page_title: 1958–59 Ashes series
section_title: Australia first innings
hierarchical_section_title: 1958–59 Ashes series / First Test – Brisbane / Australia first innings
caption_attribution_description: English: England cricketer Peter Loader
context_page_description: The 1958–59 Ashes series consisted of five cricket Test matches, each scheduled for six days with eight ball overs. It formed part of the MCC tour of Australia in 1958–59, and the matches outside the Tests were played in the name of the Marylebone Cricket Club. The England team led by Peter May was labelled the strongest ever to leave England. It had the formidable bowling attack of Fred Trueman, Frank Tyson, Brian Statham, Peter Loader, Jim Laker and Tony Lock; the all-rounder Trevor Bailey; the outstanding wicket-keeper Godfrey Evans; and the batting of Colin Cowdrey, Tom Graveney, Raman Subba Row and Ted Dexter. They had won the last three Ashes series in 1953, 1954–55 and 1956, but lost the series 4–0 to Australia. It was one of the biggest upsets in Test cricket history and the biggest margin of defeat in an Ashes series since the 5–0 "whitewashing" inflicted by Warwick Armstrong's Australians in 1920–21.
  The triumph of the Australian team was mainly due to its aggressive captain Richie Benaud, now regarded as one of the greatest captains in Test cricket, who led what appeared to be an average team to five series victories in succession.
context_section_description: There was only time for two overs before stumps and Brian Statham made the ball lift outside the off-stump, which might have produced a wicket given another quarter of an hour, but Colin McDonald and Jim Burke survived the day on 8/0. The first day had produced only 142 runs and although the Saturday was bright and clear and good for batting, only 148 runs were made as an excellent England bowling attack regained the initiative and the Australian batsmen eked out the runs. Burke edged a catch to gully, but Trevor Bailey was too deep to catch it and after a slow start—and much to everybody's surprise—he peeled off a couple of cover-drives off Peter Loader. Loader was repeatedly no-balled and was replaced by Bailey and the openers took their partnership past fifty when the sightscreen was laboriously moved and Loader returned round the wicket to have Burke caught behind for 20. The teams went off for lunch at the fall of the wicket and returned on 55/1 with Neil Harvey coming in instead of Ken Mackay as announced by the scoreboard, indicating that Benaud wanted the runs to flow. Bailey had McDonald caught in slip for 42 in two hours and Norm O'Neill (who had not broken his finger as first thought) came in with the hopes of Australia hanging on his shoulders. May set a defensive field to limit his runmaking, but he hit his first ball for four before the runs dried up and he was outpaced by "Slasher" Mackay. Loader (4/56 with 19 no balls) caught Harvey l.b.w. after he had spent an hour making 14. Bailey (3/35) accounted for the out of form Peter Burge and had O'Neill was caught by a spectacular diving catch by Tom Graveney for 34 in 151 minutes, Jim Laker (2/15) had Mackay (16) caught behind, much to his displeasure and Australia ended the day on 156/6, 22 runs ahead. After the rest day Australia did not long survive the fall of Benaud (16) on the Monday morning, l.b.w. to Loader and the tail collapsed to 186 all out despite the best efforts of Alan Davidson (25), last man out to Laker.
caption: Peter Loader was no-balled 19 times in his 4/56
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