157 years ago, on June 2, a brilliant fast bowler was born in Kensington, London. The man is not talked about very often, but when discussions about bowling average in Test cricket take place, his name almost always comes up. He had a relatively short career but has a record to his name that is still unbroken. No bowler from the modern era irrespective of the pace or skills he possesses or possessed, has come even close to breaking his record. His career reminds of famous dialogue said by late actor Rajesh Khanna in the critically acclaimed movie Anand – “Babu Moshai Zindagi lambi nahi badi honi chahiye” (Life should not be long but grand).
George Alfred Lohmann was a force to be reckoned with. However, he did not make his mark straightaway. After delivering for Surrey, the right-arm medium pacer made his debut for England in 1886 as a 21-year-old.
No sparks on debut
The Ashes was still in its initial era. The stakes were as high as they could get. In his first appearance with the ball, he got just one wicket of a lower-order batter. He did not concede runs at an unimpressive rate but failed to get breakthroughs. In his second Test, he remained wicketless in a Test where Australia were bowled out twice for 121 and 126 respectively.
Proving his mettle
One month later, Lohmann announced himself in international cricket for playing a massive role in bundling out Australia for a score of 68. He took seven wickets in the first innings followed by a fifer in the second innings as Australia lost by an innings and 217 runs.
After taking 12 wickets in a match, Lohmann terrorised batters with the red cherry. He did not bowl at express pace but his accuracy and ability to swing the ball both ways. He became a regular in the English side and added new weapons in his armoury to deceive the batter. Soon enough, he got to his 50th Test wicket in the 10th appearance.
“He has no superior as a bowler… He bowls above medium pace —indeed he might almost be classed as fast — has a beautiful action and keeps a splendid length. He alters his pace without altering his action… Today, it is simply ludicrous to watch batsman after batsman walk into [his] trap … it is a triumph of the bowler’s art,” former England captain WG Grace had said while praising the bowler.
A tour to remember
Despite spectacular performances against Australia, his best was yet to come. England toured South Africa in February 1896. On matting wickets of South Africa, Lohmann was an unstoppable force. In his first outing against the Proteas, he took eight wickets in the first innings and eight in the second innings. He took just 9.4 overs to take eight wickets in the second innings to help England bowl out South Africa for 30, the then-lowest total in Test cricket.
He was even more dangerous in Johannesburg. He took nine wickets and conceded just 28 runs in 14.2 overs he bowled. His 9/28 were the best bowling figures in Test cricket at that time. It took Sydney Barnes to match the feat many years later in 1913.
He followed it up with an eight-wicket haul in the first innings of the last Test played at Cape Town. On the South Africa tour, he picked up 35 wickets at an average of 5.80 against a poor South African side. His dominance can be understood by the statistic that he took a wicket every 14 balls on that tour.
A career cut-short
After an exceptional performance in South Africa, he played just one more Test for England where he managed to take three wickets at Lord's. The burnout did get better of him as he had been bowling a lot of overs for Surrey and the England side. He missed the second Test after a strained leg. Before the third Test, he was omitted from the side as a result of 'Professionals' Strike'.
The ‘Professionals’ Strike’ included William Gunn, Bobby Abel, Tom Richardson, Tom Hayward and Lohmann. They demanded double match fees (20 pounds) in a letter signed by Lohmann.
While three of the five players played for England later, Lohmann did not play another Test for England. The letter was sent to the Surrey Club Committee and was not received well. They felt that Lohmann did not appreciate the financial support they provided him with over the years. As a result, he was sidelined despite an unmatched bowling record.
Tragic loss
After the unfortunate incident, he migrated to South Africa. Over the years, his hold deteriorated. He came back to England in 1901 as the manager of the South African side. He continued to struggle with his health and even his old friends were shocked to see the dangerous pacer in a state like this. Later that year, he succumbed to the disease tuberculosis and died at the age of 36.
Record still unbroken
After more than 120 years of his death, no bowler has come close to break his bowling average record in Tests. From just 18 games, he had 112 wickets to his name with an average of 10.75. Even when he was not at his best, he did not concede runs. He had a career economy rate of 1.88. On the other hand, his First-Class records are jaw-dropping. From 293 matches, he had 1,841 wickets at an average of 13.73 including 176 fifers and 57 10-wicket-hauls in a match.
