{"id":11852,"date":"2026-02-13T06:00:28","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T05:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bjsm\/?p=11852"},"modified":"2026-02-08T19:20:29","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T18:20:29","slug":"the-upcoming-150-year-anniversary-of-test-cricket","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bjsm\/2026\/02\/13\/the-upcoming-150-year-anniversary-of-test-cricket\/","title":{"rendered":"The Upcoming 150 Year Anniversary of Test Cricket"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>This is a reflection and historical editorial opinion piece by John Orchard.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Keywords:<\/strong> Cricket, Anniversary, Public Health<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The England and Australia men\u2019s cricket teams play Test matches to contest the Ashes series roughly every second year (each team hosting a five Test series every 4<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">th<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> year). Australia has just hosted a series in late 2025-early 2026 and it will be England\u2019s turn in their summer of 2027. Between these two series is a one-off Test match to be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in March 2027 to celebrate the 150 year anniversary of the first Test match between the two countries. For cricket fans of a certain age, this match will be particularly anticipated as the 100 year anniversary match at the same ground in 1977 was one of the most memorable Test matches of all time. Australia won the 1977 Centenary Test narrowly after a titanic struggle over 6 days (which included a rest day, as was the custom of that era). The match was attended by Queen Elizabeth II, and could perhaps be seen in hindsight as the last match of the \u201camateur\u201d era of cricket. Behind the scenes in 1977, many players were signing contracts to play for a rebel cricket competition for professional amounts of pay (for the first time). This rebel competition (World Series Cricket) split the game for the following two years but successfully ushered in the era of professionalism in the sport. It was an era when the first colour TVs were being found in homes, soon to be followed by the first personal computers, but well before the widespread introduction of the internet. The cricketers of 1977 were privileged to be amongst the few in society who could regularly avail international travel, as the jet era had also recently begun. A set of stamps were produced to commemorate the Centenary Test in 1977 in an era when postal communication predominated (Figure 1).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone  wp-image-11853\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bjsm\/files\/2026\/02\/test-cricket-300x202.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"408\" height=\"275\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bjsm\/files\/2026\/02\/test-cricket-300x202.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bjsm\/files\/2026\/02\/test-cricket.jpg 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 408px) 100vw, 408px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Figure 1<\/strong> \u2013 1977 Australian stamps celebrating the Centenary Test\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Of the 22 players who took the field, as of December 2025, 8 have died with 14 surviving, mainly now aged in their 70s and early 80s (Table 1). Whilst this may seem to be a significant rate of attrition, there is now sufficient data to show that, in fact, Australian and English cricketers,<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> like other athletes,\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">have lower death rates than the general population (1, 2, 3). The most likely explanation for this is the now known benefits of regular exercise. The seminal study which started to show this association was an English one predating the Centenary Test by over twenty years (<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">4).<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Australian as a country has a generous climate, high rates of sporting participation and an excellent health system which no doubt contribute to it having one of the greatest life expectancies in the world (5).<\/span><\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Australian players<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2025 status<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">English players<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2025 status<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">GS Chappell<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Aged 77<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">AW Greig<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Died aged 66, cancer<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">RW Marsh<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Died aged 74, heart disease<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">APE Knott<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Aged 79<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">IC Davis<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Aged 72<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">JM Brearley<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Aged 83<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">RB McCosker<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Aged 78<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">RA Woolmer<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Died aged 58, sudden\/uncertain<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">GJ Cosier<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Aged 72<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">DW Randall<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Aged 74<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">DW Hookes\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Died aged 48, head injury (assault)<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">DL Amiss<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Aged 82<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">KD Walters\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Aged 79<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">KWR Fletcher<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Aged 81<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">DK Lillee<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Aged 76<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">JK Lever<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Aged 76<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">GJ Gilmour<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Died aged 62, liver disease<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">DL Underwood<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Died, aged 78, complications of dementia<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">KJ O&#8217;Keeffe<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Aged 75<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">CM Old<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Aged 76<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">MHN Walker<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Died aged 68, cancer<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">RGD Willis<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Died, aged 70, cancer<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong> Table 1<\/strong> \u2013 2025 life status of the 1977 Centenary Test participants<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Fellow celebrity entertainers of the modern era &#8211; rock musicians &#8211; in contrast to athletes have higher death rates than the general population (<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2, 6).<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The world\u2019s most successful rock band of 1977 was the Bee Gees, an English-Australian band, with, ironically, one of their biggest 1977 hits being \u201cStayin\u2019 Alive\u201d. Of the four Gibb brothers, only Barry survives into his late 70s with Maurice, Robin and Andy having made outstanding contributions to popular culture with their music but having died prematurely like many other rock musicians.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Medicine and public health have achieved a miraculous improvement in life expectancy over the last 50 years (5).<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0Sport and exercise medicine is now a fully-fledged specialty in both Australia and the UK,<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> helping both elite athletes (such as the professional cricketers of both nations) <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">but also the general public, assisting with injury management and exercise promotion (7, 8). Despite the evolution of popular culture, Test cricket between England and Australia endures and is perhaps even more loved because of the connection to the past. Life was different 50 years ago and even more so 150 years ago, although not necessarily better. Those who witnessed (or even played in) the Centenary Test of 1977 and who live to see the 2027 150 year Test almost certainly will have the privilege of doing so due to the contributions of modern medicine and public health. Parts of the 20<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">th<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Century world (such as postage stamps and black and white television) have faded into obscurity. A sporting format like Test cricket (which requires 5 day to only perhaps achieve a decisive result) seems as though it belongs back in the 20<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">th<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Century but has never been more popular.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It is also worth reflecting on the massive contribution that public health has made to life expectancy over the past 50 years at a time when public health is under threat from populism and anti-intellectualism. Sport and exercise medicine potentially has a role to play at repairing the bridge between right-wing populism and public health, as sport itself has never been more popular.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Author:\u00a0<\/strong>John Orchard<\/p>\n<p><strong>References<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Luies N, Orchard JJ, Driscoll T, et al. Sheffield Shield Cricketers Live Longer than the Age<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u2010<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Matched General Australian Male Population. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Indian journal of orthopaedics<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> 2023;57:1613-18.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Orchard JW, Driscoll T, Davis A, et al. Comparison of cancer and all-cause death rates of Australian rock and pop musicians, footballers, cricketers and the general population. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">JSAMS Plus<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> 2024;4:100070. doi: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.jsampl.2024.100070\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.jsampl.2024.100070<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Mayhew L. The longevity of sporting legends <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/ilcuk.org.uk\/the-longevity-of-sporting-legends\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/ilcuk.org.uk\/the-longevity-of-sporting-legends\/<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: International Longevity Centre UK; 2021 [<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Morris JN, Heady JA, Raffle PAB, et al. CORONARY HEART-DISEASE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OF WORK. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Lancet<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> 1953;262(6795):1053-57. doi: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/S0140-6736(53)90665-5\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/S0140-6736(53)90665-5<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Deaths in Australia. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aihw.gov.au\/reports\/life-expectancy-deaths\/deaths-in-australia\/contents\/life-expectancy\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/www.aihw.gov.au\/reports\/life-expectancy-deaths\/deaths-in-australia\/contents\/life-expectancy<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, 2025.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Wolkewitz M, Allignol A, Graves N, Barnett AG. Is 27 really a dangerous age for famous musicians? Retrospective cohort study. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">BMJ<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> 2011;343:d7799. doi: 10.1136\/bmj.d7799<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Fahmy J, Kamel F, Fahmy M, et al. A Comparison of Sports and Exercise Medicine Training for Physicians Across Five English-Speaking Countries. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cureus<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> 2025;17(9):e93201. doi: 10.7759\/cureus.93201 [published Online First: 20250925]<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cricket Sports Medicine. <\/span><a style=\"font-size: 1rem\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/978-981-96-6321-7\"><span>https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/978-981-96-6321-7<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Springer Nature 2025.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><!--TrendMD v2.4.8--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This is a reflection and historical editorial opinion piece by John Orchard. Keywords: Cricket, Anniversary, Public Health The England and Australia men\u2019s cricket teams play Test matches to contest the Ashes series roughly every second year (each team hosting a five Test series every 4th year). Australia has just hosted a series in late 2025-early [&#8230;]<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"btn btn-secondary understrap-read-more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bjsm\/2026\/02\/13\/the-upcoming-150-year-anniversary-of-test-cricket\/\">Read More&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":463,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[16471,8201,16068,2930,16470],"class_list":["post-11852","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-anniversary","tag-cricket","tag-featured","tag-public-health","tag-test-cricket"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Upcoming 150 Year Anniversary of Test Cricket - BJSM blog - social media&#039;s leading SEM voice<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bjsm\/?p=11852\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Upcoming 150 Year Anniversary of Test Cricket - BJSM blog - social media&#039;s leading SEM voice\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This is a reflection and historical editorial opinion piece by John Orchard. 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Keywords: Cricket, Anniversary, Public Health The England and Australia men\u2019s cricket teams play Test matches to contest the Ashes series roughly every second year (each team hosting a five Test series every 4th year). 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