Third week of August

17 AUGUST

Born this day were: Regginald Duff (1878-1911), Australian batsman whose 104 on his Test debut against England at Melbourne in 1901-02 was the first century by a No. 10 batsman in Test cricket (His 146 in his last Test at The Oval in 1905 made him the first player to score hundreds in his first and last match – Bill Ponsford and Greg Chappell are the others); Percy Sherwell (1880-1948), South African wicket-keeper and captain who captained his country in every one of his 13 matches including their first win over England, at Johannesburg in 1905-06; and Habibul Bashar (1972-), Bangladeshi batsman.

In 1874 Henry Jupp became the first man to carry his bat in both innings of a first-class match – for Surrey against Yorkshire at The Oval. He scored 43 not out and 109 not out. This has been done on six occasions in first-class cricket and twice by an Indian: Vijay Merchant in 1936 and D. Sudhakar Reddy in 1991-92.

In 1946 Vijay Merchant made 128, then the highest score for India in a Test in England in the third Test at The Oval. He was run out by Denis Compton who kicked the ball onto the stumps.

In 1964 Geoff Boycott scored his first Test hundred – 113 at The Oval against Australia. This was the first of his 22 Test centuries.

 In 1976 Michael Holding became the only West Indian to take 14 wickets in a Test. Holding took 8 for 92 and 6 for 57 to wrap up a 3-0 series win at The Oval.

In 1997 Mohammad Azharuddin (111 not out) and Ajay Jadeja (119) put on a record 223 for the fifth wicket against Sri Lanka in the first ODI at Colombo. Set to score 303 for victory India lost by only two runs with Azhar remaining unbeaten on 111. This record was broken by Sri Lankan in 2008 (against India!), but Azharuddin and Jadeja still hold the record for the fourth wicket – an unbeaten 275 against Zimbabwe at Cuttack in 1997-98. In fact India holds the world record for four wickets in ODIs: Tendulkar and Dravid hold the record for the second wicket (331). And for good measure Kapil Dev's and Kirmani's unbeaten 126 for the eighth wicket against Zimbabwe at Tunbridge Wells in the 1983 World Cup is also a record.

In 2000 Curtly Ambrose became the fifth player to take 400 Test wickets when he dismissed Michael Atherton in the fourth Test at Headingley. Ambrose was playing his 97th Test and was 36 years 331 days old at the time.

18 AUGUST

Born on this day were: Godfrey Evans (1920-99), English Wicket-keeper whose 219 dismissals in 91 Tests for England were both world records at the time; Sadasiv 'Sadu' Shinde (1932-55), Indian leg-spinner who played in seven Tests before dying suddenly of typhoid, aged only 31 (One of his daughters married the politician Sharad Pawar who is the BCCI President); Sandeep Patil (1956-), Indian batsman who played in 29 Tests for India and is best remembered for his 174 against Australia in 1980-81 and his 129 not out at Old Trafford in 1982, when he hit six fours in an over from Bob Willis; and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (1974-), West Indian batsman who when he made his debut against England at Georgetown in 1993-94 was the first teenager to play in a Test for West Indies since Elquemedo Willett in 1972-73.

First-class debut for two great batsmen: In 1920 Wally Hammond made his first-class debut for Gloucestershire against Lancashire at Cheltenham with a duck in his first innings. He went on to set a number of world records, among them becoming the first man to score 7,000 Test runs and the first to take 100 Test catches. In 1951 Raymond Illingworth made his first-class debut for Yorkshire against Hampshire at Headingley scoring 56 in a match which Yorkshire won by ten wickets.

In 1934 Bill Ponsford (266) and Don Bradman (244) shared a partnership of 451 against England at The Oval. Their stand of 451, made in only five hours, was then the highest for any wicket in Tests and is still in the top four. England lost by 562 runs.

In 1936 on the last day at The Oval, England captain and pace bowler 'Gubby' Allen completed figures of 7 for 80, the best of his Test career, to help England beat India by nine wickets and take the three-match series 2-0. C.K. Nayudu had defended stoically for more than two hours despite being injured, to score 81 and avert an innings defeat. This was also the Indian legend's last Test innings.

In 2000 England beat the West Indies at Headingley in two days – the first two-day Test in over 50 years. West Indies began their second innings 100 runs behind England but capitulated for 61 in 26.2 overs – their second double-figure score in three Tests. England beat them by an innings for the first time since 1966. Andy Caddick took four wickets in an over, the last three from Yorkers.

19 AUGUST

Born on this day were: Ian Gould (1957-), English wicket-keeper who played for England in the 1983 World Cup; and Paul-Jan Bakker (1957-), Dutch seamer who played for Hampshire and is the only former ski instructor to open the bowling in a cricket World Cup.

In 1898 J.T. Brown and J. Tunnicliffe put on the then world record partnership for any wicket, 554 for the first Yorkshire wicket against Derbyshire at Chesterfield. The partnership lasted 305 minutes after which time Tunnicliffe was out for 243. Brown batted five minutes longer before purposely knocking his wicket down after having completed his 300, which included 48 fours. The previous record partnership for any wicket was the 398 added by A. Shrewsbury and W. Gunn in 1890. It was the day before Brown's 29th birthday.

In 1953 after a record wait of 18 years 362 days, and despite losing the toss in all five Tests, England regained the Ashes when the beat Australia by eight wickets at The Oval. Fittingly, famous Middlesex partners Denis Compton and Bill Edrich were at the crease when the winning runs were hit – a boundary off part-time bowler Arthur Morris. It was the first Ashes series to be won by a professional captain (Len Hutton) – and the last Test appearance of Australia's captain Lindsay Hassett, who first played against England in 1938.

In 1985 opening batsman Tim Robinson (148) and his captain David Gower (215) completed their partnership of 331 in only 343 minutes at Edgbaston. Gower hit the highest score by an English captain against Australia since Wally Hammond's 240 at Lord's in 1938. England won by an innings to take a 2-1 lead in the series. On the same day Ruth Preddey, pioneer of Australian women's cricket, and for whom the National League trophy is named, died in Sydney, aged 94.

In 1992 three players hit hundreds on the same day before Sri Lanka declared at 547 for 8 against Australia at Colombo's Sinhalese Sports Club. Asanka Gurusinha made 137, captain Arjuna Ranatunga 127 and new cap Romesh Kaluwitharana 132 not out. But in the second innings Sri Lanka's last eight wickets fell for 37 runs and they lost the match by 16 runs.

20 AUGUST

Born on this day were: Augustus Bernard Tancred (1865-1911), South African opener who was the first opener to carry his bat through a Test innings (When South Africa were bowled out for only 47 by England at Cape Town in 1888-89, he was 26 not out); John Thomas 'Jack' Brown (1869-1904), English batsman who scored the fastest Test half-century (28 minutes) when he scored his blistering 140 at Melbourne in 1894-95 (In 1898 Brown scored exactly 300 and shared a colossal stand of 554 with 'Long john' Tunnicliffe for Yorkshire against Derbyshire at chesterfield which stood as a world record in first-class cricket until two other Yorkshiremen, Percy Holmes and Herbert Sutcliffe, beat it by a single run in 1932); and John Emburey (1952-) English off-spinner who took 147 Test wickets, including best figures of 7 for 78 at Sydney in 1986-87 and also captained England in two Tests.

In 1900 this was the second and last day of the only cricket match ever played at the Olympic Games (paris). Devon County Wanderers scored 117 and 145 to beat the Union des Societes Francaises de Sports Athletiques (78 and 26) by 158 runs at the Velodrome de Vincennes, a cycling track in Paris. Montague Toller took 7 for 10 in that second innings of 26, which is still the lowest in international cricket – equaled only by the New Zealand team which lost to England at Auckland in 1954-55.

In 1930 Australia were eventually all out for 695 in the deciding Test at The Oval. Don Bradman top scored with 232 on his triumphant first tour of England. It was his last knock of a series in which he scored 974 runs, still a world record, including three scores of over 200. Australia went on to win by an innings and regain the Ashes. On the same day in 1930 Australian batsman Charles Bannerman died, aged 79. He had faced the first ball in Test cricket, scored the first run, the first fifty and the first hundred (against England at Melbourne in 1876-77). He retired hurt with a damaged finger scoring 165 out of Australia's total of 245, still the highest percentage of a completed innings in all Tests.

In 1934 William Ponsford was out hit wicket to 'Gubby' Allen for 266 in the fifth Test against England at The Oval. This was the second consecutive innings he was out in this fashion being dismissed for 181 off Hedley Verity in the first innings of the fourth Test at Leeds. This was his last Test.

In 1992 in their 55 overs against Pakistan at Trent Bridge, England scored 363 for 7, which was then a record for any ODI. Graeme Hick scored 50 in 34 balls and Waqar Younis' 11 overs cost him 73 runs. England won by 198 runs.

In 1996 Reetinder Singh Sodhi led India to the Under-15 World Cup, defeating Pakistan in the final at Lord's in 1996. Six of those finalists have since gone on to play international cricket: Faisal Iqbal, Taufeeq Umar, Shoaib Malik and Hasan Raza of Pakistan, and Reetinder Sodhi and Mohammad Kaif of India.

In 1998 Sri Lanka defeated England by five wickets in the final of the Emirates Triangular Tournament at Lord's. This series which also included South Africa was the first to feature players wearing coloured clothing in England.

In 2006 umpires awarded the Oval Test to England after Pakistan walked off in protest against being penalized by umpire Darrell Hair for alleged ball-tampering: England thus took the series 3 – 0. The following day Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq was charged with bringing the game into disrepute and "changing the condition of the ball" .Two years later the ICC was persuaded by Pakistan to show this match as “Drawn”.

21 AUGUST

Born on this day were: Betty Archdale (1907-2000), first woman to captain England in a Test (1934-35) who was later a lawyer, educationist and TV personality; and D(ouglas) V(ivian) P(arson) Wright (1914-98), English leg-spinner who holds the record for the most hat-tricks (seven) in first-class cricket.

In 1978, against Kent at The Oval, Surrey wicket-keeper Ted Pooley made his eight stumping of the match, then a record in first-class cricket. Against Sussex on the same ground in 1868, he had made 12 dismissals, another world record at the time and still the record for a first-class match in England.

In 1978 Vinoo Mankad, one of India's greatest all-rounders (44 Tests for India, 2,109 runs and 162 wickets) died, aged 61. A right- handed batsman, he batted for India in every batting position, but most of his successes came as an opener, including all five of his centuries, and a world-record opening stand of 413 with Pankaj Roy against New Zealand in 1955-56. As a left-arm spinner, he was one of the very best.

In 1986 Ian Botham took what was at the time a world record 356th Test wicket, in the third Test against New Zealand at The Oval.

In 1988 Yorkshire beat Surrey by three wickets to win the inaugural women's County Championship.

22 AUGUST

Born on this day were: Joseph William Henry 'Harry' Makepeace (1881-1952), English double international who played four Tests for England (against Australia in 1920-21); P.G.H. 'Percy' Fender (1892-1985), legendary Surrey and England all-rounder whose century in only 35 minutes for Surrey against Northamptonshire at Northampton in 1920 is the fastest in terms of time spent at the crease; William 'Bill' Woodfull (1897-1965), Australian captain in the 'Bodyline' series who regained the Ashes on his birthday twice (1930 and 1934); and Peter Taylor (1956-), Australian off-spinner (1987-92).

In 1896 the great Ranjitsinhji became the first to achieve the feat of scoring two first-class hundreds (100 and 125 not out) on the same day, for Sussex against Yorkshire at Hove. A month earlier he had made an unbeaten 154 on his debut for England, against Australia at Old Trafford. His county partnerships with his good friend C.B. Fry were legendary.

In 1896 Gloucestershire were all out for 17, their lowest score in any first-class match, against the Australians, at Cheltenham. Two off-spinners did all the bowling, Hugh Trumble taking 6 for 8 and Tom McKibbin 4 for 7.

In 1907 the first match of the new Bombay Triangular Tournament (after admission of the Hindus) started between the Hindus and the Parsees. The Parsees won the three-day match by eight-wickets.

In 1912 England dismissed Australia for only 65 at The Oval (Wooley 5 for 20, Harry Dean 4 for 19) to win the Triangular Tournament, the only competition (at the time) between three Test teams ever held in a single country. South Africa finished third.

In 1930 Australia regained the Ashes with an innings win at The Oval, thanks to Don Bradman's 232, which was almost an average score for him at the time. Earlier in the series he had scored 131, 254 and 334. His total of 974 runs is still a record for any Test series.

In 1934 it was the last day of Test cricket for two 'greats' in the Oval Test: William Ponsford retired in a blaze of glory scoring 266 in his last Test and sharing a record 451 partnership with Don Bradman. Not so Frank Woolley who while deputizing for the injured Les Ames behind the stumps conceded a record 37 byes. He was at 47 years 87 days the oldest man to keep wickets in a Test. Australia regained the Ashes.

In 1992 Sri Lanka needing only 54 to win with eight wickets in hand at Colombo against Australia lost the match by 16 runs. Shane Warne took 3 for 11 and off-spinner Greg Matthews (4 for 76) fashioned a famous victory. Romesh Kaluwitharana's 132 not out on his debut went in vain.

23 AUGUST

Born on this day were: Syd Buller (1909-70), English Test umpire who stood in 33 Tests between 1956 and 1969 and is considered one of the game's greatest umpires; Richard Illingworth (1963-), Engish slow-left-arm bowler who took a wicket with his first ball in Test cricket; and mark Butcher (1972-), English Test batsman whose father Alan also played Test cricket.

In 1911 Kent wicket-keeper Fred Huish set a first-class record that still stands by making his ninth stumping of the match gainst Surrey at The Oval.

In 1938 England declared at 903 for 7 against Australia at The Oval – a Test record until Sri Lanka amassed 952 for 6 against India in 1997-98. Australia lost by an innings and 579 runs – the heaviest defeat in the history of Test cricket. Len Hutton's then world-record 364 was the second longest Test innings (797 minutes) after Hanif Mohammad (970 minutes). Hutton's 364 was more than England's totals in each of their last ten innings. In honour of the event, church bells pealed 364 times. Chuck Fleetwood-Smith gained an unwanted record by conceding 298 runs in the innings – still a record in Tests.

In 1966 Bob Taylor (Derbyshire) dismissed seven Glamorgan batsmen in one innings at Derby, the first of the three occasions on which he performed this feat.

In 1974 Zaheer Abbas scored 240 in the third Test against England at The Oval. This was his first Test ton since his equally epic 274 at Edgbaston in 1971. He scored four double centuries in his career.