10 cricketers who played their last Test at the Oval

England v India: Specsavers 5th Test - Day Five
The Oval Cricket ground hosted the first ever Test match in England in 1880

The Oval cricket ground in London is a historical venue as far as Test matches are concerned. The first ever Test in England was played at this venue in 1880 between England and Australia.

Over the years, the Oval has hosted a number of Test matches and as a tradition, the last Test of each English summer is played at the Oval.

The Oval has witnessed many legends of the game bowing out and ending their careers at the end of the English summer. Here is a look at 10 such cricketers who called it a day after playing their last Test at the Oval.


Sir Donald Bradman

Coming Out To Bat
Sir Donald Bradman averaged 99.94 in Test cricket

Undoubtedly, the greatest ever batsman to have played Test cricket called it a day in the year 1948 after playing his last Test at the Oval.

Sir Bradman needed just 4 runs in the second innings of his last Test to average 100 in Test cricket. However, that was not to be and he was dismissed for a duck. Thus he ended his illustrious Test career with an average of 99.94.

Till date, his Test average of 99.94 stands out and no cricketer has even come close to said average. Though Bradman could not reach the milestone, Australia went on to win the Test by an innings and 149 runs and with that triumphed in the Ashes by a margin of 4-0.

Sir Bradman scored 6696 runs in 80 innings from 52 Tests with 29 centuries and 13 half centuries. He also scored 12 double hundreds for Australia in Test cricket.


Sir Viv Richards

ICC World XI v West Indies - T20
Sir Viv Richards scored with a strike rate of 86.07 in Test cricket

The words aggression and Viv Richards went hand in hand. He dominated bowlers around the globe with his aggressive batting and was a nightmare to bowl to.

Sir Viv was an integral part of the West Indies team which dominated cricket in 1970s and 1980s. He averaged 50.24 in 182 Test innings in 121 Test matches. His 8540 Test runs came at a strike rate of 86.07 which was unheard of in the 1980s.

Sir Viv Richards played his last Test at the Oval in the year 1991. He scored 2 in the first innings of said Test and 60 in the second innings. The Test was won by England and the series ended 2-2. However, Richards had created a legacy of his own and ended his career on a high.

Malcolm Marshall

Malcolm
Malcolm Marshall picked up 376 Test wickets at an average of 20.94

Marshall was one of the reasons for the domination of West Indies in Test cricket in the 1980s. He was fast and accurate and a nightmare for the batsmen.

The late Malcolm Marshall picked up 376 Test wickets at an impressive average of 20.94 and a strike rate of 46.7.

He played his last Test against England in 1991 at the Oval and could pick up only 2 wickets. However, he was a role model for all young bowlers and inspired them to take up fast bowling.


Jeff Dujon

A portrait of Jeff Dujon the West Indian wicket keeper
Jeff Dujon did not lose a single Test series in a career of 10 years

Jeff Dujon, in his illustrious Test career, never lost a Test series. In a career of 10 years at the international level, Dujon was an excellent wicketkeeper and played the perfect supporting role behind the stumps to the pace battery.

He was a handy batsman at number 7 and in 115 Test innings, he averaged 31.94 with 5 hundreds and 16 half centuries. He has 267 catches and 5 stumping to his credit in Test cricket.

He too bowed out of Test cricket at the Oval in the year 1991 along with Sir Viv and Malcolm Marshall and the West Indies Test team was never the same again.


Curtly Ambrose

England v Windies
Curtly Ambrose played his last Test at the Oval in the year 2000

Towards the end of 1999 and the beginning of 2000, the domination of West Indies in world cricket has ended. The year 2000 saw Curtly Ambrose retiring from international cricket.

With a height of six feet seven inches and a high arm action, Ambrose could get the ball to bounce at a pace. 405 Test wickets from 179 Test innings in 98 Tests at an average of 20.99 shows the greatness of the cricketer.

He used to decimate opponents by picking up wickets in heaps and had 22 five-wicket hauls in his Test career.

The fast bowler from Antigua played his last Test at the Oval in the year 2000 and picked up 3 wickets in the match, England won the Test by 158 runs and the series by a margin of 3-1.


Michael Atherton

Eng_v_Aus_X.jpg
Michael Atherton retired after the 2001 Ashes

Atherton was one of the most technically sound openers to have played the game for England. He retired from international cricket after the 2001 Ashes series which Australia won by a margin of 4-1.

He scored 22 runs in his final Test and called it a day at the Oval. He tasted success while captaining England.

The opener from Lancashire scored 7728 Test runs in 115 Tests with 16 centuries and 46 half centuries.

Post-retirement, he is one of the most respected commentators and is known for his sharp cricket analysis.

Alec Stewart

PCA Players Awards Dinner
Alec Stewart played 133 Test matches for England

A veteran of 133 Tests, the former English skipper Alec Stewart played his last international match against South Africa at the Oval in the year 2003.

He bowed out of the game by scoring 8463 Test runs at an average of 39.55 with 15 Test centuries and 45 half centuries. He was prolific behind the stumps too and had 277 Test dismissals to his credit (263 catches and 14 stumpings).

In his last Test, Stewart scored 38 runs in the only innings he batted.


Andrew Flintoff

Andy Flintoff
Andrew Flintoff

Flintoff won many matches for England with his all-round abilities. He played a vital role in England's success in the Ashes in 2005 and 2009.

On his day, Flintoff was a dangerous cricketer and could change the course of a Test match in a session. He averaged 31.78 in 79 Tests with the bat and had 5 centuries and 26 half-centuries to his credit. He picked up 226 Test wickets at an average of 32.79.

The 2009 Ashes saw the last of Andrew Flintoff in international cricket. He called it a day after the last Test at the Oval in 2009. He was a vital member in the English squad and a perfect all-rounder to have played the game of cricket.


Michael Clarke

NSW v Tas.jpg
Michael Clarke played his last Test at the Oval

Clarke started his Test career with a bang by scoring a century on debut against India. Since then, he scored 27 more centuries for Australia.

He led Australia to success in the 2015 World Cup and inspired the team to achieve new heights in Test cricket too.

He scored 8643 runs in 198 Test innings and retired from the game after the 2015 Ashes. The fifth Test at Oval was Clarke's last in the Baggy Green and he retired on a high with an Aussie victory. Though Australia won the Oval Test, the Ashes was won by England by a margin of 3-2.


Alastair Cook

England v India: Specsavers 5th Test - Day Five
Cook is the highest scorer for England in Test cricket

The 2018 English summer saw one of the legends of modern day cricket calling it quits from international cricket. Cook, aged 33, bowed out of international cricket as England's top run-scorer in Tests i.e. 12472 and 33 Test centuries.

Cook had a fairytale ending to his Test career and signed off on a high by scoring a century in England's second innings and led them to a triumph in the Oval Test.

The Oval, which had seen many legends bowing out of international cricket, witnessed another legend in Cook walking out for the last time in an English shirt.

Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download Cric Rocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more!

Quick Links

Edited by Arvind Sriram