Full Name

Norman Gordon

Born

August 06, 1911, Boksburg, Transvaal

Died

September 02, 2014, Hillbrow, Johannesburg, (aged 103y 27d)

Also Known As

Mobil

Batting Style

Right hand Bat

Bowling Style

Right arm Fast

Norman Gordon was unfortunate in that he broke into the South African side just before the war, and was too old by the time it ended. A right-arm quick, he made his debut for Transvaal in 1933-34 but took some time to find his feet as at that time the transition was being made from matting to turf wickets and he struggled to adapt. He played in all five Tests against England in 1938-39, bowling tirelessly in a series during which bat dominated ball. He conceded 100 runs in four innings, but was the leading wicket-taker on either side (20). At Durban, in the Timeless Test, he sent down 92.2 eight-ball overs (taking 1 for 256), and would almost certainly have toured England in 1940 where the conditions would have suited him. He was known as "Mobil", because he used to slick down his unruly hair with handfuls of Vaseline.
Martin Williamson

Norman Gordon Career Stats

Batting & Fielding

FormatMatInnsNORunsHSAve100s50s6sCtSt
Tests56287*2.0000010
FC293110109205.1900-80

Bowling

FormatMatInnsBallsRunsWktsBBIBBMAveEconSR4w5w10w
Tests581966807205/1037/16240.353.2898.3020
FC29-717328031266/61-22.242.3456.9-80
Norman Gordon bowling in the nets at Durban

Explore Statsguru Analysis

Test

Recent Matches of Norman Gordon

MatchBatBowlDateGroundFormat
Transvaal vs M.C.C.00/6910-Dec-1948JohannesburgFC
South Africa vs England0* & 7*0/82 & 1/17403-Mar-1939DurbanTest # 271
South Africa vs England--2/47 & 3/5818-Feb-1939JohannesburgTest # 270
South Africa vs England1 & 02/12720-Jan-1939DurbanTest # 269
South Africa vs England05/15731-Dec-1938Cape TownTest # 268

Debut/Last Matches of Norman Gordon

Photos of Norman Gordon

Former South African cricketers greet Norman Gordon on his 100th birthday
The Norman Gordon trophy, part of the birthday celebrations of the world's first Test cricketer to have lived 100 years
Norman Gordon, the first Test cricketer to have lived 100 years, is the lone survivor from the final timeless Test
Norman Gordon bowling in the nets at Durban
The South Africa side for the Timeless Test