31:
431:
of length and hostility" in a match that
Australia won narrowly. However, he took only five wickets for 365 in the next three Tests and lost his place, despite a remarkable performance against Tasmania in Launceston: 3 for 34 in the first innings and, bowling unchanged in the second innings, 9 for 22.
430:
had played three Tests and taken three wickets.) Melle took seven expensive wickets in the five matches leading up to the First Test, but then at
Brisbane, bowling 46.5 eight-ball overs in the Test, he took 6 for 71 and 3 for 95, he and his opening partner Watkins "maintain an admirable consistency
384:
in
Johannesburg in 1948–49, opening the bowling and taking one wicket. For his next match, he was selected to play for a South African XI against the touring Australians in 1949–50 and took 4 for 82. After two matches for Transvaal against the Australians he was selected to open the bowling with
409:
Despite missing several weeks of the tour owing to a hernia operation he headed the tour averages with 50 wickets at 20.28. However, he played only the Fifth Test (when he took figures of 10–6–9–4 in the first innings) the tour selectors preferring to use a two-man pace attack of McCarthy and
417:
His form fell away somewhat in 1951–52 but in six matches he took 17 wickets at 27.35, and as McCarthy was unavailable and Chubb had retired Melle was selected to tour
Australasia in 1952–53 as the most experienced of the four pace bowlers in the team. (Of the others,
389:
in the Fourth Test in
Johannesburg, having taken just six first-class wickets at 38.33. Still only 19 years old, he took 5 for 113 and 1 for 58 in a drawn match, then 2 for 132 in the Fifth Test in Port Elizabeth, which Australia won by an innings.
463:
405:
in
Johannesburg in 1950–51 he took 2 for 22 and 8 for 8 (match figures of 24–8–30–10), bowling Griqualand West out for 29 in the second innings. In six matches he took 27 wickets at 14.40 and was selected to tour England in 1951.
434:
After two matches in the 1953–54 season, he played no more first-class cricket. He was only 23 when he played his last match, hitting his highest first-class score of 59 and taking 2 for 56 and 3 for 28 to help
657:
414:
for the first four Tests. He took his best innings and match figures for the tour after the Test series had finished: 2 for 22 and 6 for 71 against T.N. Pearce's XI at
Scarborough.
662:
401:
in
Salisbury, batting at number eight he scored 50, his highest score to date, and took 2 for 13 and 2 for 30 in an innings victory. In his next match, against
427:
637:
652:
129:
642:
154:
143:
447:
558:
521:
451:
436:
370:
402:
647:
482:
211:
381:
377:
398:
30:
632:
627:
182:
246:
75:
345:
593:
582:
571:
534:
509:
498:
608:
286:
273:
93:
621:
386:
612:
423:
419:
366:
177:
71:
443:
411:
464:
List of South Africa cricketers who have taken five-wicket hauls on Test debut
394:
397:
matches the following season, 1950–51. In the first, for
Transvaal against
376:
A "genuinely fast right-arm bowler", Melle made his first-class debut for
362:
322:
260:
439:
to victory against Natal at the end of
December 1953.
361:(3 June 1930 – 28 December 2003) was a South African
658:
Cricketers who have taken five wickets on Test debut
164:
149:
138:
122:
117:
109:
101:
82:
57:
47:
42:
499:South Africa v Australia, Johannesburg 1949–50
546:ABC Cricket Book, South Africans Tour 1952–53
8:
21:
572:Australia v South Africa, Brisbane 1952–53
35:The South African touring team in 1952–53.
29:
20:
487:The Complete Who's Who of Test Cricketers
369:from 1950 to 1953. Melle was educated at
37:Melle is standing second from the right.
663:Alumni of Hilton College (South Africa)
475:
535:England v South Africa, The Oval 1951
454:and Transvaal between 1909 and 1923.
380:at the age of 18 against the touring
7:
510:Transvaal v Griqualand West 1950–51
14:
583:Tasmania v South Africans 1952–53
594:Western Province v Natal 1953–54
489:, Rigby, Adelaide, 1983, p. 298.
1:
446:played for Western Province,
142:10 February 1950 v
638:South Africa Test cricketers
153:24 January 1953 v
653:Western Province cricketers
548:, ABC, Sydney, 1952, p. 14.
679:
483:Christopher Martin-Jenkins
118:International information
426:had played no Tests, and
342:
338:
169:
160:
28:
643:South African cricketers
16:South African cricketer
393:He played his first
365:who played in seven
359:Michael George Melle
287:5 wickets in innings
52:Michael George Melle
43:Personal information
299:10 wickets in match
25:
648:Gauteng cricketers
448:Oxford University
356:
355:
334:
333:
165:Career statistics
670:
596:
591:
585:
580:
574:
569:
563:
555:
549:
543:
537:
532:
526:
518:
512:
507:
501:
496:
490:
480:
437:Western Province
351:
350:15 November 2022
171:
170:
97:
89:
86:28 December 2003
78:
67:
65:
33:
26:
678:
677:
673:
672:
671:
669:
668:
667:
618:
617:
605:
600:
599:
592:
588:
581:
577:
570:
566:
556:
552:
544:
540:
533:
529:
519:
515:
508:
504:
497:
493:
481:
477:
472:
460:
403:Griqualand West
352:
349:
274:Bowling average
212:Batting average
134:
92:
91:
87:
70:
69:
63:
61:
53:
38:
36:
24:
17:
12:
11:
5:
676:
674:
666:
665:
660:
655:
650:
645:
640:
635:
630:
620:
619:
616:
615:
604:
603:External links
601:
598:
597:
586:
575:
564:
550:
538:
527:
525:2005, p. 1651.
513:
502:
491:
474:
473:
471:
468:
467:
466:
459:
456:
371:Hilton College
354:
353:
343:
340:
339:
336:
335:
332:
331:
328:
325:
318:
317:
314:
311:
307:
306:
303:
300:
296:
295:
292:
289:
283:
282:
279:
276:
270:
269:
266:
263:
257:
256:
253:
250:
243:
242:
239:
236:
232:
231:
228:
225:
221:
220:
217:
214:
208:
207:
204:
201:
197:
196:
193:
190:
186:
185:
180:
175:
167:
166:
162:
161:
158:
157:
151:
147:
146:
140:
136:
135:
133:
132:
126:
124:
120:
119:
115:
114:
113:Right-arm fast
111:
107:
106:
103:
99:
98:
96:, South Africa
90:(aged 73)
84:
80:
79:
59:
55:
54:
51:
49:
48:Full name
45:
44:
40:
39:
34:
22:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
675:
664:
661:
659:
656:
654:
651:
649:
646:
644:
641:
639:
636:
634:
631:
629:
626:
625:
623:
614:
610:
609:Michael Melle
607:
606:
602:
595:
590:
587:
584:
579:
576:
573:
568:
565:
562:1954, p. 800.
561:
560:
554:
551:
547:
542:
539:
536:
531:
528:
524:
523:
517:
514:
511:
506:
503:
500:
495:
492:
488:
484:
479:
476:
469:
465:
462:
461:
457:
455:
453:
449:
445:
440:
438:
432:
429:
425:
421:
415:
413:
407:
404:
400:
396:
391:
388:
387:Cuan McCarthy
383:
379:
374:
372:
368:
364:
360:
347:
341:
337:
329:
326:
324:
320:
319:
315:
312:
309:
308:
304:
301:
298:
297:
293:
290:
288:
285:
284:
280:
277:
275:
272:
271:
267:
264:
262:
259:
258:
254:
251:
248:
245:
244:
240:
237:
234:
233:
229:
226:
223:
222:
218:
215:
213:
210:
209:
205:
202:
199:
198:
194:
191:
188:
187:
184:
181:
179:
176:
173:
172:
168:
163:
159:
156:
152:
148:
145:
141:
137:
131:
128:
127:
125:
123:National side
121:
116:
112:
108:
104:
100:
95:
85:
81:
77:
73:
60:
56:
50:
46:
41:
32:
27:
23:Michael Melle
19:
613:ESPNcricinfo
589:
578:
567:
557:
553:
545:
541:
530:
520:
516:
505:
494:
486:
478:
441:
433:
428:John Watkins
424:Anton Murray
420:Eddie Fuller
416:
408:
392:
375:
367:Test matches
358:
357:
310:Best bowling
130:South Africa
105:Right-handed
88:(2003-12-28)
72:Johannesburg
18:
633:2003 deaths
628:1930 births
442:His father
412:Geoff Chubb
200:Runs scored
183:First-class
174:Competition
94:Betty's Bay
68:3 June 1930
622:Categories
470:References
395:Currie Cup
139:Test debut
64:1930-06-03
611: at
452:Hampshire
378:Transvaal
363:cricketer
323:stumpings
235:Top score
155:Australia
150:Last Test
144:Australia
76:Transvaal
458:See also
399:Rhodesia
346:Cricinfo
344:Source:
321:Catches/
224:100s/50s
261:Wickets
189:Matches
110:Bowling
102:Batting
559:Wisden
522:Wisden
249:bowled
444:Basil
281:24.93
278:32.73
255:9,590
252:1,667
247:Balls
219:11.33
422:and
330:22/–
316:9/22
313:6/71
216:8.50
178:Test
83:Died
58:Born
382:MCC
327:4/–
268:160
230:0/2
227:0/0
206:544
624::
485:,
450:,
373:.
348:,
265:26
241:59
238:17
203:68
195:52
74:,
305:2
302:0
294:6
291:2
192:7
66:)
62:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
