John Cottam, who died from typhoid, aged 29, in Western Australia on January 30, 1897, was one of five men drafted in to the Australian Test team at Sydney in 1886-87 because several established players had demanded, and been refused, payment for loss of earnings from their regular jobs. Cottam was 19 and had played only one first-class game for New South Wales against England, and even for that he was a last-minute choice. In the Test he was out for one and three and never played for Australia again. He never even played Sheffield Shield cricket though he did tour New Zealand with a state team in 1889-90, batting well on bad wickets- He was reported to be a powerfully-built man, a stylish bat and a popular performer; his drift away from cricket in the eight years before his death remains a mystery.
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack