Scotland's footballers have never prevailed over Brazil, nor their rugby brethren defeated the All Blacks, but, as Craig Wright's personnel prepare to tackle the imposing challenge of Ricky Ponting's reigning champions at the World Cup, they can at least reflect that their forefathers once defeated the Australians in the sphere of cricket.

Granted, we have to roll back the years until 1882, on Saturday, July 29, when a large crowd convened at Raeburn Place in Edinburgh to witness a meeting between Leslie Balfour-Melville's hosts and William Murdoch's tourists, but the occasion is worth celebrating, not least because, exactly a month later, the majority of these same Australians were involved in one of the most significant acts in sporting history when they beat England at The Oval and proved the catalysts for a subsequent 125 years of ferocious Ashes rivalry.

Born in Edinburgh in 1854, Leslie Melville Balfour-Melville - so good they named him twice - was in the words of the current Cricket Scotland historian, Neil Leitch: "Our equivalent of W G Grace or, perhaps more accurately, C B Fry."

Indeed there is a decent argument for saying he was the greatest sporting figure ever produced by his nation.

"He excelled in every game he turned his hand to," continues Leitch, "and had perfect hand-eye co-ordination and balance, which meant he strode like a colossus across the scene in the later half of the 19th century."

In February, 1872, at the age of 17 years and 10 months, he turned out for Scotland's rugby collective against England in the second meeting between the now-traditional rivals; he also triumphed in the Scottish Lawn Tennis Championship in 1879, in addition to securing the British Amateur Golf title in 1895 and became a Scottish billiards champion in the 1880s. He was also a distinguished ice skater, curler, distance athlete and long-jumper.

In the summer of '82, however, his energies were concentrated solely on cricket and, while opportunities for international fixtures were rare, he was the natural choice to lead the Scots as they strove to gain revenge for an innings loss against the Australians at the same venue on July 27 and 28.

On a grey morning, the touring party, perhaps arrogantly, elected to bat after winning the toss, and there was little sign of the drama in store, as they advanced to 46 for 0 with George Palmer and Tom Garrett surviving an early onslaught from Peter Thompson, prior to Robert Macnair entering the attack and sparking a collapse, which increasingly thrilled the voluble crowd.

First, he bowled Palmer, then Garrett was run out for 28 and suddenly, wickets tumbled in an almighty clatter, and 51 for 1 was transformed to 63 for 5 as the middle-order folded, Jiffy bag-style, and with the Australians unable to break the shackles imposed by Thompson and Macnair - who, between them, bowled 52 overs and snapped up a combined haul of six for 66 - a devil of a struggle confronted their tail, which wagged, but by no means enough to extricate them from the mire.

Eventually, in mid-afternoon and despite a trenchant unbeaten 22 from Murdoch, they were dismissed for 122.

It appeared a sub-standard tally, but we shouldn't forget that the Scots had previously failed to post 150 in two innings, so nothing could be taken for granted.

Yet, if there were nerves jangling elsewhere around the Grange, Balfour-Melville was an ocean of tranquillity, amid the mounting hubbub.

He amassed runs gradually, inexorably, and found willing partners in Alfred Wood (15), Joseph Cotterill (24) and James Walker (19), whose contributions may sound modest, but not with Balfour-Melville progressing obdurately to 73 as the Australians were bested by seven wickets, with the shadows starting to lengthen at the Edinburgh ground.

This was a magnificent performance from the wicket-keeper-batsman and one longs for Ryan Watson, Fraser Watts or Gavin Hamilton to launch a similar salvo in the Caribbean.

Yet, befitting the gracious Balfour-Melville, he insisted that his players batted on after their success to provide the spectators with value for money, and made scant commotion later about the shock result which he had been instrumental in orchestrating. There were no clenched fists, high-fives, post-match press conferences or man-of-the-match awards. It was, quite literally, a different world; one in which this genial individual thrived.

Incredibly - or perhaps not - Balfour-Melville was subsequently recalled to the Scotland ranks at the age of 55 in 1909 and batted on into his 70s, while becoming the captain of the R & A Golf Club of St Andrews, and president of the newly re-organised Scottish Cricket Union.

His death, in 1937, went relatively unnoticed, but his myriad achievements were belatedly recognised in 2002 when Balfour-Melville was one of the original 50 inductees into Scotland's Sporting Hall of Fame.