Zawar FaridAE
Zawar Farid

33y / 1992

Kashif BhattiPK
Kashif Bhatti

39y / 1986

Monde ZondekiZA
Monde Zondeki

43y / 1982

Player Info

2011 – A Match Full of Milestones, But Not for Sachin

The 2000th Test match in history. The 100th between England and India. Duncan Fletcher's 100th as coach. And all eyes were on Sachin Tendulkar, chasing his 100th international hundred — at Lord's, no less. But the weight of all these milestones hung heavy over the match.

Zaheer Khan's injury on Day 1 weakened India. England, led by Kevin Pietersen's majestic 202, took full control. Praveen Kumar and Rahul Dravid made it to the honours board with five wickets and a gritty hundred respectively, but it wasn't enough. India lost the match, the first of eight consecutive away Test defeats.

1986 – Four Wicketkeepers, One Test

In a bizarre turn at Lord's, England used four different wicketkeepers in a single Test after Bruce French was injured by Richard Hadlee.

  • Bill Athey filled in briefly
  • Bob Taylor, 45 and retired, stepped in from the sponsor's hospitality box
  • Bobby Parks took over after lunch on Day 3
  • French returned on Day 4—for one ball, enough to wrap the innings
  • Oddly, none of the four took a single catch.

1997 – A Drop That Changed the Ashes

At Headingley, with the Ashes tied 1–1, England had Australia in trouble at 50/3. But Graham Thorpe dropped a sitter from Matthew Elliott, who went on to score 199. Ricky Ponting added his first Ashes century in a devastating 288-run partnership. Australia crushed England by an innings, and Mike Smith, who bowled the drop-ball and never took a Test wicket, faded from memory.

1999 – NZ Breaks the Lord’s Curse

At their 13th attempt, New Zealand finally won a Test at Lord's, beating England by nine wickets.

  • Chris Cairns took 6 for 77
  • Matt Horne scored a stylish hundred

This was also the start of Nasser Hussain's Test captaincy, though not a great one.

1921 – Armstrong Disagrees With the Laws

During a rain-hit Ashes Test at Old Trafford, England captain Lionel Tennyson tried to declare late in the day. But Aussie skipper Warwick Armstrong objected, correctly citing that in a two-day match (due to Day 1 washout), declarations weren't allowed. After a long debate, Armstrong resumed bowling—from the opposite end he'd just finished at.

1884 – A Match Abandoned for a Personal Loss

In a rare gesture of compassion, a first-class match between Lancashire and Gloucestershire was abandoned due to the death of Martha Grace, mother of WG Grace and EM Grace, both playing. It remains the only such abandonment in cricket history.

1957 – Loader’s Rare Test Hat-Trick

Peter Loader grabbed a hat-trick at Headingley against West Indies—dismissing Goddard, Ramadhin, and Gilchrist. It was the last Test hat-trick by an English bowler until Dominic Cork's in 1995.

1914 – WG Grace's Last Club Innings

At 66, WG Grace played his final club innings, scoring 69 not out for Eltham. He passed away the following year.

1974 – Bomb Scare at England’s 500th Test

England's 500th Test (discounting abandoned ones) began at Headingley against Pakistan, but not before a 14-minute evacuation due to a bomb scare. The match ended in a draw.

1900 – Jessop’s Twin Blasts

Gilbert Jessop, one of the game's fiercest hitters, scored two centuries before lunch in the same match against Yorkshire. That too against a world-class opening attack of Hirst and Rhodes.

1964 – Bob Simpson’s Epic Ton

At Old Trafford, Aussie skipper Bob Simpson scored his maiden Test hundred—and converted it into a marathon 311. Sadly, the match ended in a draw that bored everyone to death.

1908 – Bill Bowes Born

Yorkshire fast bowler Bill Bowes, born today, once dismissed Don Bradman for a duck in the Bodyline series. Despite solid numbers (68 wickets at 22), Bowes was often overlooked for quicker bowlers.

1930 – NZ’s Murray Chapple Born

New Zealand batter Murray Chapple was born today. He played 14 Tests and captained his country in his final match. He was also part of NZ's first-ever Test win, in 1956, and later served as a national selector.

Last updated on: August 1, 2025