Alan Davidson, the first player to score 100 runs and take ten wickets in a single test match, died on Saturday at the age of 92, Cricket Australia announced.
The New South Wales all-rounder played 44 tests for Australia and was inducted into the International Cricket Council’s Hall of Fame in 2011. He took 186 wickets and scored 1328 runs during his career.
In a statement, CA chair Richard Freudenstein said, ‘Alan Davidson’s passing is a sad moment for Australian cricket and for cricket around the world.’
‘Alan was a titan in our game, not just as one of the best players to ever represent Australia and NSW, but also as an administrator, a mentor and a benefactor.’
Alan’s incredible skill and limitless energy in embracing cricket and life epitomised everything that is beautiful about the game. Every player who follows in his footsteps will see him as a bright example.
In the 1953 Ashes series, Davidson made his test debut for Australia and in 1960, he became the first player to take ten wickets and score 100 runs in a single test.
Davidson scored a swashbuckling 80 on the final day in Brisbane, despite playing with a fractured finger, to help the Australians draw with the West Indies.
Davison worked as an Australian test selector for five years after retiring, from 1979 to 1984.
The flag of the Sydney Cricket Ground’s Members Pavilion, where Davidson served as a trustee for 20 years, was lowered to half-mast in honour of Davidson.
His passing comes just one day after Ashley Mallett, one of Australia’s best spin bowlers, passed away from cancer in Adelaide.
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