In cricket, a One-Test Wonder is usually a cricketer who is only selected for one Test match during his career and never represents his country again. This is not necessarily due to a poor performance and can be for numerous reasons, such as injury or strong competition from other players. This can also happen if the player has played more than one test but only one of it was a memorable one. In this article lets discuss five such players who were One Test Wonders.
The first name in the list is Andy Ganteaume. Turning up for the Windies in the 2nd Test Match against the visiting English side in Port of Spain in 1948, this wicket-keeper batsman scored 112 in the first innings playing at No. 2. Rumours say that Ganteaume slowed the match to achieve his hundred which cost his side time in the fourth innings and the test match ended in a draw but a century on debut is a great feat. He didn’t open in the second innings and never played for the national side again, which boasted the likes of Sir Clyde Walcott, Sir Frank Worrell, Gerry Gomez and Sir Everton Weekes.
The second name in the list is of Gobo Ashley. William Ashley, popularly known as Gobo Ashley, a left-arm medium pacer made it into the South African squad for the Second Test at Cape Town. He took a superb 7 for 95 in England’s first innings, as the visitors scored 292 runs. He didn’t get a chance to bowl again as his side was dismissed for 47 and 43 respectively and suffered a humiliating defeat. The match was also his First-Class debut and, despite this performance, and he never played for South Africa again which was an unfortunate end to a promising career.
The third name in the list is of Aubrey Smith. Smith was a right arm fast bowler who earned his Test cap playing against the South Africans at Port Elizabeth, 1889. He had a dream debut, taking 7 wickets at a stunning average of 8.71 which included 5 for 19 in the first innings. He unfortunately never played for England again and cricket’s loss became the cinematic world’s gain. He went on to act in two legendary roles, like The Prisoner of Zenda and The Morals of Marcus.
The fourth name in the list is of Charlie Parker. With more than 3000 wickets at the First Class level, a player deserves a second chance in Test cricket. But Charles Warrington Leonard Parker wasn’t that lucky. He was selected to play in the 4th Test Match at Manchester versus the Australians. A slow left-arm orthodox bowler, Parker picked up 2 wickets in a rain-affected match that ended in a draw and was never to wear the English cap again. He still remains one of the biggest champion first class players who have ever played the sport.
The fifth and the last name in the list is of Stuart Law. Despite a brilliant domestic career, Stuart Law represented his country in just one Test Match against the visiting Sri Lankans in 1995. He came in to bat at No 6 with the hosts comfortably placed at 496 for 4 and scored 54 not out to guide his team to 617 for 6. An innings defeat for the visitors meant that he never got to bat again, which brought the curtains down on his career At First Class level, Law scored more than 27,000 runs at an impressive average of 50.52, which included 79 tons and this was a fantastic young talent which was just unfortunate.
