Ted McDonald

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Ted McDonald Australia (AUS)

Batting style	Right-hand bat
Bowling type	Right-arm fast
	Tests	First-class
Matches	11	281
Runs scored	116	2661
Batting average	16.57	10.43
100s/50s	0/0	1/2
Top score	36	100*
Balls bowled	2885	58477
Wickets	43	1395
Bowling average	33.27	20.76
5 wickets in innings	2	119
10 wickets in match	0	31
Best bowling	5/32	8/41
Catches/stumpings	3/0	97/0
Test debut: 14 January 1921 Last Test: 26 November 1921 Source: [1]

Edgar Arthur McDonald, born January 6, 1891, at Launceston, Tasmania, and died July 22, 1937, in a road accident at Blackrod, Bolton, Lancashire was a cricketer who played for Tasmania, Victoria, Lancashire and Australia.

A very fast bowler with the ability to cause problems even on docile pitches, Ted McDonald was the unexpected bowling sensation of the 1921 Australian tour to England. He and Jack Gregory caused something approaching panic among the England batsmen: John Evans' knees were allegedly knocking together when he went out to bat, and Andy Ducat was bowled when part of his bat, broken by McDonald's pace, hit the wicket. Where Gregory was able to swing the ball both ways, McDonald imparted vicious movement off the wicket. Like later fast bowling pairs, they were devastating in combination, taking 46 wickets in the series.

McDonald played a few matches for Victoria before the First World War, but came to prominence immediately after it with eight wickets in an innings in a state match. He was picked for three Test matches in the 1920-21 series against England, which Australia won 5-0, but had little success, his six wickets costing 65 runs each. In England the following summer, though, he was an instant success, taking eight wickets in the first Test at Trent Bridge and contributing significantly to the victories at Lord's and Headingley that won the series. He was named as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1922 for his exploits of the previous summer.

After the England tour, McDonald played in three Tests against South Africa in the 1921-22 series in South Africa. Those, however, were his last Tests – all of his Test cricket was contained within the calendar year of 1921 – as he then took up an engagement as a professional with the Lancashire League club Nelson.

By 1924, he had qualified to play for Lancashire, initially, because of his League commitments, in midweek games only. Again, he was a sensation. In his first full season, 1925, he took 205 wickets, and in the five seasons from 1926 to 1930, Lancashire won the County Championship four times, the most successful period in the county's history. In all, he took 1053 wickets for Lancashire. His value to the county was recognised in the award of a benefit in 1929, an unusually fast reward, for he had been playing county cricket for only five seasons.

McDonald's first-class career ended fairly suddenly. His form dipped in 1930, though he still took more than 100 wickets, but in 1931, he lost form almost entirely, taking just 26 wickets all season and being left out of the county team for half the matches. At the end of the season, he went back to the Lancashire League with Bacup.

Prior to becoming a cricketer he had played Australian rules football for Fitzroy and also played Rugby and soccer for Victoria during his sporting career .