For the winter of 1897–98, Hirst was selected as part of Andrew Stoddart's team to tour Australia. The team was outplayed and lost the Test matches 4–1, hampered by the poor form of the bowlers and ill health among the team, not least from Stoddart himself who missed several matches following the death of his mother. Hirst, suffering from a strained leg for some of the tour, was ineffective as a bowler. The hard Australian pitches favoured batsmen and did not suit Hirst's style of bowling. In all the first-class matches on the tour, he took only nine wickets at the very expensive average of 75.77. His batting was inconsistent and he scored 338 runs at an average of 21.12. His best scores came in minor matches. Nevertheless, he was selected for England in four of the five Test matches. His debut came in the first match, England's only victory, when he scored 62 batting at number six in the batting order. Despite bowling 41 overs in the game, he failed to take a wicket; his maiden Test match wicket came in the following Test, but he took only two wickets in the series. In the third Test, Hirst scored 85, which remained the highest Test score of his career, but in this series he reached double figures only once more. When the series ended, Hirst had scored 207 runs at an average of 29.57.