Michael John Macaulay (19 April 1939 – 10 December 2021) was a South African cricketer who played his only Test match for the country in 1965.[1]

Mike Macaulay
Personal information
Full name
Michael John Macaulay
Born(1939-04-19)19 April 1939
Durban, Natal, South Africa
Died10 December 2021(2021-12-10) (aged 82)
Gqeberha, Eastern Cape, South Africa
BattingRight-handed
Bowling
  • Left-arm medium
  • Slow left-arm orthodox
International information
National side
Only Test12 February 1965 v England
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1957/58–1959/60Transvaal
1960/61Western Province
1961/62–1962/63Transvaal
1963/64–1964/65Orange Free State
1965/66Transvaal
1966/67–1968/69North-Eastern Transvaal
1977/78–1978/79Eastern Province
Career statistics
Competition Test First-class
Matches 1 69
Runs scored 33 888
Batting average 16.50 13.05
100s/50s 0/0 0/2
Top score 21 59
Balls bowled 276 13,566
Wickets 2 234
Bowling average 36.50 22.89
5 wickets in innings 0 16
10 wickets in match 0 4
Best bowling 1/10 7/49
Catches/stumpings 0/– 45/–
Source: CricketArchive, 15 November 2022

Cricket career

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A left-arm pace bowler who sometimes also bowled spin, Macaulay was educated at Hilton College where he played for the 1st XI. He made his first-class debut for Transvaal against Border in 1957–58, becoming a regular player in 1959–60. In 1963–64, playing for Orange Free State in the B Section of the Currie Cup, he took 37 wickets at 13.35, including career-best figures of 7 for 49 (11 for 97 in the match) against Rhodesia at Bloemfontein.[2]

Selected for a South African Colts XI against the MCC touring team in 1964–65, Macaulay made 55 not out, his first first-class 50; going in at number 11, he put on 112 for the last wicket with Jackie Botten in less than an hour.[3] A few weeks later he took 7 for 58 when the MCC played Orange Free State, out of a first innings total of 199 for 7 declared.[4] He was included in the South African team for the Fifth Test in Port Elizabeth, taking two wickets in a drawn match,[5] bowling most of the time with a painfully injured heel.[6]

He toured England in 1965 but the pace trio of Peter Pollock, Richard Dumbrill and Jackie Botten were preferred in the three Tests.[7]

Macaulay continued to play domestic first-class cricket until a knee injury forced him to retire after the 1968–69 season. However, he returned in 1977–78 at the age of 37, taking 42 wickets for Eastern Province at 23.14 and bowling more overs than anyone else in the country.[8] After two games the next season he retired for good. He was the first player to represent five provinces in the Currie Cup, out of the nine that competed at the time.[9]

References

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  1. ^ "Mike Macaulay". CricketArchive. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  2. ^ "Orange Free State v Rhodesia 1963–64". CricketArchive. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  3. ^ Wisden 1966, p. 799.
  4. ^ Wisden 1966, p. 811.
  5. ^ Wisden 1966, p. 816.
  6. ^ Peter van der Merwe, quoted in J. McGlew & T. Chesterfield, South Africa's Cricket Captains, Southern, Halfway House, 1994, p. 130.
  7. ^ "South Africans in England, 1965", Wisden 1966, pp. 298–323.
  8. ^ Wisden 1979, p. 1011.
  9. ^ Christopher Martin-Jenkins, The Complete Who's Who of Test Cricketers, Rigby, Adelaide, 1983, p. 295.
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