Who has the highest batting average in Test history? Short answer: It’s not Don Bradman | Cricket News
On this day — January 22 — 105 years ago, a cricketer was born in Belmont, Port of Spain, in Trinidad. His name was Andrew Gordon Ganteaume, popularly known as Andy Ganteaume.Born in 1921, Andy Ganteaume made his first-class debut in the 1940/41 season, representing his home team Trinidad. The wicketkeeper-batter played a total of 50 first-class matches, scoring 2,785 runs at an average of 34.81, with the help of five centuries and 17 fifties. He took 34 catches and had three stumpings to his name as a keeper.It was a decent record, but not a wow-generating career. That moment came in February 1948, when he received his Test cap for the West Indies against England at his home ground in Port of Spain.Ganteaume scored a stunning 112 in his debut innings for the Windies in front of his home fans as an opener, hitting 13 fours. But it turned out to be the then 27-year-old’s one and only Test innings of his cricketing career. He went on to live till his 95th birthday, passing away in February 2016, 68 years after that fateful match in his hometown.
That century put him above none other than cricket legend Sir Don Bradman as the batter with the highest batting average in Test history. Bradman famously ended his long and storied career with a batting average of 99.94, after getting out for a duck in his final Test innings. Ganteaume, meanwhile, finished his Test career with an average of 112, thanks to that lone debut knock.Here’s how Andy Ganteaume’s one and only Test match panned out:England captain Gubby Allen won the toss and elected to bat first against the West Indies. Riding on opener Billy Griffith’s century, England reached 230/6 at the end of the opening day. The visitors were bowled out for 362, with Griffith scoring 140 and Jim Laker contributing 55 at No. 9. Wilf Ferguson was the pick of the bowlers for the hosts, returning figures of 5 for 137.Andy Ganteaume came out to bat in his debut innings as an opener and ended Day 2 unbeaten on 52. He, along with opening partner George Carew, who completed his hundred, took West Indies to a commanding 160/0 at stumps.The next day, Carew was dismissed for 107, while Ganteaume made his debut a memorable one with a century, scoring 112. West Indies batted out the entire day and were at 447/6 at stumps, with Frank Worrell missing out on a century after getting out for 97. They held a lead of 85 runs.West Indies failed to increase the lead much after that and were bowled out for 497 on the fourth day — a lead of 135 runs. England went to the stumps on Day 4 at 70/3 ahead of the rest day.On the fifth and final day, opener Jack Robertson scored 133 and set West Indies a target of 141 runs after England posted 275 in their second innings. Ferguson completed his 10-wicket haul in the match, returning figures of 6 for 92 for a return of 11 for 229. West Indies were at 72/3 when the two teams shook hands for a draw.Incidentally, Ganteaume did not come out to bat in the second innings for the hosts, despite opening the innings in the first essay.Why did Ganteaume play only one Test for the West Indies?Despite scoring 112 on debut, Andy Ganteaume never played for the West Indies again. He continued to play for Trinidad till the 1962/63 season but did not feature at the international level thereafter.West Indies had a formidable batting line-up around this time — the era of Walcott, Worrell, Weekes, Sobers, Kanhai, Rae, Stollmeyer and Gomez — and there were suggestions that Ganteaume slowed down when nearing his hundred, possibly costing West Indies a chance of victory. Jeff Stollmeyer later wrote: “Andy’s innings in its later stages was not in keeping with the state of the game and his captain [Gerry Gomez] was forced to send a message out to him to ‘get on with it’.” But that one match ensured that he ended his Test career with a better average than Don Bradman.Currently, only one batter — Kurtis Robert Patterson of Australia — has a higher Test average, at 144 after playing two Tests. However, Patterson is still active, and until the Australian batter retires from his cricket career, Andy Ganteaume will hold the record of the batter who ended his career with the highest batting average in Test history.
