2017

A knock that changed the course of women's cricket in India. Harmanpreet Kaur lit up Derby with a sensational 171* off just 115 balls in the World Cup semi-final against defending champions Australia. The innings came in a rain-reduced 42-over match, made even more remarkable by the fact that she was battling a dislocated finger and back and hamstring injuries. Walking in at 35 for 2, she built her innings brilliantly — reaching 50 off 64 balls, her next 50 in just 26, and her final 71 off only 17. Australia's reply, powered by half-centuries from Ellyse Villani and Alex Blackwell, fell 37 runs short. India stormed into their second World Cup final.

1900

Yorkshire's feisty left-hander Maurice Leyland was born on this day. He saved one of his finest for last — a brilliant 187 in his final Test innings, during a 382-run stand with Len Hutton at The Oval in 1938. That partnership remains England's highest for any wicket against Australia.

2009

England finally broke their 75-year Ashes hoodoo at Lord's — thanks to a fired-up Andrew Flintoff. With retirement looming, Freddie delivered a vintage performance in the final innings. Australia were chasing 522 after Andrew Strauss' 161, and looked dangerous at 313 for 5. But Flintoff's fiery spell — including removing Brad Haddin early on day five — triggered a collapse. England wrapped it up after lunch, taking a 1-0 lead in the series.

2000

In Galle, Marvan Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya opened with a 193-run stand against South Africa, laying the platform for Sri Lanka's first-ever Test win over them. Jayasuriya was especially explosive, smashing 148 off 156 balls — including 96 in a blazing morning session. Sri Lanka posted 522, and then Muttiah Muralitharan took over, grabbing 13 wickets to seal a massive innings win.

2022

Pakistan pulled off their second-highest successful Test chase, thanks to Abdullah Shafique's gritty 160* in Galle. Set 342 to win, Pakistan needed 120 on the final day. Despite rain and nervous moments, Shafique held firm. His 101-run stand with Babar Azam was crucial before Babar fell late on day four. Prabath Jayasuriya toiled hard for Sri Lanka with 9 wickets, but after a brief rain break, Shafique hit the winning boundary to seal a thrilling four-wicket win.

2020

Ahead of the second Test in the Covid-bubble era, Jofra Archer was ruled out for breaching protocol — but England didn't miss a beat. Ben Stokes was the standout, scoring 176 in the first innings (sharing a 260-run stand with Dom Sibley) and following it up with a gritty 78*. Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes, and Sam Curran made life difficult for West Indies, whose batting failed to fire. England won by 113 runs to level the series.

2014

South Africa finally broke their 14-year Test drought in Sri Lanka with a commanding 153-run victory in Galle. Surprisingly, it was the pace duo of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel who did the damage, sharing 16 wickets. In his first Test as captain, Hashim Amla declared boldly to give Sri Lanka four sessions to chase 370 — but it took just two for the Proteas to wrap things up.

1976

Born today: Debasis Mohanty, one of India's many promising medium-pacers who couldn't quite establish himself on the big stage. He played just two Tests and 45 ODIs, but shone briefly during the 1999 World Cup with a 4-for against Kenya.

1990

Robin Smith scored a measured 101-ball century at Trent Bridge, but India had the last laugh, winning the game and clinching the Texaco Trophy for the first time. Smith's ODI centuries often came in losing causes — this was another painful reminder.

2018

Fakhar Zaman rewrote Pakistan's ODI record books with a blistering 210 against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo — the country's highest individual score, breaking Saeed Anwar's 21-year-old record. Pakistan piled up their highest ODI total (399) and Fakhar's opening stand of 304 with Imam-ul-Haq set a new world record for the first wicket. Zimbabwe crumbled to 155, as Pakistan sealed a 5-0 series sweep.

1971

Ed Giddins, the controversial English pacer, was born on this day. His brief international career was overshadowed by a drug ban, though he did manage a five-wicket haul against Zimbabwe at Lord's in 2000. Two Tests later, his time was up.

1909

Eric Rowan, one of South Africa's most reliable batsmen, was born today. Famous for his patience and composure, he once batted six hours to save a Test against England with an unbeaten 156. In 1951, at Headingley, he became the oldest player to score a Test double-century (236), and followed it up with 60* in the second innings. His brother Athol also played for South Africa.

1973

Nixon McLean, one of the new generation of West Indies pacers, was born. Unfortunately, his bowling average (42.56) didn't quite match the menace of his name — Nixon Alexei McNamara McLean.

Last updated on: July 20, 2025