George Alexander (Australian cricketer)

George Alexander (22 April 1851 – 6 November 1930) was an Australian cricketer who played for Victoria and for Australia.

George Alexander

Personal information
Born	22 April 1851 Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia[1]
Died	6 November 1930 (aged 79) Richmond, Victoria, Australia[1]
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm fast roundarm
International information
National side	Australia
Career statistics
Competition Tests First-class Matches 2 24 Runs scored 52 466 Batting average 13.00 15.53 100s/50s 0/0 0/2 Top score 33 75 Balls bowled 168 1754 Wickets 2 34 Bowling average 46.50 17.85 5 wickets in innings 0 1 10 wickets in match 0 0 Best bowling 2/69 6/57 Catches/stumpings 2/0 16/0
Source:

Alexander's place of birth is variously given as Britwell Salome, Oxfordshire, England or Fitzroy, Victoria; the latter appearing in Alexander's obituary in the 1931 edition of Wisden's Cricketers' Almanack.[2][3][4]

Alexander was a forceful bat and a fast roundarm bowler, who also acted as the manager of the Australian teams that toured England under Billy Murdoch in 1880 and 1884. He also managed the England tour of 1882-83 under Ivo Bligh that went to Australia to retrieve The Ashes.[5]

In 1880, in addition to his management duties, Alexander was one of the leading bowlers of the team that visited other colonies as well as England. On the tour as a whole, he took 109 wickets at an average of nine runs each. He played in the first Test match on English soil at The Oval, took two wickets and with Murdoch added 52 runs for the ninth wicket, which helped avoid an innings defeat. He played a second Test match four years later at the Adelaide Oval, but did not take a wicket.[6]