Archie Jackson

Archie Jackson

Jackson c. 1920s
Personal information
Full name	Archibald Jackson
Born	(1909-09-05)5 September 1909 Rutherglen, Scotland
Died	16 February 1933(1933-02-16) (aged 23) Brisbane, Australia
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm off spin
Role	Batsman
International information
National side	Australia
Test debut (cap 130)	1 February 1929 v England
Last Test	14 February 1931 v West Indies
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1926–1930	New South Wales
Career statistics
Competition Test First-class Matches 8 70 Runs scored 474 4,383 Batting average 47.40 45.65 100s/50s 1/2 11/23 Top score 164 182 Balls bowled – 86 Wickets – 0 Bowling average – – 5 wickets in innings – – 10 wickets in match – – Best bowling – – Catches/stumpings 7/– 26/–
Source: CricketArchive, 26 November 2007

Archibald Jackson (5 September 1909^[1] – 16 February 1933), occasionally known as Archibald Alexander Jackson, was an Australian international cricketer who played eight Test matches as a specialist batsman between 1929 and 1931. A teenage prodigy, he played first grade cricket at only 15 years of age and was selected for New South Wales at 17. In 1929, aged 19, Jackson made his Test debut against England, scoring 164 runs in the first innings to become the youngest player to score a Test century.

Renowned for his elegant batting style, he played in a manner similar to the great Australian batsmen Victor Trumper, and Alan Kippax, Jackson's friend and mentor. His Test and first-class career coincided with the early playing years of Don Bradman, with whom he was often compared. Before the two departed for England as part of the 1930 Australian team, some observers considered Jackson the better batsman, capable of opening the batting or coming in down the order. Jackson's career was dogged by poor health; illness and his unfamiliarity with local conditions hampered his tour of England, only playing two of the five Test matches. Later in the year, in the series against the West Indies, Jackson was successful in the first Test in Adelaide, scoring 70 not out before a poor run of form led to his omission from the fifth Test.

Early in the 1931–32 season, Jackson coughed blood and collapsed before the start of play in a Sheffield Shield match against Queensland. Subsequently, admitted to a sanatorium in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, Jackson was diagnosed with tuberculosis. In an attempt to improve his health and to be closer to his girlfriend, Jackson moved to Brisbane. Ignoring medical advice, Jackson returned to cricket with a local team; however, his health continued to deteriorate and he died at the age of just 23. It is speculated that, had he lived, he may have rivalled Don Bradman as a batsman.^[2]