Hookes hurtles to a hundred
1982 The fastest-recorded authentic century in first-class history
The fastest-recorded authentic century in first-class history. They were no joke bowlers on show when David Hookes smashed 100 from just 34 balls for South Australia against Victoria at Adelaide. A stingy declaration left SA needing 270 off 30 overs, and Hookes took out his frustration by spanking most of the 128 that came from the first 10 overs. But his dismissal for 107 (made in only 55 minutes) ended South Australia's hopes of victory. It's enough to make you wonder why Hookes didn't play more than 23 Tests at a time when Australia weren't exactly top of the tree.
1991
A sensational performance from Aaqib Javed gave Pakistan victory by 72
runs against India in the Wills Trophy final at Sharjah. Aqib took 7 for
37 - the best figures in one-day international history until Muttiah
Muralithran grabbed 7 for 30 v India in October 2000 - including a hattrick of lbws (Ravi Shastri, Mohammad Azharuddin and Sachin Tendulkar)
in his third over. A matchwinning total of 262 for 6 had been set up by
Zahid Fazal, who had to retire with cramp on 98. A cruel blow this: in
nine Tests and 19 one-dayers, it was the closest Fazal got to a century
for his country.
1929
Birth of Peter Loader, who with Alec Bedser was the spearhead of
the great Surrey side of the 1950s. He was genuinely quick and his 1326
first-class wickets came at a cost of less than 20 apiece. He was good
enough to play 13 Tests too, and was probably unlucky not to play more,
although there were occasional murmurs about his bowling action. At
Headingley in 1957 he took the first post-war Test hat-trick, and the
first by an Englishman at home since 1899, as West Indies were hammered
by an innings. When he finished with Surrey, Loader emigrated to
Australia in 1963.
1958
Birth of the New Zealand offspinner Dipak Patel, who was born in Kenya
and came close on more than one occasion to being picked by England
during his time with Worcestershire. He is best remembered for his part
in the 1992 World Cup, when he opened the bowling as an antidote to the
emergent culture of pinch-hitting. The tactic was so unusual as to
confound most sides - only in the semi-final, when New Zealand lost to
Pakistan, did a side get after him. At Test level Patel never quite
fulfilled his potential with bat or ball. The closest he came to a Test
ton was a glistening 99 against England at Christchurch in 1991-92, when
he paid the price for taking a third run to the lumbering Derek Pringle.
1993
The highest first-class score in South Africa. Daryll Cullinan stroked a
chanceless unbeaten 337 for Transvaal in their Castle Currie Cup match
against Northern Transvaal at Johannesburg. It confirmed the potential
of a man labelled "the new Graeme Pollock" as a schoolboy, but
Cullinan's penchant for record-breaking innings - he also set a record Test score by a South African (275, since surpassed by Graeme Smith) - were a bit of a millstone round
his neck. A Test average of 44 would be good enough for most mortals,
but some observers still think Cullinan underachieved.
1936
Birth of the ultimate jack of all trades. Alan "AC" Smith was a
very handy wicketkeeper-batsman for Warwickshire and England who also
took 131 first-class wickets with his bandy-legged medium-pacers.
Against Essex at Clacton in 1965 he took off his pads and claimed a hattrick in a spell of 4 for 0 in 34 balls. He played six Tests, all in
1962-63, and added an English-record 163 for the ninth wicket with Colin
Cowdrey at Wellington. He later served a number of prominent roles in
the game, most famously as chief executive of the TCCB. At various
stages he has also been a director of Aston Villa football club, a Test
selector, manager of England's tours of West Indies in 1980-81 and New
Zealand in 1983-84, secretary of Warwickshire and an ICC match referee.
1989
England were mugged at Kanpur, where an astounding innings from India's
Chetan Sharma sent them to their first defeat of the Nehru Cup. Normally
a tailender, Sharma was promoted to No. 4 to inject some momentum into
India's innings, and he slogged his way to an unbeaten 101 off only 96
balls. It helped India overhaul England's 255 for 7 with six wickets and
11 balls to spare, although had Robin Smith caught Sharma when he only
had 3, it could have been a different story. It was a startling
performance and entirely out of character: in his other 64 one-dayers,
Sharma only once passed 25.
Other birthdays
1927 Headley Keith (South Africa)
1933 Roy Swetman (England)
1933 Ron Archer (Australia)
1953 Les Taylor (England)
1967 Mazhar Hussain
(UAE)
1973 Russel Arnold (Sri Lanka)