| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Albert Francis Borland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 13 December 1901 Durban, Colony of Natal | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 19 July 1961 (aged 59) Durban, Natal, South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Left-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Left-arm | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1920–21 to 1932–33 | Natal | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Source: Cricinfo, 19 April 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Albert Francis Borland (13 December 1901 – 19 July 1961) was a South African cricketer who played first-class cricket for Natal from 1921 to 1933.
Borland was a left-arm bowler whose lower-order batting improved as his career progressed. His highest first-class score was 72 in Natal's victory over Griqualand West in the Currie Cup in 1931–32, when he also took 5 for 51 and 4 for 112.[1] His best bowling figures were 6 for 34 when Natal dismissed Orange Free State in the 1925–26 Currie Cup to win by 235 runs.[2]
Borland's most notable feat was in becoming the first person to take four wickets in consecutive deliveries in South African first-class cricket. In the Currie Cup match against Griqualand West in 1926–27, Griqualand West were 120 for 6 in their first innings when he came on to bowl for the first time in the innings. After an uneventful first delivery, he took wickets with his next four to finish the innings, ending with figures of 0.5–0–0–4.[3] Borland was the 16th first-class player to take four wickets in consecutive deliveries, and as of 2022 the feat has been achieved only 45 times.[4]