Ron Saggers
Encyclopedia
Ronald Arthur Saggers was an Australian cricket
er who played for New South Wales
. He played briefly for the Australian team
, playing six Tests
between 1948 and 1950. In his Test cricket career he made 24 dismissals (16 catches and 8 stumpings) and scored 30 runs at an average of 10.00.
As a wicket-keeper
, Saggers was "tidy and unobstrusive", and the understudy to Don Tallon
on the 1948 Australian tour of England. The touring party, led by Donald Bradman
in his last season, was nicknamed The Invincibles
and was widely regarded as one of the strongest ever. Saggers played in the Test match
at Headingley, where he took three catches, and his only other experience of Test cricket was on the tour to South Africa in 1949–50, in which Tallon did not take part. Saggers played in all five Tests and took 21 dismissals, but Tallon replaced him for the home Ashes
series against England the following season.
In domestic cricket, Saggers twice captained New South Wales in 1948 when the regular captain, Arthur Morris
, was playing for Australia, and overall played domestic cricket from 1939 until 1951.
suburb of Marrickville in 1917. He married Margaret Heather (née
Rankin) in Annandale
in 1941. Outside cricket, Saggers worked in the insurance industry.
debut against South Australia
at the Sydney Cricket Ground
half way through the season in January 1940. Selected as a specialist batsman—future Services player Stan Sismey
kept wicket—Saggers made 45 and 57 batting at number six
in his debut match, and went on to make two more first-class appearances before the end of the season, ending with 208 runs
at an average of 34.66 and three catches behind the stumps.
His first full season from 1940–1941 saw him play in eight matches, scoring 413 runs with the bat at 29.50 and passing fifty runs in an innings twice. His first match was away against Queensland
where he scored 22 and 45, making three stumpings, taking one catch and performing one run out, followed by scores of one and 33 in the home match, together with two stumpings. He scored 35 and four at home against Victoria
, and then 45 in the second innings of the away match. On 22 November 1940, barely a year into Saggers' career, New South Wales faced a combined Queensland-Victoria team at Brisbane
. Saggers scored 58 as his team reached 429 in response to the oppositions 202 all out. In the Queensland-Victoria team's second innings, where they reached 416, Saggers equalled the world record for most dismissals in an innings, taking seven catches. Saggers then went on to score 47 against South Australia, and 68 against Queensland on 1 January 1941. In his final match before the outbreak of World War II, Saggers scored 63 runs against South Australia
. He ended the season with 18 catches with the gloves and 13 stumpings.
(RAAF) on 6 December 1941 at Sydney
. He served at the Elementary Flight School as Leading Aircraftman
RA Saggers 421043, until his discharge on 29 July 1942, Saggers did not return to domestic cricket in Australia until 1945, however. In the 1945–1946 season, he played in seven matches, scoring 168 runs at 21.00 and taking 12 catches and five stumpings. He then suffered a drop in form with the bat; in 1946–1947 he scored only 176 runs at 17.60 from eight matches. However, he remained effective as a wicket-keeper with 16 catches and seven stumpings. His batting form returned in 1947–1948, scoring 298 runs from 10 matches at 27.09, reaching the 90s for the first time. He also enjoyed a very successful season with the gloves, a career high of 21 catches and four stumpings.
XI for Test trial matches and benefit
s, as well as continuing his career at New South Wales, scored 38 for the latter against Queensland. At the same time, he aided Jack Moroney
in his own comeback to cricket at New South Wales by suggesting he subtract three years from his age when he submitted his registration form. Overall in the 1948–1949 season he scored 300 runs from nine matches, his highest season total, at 25.00, and taking 21 catches and six stumpings. Following the South Africa tour of 1949–1950 he returned to Australia again for one final season from 1950–1951, however played only one match, scoring five runs and taking two catches. Through his entire first-class career of 77 appearances from 1939 until 1951, he was to make one century
in a tour match against Essex
and eight half-centuries for New South Wales, ending with 1,888 runs at an average of 23.89, together with 146 catches and 75 stumpings.
Saggers accompanied the 1948 Ashes tour to England as the reserve wicket-keeper behind the first choice, Tallon. In the first County
match against Leicestershire he scored six and took two catches, and against Cambridge University
he made two stumpings and took one catch. He then played in the match against Essex where Australia reached 721 runs. Saggers made his highest first-class score, 104 not out
—the only first-class century
of his career—in a partnership
of 166 runs in 65 minutes with Sam Loxton
. Loxton, along with Bill Brown
and Donald Bradman, also scored centuries. He then faced Oxford University
, scoring six runs and taking one catch, followed by 22 and a stumping at Lancashire, 17 and another stumping at Hampshire, 22 against Yorkshire, 12 and four stumpings against Surrey, and three more stumpings against Gloucestershire.
Saggers' Test
debut took place at Headingley
on 22 July 1948 during the Fourth Test of the Invincibles Ashes tour of England. England made 496 runs in their first innings, with Saggers taking catches to remove Denis Compton
for 23 and Jim Laker
for four. Australia replied with 458, however Saggers was stumped by England's wicket-keeper Godfrey Evans
off the bowling of Laker for only five runs. England's second innings reached 365 with Saggers taking one catch to secure the wicket of Ken Cranston
. However, an innings of 182 runs from Arthur Morris and 173 not out
from Bradman meant that Saggers was not required to bat again in the second innings; Australia defeating England by seven wickets. Saggers did not play in the remaining international matches of the 1948 Ashes series, and he ended the tour with 209 runs at an average of 23.22, including a career high score of 104 not out against Essex, 23 catches and 20 stumpings, also career records. In his book, Farewell to cricket, Bradman said of Saggers following the tour, "[he] had not quite the speed or agility of Tallon but could always be relied on for a solid performance. A most polished and unostentatious player."
, where he was Australia's first choice wicket-keeper for all five Test matches. In light of the successful 1948 tour of England, Saggers commented "give me South Africa now, but I wouldn't care to insure her future at double the rate I'd insure Australia's." In the first warm up match against Natal Saggers scored 17 and took four catches, and in the second against North Eastern Transvaal
he took one catch and made two stumpings, but was not needed to bat in either innings. He made 32 runs with three stumpings and three catches against the South African XI, made two stumpings but did not bad against the Orange Free State
, and then scored one and nought not out against the Transvaal.
The first Test match of the tour, on 24 December 1949 at Johannesburg
, saw him score 14 runs in the first innings before falling leg before wicket
(LBW) to Cuan McCarthy
, and taking three catches as South Africa were forced to follow on, Australia winning by an innings and 85 runs. In the Second Test at Cape Town
, Saggers did get a chance to bat, with Australia declaring
for 526 before he had the opportunity in the first innings. South Africa were forced to follow-on
(bat twice in a row) and were defeated by eight wickets. He did, however, complete three stumpings in South Africa's first innings off the bowling of Colin McCool
, along with four catches in the match. He also took two catches and completed one stumping in the Third Test, and made two runs in the first innings, though he did not bat in the second as Australia won by five wickets. The Fourth Test, again in Johannesburg, saw Saggers score five not out in the first innings and, though not being required to bat in the second innings as the match ended in a draw, taking two catches.
The Fifth Test was played at the Crusaders Ground at St. George's Park in Port Elizabeth on 3 March to 6 March 1950. Scoring four not out in the first innings, Saggers took two catches and completed four stumpings as South Africa were bowled out for 158 and 132 chasing Australia's first innings 549. With this innings and 259 run victory, Australia won the test series 4–0, however Saggers would not play for his national team again upon the return of Tallon. Saggers was caught once, stumped once and out leg before wicket
once but was never bowled in his international career. He ended his final year as an international player with 111 runs in first-class cricket overall at 13.87, taking 30 catches and 20 stumpings, both of which were the highest he attained in one calendar year. He was replaced again by Tallon, however his form in turn declined and he was replaced by Gil Langley
for the 1952 series against the West Indies. He retired from first class cricket in 1951, and died in Harbord, New South Wales in 1987.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er who played for New South Wales
New South Wales Blues
The New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
. He played briefly for the Australian team
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
, playing six Tests
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
between 1948 and 1950. In his Test cricket career he made 24 dismissals (16 catches and 8 stumpings) and scored 30 runs at an average of 10.00.
As a wicket-keeper
Wicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike...
, Saggers was "tidy and unobstrusive", and the understudy to Don Tallon
Don Tallon
Donald "Don" Tallon was an Australian cricketer who played 21 Test matches as a wicket-keeper between 1946 and 1953...
on the 1948 Australian tour of England. The touring party, led by Donald Bradman
Donald Bradman
Sir Donald George Bradman, AC , often referred to as "The Don", was an Australian cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time...
in his last season, was nicknamed The Invincibles
The Invincibles (cricket)
The Australian cricket team in England in 1948 was captained by Don Bradman, who was making his fourth and final tour of England. The team is famous for being the first Test match side to play an entire tour of England without losing a match. This feat earned them the nickname of The Invincibles,...
and was widely regarded as one of the strongest ever. Saggers played in the Test match
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
at Headingley, where he took three catches, and his only other experience of Test cricket was on the tour to South Africa in 1949–50, in which Tallon did not take part. Saggers played in all five Tests and took 21 dismissals, but Tallon replaced him for the home Ashes
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
series against England the following season.
In domestic cricket, Saggers twice captained New South Wales in 1948 when the regular captain, Arthur Morris
Arthur Morris
Arthur Robert Morris MBE is a former Australian cricketer who played 46 Test matches between 1946 and 1955. An opener, Morris is regarded as one of Australia's greatest left-handed batsmen. He is best known for his key role in Don Bradman's Invincibles side, which made an undefeated tour of...
, was playing for Australia, and overall played domestic cricket from 1939 until 1951.
Domestic career
Saggers was born in the SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
suburb of Marrickville in 1917. He married Margaret Heather (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Rankin) in Annandale
Annandale, New South Wales
Annandale is a suburb of Inner West Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Annandale is located within 3-5 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the Municipality of Leichhardt. Annandale's northern end lies on Rozelle Bay,...
in 1941. Outside cricket, Saggers worked in the insurance industry.
Early career
Saggers played twice for the New South Wales Colts team against Queensland Colts in 1937, before making his first-classFirst-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
debut against South Australia
Southern Redbacks
The South Australia cricket team, nicknamed the Southern Redbacks and known as the West End Redbacks due to their sponsorship agreement with local brewers West End, are an Australian first class cricket team based in Adelaide, South Australia, and represent the state of South Australia...
at the Sydney Cricket Ground
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
half way through the season in January 1940. Selected as a specialist batsman—future Services player Stan Sismey
Stan Sismey
Squadron Leader Stanley George Sismey was an Australian cricketer whose career highlight was commanding officer of the Australian Services XI during the Victory Tests of 1945. Sismey, although commanding officer of the side, was not the on-field captain. That honour was bestowed upon Test...
kept wicket—Saggers made 45 and 57 batting at number six
Batting order (cricket)
In cricket, the batting order is the sequence in which batsmen play through their team's innings, there always being two batsmen taking part at any one time...
in his debut match, and went on to make two more first-class appearances before the end of the season, ending with 208 runs
Run (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a run is the basic unit of scoring. Runs are scored by a batsman, and the aggregate of the scores of a team's batsmen constitutes the team's score. A batsman scoring 50 or 100 runs , or any higher multiple of 50 runs, is considered a particular achievement...
at an average of 34.66 and three catches behind the stumps.
His first full season from 1940–1941 saw him play in eight matches, scoring 413 runs with the bat at 29.50 and passing fifty runs in an innings twice. His first match was away against Queensland
Queensland Bulls
The Queensland cricket team, nicknamed the Bulls, are the Brisbane-based Queensland representative cricket team in Australia's domestic cricket tournaments:*Sheffield Shield, 4-day matches with first-class status, since the 1926/27 season...
where he scored 22 and 45, making three stumpings, taking one catch and performing one run out, followed by scores of one and 33 in the home match, together with two stumpings. He scored 35 and four at home against Victoria
Victorian Bushrangers
The Victorian cricket team, nicknamed the Bushrangers, is an Australian cricket team based in Melbourne, that represents the state of Victoria. It is administered by Cricket Victoria and draws its players from Melbourne's Premier Cricket competition...
, and then 45 in the second innings of the away match. On 22 November 1940, barely a year into Saggers' career, New South Wales faced a combined Queensland-Victoria team at Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
. Saggers scored 58 as his team reached 429 in response to the oppositions 202 all out. In the Queensland-Victoria team's second innings, where they reached 416, Saggers equalled the world record for most dismissals in an innings, taking seven catches. Saggers then went on to score 47 against South Australia, and 68 against Queensland on 1 January 1941. In his final match before the outbreak of World War II, Saggers scored 63 runs against South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. He ended the season with 18 catches with the gloves and 13 stumpings.
World War II
Between 1941 and 1942, Saggers' career was interrupted when he enlisted in the Royal Australian Air ForceRoyal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
(RAAF) on 6 December 1941 at Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. He served at the Elementary Flight School as Leading Aircraftman
Leading Aircraftman
Leading aircraftman Leading aircraftman (LAC) Leading aircraftman (LAC) (or leading aircraftwoman (LACW) is a rank in some air forces, between aircraftman and senior aircraftman and having a NATO rank code of OR-2. The rank badge is a horizontal two-bladed propeller....
RA Saggers 421043, until his discharge on 29 July 1942, Saggers did not return to domestic cricket in Australia until 1945, however. In the 1945–1946 season, he played in seven matches, scoring 168 runs at 21.00 and taking 12 catches and five stumpings. He then suffered a drop in form with the bat; in 1946–1947 he scored only 176 runs at 17.60 from eight matches. However, he remained effective as a wicket-keeper with 16 catches and seven stumpings. His batting form returned in 1947–1948, scoring 298 runs from 10 matches at 27.09, reaching the 90s for the first time. He also enjoyed a very successful season with the gloves, a career high of 21 catches and four stumpings.
Return
Saggers was in stronger form following his tour to England. On 10 December 1948, Saggers, included in AL Hassett'sLindsay Hassett
Arthur Lindsay Hassett MBE was a cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia. The diminutive Hassett was an elegant middle-order batsman, described by Wisden as, "... a master of nearly every stroke ... his superb timing, nimble footwork and strong wrists enabled him to make batting look a...
XI for Test trial matches and benefit
Benefit (sports)
A benefit or testimonial is a match or season of activities granted by a sporting body to a loyal sportsman to boost their income before retirement. Often this is in the form of a match for which all the ticket proceeds are given to the player in question.There have been occasions when a...
s, as well as continuing his career at New South Wales, scored 38 for the latter against Queensland. At the same time, he aided Jack Moroney
Jack Moroney
Jack Moroney was a slow-scoring Australian batsman who toured South Africa with success in 1949-50, making his maiden Test century. He failed in the First Test of the 1950-51 Ashes series, making a pair when Australia were reduced to 228 on a good batting wicket in the first innings and 32/7 on a...
in his own comeback to cricket at New South Wales by suggesting he subtract three years from his age when he submitted his registration form. Overall in the 1948–1949 season he scored 300 runs from nine matches, his highest season total, at 25.00, and taking 21 catches and six stumpings. Following the South Africa tour of 1949–1950 he returned to Australia again for one final season from 1950–1951, however played only one match, scoring five runs and taking two catches. Through his entire first-class career of 77 appearances from 1939 until 1951, he was to make one century
Century (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a batsman reaches his century when he scores 100 or more runs in a single innings. The term is also included in "century partnership" which occurs when two batsmen add 100 runs to the team total when they are batting together. A century is regarded as a landmark score for...
in a tour match against Essex
Essex County Cricket Club
Essex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
and eight half-centuries for New South Wales, ending with 1,888 runs at an average of 23.89, together with 146 catches and 75 stumpings.
The Invincibles
County cricket
County cricket is the highest level of domestic cricket in England and Wales. For the 2010 season, see 2010 English cricket season.-First-class counties:...
match against Leicestershire he scored six and took two catches, and against Cambridge University
Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
he made two stumpings and took one catch. He then played in the match against Essex where Australia reached 721 runs. Saggers made his highest first-class score, 104 not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
—the only first-class century
Century (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a batsman reaches his century when he scores 100 or more runs in a single innings. The term is also included in "century partnership" which occurs when two batsmen add 100 runs to the team total when they are batting together. A century is regarded as a landmark score for...
of his career—in a partnership
Partnership (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, two batsmen always bat in partnership, although only one is on strike at any time. The partnership between two batsmen will come to an end when one of them is dismissed or retires, or the innings comes to a close In the sport of cricket, two batsmen always bat in...
of 166 runs in 65 minutes with Sam Loxton
Sam Loxton
Samuel John Everett "Sam" Loxton OBE is a former Australian cricketer, footballer and politician. Among these three pursuits, his greatest achievements were attained on the cricket field; he played in 12 Tests for Australia from 1948 to 1951...
. Loxton, along with Bill Brown
Bill Brown (cricketer)
William Alfred "Bill" Brown, OAM was an Australian cricketer who played 22 Tests between 1934 and 1948, captaining his country in one Test. A right-handed opening batsman, his partnership with Jack Fingleton in the 1930s is regarded as one of the finest in Australian Test history...
and Donald Bradman, also scored centuries. He then faced Oxford University
Oxford University Cricket Club
Oxford University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team, representing the University of Oxford. It plays its home games at the University Parks in Oxford, England...
, scoring six runs and taking one catch, followed by 22 and a stumping at Lancashire, 17 and another stumping at Hampshire, 22 against Yorkshire, 12 and four stumpings against Surrey, and three more stumpings against Gloucestershire.
Saggers' Test
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
debut took place at Headingley
Headingley Stadium
Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie ....
on 22 July 1948 during the Fourth Test of the Invincibles Ashes tour of England. England made 496 runs in their first innings, with Saggers taking catches to remove Denis Compton
Denis Compton
Denis Charles Scott Compton CBE was an English cricketer who played in 78 Test matches, and a footballer...
for 23 and Jim Laker
Jim Laker
James "Jim" Charles Laker was a cricketer who played for England in the 1950s, known for "Laker's match" in 1956 at Old Trafford, when he took nineteen wickets in England's victory against Australia...
for four. Australia replied with 458, however Saggers was stumped by England's wicket-keeper Godfrey Evans
Godfrey Evans
Thomas Godfrey Evans CBE was an English cricketer who played for Kent and England.Described by Wisden as 'arguably the best wicket-keeper the game has ever seen', Evans collected 219 dismissals in 91 Test match appearances between 1946 and 1959 and a total of 1066 in all first-class matches...
off the bowling of Laker for only five runs. England's second innings reached 365 with Saggers taking one catch to secure the wicket of Ken Cranston
Ken Cranston
Kenneth "Ken" Cranston was an English cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Lancashire and eight times for England, in 1947 and 1948. He retired from playing cricket to concentrate on his career as a dentist....
. However, an innings of 182 runs from Arthur Morris and 173 not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
from Bradman meant that Saggers was not required to bat again in the second innings; Australia defeating England by seven wickets. Saggers did not play in the remaining international matches of the 1948 Ashes series, and he ended the tour with 209 runs at an average of 23.22, including a career high score of 104 not out against Essex, 23 catches and 20 stumpings, also career records. In his book, Farewell to cricket, Bradman said of Saggers following the tour, "[he] had not quite the speed or agility of Tallon but could always be relied on for a solid performance. A most polished and unostentatious player."
South Africa
Saggers' next Test came in the 1949 tour of South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, where he was Australia's first choice wicket-keeper for all five Test matches. In light of the successful 1948 tour of England, Saggers commented "give me South Africa now, but I wouldn't care to insure her future at double the rate I'd insure Australia's." In the first warm up match against Natal Saggers scored 17 and took four catches, and in the second against North Eastern Transvaal
Northerns cricket team
Northerns cricket team has played first-class cricket in South Africa since December 1937....
he took one catch and made two stumpings, but was not needed to bat in either innings. He made 32 runs with three stumpings and three catches against the South African XI, made two stumpings but did not bad against the Orange Free State
Orange Free State
The Orange Free State was an independent Boer republic in southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, and later a British colony and a province of the Union of South Africa. It is the historical precursor to the present-day Free State province...
, and then scored one and nought not out against the Transvaal.
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, saw him score 14 runs in the first innings before falling leg before wicket
Leg before wicket
In the sport of cricket, leg before wicket is one of the ways in which a batsman can be dismissed. An umpire will rule a batsman out LBW under a series of circumstances which primarily include the ball striking the batsman's body when it would otherwise have continued on to hit the batsman's...
(LBW) to Cuan McCarthy
Cuan McCarthy
-External links:****...
, and taking three catches as South Africa were forced to follow on, Australia winning by an innings and 85 runs. In the Second Test at Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, Saggers did get a chance to bat, with Australia declaring
Declaration and forfeiture
In the sport of cricket a declaration occurs when a captain declares his team's innings closed and a forfeiture is when a captain chooses to forfeit an innings. Declaration and forfeiture are covered in Law 14 of the Laws of cricket...
for 526 before he had the opportunity in the first innings. South Africa were forced to follow-on
Follow-on
Follow-on is a term used in the sport of cricket to describe a situation where the team that bats second is forced to take its second batting innings immediately after its first, because the team was not able to get close enough to the score achieved by the first team batting in the first innings...
(bat twice in a row) and were defeated by eight wickets. He did, however, complete three stumpings in South Africa's first innings off the bowling of Colin McCool
Colin McCool
Colin Leslie McCool was an Australian cricketer who played in 14 Tests from 1946 to 1950. McCool, born in Paddington, New South Wales, was an all-rounder who bowled leg spin and googlies with a round arm action and as a lower order batsman was regarded as effective square of the wicket and against...
, along with four catches in the match. He also took two catches and completed one stumping in the Third Test, and made two runs in the first innings, though he did not bat in the second as Australia won by five wickets. The Fourth Test, again in Johannesburg, saw Saggers score five not out in the first innings and, though not being required to bat in the second innings as the match ended in a draw, taking two catches.
The Fifth Test was played at the Crusaders Ground at St. George's Park in Port Elizabeth on 3 March to 6 March 1950. Scoring four not out in the first innings, Saggers took two catches and completed four stumpings as South Africa were bowled out for 158 and 132 chasing Australia's first innings 549. With this innings and 259 run victory, Australia won the test series 4–0, however Saggers would not play for his national team again upon the return of Tallon. Saggers was caught once, stumped once and out leg before wicket
Leg before wicket
In the sport of cricket, leg before wicket is one of the ways in which a batsman can be dismissed. An umpire will rule a batsman out LBW under a series of circumstances which primarily include the ball striking the batsman's body when it would otherwise have continued on to hit the batsman's...
once but was never bowled in his international career. He ended his final year as an international player with 111 runs in first-class cricket overall at 13.87, taking 30 catches and 20 stumpings, both of which were the highest he attained in one calendar year. He was replaced again by Tallon, however his form in turn declined and he was replaced by Gil Langley
Gil Langley
Gilbert Roche Andrews "Gil" Langley was an Australian Test cricketer, champion Australian rules footballer and member of parliament, serving as Speaker of the South Australian House of Assembly....
for the 1952 series against the West Indies. He retired from first class cricket in 1951, and died in Harbord, New South Wales in 1987.
Test match performance
| Batting | Wicket-keeping | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition | Matches | Runs | Average | High Score | 100 / 50 | Catches | Stumpings | Dismissals per innings | Most dismissals (Inns) |
| England | 1 | 5 | 5.00 | 5 | 0/0 | 3 | 0 | 1.50 | 2 |
| South Africa | 5 | 25 | 12.50 | 14 | 0/0 | 13 | 8 | 2.33 | 4 |
| Overall | 6 | 30 | 10.00 | 14 | 0/0 | 16 | 8 | 2.18 | 4 |
External links
- Player Profile: Ron Saggers from Cricket Archive