George Lohmann

On pure statistics, George Lohmann has a right to up there with the greatest Test bowlers of all time. Rated by contemporaries as the most difficult opponent, he bowled at little more than medium pace but was able to make the ball seam both ways, and his constant experimentation led to variations in angle, flight and pace. Add into the equation his metronomic accuracy, and he was often unplayable. He was no mean batsman either, fleet of foot and with a good eye, and a brilliant slip fielder. A fair, blue-eyed, handsome man, he was 21 when he first played for England in 1886 and had already made his mark with Surrey. He took one wicket in his first two Tests in 1886, but at The Oval he took 7 for 36 and 5 for 68 as England won by an innings. Thereafter he was a fixture in the side. He took his 50th Test wicket in only his 10th Test, and his hundred in his 16th. On the matting wickets of South Africa he was devastating - in 1896-96 he took 35 wickets in three Tests at 5.80. But in 1892 he contracted tuberculosis, and although spending every winter thereafter in South Africa helped his health, he was a far from well man. He extended his English career until 1896, but he was no longer able to shoulder the burden of bowling which had been his hallmark in earlier years. He emigrated to South Africa at the end of the season, playing two final seasons for Western Province, and he returned to England in 1901 as manager of the South African side. He died later that year aged only 36.
Martin Williamson