First week of February

THIS WEEK THOSE YEARS

2 FEBRUARY

Born on this day were: 

James Joyce (1882-1941), Irish author who eagerly followed the careers of Ranjitsinhji, Fry, Trumper and Spofforth and got his brother Stanislaus to bowl to him in their back garden (Ranjitsinhi appeared in his book Finnegans Wake as ‘ringeysingey’).

Mohammad Aminul Islam (1968-), Bangladeshi batsman who made a century (145) in his country’s inaugural Test (He became the third player to do so, after Australia’s Charles Bannerman and Zimbabwe’s Dave Houghton)

Ijaz Ahmed Jr. (1969-), Pakistani batsman who played one Test for Pakistan in 1995

Upal Tharanga (1985-), Sri Lankan opener, who was involved in a world record 286-run opening wicket partnership with Sanath Jayasuriya in a ODI against England in 2006.

In 1892 Johnny Briggs took a hat-trick for England against Australia at Sydney. Exactly 40 years later in 1932 Australian leg-spinner Clarrie Grimmett took 14 wickets against South Africa (7 for 116 and 7 for 83), figures that still remain the best by any bowler at Adelaide.

In 1973 the great Sir Richard Hadlee, New Zealand’s greatest cricketer, made his Test debut with 2 for 112 in the first Test against Pakistan at Wellington.

A day of centuries for Australian David Boon: In 1988 David Boon saved the Bicentennial Test with an unbeaten 184 against England at Sydney. In 1992 he got yet another Test ton scoring 107 against India at Perth, his third in successive Tests.

In 1991 Sri Lankan Aravinda de Silva scored 267 against New Zealand at Wellington. This remained the best by a Sri Lankan batsman abroad till Kumar Sangakkara made 270 against Zimbabwe at Bulawayo in 2003-04.

In 1995 Zimbabwean paceman Henry Olonga was no-balled once for throwing by umpire Ian Robinson against Pakistan at Harare. He became the first serious bowler to be no-balled in a Test in 32 years.

In 1998 Australian captain Mark Taylor (169 not out) carried his bat though Australia’s innings of 350 against South Africa at Adelaide. His score was the highest by a Test captain while carrying his bat.
 

3 FEBRUARY

Born on this day were:

George Robert Canning, the 4th Lord Harris (1851-1932), English batsman and administrator who is better known as the world’s leading cricket missionary, was born on this day in 1851. An Oxford blue, he captained England in all four Tests in which he took part, including the first Test ever played in England. He also was president of the MCC. However it was as Governor of Bombay (1890-95) that he is best remembered as cricket’s greatest missionary, a friend of cricket in general and Parsee cricket in particular. He was the father of the Parsee-Presidency matches and was also instrumental in persuading the MCC to send out the first official team to tour India. It was this tour led by A.E.R. Gilligan, which paved the way for India’s entry into the then Imperial Cricket Conference and her subsequent elevation to Test status.

Chandrasekhar Gadkari (1928-98), Indian all-rounder who represented Services and who played six Tests for India (1953-55) 

Robert Baddeley ‘Bobby’ Simpson (1936-), Australian batsman, leg-spinner, captain, manager and coach

Gary Bartlett (1941-), New Zealand pace bowler

Danny Morrison (1966-), New Zealand pace bowler who once held the record for the most ducks in Test cricket (24) apart from his 160 Test wickets. He is now a popular TV commentator.

In 1892 Australia won the Ashes 2-1 for the first time when they beat England by 72 runs in the second Test at Sydney. They had won the earlier Test at Melbourne by 54 runs. R. Abel became the first English player to carry his bat through a completed Test innings. In the same match Johnny Briggs ended Australia’s second innings with a hat-trick. A.C. Bannerman scored only 67 in the complete third day’s play.

In 1937 Don Bradman scored 212 (in 441 minutes) in the fourth Test against England at Adelaide. This was the third time that he had scored a double century in two successive Test matches (all against England) having scored 270 in the third Test, at Melbourne. Ten years later he was not so lucky: In 1947 Alec Bedser bowled him for a duck in the fourth Test at Adelaide.

In 1968 the first ‘Frankie’ was sold at the Brabourne Stadium in Bombay. The brainchild of Amarjit Tibb, it took its name from Sir Frank Worrell whose West Indian side had toured India in 1966-67.

In 1974 controversy erupted in Trinidad when non-striker Alvin Kallicharran (142 not out) strode off the field after Bernard Julien played the last ball of the second day of the first Test between England and West Indies, gently down the pitch. Tony Greig threw down the stumps and appealed, and the umpire ruled Kallicharran run out. It caused a huge furore, and after lengthy off-field discussions, Greig retracted his appeal.

In 1977 Yajurvendrasingh equalled Greg Chappell’s record of seven catches in a match in the fourth Test at Bangalore. He took five in the first and two in the second innings. The chance for a record-breaking eighth came when a ball from Bedi took Roger Tolchard’s glove and flew to short-leg. Sadly he had just been moved to silly mid-on and the chance went a begging.

In 1978 needing to score 493, India were dismissed for 445 in the fifth and deciding Test against Australia at Adelaide – at the time the biggest ever total by a team to lose a match and the second highest ever total to be achieved in the fourth innings of a Test match. The Australians won on their captain Bobby Simpson’s birthday and Bishen Bedi set a record for either side by taking 31 wickets in the rubber. Simpson’s hundred in the first innings made him the oldest Australian (41 years 360 days) to score a century in a home Test.

In 1997 West Indian Curtly Ambrose’s ninth over in Australia’s second innings at Perth was the longest ever in Tests and included nine no-balls and lasted 12 minutes.

4 FEBRUARY

Born on this day were:
 
Rolland Beaumont (1884-1958), South African batsman who played in five Tests from 1912 to 1914

Wallis Mathias (1935-94), Pakistani batsman who was the first non-Muslim to play for Pakistan

Rakesh Shukla (1948-), Indian leg-spinner and all-rounder who played only one Test in 1982.

In 1895 Australia beat England by an innings and 147 runs on the third day of the fourth Test at Sydney. England were dismissed twice on the third day for 65 and 72. In the same match Johnny Briggs of England became the first player to take 100 Test wickets. C.T.B. Turner of Australia also achieved this feat on this the third and final day. (No play was possible on the second day.)

In 1949 Everton Weekes of West Indies completed a record run of seven Test fifties when he made 56 against India at Bombay. In the second innings he nearly made it eight but was bowled by Vijay Hazare for 48. This feat has since been equalled by Andy Flower of Zimbabwe and S Chanderpaul of West Indies.

In 1988 Australia and England played a one-off game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to celebrate Australia’s bicentenary. Australia won by 22 runs.

In 1989 Australian Dean Jones scored 216 in the fifth Test against West Indies at Adelaide. It was Australia’s seventh double century against West Indies and the first at Adelaide. On the same day West Indian bowlers conceded a record 40 no-balls.

In 1990 playing in his 80th Test match Richard Hadlee took his 400th Test wicket (of Sanjay Manjrekar) against India in the first Test at Christchurch. He became the first bowler in Test history to achieve this milestone.

In 1991 New Zealand’s Andrew Jones and Martin Crowe put on a world record partnership of 467 runs for the third wicket against Sri Lanka at Wellington. Crowe scored 299 – only the second such score in Test history and the only one to be dismissed on this score. It is the highest for the third wicket in first-class cricket as well and at that time was record for any wicket in Tests. Apart from being their highest total, the Kiwis’ 671 for 4 was the highest second-innings score in Test history.

In 1995 Zimbabwe defeated Pakistan by an innings and 64 runs at Harare to gain its first ever Test win. It was Zimbabwe’s 11th Test and it came within three years of their introduction to Test cricket.

In 2001 Pankaj Roy, Indian Test batsman famous for the record opening stand of 413 with Vinoo Mankad died, aged 72.

5 FEBRUARY

Born on this day in 1889 were: 

Elias Henry ‘Patsy’ Hendren (1889-1962), English batsman whose career included an astounding 170 centuries (second only to Jack Hobbs) and 57,611 first-class runs (He scored his best Test score of 205 not out against West Indies at Port of Spain on this day in 1930 – his 41st birthday)

Ernest Tyldesley (1889-1962), English batsman who scored more than 100 centuries and 38,874 first-class runs.

Also born on this day were: 

Brian Luckhurst (1939-), English opening batsman of the 1960s and early 1970s

Darren Lehman (1970-) Australian Test batsman

Tony Suji (1976-), Kenyan pace bowler

Marlon Samuels (1981-), West Indian all-rounder; who was linked by Indian police to a gambler

Gary Wilson (1986-), New Zealand batsman.

In 1970 South African John Traicos made his Test debut against Australia, in the second Test at Durban. (He took 1 for 27 and 2 for 70 in a match South Africa won by an innings and 129 runs.) On the same day Barry Richards hit the first of his two Test centuries when he scored 140 off only 164 deliveries against Australia at Durban. There would have been many more but for apartheid which restricted Richards to just four Test appearances.

In 1976 Australia completed a 5-1 series drubbing of West Indies, when they won the sixth and last Test at Melbourne by 165 runs. For the first time West Indies lost five matches in a Test series. It was also the last day of Test cricket for Lance Gibbs and Ian Redpath. Redpath was Man of the Match for his 101 and 70. (In 1958 Lance Gibbs had made his Test debut in the second Test at Port of Spain, against Pakistan on the same day – a Test career lasting 18 years to the day.)

In 1984 New Zealand beat England by an innings and 132 runs at Christchurch within three days. England failed to include a specialist spin bowler for only the third time in their Test history. It was England’s biggest defeat since 1973 and the first time since 1894-95 that it failed to total 100 in either innings (82 and 93). The match finished in 11 hours and 41 minutes of play.

In 1992 it was Dilip Vengsarkar’s last day of Test cricket – in the fifth Test at Perth against Australia. He made 1 and 4 in a match India lost by 300 runs. Nicknamed the ‘Colonel’ because his physique and beating resembled Col. C.K. Nayudu’s, his 6,868 runs came at an average of 42.13 and his three consecutive centuries at Lord’s still remain a record.

6 FEBRUARY

Born on this day were:

Albert Trott (1873-1914), Australian born all-rounder who played for both Australia and England and is famous as the only man to clear the pavilion at Lord’s (when he hit Monty Noble out of the ground while playing for MCC against Australia)

Frederick Sewards ‘Fred’ Trueman (1931-), England’s best fast bowler ever whose record of 307 wickets was first bettered by Lance Gibbs in 1976

David Capel (1963-), English all-rounder who played 15 Tests for his country

Colin Miller (1964-), Australian bowler who bowled both off-spin and medium pace and holds the record for the highest number of wickets taken in Shield season (He made his debut in 1998-99 at age 34 and was also famous for his array of hair colours: red, blue, yellow, green, all part of his unique rotation system)

Brad Hogg (1971-), Australian slow left-arm chinaman bowler

Fidel Edwards (1982-), West Indian seamer whose 6 for 22 against Zimbabwe in 2003 are the best figures by a debutante and included a wicket with his first ball in ODIs

S Sreesanth (1983-), Indian pace bowler who is better known for shedding tears on tv screen after being slapped by Harbhajan Singh in an IPL match

Brendan Taylor (1986-), Zimbabwean batsman, who once hit a six off the last ball of the match to win the game for Zimbabwe against Bangladesh.

In 1947 Arthur Morris scored 124 not out in Australia’s second innings in the fourth Test against at Adelaide. He completed a double century for the match having scored 122 in the first innings; for England Denis Compton also scored two centuries (147 and 103 not out) – the first of only two occasions when two players have done this in the same Test match.

In 1948 Don Bradman retired hurt on 57 against India at Melbourne in what was his last Test innings in Australia.

In 1970 Graeme Pollock hit 274 (43 fours) in the second Test against Australia at Durban. It was the highest score in Tests by a South African until Daryll Cullinan and Gary Kirsten went one better in the last few years. Their record of 275 was bettered by Greame Smith who made 277 against England in 2003.

Two ‘youngest ever’ debuts today: In 1953 Australia’s youngest cricketer Ian Craig made his debut aged 17 years and 239 days, in the fifth Test against South Africa at Melbourne; and in 1997 Daniel Vettori became New Zealand’s youngest Test cricketer at 18 years and 10 days against England at Wellington.

In 1995 Graham Gooch and Mike Gatting played their last Test innings today at Perth. Between them Gooch and Gatting played 197 Tests, in which they scored over 13,000 runs.

In 1998 V.V.S. Laxman scored 301 not out for Hyderabad against Bihar at Jamshedpur in a super-league match of the Ranji Trophy. The next highest score was 35 as Hyderabad made 529 for 8 declared, in a match they won by an innings and 152 runs. Laxman was the first batsman to score two triple centuries in the Ranji Trophy.

In 2006 Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq became the third batsman in ODI history to be given out “obstructing the field” against India at Peshawar.

7 FEBRUARY

Born on this day were: 

Charles Dickens (1812-70), English novelist whose home at Gad’s Hill was the scence of a number of charity matches (He usually gave a guinea if the first ball – which he often bowled – was hit to the boundary and in 1857 it is said that Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen also played cricket here)

Alfred Lyttelton (1857-1913), English wicket-keeper who played four Tests from 1880 to 1884 and also played football for his country, apart from being an outstanding tennis player

Athol Rowan (1921-98), South African off-spinner and useful late-order batsman whose elder brother Eric also played for South Africa

Ronald Lefebvre (1963-), Glamorgan and Holland pace bowler.

In 1838 the first recorded reference to sledging (thought it was not called that at the time) – the low slang and insulting remarks resorted to by Australians, as the Commercial Journal put it – was reported. It is believed that the term came into being in the mid-1960s when a New South Wales (NSW) player swore in front of his team-mate who happened to be escorting a lady at the time. This team-mate was said to have remarked: ‘Mate, you are as subtle as a sledgehammer.’ In 1966, soul singer Percy Sledge had a hit called ‘When a Man Loves a Woman’ and consequently the NSW player was nicknamed ‘Percy.’ From then on anyone guilty of a faux pas in the presence of a lady was classed as a sledge. It was a term used only in relation to off-field behaviour but a later generation of players, unaware of its origin began to describe on-field antics as sledging. An obliging media ensured that the term gained currency.

In 1948 left-hander Robert Neil Harvey scored a century (153) in the fifth Test against India at Melbourne aged only 19 years and 121 days. It was only his second Test and he remains the youngest Australian to score a Test hundred.

In 1952 an impromptu rest day was called on what should have been the second day of the fifth Test between India and England at Madras, following the death of King George VI on February 6.

In 1982 Australia defeated England by three wickets in the final of the third women’s World Cup at Christchurch, New Zealand to lift the Hansells Vita Fresh Women’s World Cup.

The perfect ten! In 1999 Indian leg-spinner Anil Kumble took all ten wickets (26.3-9-74-10) in Pakistan’s second innings to spin India to a 212-run victory in the second Test at New Delhi. He became only the second player after Jim Laker to perform this feat. His ten wickets came in a spell of 18.2 overs for 37 runs and swept India to their first victory over Pakistan in 23 Tests, dating back to 1979-80. With India in a comfortable position, Mohammad Azharuddin instructed Javagal Srinath at the other end to bowl wide of the stumps. Richard Stokes of Surrey witnessed both perfect tens, making him possibly the only man to be present on both occasions.

8 FEBRUARY

Born on this day were: 

Manohar Hardikar (1936-), bespectacled Indian all-rounder who played successfully for Bombay but played in only two Tests (both against West Indies in 1958-59)

Mohammad Azharuddin (1963-), outstanding Indian batsman and captain who hit three consecutive centuries on debut (a unique feat), and was the first batsman to reach 9,000 runs in ODI cricket (His career unfortunately ended in disgrace after he was banned for life for match-fixing)

Cameron Cuffy (1970-), West Indian pace bowler

Mohammad Khaled Mashud ‘Pilot’ (1976-), Bangladeshi Test wicket-keeper.

In 1879 English captain Lord Harris was attacked with a stick and one of his teammates A.N. ‘Monkey Hornby’ punched in the face during cricket’s first riot at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The invasion came after New South Wales XI opener Billy Murdoch was given run out by a Victorian umpire George Coulthard. Play was abandoned for the day, as the bookmaking fraternity was threatened with serious losses if England won. If recent match-fixing scandals have shaken the foundations of cricket it would do well to remember that gambling was also at the root of cricket’s first riot. Betting was common practice in England from the earliest times and in the 1730s Frederick, Prince of Wales played cricket for large bets. Umpiring at the other end was Edmund Barton, who became the first and only first-class umpire to become a Prime Minister – Australia’s first in 1901-02.

In 1949 India fell six runs short of a famous victory in the fifth Test against West Indies at the Brabourne Stadium, Bombay. Needing 361 for victory India made 355, with two wickets in hand, at the close of play. It is believed that the umpire A.R. Joshi miscounted and called over with one ball still to be bowled. Another version holds that there was still time left for another over when he called ‘Time.’

In 1952 India’s first Test victory, at the 25th attempt, was set up this day by left-arm spinner Vinoo Mankad, who took 8 for 55 against England in the fifth Test at Madras. There were four stumpings in the innings, and five in the match, for Khokhan Sen – all off Mankad – both records until Kiran More (thanks to Narendra Hirwani) bettered it in 1987-88 against the West Indies. Mankad added four more wickets in the second innings, and with Pankaj Roy (111) and Polly Umrigar (130) making hundreds, England were beaten by an innings and eight runs.

In 1973 Mushtaq Mohammad (201) and Asif Iqbal (175) put on a record 350 runs (in 275 minutes) for the fourth wicket against New Zealand in the second Test at Dunedin. It was Pakistan’s highest partnership for any wicket in Tests at the time and saw them emerge victors by an innings and 166 runs. In 1977 Waheed Mirza (324) and mansoor Akhtar (224 not out) set a new world record opening partnership playing for Karachi Whites against Quetta at Karachi. They put on 561 in six and a half hours, both making their maiden first-class centuries. They beat the previous record of 555 put on by Holmes and Sutcliffe in 1932.

In 1979 West Indian batsman Faoud Bacchus scored 250 against India in the sixth Test at Kanpur. He was out hit-wicket to S. Venkataraghavan. The match ended in a tame draw after West Indies made 452 in reply to India’s 644 in the first innings.

In 1994, Indian cricketer Kapil Dev surpassed sir Richard Hadlee’s record of 431 Test wickets (then the highest in Test cricket) when he got the wicket of Hasan Tillekeratne of Sri Lanka at Ahmedabad. The feat was saluted by 432 balloons and a minute’s standing ovation. It was India’s third successive innings victory for a series clean sweep: the first time this was achieved since 1928 (England v West Indies) and also India’s sixth consecutive home victory by an innings.