Terence Michael Alderman (born 12 June 1956) is a former Australian international cricketer who played primarily as a right-arm fast-medium bowler.
He began his first-class cricket career during the 1974–75 season with Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield and came to international prominence when he was chosen for the Australian national team to tour England in 1981.
He was a poor batsman, passing fifty just once in his career and averaging barely eight in first-class cricket.
Alderman took part in an unofficial Australian tour of South Africa in 1985–86 and 1986–87, when that country was banned from Test cricket as a Commonwealth anti-apartheid sanction.
As a result, he received a three-year ban from international cricket which disqualified him from playing in the 1985 Ashes series in England.
Alderman studied at Aquinas College in Perth, playing both football and cricket.
Alderman had his best season in 1979/80 taking 42 wickets at 28.09 before going to play for Watsonians in Scotland in the northern summer of 1980.
Ian Botham counter-attacked and Alderman's final figures were 6/135 – Australia collapsed chasing and lost the game.
[5] In the fourth Test Alderman bowled beautifully for figures of 5/42 and 3/65 but Australia's batsman collapsed again and lost the game.
He took 2/54 and 2/23 in the first match, but is probably best remembered for his batting in the first innings – he joined Kim Hughes when the score was 9/155 and stuck around for 43 more runs which proved crucial (Alderman made 10).
He returned for the third Test despite barely bowling during the tour,[16] taking 2/144 in an Australian defeat.
[18] Alderman was hit in the back of the head by a member of the crowd, Gary Donnison.
Alderman charged at Donnison and tackled him to the ground but fell on his shoulder and injured himself.
"I can't remember a lot of how I fell ... but I was immediately aware I was injured ... it was very painful indeed," Alderman said.
[20] In the second Test he took 2/91 but had some success with the bat, scoring 21 in Australia's second innings and taking part in a 61-run partnership with Allan Border.
Alderman made his way back into the Australian side for the first Test against the West Indies during 1984/85.
He was picked to tour England in 1985 but lost his spot when it was revealed he had signed to play in South Africa.
[26] Alderman says he was motivated by financial conditions after being left off the contract list of Australian players in 1984.
Alderman later admitted his trips to South Africa had been disappointing bowling-wise and he set himself the goal of getting back in the Australian team by the 1989 Ashes.
He played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club in England in 1988, taking 75 wickets at 22.81.
In Australia, Alderman took 3/73 and 1/59 against New Zealand in November 1989[35] and 3/81 against Sri Lanka in the first Test in December.
[46] In 2000, Alderman was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for being the all-time leading wicket taker for Western Australia.