George Bissett (cricketer) - Test Cricket

Test Cricket

Bissett then disappeared from first-class cricket for three-and-a-half years until he was a surprise selection for the second Test in the 1927-28 home series against England. England had won the first Test easily by 10 wickets; Bissett was brought in to strengthen the bowling and was immediately successful, taking the first five wickets to fall and finished with five for 37. There were three further wickets in the second innings, though they came at greater cost. The Times report of the first day of the match detailed the circumstances of Bissett's selection: "Bissett was selected on the frail qualification of having taken seven wickets for 28 runs in a senior club match last week, this being the only glimpse of form which he has shown since he was selected to tour England with Taylor's team in 1924, when he proved to be a dismal failure." Despite Bissett's success, England still won the match, albeit by a narrower margin than the previous game.

The balance of power in the Test series was shifting and the next match was drawn, though Bissett failed to take any wickets. It shifted even further in the fourth game and South Africa won by four wickets. Bissett was partnered with the left-arm fast-medium bowler Alf Hall and they took all 10 wickets between then in England's first innings, with Bissett returning four for 43 and Hall six for 100. In the second innings, Bissett took four more wickets (for 70 runs) and Hall took three. The South African recovery was completed with a victory by eight wickets in the final Test of the series to level the rubber at two victories each, and again Bissett played a big part. He took two wickets in England's first innings when Buster Nupen was the main bowler, with five for 83. But in England's second innings, Bissett produced the best bowling of the series and of his career, taking seven for 29. The Times reported that Bissett, aided by a "stiff westerly wind", made the ball rise awkwardly and "demoralized the English batsmen with some great fast bowling". It went on: "At the end of the innings Bissett was carried shoulder-high by the crowd to the pavilion... It was officially announced that the ball with which Bissett accomplished his feat of taking seven English wickets for 29 runs would be suitably mounted and presented to him by the South African Cricket Association." Bissett was one of four players – the others were Nupen, Bob Catterall, and Ernest Tyldesley – who were invited to plant a tree on the boundary at the Kingsmead cricket ground after the match.