taker bowler in the history of ODI cricket. Thomson died at the age of 76.

Thomson represented Australia in the 1970-71 Ashes. He also played in the first two matches. But in the third test in Melbourne, there was a setback. Where the rain did not allow to bowl a single ball. In such a situation, it was decided with the consent of the two teams to play one-day matches instead of Tests.

ODI cricket was born from there. At that time, however, the ODI match was of 40 overs. Cricket Scores: Where 8 balls were to be bowled for 1 over. On 5 January 1971, Thomson came to bowl in the second over of that match against England. Boycott returned to the dressing room giving a catch at square leg while pooling this right-handed pacer.

Thomson’s bowling analysis in the first ODI match in history was 1 wicket for 22 runs after bowling 8 overs. His team also won that match. Meanwhile, Thomson’s bowling was different with a strange action. That’s why all the batsmen of that time were very confused to play him.

Cricket world is mourned at Thomson’s death. Many have expressed grief on social media.

Thomson, who bowled with an unusual action where he delivered off the wrong foot, played four Tests in the elongated 1970-71 seven-Test Ashes series. He played in the first two Tests of that series in Brisbane and Perth, but was not selected to play in the New Year’s Test in Melbourne, which was abandoned without a ball bowled due to rain. He would go on to play the fifth and sixth Tests of the series but, before that, he made a bit of history.

As a result of all the bad weather cutting into the Melbourne Test, Australia and England played the world’s first ODI on January 5, at the MCG, and Thomson took the first wicket of the match, when he removed Geoff Boycott, who miscued a pull shot to Bill Lawry at square leg. He took 1 for 22 from his eight overs in the 40-over match that Australia won.

Thomson rose to prominence in Victoria in the late 1960s with his unusual action confounding batters in the Sheffield Shield as well as when he played touring international sides. In January 1969, he took 11 wickets for Victoria against the West Indies Test side.

He was a key figure in Victoria’s 1969-70 Shield triumph and toured New Zealand with an Australia B side at the end of that summer alongside Greg Chappell and Dennis Lillee. Thomson, Chappell and Lillee would all make their Test debuts the following summer against England. Thomson earned his Test cap after taking 9 for 181, including 6 for 80, for Victoria in a win over England in the lead-up to the first Test.

Thomson, known as “Froggy”, finished with 184 first-class wickets in 44 matches. He worked as a primary-school teacher during his first-class and brief international career, and was also a field umpire in the Victorian Football League.

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