| Jack Barrett | |
| Fullname: | John Edward Barrett |
| Birth Date: | 15 October 1866 |
| Birth Place: | South Melbourne |
| Family: | Edgar Barrett (brother) |
| Batting: | Left-handed |
| Bowling: | Right-arm medium |
| Heightft: | 6 |
| Heightinch: | 1 |
| Club1: | Victoria |
| Columns: | 2 |
| Column1: | Tests |
| Matches1: | 2 |
| Runs1: | 80 |
| Bat Avg1: | 26.66 |
| 100S/50S1: | 0/1 |
| Top Score1: | 67 |
| Deliveries1: | 0 |
| Wickets1: | 0 |
| Bowl Avg1: | – |
| Fivefor1: | 0 |
| Tenfor1: | 0 |
| Best Bowling1: | – |
| Catches/Stumpings1: | 1/0 |
| Column2: | First-class |
| Matches2: | 50 |
| Runs2: | 2039 |
| Bat Avg2: | 25.81 |
| 100S/50S2: | 0/13 |
| Top Score2: | 97 |
| Deliveries2: | 965 |
| Wickets2: | 21 |
| Bowl Avg2: | 16.00 |
| Fivefor2: | 3 |
| Tenfor2: | 1 |
| Best Bowling2: | 6/49 |
| Catches/Stumpings2: | 16/0 |
| International: | true |
| Country: | Australia |
| Testdebutagainst: | England |
| Testdebutdate: | 21 July |
| Testdebutyear: | 1890 |
| Testcap: | 55 |
| Lasttestdate: | 11 August |
| Lasttestagainst: | England |
| Lasttestyear: | 1890 |
| Source: | https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/0/135/135.html |
John Edward Barrett (15 October 1866 in South Melbourne – 6 February 1916 at Peak Hill, Western Australia) was an Australian cricketer who played two Tests in 1890. He worked as a medical doctor.
Barrett was educated at Wesley College in Melbourne before going on to Melbourne University to study medicine. His father was a doctor in South Melbourne, and his older brother was also a doctor.[1]
A careful batsman, reliable in a crisis, Jack Barrett played first-class cricket for Victoria from 1885 to 1893.[2] Despite having missed many of Victoria's matches owing to his medical studies, he was selected to tour England in 1890 with the Australian team.[3]
On his Test debut, in the first Test of the series at Lord's, Barrett became the first Australian batsman to carry his bat in Test cricket.[4] In the second innings he opened the innings and batted for 280 minutes and scored 67 not out of a team total of 176.[5] On the tour as a whole he was second in the Australian batting averages with 1305 runs at 22.89.[3] According to A. G. Moyes, he "did a splendid job, showing unlimited patience and splendid defence, though he lacked grace and charm in technique to relieve the monotony".[6] He made his highest first-class score of 97 (and 73 not out in the second innings) in the final match of the tour against an England XI at Manchester.[7]
In addition to his cricketing skills, Barrett was also a leading Australian rules footballer, playing for South Melbourne in the late 1880s and early 1890s, topping the Victorian Football Association (VFA) goal kicking in 1889 with 40 goals.[8]
Barrett undertook further medical studies in England after the cricket tour, earning an MRCS diploma in surgery.[9] He retired from cricket at the age of 26 to pursue his medical career.[10] At the time of his death in the goldfields town of Peak Hill, Western Australia, he had been practising there for some years.[9]