Fifth week of July

28 JULY

The birth of Test cricket's greatest all-rounder! The great West Indian Sir Garfield St. Aubrun Sobers was born on this day in 1936. Sobers, one of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Century, was just 21 years old when he converted his maiden Test century into a colossal 365 not out against Pakistan at Kingston in 1957-58. He is also famous for being the first Test batsman to reach 8,000 runs (8,032). His 235 Test wickets are ample testimony to his all-round skills.

Also born on this day were: Paul Strang (1970-), Zimbabwe leg-spinner; Nixon McClean (1973-), West Indian fast bowler, Misbah-ul-Haq (1974-) Pakistan’s middle-order batsman.

In 1930, K.S. Duleepsinhji made 173 on debut in the second Test at Lord's against Australia. In the same match Bradman made 254 and Australia posted a record 729 – still the highest in any Test at Lord's. England lost by seven wickets. 

In 1937, two triple centuries were scored on this day. Eddie Paynter scored 322 in five hours for Lancashire against Surrey at Hove; and Richard Moore hit 316 against Warwickshire at Bournemouth in 380 minutes, still the highest score for Hampshire. They are seventh and tenth respectively, for the most runs scored in a day. The most runs scored in a day were 390 by Brian Lara, which was part of his epic 501 not out for Warwickshire against Durham in 1994.

In 1973, England won the inaugural Women's World Cup by 92 runs against Australia at Edgbaston. Enid Bakewell hit 118 out of 273 for 3 to set up an easy victory.

In 1977, Ian Botham made his Test debut against Australia at Trent Bridge. He took 5 for 74 in the first innings and scored 25 runs. His first victim in Tests was Greg Chappell.

In 2006 Mahela Jayawardene (374) and Kumar Sangakkara (287) put on 624, the highest partnership in all first-class cricket for Sri Lanka against South Africa in Colombo. 


29 JULY

Born on this day were: Cameron Wilberforce 'Cammie' Smith (1933-), West Indian opening batsman (1960-62) and wicket-keeper; Terry Jarvis (1944-), New Zealand opening batsman; Azeem Hafeez (1963-), Pakistani pace bowler (who was born with two fingers missing on his right hand) who took 63 wickets in 18 Tests for Pakistan; and John Rennie (1970-), Zimbabwe pace bowler.

Two batsmen made their 100th first-class century today: In 1927 C.P. Mead scored his 100th first class century against Northamptonshire becoming the fourth man to reach this milestone. In 1986 English opener Dennis Amiss scored his 100th first-class hundred for Warwickshire against Lancashire at Edgbaston becoming the 21st player to achieve this feat.

In 2001, Zimbabwe's Hamilton Masakadza became the first black African to score a Test century – and was for 41 days the youngest debutant centurion in Test history. Aged just 17 years and 352 days at the start of the second Test against West Indies, Masakadza was the seventh black African to play for Zimbabwe, but only the second out-and-out batsman, after Trevor Madondo, who had tragically died of malaria a month earlier. 

In 2002, Sri Lankan seamer M.K.G.C.P. Lakshita became the 13th bowler to take a wicket with his first ball in Test cricket when he dismissed Mohammad Ashraful of Bangladesh in the second Test at Colombo. He also became the second Sri Lankan bowler to have five initials before his name after W.P.U.J.C(haminda) Vaas.

In 2003, Sunil Gavaskar delivered the MCC's prestigious Cowdrey Lecture, now in its third year, the previous speakers being Richie Benaud and Barry Richards. Speaking on the 'Spirit of Cricket' Gavaskar deplored the practice of 'sledging' in modern day cricket. 


30 JULY

In 1914, the great Albert Trott committed suicide, aged 41. The first bowler to take eight wickets in an innings on his Test debut, he played for both Australia and England and is still the only man to hit a ball over the pavilion at Lord's.

In 1990, Kapil Dev hit Eddie Hemmings for six off the last four balls of his 20th over at Lord's and helped India avoid the follow-on in the first Test against England. This was the first instance of a batsman hitting four successive balls for six in a Test match. Gooch went on to score 123 in the second innings (added to his 333 in the first) to become the only player to score a triple century and a century in the same first-class match. England won by 247 runs. His aggregate of 456 is the highest in any Test. 

In 1995, in the first over of the fourth morning at Old Trafford, Dominic Cork became the first England player to take a Test hat-trick since Peter Loader in 1957. Cork bowled West Indies captain Richie Richardson off an inside edge, before trapping Junior Murray and Carl Hooper lbw. The West Indies who had resumed on their overnight score of 159 for 3, slumped to 161 for 6, and despite the efforts of Brian Lara, who made a brilliant 145, they were unable to avoid a six-wicket defeat. 


31 JULY

Born on this day were: 'Gubby' Allen (1902-1989), later Sir George Oswald Browing Allen, who took 21 wickets in 1932-33 without bowling 'Bodyline', and captained England in the 1936-37 series; William Alfred Brown (1912-), Australian opening batsman whose best innings was 206 where he carried his bat at Lord's in 1938 and who is the oldest and last surviving pre-war Wisden Cricketer of the Year; Lt. Col. Hemu Adhikari (1919-2003), Indian batsman and captain who played in 21 Tests and was later active as a coach and manager; and Jimmy Cook (1953-), South African opener who was out to his very first ball in Test cricket (from Kapil Dev) – the opening delivery of a match against India at Durban in 1992-93.

In 1899, Albert Trott while playing for MCC against the touring Australians at Lord's in 1899 hit a ball bowled by Monty Noble over the roof of the members' pavilion. This feat still waits to be emulated.

In 1943, Yorkshire's great slow left-armer Hedley Verity died in a Prisoner of War camp in Italy. He set a world record by taking 10 for 10 against Nottinghamshire, and in 1934 dismissed 14 batsmen in a day to give England their only win against Australia at Lord's in the 20th Century.

The first perfect ten! In 1956 Jim Laker took 10 for 53 in his second innings for England against Australia at Old Trafford, Manchester – the first instance of a bowler taking all ten wickets in an innings. He had taken 9 for 37 in the previous innings giving him a record for the match. No one else has taken more than 17 in a first-class match. India's Anil Kumble repeated this feat when he took 10 for 74 against Pakistan Delhi in 1999.

In 2007 India won the second Test against England at Trent Bridge after narrowly avoiding defeat in the first.