Harry Graham was born on November 22, 1877. He played six Tests for Australia between 1893 and 1896. He scored two tons, the first on his debut in 1893 at Lord’s and in his first Test at home at the SCG. He was outstanding on the wet pitches. He died at age 40, suffering for years from alcoholism and mental illness. He was admitted to an asylum close to Dunedin, New Zealand, in 1907, and he lived there until his passing.
If he had managed his life better, he could have played first-class cricket for a lot longer and with greater success. Harry Graham was referred to as “the Little Dasher” with affection. He was the first player to make a century in the second innings of a Test debut and only the third player overall to achieve a century on debut.
He was also a determined batsman, with a technique that he could modify to fit different types of wickets. Harry Graham was considered the greatest wet wicket hitter to have ever represented Australia. He made his batsmanship known for the first time in 1892–03, while he was a member of Victoria. He was part of the successful Australian squad that went to England in 1893. He scored 301 runs in six test matches at an average of 30.10, including two hundred and two catches.
He also scored 5,054 runs in 114 first-class matches at a batting average of 26.32 with the top score of 124, including seven hundred and twenty-six wickets and 85 catches. Harry Graham was a well-known Australian rules football player who spent several years playing for Melbourne Football Club after initially participating in the Victorian Football Association. In addition, he participated in multiple first-class games for Otago between 1903–04 and 1906–07, though he was unable to duplicate the excellence of his Australian career.