Batting style Right-hand bat | Bowling style unknown | |
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Full name Colin Campbell McDonald Role Opening batsman, very occasional wicketkeeper Relations IH McDonald (brother), KE Rigg (cousin) Books CC the Colin McDonald Story: Cricket, Tennis, Life | ||
Colin Campbell McDonald AM (born 17 November 1928, Glen Iris, Victoria) is an Australian cricketer. He played in 47 Tests from 1952 to 1961, and 192 first class matches between 1947 and 1963.
An opening batsman, he made his Test debut in the 5th Test against West Indies at Sydney in January 1952, alongside fellow debutants George Thoms, also an opening batsman, and Richie Benaud. Uniquely, Thoms and McDonald also opened the batting for the same state team, Victoria, and the same club team, Melbourne University that season. Thoms retired from cricket to concentrate on his medical career as a gynaecologist, and McDonald formed a successful opening partnership with Jim Burke.
McDonald was the top scorer (32 and 89) in both innings of the 1956 Test at Old Trafford in which Jim Laker took 19 wickets. His career reached its zenith in the Ashes series against England in 1958/9. This was illustrated by him scoring the most runs of any player in Test cricket in the calendar year of 1959. He reached his highest Test score, 170, in the 4th Test against at Adelaide, although he was retired hurt for much of the second day, and a second century in the 5th Test on his home ground in Melbourne. He was also captain of Victoria in 1958/9 and 1960/1. He retired from Test cricket in 1961, during the tour to England, as a result of a wrist injury.
He attended Scotch College Melbourne and Melbourne University, and was a schoolteacher for a short period. After working as an insurance broker, he was executive director of Tennis Australia. He was an ABC cricket commentator in the 1960s and 1970s.
His elder brother, Ian McDonald, and cousin, Keith Rigg, also played first-class cricket for Victoria.