Parsee cricket team in England in 1888

The Parsees made their second tour of England in 1888. The fifteen member team played mostly against amateur teams and was more successful than the tourists of 1886.

The second Parsee team played 31 matches, winning 8 and losing 11, a considerable improvement upon the performance of the 1886 team which won only one out of 28. As in the previous tour, none of the matches are deemed first class. The tour was arranged by Pestonji Kanga, D.C. Pandole and J.M. Divecha. The outstanding success of the tour was Mehellasha Pavri who some consider as the first great Indian cricketer. A fast round-arm bowler, he took 170 wickets at an average of 11.66. At Eastbourne, he is said to have sent a bail flying nearly 50 yards, and at Norfolk when he uprooted a stump, it flew nine yards and pitched itself the right way up. Cooper who scored 952 runs at 18.30 topped the run aggregate. The tour saw the first appearance of players like Dinshaw Writer and Nasarvanji Bapasola who were to earn prominence in the 1890s.

Against the Gentlemen of Eastbourne, Parsees were made to follow-on and led by 122 in the second innings. But Pavri claimed six wickets and Eastbourne was bowled out for 56. At Scarborough, the opponents who needed four runs to win in the last half-hour were restricted to just three. The tour started on 7 June and ended on 13 September.

Harvar and Morenas were the only players who were part of the 1886 team.

1. 7–8 June at Leyton : Gentlemen of Essex 447 Parsees 134 and 205 for 9

2. 12–13 June at Blackheath : Gentlemen of Kent 146 and 250 Parsees 243 and 61 for 7

3. 14–15 June at Richmond : Gentlemen of Richmond 225 Parsees 99 for 8

4. 18–19 June at Chiswick Park : Parsees 80 and 161 Gentlemen of West Middlesex 164 and 78 for 5

5. 22–23 June at The Oval : Gentlemen of Surrey 126 and 366 Parsees 113 and 79

6. 25–26 June at Southampton : Gentlemen of Hampshire 152 and 211 Parsees 137 and 116

7. 29–30 June at Brighton : Parsees 155 and 91 Gentlemen of Sussex 387

8. 3–4 July at Hastings : Gentlemen of Hastings 182 and 95 Parsees 145 and 133 for 1

9. 6–7 July at Portsmouth : Parsees 133 and 120 United Services 124 and 45 for 3

10. 9–10 July at Rochdale : Gentlemen of Rochdale 295 Parsees 54 for no loss

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