Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Michael Colin Cowdrey, Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born |
Ootacamund, Madras Presidency, British India |
24 December 1932|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Died | 4 December 2000 Littlehampton, West Sussex, England, UK |
(aged 67)|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Batting style | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bowling style | Right-arm leg spin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Role | Top Order Batsman | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Test debut (cap 379) | 26 November 1954 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last Test | 13 February 1975 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Only ODI (cap 2) | 5 January 1971 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1950–1976 | Kent | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1952–1975 | MCC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1952–1954 | Oxford University | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: CricInfo, 10 March 2017 |
Michael Colin Cowdrey, Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge, CBE (24 December 1932 – 4 December 2000) played for Oxford University Cricket Club (1952–54), Kent County Cricket Club (1950-76) and the England cricket team (1954–75). Better known as Colin Cowdrey, he "delighted crowds throughout the world with his style and elegance", and was the first cricketer to play 100 Test matches, celebrating the occasion with 104 against Australia in 1968. In all he played 114 Tests, making 7,624 runs at an average of 44.06, overtaking Wally Hammond as the most prolific Test batsman, and taking 120 catches as a fielder, breaking another Hammond record. Cowdrey made 22 Test centuries (an England record until 2013) and was the first batsman to make centuries against the six other Test playing countries of his era; Australia, South Africa, the West Indies, New Zealand, India and Pakistan, making hundreds against them all both home and away. He toured Australia six times in 1954-55, 1958-59, 1962-63, 1965-66, 1970-71 and 1974-75, equalling Colin Blythe's record, and in his last Test fans hung out a banner 'M.C.G. FANS THANK COLIN – 6 TOURS'.
In the First Test at Edgbaston in 1957 Cowdrey added 411 runs in 511 minutes with Peter May against the West Indies, the third highest stand in Test cricket at the time, the highest for the fourth wicket until 2009, the highest stand for England, and the highest stand against the West Indies. His highest first class score was 307 against South Australia on the MCC tour of Australia in 1962-63, the highest score for the Marylebone Cricket Club overseas and the highest by a tourist in Australia.