Frank Mann's England Win 2-1 in South Africa — 1922-23

South Africa, having played their first home Tests since the war in 1922-23 against Frank Mann's tourists, were still confined to matting-on-turf wickets. Their batsmen, especially Herbie Taylor, had spent a decade mastering the bounce. Their attack, however, was thin once Pegler tired.

MCC's selection of an attack-light, batting-heavy party was widely criticised before departure: with Hobbs unavailable and Sydney Barnes still refusing tours, the bowling rested on Alec Kennedy of Hampshire and the off-spin of George Macaulay. South Africa, captained by the silken-strokeplaying Herbie Taylor, played all five Tests on coconut-fibre matting laid over hard ground — surfaces that suited the home batsmen and the leg-spin of S.J. 'Sandy' Pegler.

The first Test at Johannesburg was won by South Africa by 168 runs, with Taylor making 176, the highest Test score by a South African to that point. England drew the second Test at Cape Town then took the third at Durban by an innings, Macaulay's 5 for 64 the decisive performance. The fourth Test at Johannesburg was drawn but England's experienced campaigner Phil Mead anchored the innings with 181. The fifth Test at Durban was won by England by 109 runs after a famous 95 by Mann himself, the only century of his short Test career falling just short.

Macaulay, a Yorkshire off-spinner of relentless accuracy, finished the series with 16 wickets at 19.0 and was the difference between the two attacks. South Africa's Pegler took 14 wickets but Taylor's brilliance with the bat — 582 runs at 64 — was alone among home performances. The 2-1 result came as a relief at Lord's, where the post-Armstrong nadir of English cricket had begun to look terminal.

“We came to find out whether South African cricket had grown up. We found that on its own ground it was very nearly our equal.”

Mann was retained as MCC's captain for the 1923 home season and South African tour the following English summer. Macaulay's reputation as a Test bowler was made; he would play in the home series of 1924. Taylor's 176 stood as a South African Test record until Dudley Nourse passed it after the Second World War.