Colin Campbell McDonald (17 November 1928 – 8 January 2021) was an Australian
cricket
Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
er. He played in 47
Test matches from 1952 to 1961, and 192 first-class matches between 1947 and 1963.
He was born in
Glen Iris, Victoria
Glen Iris is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, South-East Melbourne, south-east of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the Cities of City of Boroondara, Boro ...
.
Biography
An opening batsman, he made his Test debut in the 5th Test against
West Indies
The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...
at
Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
in January 1952, alongside fellow debutants
George Thoms, also an opening batsman, and
Richie Benaud. Uniquely, Thoms and McDonald also opened the batting for the same state team, Victoria, and the same club team,
Melbourne University
The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state of Victoria. Its ...
that season. Thoms retired from cricket to concentrate on his medical career as a
gynaecologist
Gynaecology or gynecology (see American and British English spelling differences) is the area of medicine concerned with conditions affecting the female reproductive system. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, which focuses on pre ...
, and McDonald formed a successful opening partnership with
Jim Burke. McDonald played in two stints for the
Melbourne Cricket Club
The Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) is a sports club based in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1838 and is one of the oldest sports clubs in Australia.
The MCC is responsible for management and development of the Melbourne Cricket Groun ...
.
McDonald was the top scorer (32 and 89) in both innings of the 1956 Test,
Laker's Match at
Old Trafford
Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and is the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,197, it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after W ...
, in which
Jim Laker took 19 wickets.
His career reached its zenith in
the Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played biennially between England and Australia. The term originated in a satirical obituary published in a British newspaper, '' The Sporting Times'', immediately after Australia's 1882 victory at The Oval, ...
series against
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
in 1958/9. This was illustrated by him scoring the most runs of any player in Test cricket in the calendar year of 1959. He reached his highest Test score, 170, in the 4th Test against England at
Adelaide
Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
, although he was retired hurt for much of the second day, and a second century in the 5th Test on his home ground in Melbourne. He was also captain of Victoria in 1958/9 and 1960/1. He retired from Test cricket in 1961, during the tour to England, as a result of a wrist injury.
He attended
Scotch College Melbourne
Scotch College is a private school, private, Presbyterian Day school, day and boarding school for boys, located in Hawthorn, Victoria, Hawthorn, an inner-eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Victoria, Austral ...
and
Melbourne University
The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state of Victoria. Its ...
, and was a schoolteacher for a short period. After working as an insurance broker, he was executive director of
Tennis Australia
Tennis Australia Limited is the governing body for tennis in Australia. It is owned by Australian states and territories. The association organizes national and international tennis tournaments including the Australian Open, Australian Open Se ...
where he had a pivotal role in building the
National Tennis Centre now known as Rod Laver Arena.
He was an
ABC cricket commentator
in the 1960s and 1970s.
His elder brother,
Ian McDonald played first-class cricket for Victoria, and his mother's cousin,
Keith Rigg, played for Victoria and Australia.
McDonald published his memoirs, ''CC, The Colin McDonald Story: Cricket, Tennis, Life'' in 2009 with a foreword by
Richie Benaud.
On 8 January 2021, McDonald died aged 92.
References
External links
*
Profilefrom Victorian Premier Cricket
{{DEFAULTSORT:McDonald, Colin
1928 births
2021 deaths
Australia Test cricketers
Victoria cricketers
International Cavaliers cricketers
Melbourne Cricket Club cricketers
People educated at Scotch College, Melbourne
Australian cricketers
Cricketers from Melbourne
Members of the Order of Australia
University of Melbourne alumni
People from Glen Iris, Victoria
20th-century Australian sportsmen