Fourth Week of June
Let us take a trip down memory lane and recall some of the finest moments and incidents that occured during the fourth week of June.
24 JUNE
Born on this day were:
Abubhai Adamji Jasdenwala (1899-1982), Indian cricket administrator who was president of the Cricket Club of India (1949-50 and 1957-73) and president of the BCCI (1957-59) and in whose honour the Cricket Club of India, Mumbai has named its library;
Brian ‘Jonners’ Johnston (1912-94), Pre-eminent radio commentator and broadcaster on them all; and
Graham McKenzie, Australian seamer who took 246 Test wickets.
In 1938 the second Test against Australia at Lord’s was occasion for the first television broadcast of cricket in England by the BBC. Teddy Wakelam was the commentator.
In 1960 South Africa’s Geoff Griffin dismissed M.J.K. Smith, Peter Walker and Fred Trueman with consecutive deliveries to become the first South African to take a hat-trick. This is also the only hat-trick at Lord’s. But this was also his last day in Tests. Griffin was no-balled for throwing 11 times, having previously been called 17 times in a tour match. He never played Test cricket again and did not bowl again on the tour.
In 1968 Australia were bowled out by England for just 78, their lowest score at Lord’s in the 20th century. Their destroyers were not, as might have been expected, John Snow and Derek Underwood, but David Brown (5 for 42) and Barry Knight (3 for 16). Rain saved the Aussies, and the match ended in a draw.
In 1947 India were dismissed for 42 at Lord’s, their lowest score in Test cricket. Geoff Arnold took 4 for 19 and Chris Old 5 for 21. Only Eknath Solkar reached double figures. They lost to England by an innings and 285 runs. This is also the lowest score at Lord’s. Earlier England had piled up 629 in their first innings and Bishan Bedi returned the unique figures of 64.2-8-226-6 – the first double century by a bowler in a Lord’s Test.
In 2000 Pakistan pummeled Sri Lanka by an innings and 163 runs in the second Test at Galle. Saeed Anwar, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Younis Khan and Wasim Akram all made centuries and Abdul Razzaq at 20 years 201 days became the youngest man to take a Test hat-trick.
In 2003 the baggy cap worn by Don Bradman in the 1946-47 Ashes series was sold at Christie’s, London for a record auction price of Stg.Pds. 35,250 – the highest price paid for a cricket cap.
25 JUNE
Born on this day were:
Ian Davis (1953-), Australian opener who played 15 Tests in the 1970s;
Victor James ‘Vic’ marks (1955-), English off-spinner turned broadsheet correspondent (Marks played six Tests and 34 ODIs and was the first English bowler to take two five-wickets hauls in ODIs); and
Steve Tikolo (1971-), Kenya’s best batsman.
In 1921 Charlie Macartney (Australia) hit the fastest triple century in England against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge. He reached his 300 in 205 minutes and went on to make 345 (out of a total of 540), which was before Lara’s 390 in 1994 the most runs scored by an individual in a single day’s play. Australia won the match by an innings and 517 runs.
In 1932 India entered the world of Test cricket when they met England at Lord’s. In a low-scoring match, Douglas Jardine’s 79 and 85 not out were decisive as India were whipped by 158 runs in three days. For India, Mohammad Nissar took 5 for 93 in the first innings.
In 1934 Hedley Verity took 14 wickets for 80 runs, including six in the final hour against Australia at Lord’s. At one point Australia crumbled from 94 for 3 to 95 for 8. He had match figures of 7 for 61 and 8 for 43 (and his performances are 62 nd and 8th respectively in the ‘Wisden 100’). Not surprisingly, this is remembered as ‘Verity’s Match’. This is Australia’s only defeat in a Lord’s Test in the 20th century.
In 1983 India under Kapil Dev won the World Cup beating the West Indies at Lord’s by 43 runs. The man of the match was Mohinder Amarnath, for his 26 runs and 3 for 12. The highest score in the whole match was Kris Srikkanth’s 38. It rates as one of the most sensational upsets in the history of ODIs. Everton Weeks, the West Indies legend, had predicted an Indian victory but others had to eat their words, quite literally.
David Frith, editor of Wisden Cricket Monthly who had written off India ‘ate’ a copy of the article in which he had written that he would eat his words if India won. Patel Bookies was the only bookie outside Lord’s whose odds favoured India. It is said Kapil had packed a bottle champagne with him to take to Lord’s, since irrespective of the result, he intended to celebrate India’s entry into the final.
26 JUNE
Born on this day were:
Albert Relf (1874-1937), English all-rounder who played 13 Tests between 1903-04 and 1913-14;
Gary Gilmour (1951-), Australian all-rounder who bowled England to defeat with 6 for 14 at Headingley in the World Cup semi-final of 1975 – a performance that is top of the ‘Wisden 100’ – and then took 5 for 48 in the final; and
Mpumelo ‘Pommie’ Mbangwa (1976-), Zimbabwe seam bowler.
In 1862 Joseph Wells became the first bowler to take four wickets in four balls in a first-class match, achieving this feat for Kent against Sussex at Box’s (Royal Brunswick) Ground, Hove. He was the father of the novelist H.G. Wells and the victims were all bowled. His second wicket was one Spencer Leigh, a great-nephew of another famous English novelist, Jane Austen. Kent won by ten wickets despite a first innings lead of only eight runs.
In 1935 Andy Sandham (Surrey) hit his 100th first-class century (103) against Hampshire at Basingstoke.
In 1937 Len Hutton made his debut against New Zealand at Lord’s making 0 and 1. Hutton was retained, though, and scored an even 100 in his next innings. After a test career of 79 Tests and 6,971 runs, it was clear the selectors had the right decision.
In 1972 Bob Massie of Australia took 16 wickets (8 for 84 and 8 for 53) on Test debut against England at Lord’s. This was the best performance on debut by any bowler till it was bettered by Narendra Hirwani (16 for 136) against West Indies in 1987-88.
In 1995 Dominic Cork bowled England to a memorable 72-run victory over West Indies at Lord’s. Cork, who was also hit his first ball in Tests for four, took 7 for 43 in the second innings, the best figures by an English debutante.
In 2000 Bangladesh was elected an ICC member. Given Bangladesh’s dismal record in international cricket in recent times this grating of Test status has been the subject of many debates.
27 JUNE
Born on this day were:
Charles Macartney (1886-1958), outstanding Australian all-rounder best remembered for his 345 runs in one day against Nottinghamshire in 1921 ( He was called the ‘Governor General’ of Australian Cricket);
Bob Appleyard (1924-), Yorkshire and England off-spinner who played in nine Tests; and
Neil Hawke (1939-2000), Australian seam bowler.
In 1939 George Headley became the first person to score two centuries (106 and 107) in a Lord’s Test, although West Indies still went down by eight wickets to England. It was the second time in his career that Headley had made two centuries in a Test, making him only the second person at the time (after Herbert Sutcliffe) to do so.
In 1949 Martin Donnelly, one of New Zealand’s greatest batsmen, stroked a glorious century against England at Lord’s, which he extended to 206 on the third and final day. It completed a unique treble, which only Donnelly and Percy Chapman, another left-hander, have managed: scoring hundreds at Lord’s for Gentlemen against Players and for Oxford against Cambridge.
In 1982 Sandeep Patil of India hit Bob Willis of England for 24 runs in one over in the second Test at Old Trafford. He hit the first three balls for four, the third of which was a no ball and failed to score off the next. He than hit the next three for four to reach a total of 24 for the over equaling Andy Roberts’ record against England at Trinidad (since broken by Craig McMillan of New Zealand and Brian Lara of West Indies). On the same day Kapil Dev hit a 50 in 33 balls in 44 minutes.
28 JUNE
Born on this day were:
George Challenor (1888-1947), West Indian batsman who faced the first ball in Tests for the West Indies and is recognized as the first great West Indian batsman;
Peter Heine (1928-), South African seam bowler;
Roy Gilchrist (1934-2001), West Indian seam bowler (13 Tests) who played for 20 years in the Lancashire League; and
Mushtaq Ahmed (1970-), Pakistani leg-spinner.
In 1906 George Hirst of Yorkshire completed the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in the earliest time this has been achieved. (Exactly 20 years later, in 1926, Jack Hobbs (119) became the first player to score 4,000 Test runs while batting against Australia in the second Test at Lord’s.)
In 1915 Victor Trumper, who played 48 Tests and scored 3,163 runs for Australia died in Sydney, aged 37. He is considered one of the greatest Australian batsman ever.
In 1924 Frank Chester made his Test umpiring debut when he stood in the England-South Africa Test at Lord’s. In all he umpired in 48 Tests and is considered one of the best umpires the game has seen.
In 1969 coming to the crease with England 39 for 4, still 341 behind West Indies, John Hampshire made a superb 107 in his first Test innings in the second Test at Lord’s. He thus became the first Englishman to score a debut century in a Lord’s Test. This thrilling match ended in a draw, with England closing on 295 for 7 in pursuit of 332.
29 JUNE
Born on this day were:
Alan Connolly (1939), Australian seam bowler in the 1960s;
Ronald George Alphonso ‘Ron’ Headley (1939), West Indian opener who was the son of great George and father of England seamer Dean (He played just two Tests, both in England in 1973 and played much of his cricket in England for Worcestershire and Derbyshire); and
Paul Jarvis (1965), English pace bowler.
In 1931, Les Ames and ‘Gubby’ Allen added 246 for the eighth wicket against New Zealand at Lord’s. Allen scored his only Test hundred and Ames his first in England. At the time it was the highest for the eighth-wicket in Test history, but it was has been passed thrice in the last ten years.
In 1950, West Indies won their first Test in England, beating the hosts by 326 runs at Lord’s. The spearhead of the West Indian attack were spinners Sonny Ramadhin and Alf Valentine who were both playing their second Test. Valentine’s match figures were 116-75-127-7 (the 75 maidens are still a Test record), and Ramadhin’s 115-70-152-11. A famous Calypso song – ‘With those little pals of mine, Ramadhin and Valentine’ – was born.
In 2000, Sanath Jayasuriya and Marvan Atapattu put on 335 against Pakistan at Kandy – the fifth highest opening partnership in Test history and Sri Lanka’s highest by almost 150 runs. Atapattu remained unbeaten on 207- his third Test double hundred and Jayasuriya made 188. The match was drawn.
In 2007, Sachin Tendulkar became the first player to complete 15,000 runs in one-day internationals, during India’s match against South Africa in Belfast.
30 JUNE
Born on this day were:
M.J.K. Smith (1933), English batsman and captain who also once played rugby for England against Wales;
Peter Pollock (1941), South African seamer who is the father of Shaun and the brother of Graeme (He became chairman of selectors when South Africa returned to the fold in 1991-92);
Sanath Jayasuriya (1969), Sri Lankan opening batsman, left-arm spinner and captain who has made more than 5,000 Test runs and 9,000 ODI runs and remains an extremely destructive opener; and
Dodda Ganesh (1973), Indian pace bowler.
In 1899, Englishman J.T. Hearne took the first Test hat-trick in England when he dismissed Australians Clem Hill, Syd Gregory and Monty Noble, all for ducks. The match was abandoned in a draw when rain washed out the final day. Tragically, it is best remembered for an epileptic fit suffered by Johnny Briggs on the first night of the match. He did not play Test cricket again, and was dead within three years.
In 1924 on the second day of the second Test between England and South Africa at Lord’s, England scored 503 for the loss of two wickets and became the first Test team to score more than 500 runs in one day. Jack Hobbs (211) and Herbert Sutcliffe (122) put on 268 together. Frank Woolley was undefeated on 134 and Patsy Hendren on 50 when England declared at 531 for 2 the next day. England won by an innings and 18 runs.
In 1930, Don Bradman made a glorious 254 (320 minutes and 25 fours) in his first Test innings at Lord’s. It propelled Australia to 720 for 6 – the highest total in any first-class match at Lord’s and ultimately a seven-wicket victory. His average at Lord’s was 78 – realtively low by his standards.
In 1966, England’s left-arm spinner Derek Underwood made a wicketless Test debut against West Indies in the third Test at Trent Bridge.
In 2000 for the first time in Test history, a part of all four innings took place on one day when England played West Indies at Lord’s. West Indies made 267 in their first innings and the England reply was 134. England bowled out the West Indies for a partly 54 and were 0 for off 1.1 overs at close of play. A wicket fell every 22 balls.