Following the tour, three of the Australians — Victor Trumper, Warwick Armstrong and Jim Kelly — were named Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1903, with their captain Joe Darling already having been bestowed that honour in 1900.

Rain delayed play at the Crystal Palace Park on the first day, but when it began the South African Test bowler Charlie Llewellyn took five wickets, bowling unchanged through the Australians' innings.

Surrey were 18 for nought overnight, but lost all twenty wickets on the final day, with Bill Howell taking a match haul of eleven for 56 from 30 overs.

Grace won the toss and chose to bat, and MCC made 240, but Trumper completed his third century on tour with a two-hour 105, taking the tourists to a lead of 31 though no other player passed 30.

In the second innings, Frank Mitchell hit 55 not out before MCC declared with a lead of 249, and the tourists fell 32 short, Trumper once more passing 80 before being bowled by Albert Trott.

England had selected 14 players, but left out Jack Mason, Charlie Llewellyn, who had represented South Africa in Test cricket, and Tom Hayward for the game.

A.A. Thomson wrote that this was reckoned the best integrated side that England ever put into the field: MacLaren, Fry, Tyldesley, Ranjitsinhji, Jackson, Braund, Jessop, Hirst, Lilley, Lockwood and Rhodes.

England batted first on what was described as a "beautiful wicket", but Fry was out in the third over, caught behind by the wicketkeeper standing back, and captain Archie MacLaren was then run out for nine after a "misunderstanding".

Tyldesley went on to make a "turning point" partnership with Hirst for 94 in 80 minutes, while Jessop was caught at deep cover having made six and played "very wild cricket".

It took 90 minutes to bowl out Australia for 36, with Trumper making half of the total, and though the light was bad the wicket was not "so difficult as to excuse such an ignominious breakdown".

Twelve hours of unbroken rain during Friday night left the wicket unplayable, and though the afternoon was fine no play was possible until quarter past five.

[2] Australians (356/7) drew with Lancashire[18] The tourists, fresh from scores of 36 in the Test match and 23 against Yorkshire, now got first use of the wicket at Old Trafford and registered four half-centuries on the first day, through Trumper, Hill, Armstrong and Kelly.

The Australians, who included their medical advisor, Rowley Pope, who had not played first class cricket since 1891, replied with 337, of which Trumper made 128, and Hopkins then took seven for 10 as the students were all out for 46.

[21] The tourists' health problems and the bad weather which they had been experiencing, combined with their poor recent performances in the First Test and against Yorkshire, meant that this match could be seen as marking the low point of their fortunes.

Darling won the toss and chose to bat, though play was delayed until after lunch on the first day, and the Australians made 154, with Hill scoring 46 and Trumper 31.

The English Wisden account acknowledged that Australia "played the finer all-round cricket" and "fully deserved their victory", but still claimed that "all the luck of the game went their way" as they won by 143 runs.

Noble was out caught off Rhodes, and Barnes removed Hopkins and Kelly, but Armstrong and Trumble put on 57 for the ninth wicket and Australia totalled 194.

However, on the third morning they lost three wickets in the first half-hour, and despite MacLaren's "great effort" of 63, including an hour-long stand with Jackson, it was Noble (six for 52) and Trumble (four for 49) who came out on top.

Australia secured the series with one match to play, though only with a three-run margin, as England, who required 32 to win with seven wickets in hand, fell to Trumble and Saunders' bowling.

"[35] Australia, who went in unchanged from the Third Test, won the toss and batted first against an England side where Lionel Palairet, Ranjitsinhji, Lockwood and Fred Tate had replaced Fry, Hirst, Jessop and Barnes.

Six more runs were added before the left-handed Darling hit a catch to deep square leg on the railway side, where Palairet would normally have fielded.

This total is still the lowest all-out innings in Test match history to include a fifty partnership (Joe Darling and Syd Gregory added 54 runs for the 4th wicket).

Rhodes came in and struck a boundary, and Lilley hit two scoring shots to take the tally to 116, before Hill, starting from long on, took a brilliant running catch square in the deep, in front of the pavilion, to dismiss him when the ball, albeit held up in the wind, had seemed sure to go for four.

[43] The inclusion of Tate in the England side appears to have been a result of friction between MacLaren and the selectors (and in particular their chairman, Lord Hawke) that had developed during the course of the series.

Three more half-centuries, from Alfred Lucas, Percy Perrin and McGahey followed before Essex declared, and Australia batted out the day for a draw, Trumper making 119.

Jones and Hopkins passed 30, however, and the Australians took a lead of 27; however, despite seven for 36 from Armstrong, Herbie Morgan and Walter Medlicott scored half-centuries as Glamorgan made the highest total of the match, 178, on the second morning.

The Australians still won; after Hampshire decided to bat, Trumble bowled unchanged and took three for 53, while from the other end Noble took six wickets after being introduced in the 22nd over.

England still needed 38 to avoid the likelihood of being asked to follow on, with the sun coming out and the wicket likely soon to deteriorate once more,[37] but Lockwood helped Hirst add a further 42.

Australians (138 & 105) beat Lancashire (120 & 105) by 18 runs[55] In a low-scoring match at the Liverpool Cricket Club Ground at Aigburth, the tourists almost suffered their third defeat.

At the close of the scheduled second day the South's first innings stood at 53/6, and when it ended the next morning Trumble had returned new career-best figures of 9/39, beating the 8/30 he had managed only a few weeks earlier.