Thanks to WEC International and WA representative Jim Dawson, the WACA Museum displayed the bat during the 3rd Ashes Test Match at the WACA Ground in Perth.
C T Studd became a follower of Jesus Christ shortly after his father's conversion in 1877 and five years later played for the English team against the touring Australians. In 1885 he went to China as a missionary with the China Inland Mission and this eventually led in 1913 to the Belgium Congo and to the establishment of WEC.
The full story of WEC can be read on line at http://www.wecinternational.org/ and meanwhile back at the WACA C T Studd's has been part of this historic mission acknowledgment.
Aussies form improve
Rewind a few months and recall the Aussies, with their tails between their legs, heading home after an English cricket lesson. Now the scene is very different.
Maybe it is the home crowd, the home ground advantage or the warmer weather, but the Aussies have bounced back.
After an aggressive start in Brisbane, the Australian Cricket Team sent a message that they were determined to make amends for the previous Ashes series.
Many expected the English to have their traditionally slow start in Brisbane, then bounce back in Adelaide. But after their struggling middle order failed to fire in the first innings at Adelaide, the game was won by the Australians.
Now the Aussies ride a wave into Perth and the English have only a few days to regroup and reassess.
England's chances can gain some confidence from the performance of Joe Root as well as a solid batting performance in the second innings.
But not even this may be enough to slow the stealth of Mitchell Johnson. His pace, and the psychological damage he has inflicted will aid the Australian Team's dominance in the series.
If he remains injury free and the weather remains fine it is hard to see the Australians not walking away with the Ashes this year.
Another feature which has not gone unnoticed has been the unchanged nature of the Australian cricket team. In recent years the fortunes of Australian cricket has seen a correlation with a constant changing of team members.
There was a time when the Australian cricket team members were akin to our cousins. We got to know them, their names became so familiar to us, but in recent years this phenomenon was lost. Families who talked cricket over breakfast were turning off cricket as the team members were changed so often.
As we come to Perth for the 3rd Test we're finding for the first time in many years now, the team is unchanged. The Australian cricketers names are once again becoming familiar to us and this has also had a stabilising effect on the results.
Jeremy Dover is a former sports scientist and pastor
Jeremy Dover's previous articles may be viewed at
www.pressserviceinternational.org/jeremy-dover.html