Full Name

John McCarthy Blackham

Born

May 11, 1854, North Fitzroy, Melbourne, Victoria

Died

December 28, 1932, Flinders Lane, Latrobe, Melbourne, Victoria, (aged 78y 231d)

Batting Style

Right hand Bat

Fielding Position

Wicketkeeper

By virtue of his capacities as a wicketkeeper in the very early days of Australian first-class cricket, Jack Blackham is widely reputed to have been one of the finest cricketers that his nation has ever produced. In an era in which the flimsy texture of wicketkeeping gloves provided little protection from the consistent pounding of balls into a wearer's hands, Blackham displayed extraordinary skill and it is said that he rarely failed to seize an opportunity to effect a dismissal in his position behind the wicket. He was so competent that he was regarded as Australia's first choice wicketkeeper for a period of no less than 18 years, occupying the role from the time of his country's first ever Test - in 1877. Unlike many of his peers or successors, Blackham was just as happy to stand up to the stumps to pace bowlers as he was to spinners. He was also a stubborn batsman in the lower order, and played many valuable innings. Of these, the 74 that he made against England in Sydney in 1894-85 stands out statistically, for it was both his own highest score and allowed him to join with Syd Gregory in delivering Australia what still remains its all time record Test partnership for the ninth wicket. As a reflection of his considerable ability, Blackham was named by Wisden as one of its Cricketers of the Year in 1891. More recently, he was honoured by being selected as one of the inaugural members of the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame.
John Polack

Jack Blackham Career Stats

Batting & Fielding

FormatMatInnsNORunsHSAve100s50s6sCtSt
Tests3562118007415.680403724
FC27544261639510916.78126-274181

Bowling

FormatMatInnsBallsRunsWktsBBIBBMAveEconSR4w5w10w
Tests35------------
FC275-31213821/8-69.002.65156.0-00
John McCarthy Blackham

Explore Statsguru Analysis

Test

Debut/Last Matches of Jack Blackham

Recent Matches of Jack Blackham

MatchBatWktDateGroundFormat
Victoria vs NSW23 & 0*0c/0s & 0c/0s25-Jan-1895SydneyFC
Australia vs England74 & 21c/1s & 0c/0s14-Dec-1894SydneyTest # 42
Victoria vs South Aust35* & 100c/0s & 0c/0s30-Nov-1894AdelaideFC
Victoria vs NSW12 & 9*0c/1s & 0c/0s26-Jan-1894SydneyFC
Victoria vs NSW11* & 121c/0s & 2c/1s23-Dec-1893MelbourneFC

Photos of Jack Blackham

The 1878 Australians
The 1893 Australian team to England
The Australian team in England, 1893
The Australian team in England,1888
Members of the Australian squad that toured England in 1878
Jack Blackham