Charles Bannerman's 165 Retired Hurt — First Test Century, March 1877

Bannerman had been born at Woolwich in Kent in 1851 and emigrated to Sydney as a child. He had made his name in NSW intercolonial matches in the early 1870s. Before the match he was already considered the leading professional batsman in the colonies.

Australia won the toss and elected to bat. Thompson and Bannerman walked out to face Alfred Shaw of Nottinghamshire, the most accurate medium-pace bowler in England.

Bannerman had opened the batting for the All-Australian XI alongside Nat Thompson. Thompson fell early to Allen Hill for one. Thereafter Bannerman dominated. He was strong off the back foot and on the drive, and the English attack — Shaw, Hill, Lillywhite, Southerton and Ulyett — had no answer on the firm MCG pitch. He brought up the first Test fifty before lunch on day one and the first Test hundred during the afternoon session, off Alfred Shaw. He was eventually forced to retire on 165 when a delivery from George Ulyett split the index finger of his right hand. He had batted for 285 minutes, hit 18 fours, and faced — by reconstructed estimates — about 165 four-ball overs. The next-highest score in Australia's 245 was 18, by wicketkeeper Jack Blackham. Bannerman's share of his side's total — 67.34% — has never been bettered by any Test centurion in nearly 150 years.

“He played as if he had been born to the new game.”

Bannerman did not bat in Australia's second innings. His finger healed in time for the rematch a fortnight later, in which he made 30 and 4. He played only two more Tests, struggling with health, and retired from first-class cricket in 1888. He umpired Test matches into his fifties.