On This Day

[The Professor]

On this day in 1982, it was a day for the bowlers as England and Australia faced each other in an ODI.

Debutant Graham Stevenson had a dream, start to his England career. He was the main tormentor of Australia. He ended on figures of 4-33. Australia were trotting along nicely initially and had 74 runs on the board before the loss of the more adventurous Rick McCosker. Shortly after, fellow opener Julien Wiener also was dismissed and the score was 89-2. Gregg Chappell and Kim Hughes put together a partnership of 59 and, when that was broken, Australia had put on a healthy 148/4. Only another 15 runs would be scored. Batsmen six through nine were all dismissed for ducks and a closing partnership of 8 was not enough. Australia had been bowled all out for 163.

In just the same way that Australia's innings had started poorly, England's began below par. If you discarded Graeme Gooch's 69, the top seven batsmen scored a total of 13 with Dennis Lillee bettering Stevenson and getting figures of 4-12. Stevenson then came out to bat with his team at 129 for eight with 35 still needed to win. He then proved that he was not just about the bowling. hitting 28 off 18 balls to grab a two wicket victory. His debut figures remained the highest score and best bowling of his international career.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Good bowler Stevenseon, who gave it a biff with the bat. Never given the chance to fail with England.

He's in the Yorks team I can always remember, 1-11, because it was the first one I knew.

[The Professor]

Never lived up to his billing internationally

[Arthur Crabtree]

Only played two Tests and four ODIs though, so didn't really have a chance.

[The Professor]

On this day in 2015 a difficult inningswas salvaged by England in the first day of their first test against New Zealand.

Yorkshire men Adam Lyth and Gary Ballance were the first two men out. Lyth was somewhat unlucky but Ballance was caught too deep in his crease and was caught trying to deal with a slower one. Matt Henry got a prized first Test wicket when he sent Alistair Cook back to the pavilion for a mere 16. He then got Ian Bell out two overs later.

After finding themselves 34-4, it was Joe Root and Ben Stokes that led the way to a creditable score. Their partnership was a brisk 161 in 32 overs. Stokes, who had been batting at a far greater rate of knots than Root, fell first and Root then set up a strong partnership with Jos Buttler. When Root went (another of Matt Henry's three impressive debut scalps) Buttler and Moeen Ali continued the confident display with a century stand of their own. Buttler got out final ball of the day to leave Ali and Stuart Broad lined up for tomorrow with the score at 354-7.

[The Professor]

On this day in 2015 New Zealand impress with the bat to form a lead over England.

England's lower order could not muster a decent enough assault to alter their total too much in the opening session. Trent Boult saw off Moeen Ali shortly after he bagged a half century and then sent Stuart Broad back for 3. Matt Henry topped off his strong debut with a caught and bowled to dismiss James Anderson for 11.

Tom Latham, Martin Guptil and Kane Williamson all combined well to leave the hosts on 303-2 overnight - 86 runs away from England's total. Latham and Guptil began strongly, but they did give England some chances. Guptil was caught on 25 but Mark Wood had overstepped, whilst Latham was dropped by Ian Bell. Wood's debut was impressive and a wicket would have been testament to his performance.

Just as English heads were going down, they claimed both scalps within three balls of each other. Guptil had got 70 whilst Latham had accrued 59 including a healthy dollop of boundaries. This brought together Williamson and Ross Taylor. Williamson was probably the most impressive performer of the game so far, exploiting the field beautifully. Taylor looked a little more nervy and looked lbw off his first ball. His style of play was in sharp contrast to Williamson's and he is lucky to have survived until the end of the day.

[The Professor]

On this day in 2015 New Zealand force the issue and leave themselves on the brink of a decisive victory against England.

New Zealand had Kane Williamson to thank for their decent total in their first innings due to his 132. In the latter stages he had combined well with BJ Watling for a partnership of 50.

In the grand scheme of things England's bowlers rallied well causing New Zealand to go from 403-3 to 523 all out. Mark Wood's first Test wickets and a decent reward for Moeen Ali were notable achievements for the England bowlers. That being said the extras rate was abysmally high.

It was Stuart Broad who broke the dangerous opening day partnership through the dismissal of Ross Taylor ending a stand of 189. Any celebrations would have been muted by the fact that it only saw Brendon McCullum brought to the crease. He proved dominant against almost all of the bowlers and overshadowed Williamson. There was some tight lbw decisions and also some tricky catches that could have been converted, but the morning session was emphatically New Zealand's.

McCullum's dismissal, just short of a half century, began the New Zealand collapse. He was bowled by Wood who also bagged Corey Anderson next wicket. The other batsmen faded away from there with the exception of Watling who produced that extra grind to England at the end. New Zealand were 134 runs ahead.

In the chase Adam Lyth began well before getting out, whilst Gary Ballance got out for a duck. Both will be disappointed with their overall tallies for this test, with 19 and 1 respectively. Ian Bell and Alistair Cook managed to stay together and not cause anymore fuss to end the day on 74/2.

[The Professor]

On this day in 2015 Alistair Cook and Ben Stokes combined with two very different innings to take England to a decent total.

Stokes' hundred was a T20 specialist's special. His 92 ball 101 was a world record for a test hundred. Stokes sauntered in after a particularly strong partnership between his captain and Joe Root was broken up by Matt Henry dismissing the latter for 84. Root will be a footnote in this innings but played an integral role in the overall game nevertheless. Stokes got about hitting boundaries straight away showing his intent from the off. It is not an over-exaggeration to say that Stokes performance was match turning in the truest sense of the word.

Cook's innings was a different kettle of fish. He batted the entire day and did so competently and slowly - looking every inch the man in form.

England are on 429/6 - a lead of 295. This leaves everything possible for the final day.

[The Professor]

On this day in 2015 England pulled off a spectacular victory against New Zealand.

A day that began with bowling supremacy started with James Anderson and Stuart Broad showing dominance that would have worried New Zealand early on. Martin Guptil, Tom Latham and Ross Taylor were all out in short order; leaving New Zealand at 12-3. This then accelerated just after lunch where New Zealand were 404 for 3 and it looked like a draw was the most likely. 5 hours later England wrapped up a tight win to seal their first victory under the new leadership structure. The English bowlers collectively put New Zealand to the sword with Anderson, Broad and Ben Stokes all claiming key wickets - the latter showing great prowess bagging the prize scalps of Kane Williamson and Brendon McCullum.

Corey Anderson and BJ Watling looked like frustrating England with half centuries which looked to stifle their ambitions of smothering the side's hopes but when they both were dismissed; first by Mark Wood and the other by Joe Root (Again proving the strength in bowling depth of the team) the England win looked likely. Anderson settled into his style of play very naturally and was soon outscoring Watling. He reached a 44 ball 50 that marked the speed of his scoring. When Mark Wood sent him back, England had accessed the lower order and a surge of hope would have spread through them.

Tim Southee put up a final spell of defiance that belied the spirit that New Zealand had shown throughout the game. His 20 was the last hurdle to England's spectacular win. When he and Trent Boult were dismissed the game was England's.

[The Professor]

On this day in 2015 Pakistan played their first home game for six years against Zimbabwe.

Azhar Ali, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik and Haris Sohail played cunningly and craftily to reach 375, almost without anyone realising. Azhar and Hafeez began well, opening up a 170-run stand, Pakistan's third-highest opening partnership at home. However they fell within an over of each other to give Zimbabwe some hope. Malik and Sohail stepped into the breach quickly though and hit the ground running. Zimbabwe's bowlers looked all at sea against such precision. Prosper Utseya got both openers out but his economy was high. Zimbabwe's poor bowling was also not helped by mistakes in the field which will frustrate the team as a whole.

From their bowling contingent it was only Wahab Riaz that really performed, which left them facing a dicey period against the Zimbabwe charge. Luckily for Pakistan, the charge was not particularly impressive. Whilst partnerships grew, they did so at an incredibly slow rate. Elton Chigumbura was the only Zimbabwean batsman to show any desire to stick around. The highlights of his day included a maiden ODI century, a hat-trick of fours and 22 in an over. Characteristically it was Riaz that got him out and ended the game.

[The Professor]

On this day in 1977 Mahela Jayawardene was born. What better time to share his top five performances.

5. 374 v SA in 2006.

A cool and composed performance from Mahela took him to a huge Test score. Jaya crept his way to totals almost without anyone noticing. Shots began to be rained towards the boundary as he built up to his second hundred. Towards the end it was a display of batting artistry from the Sri Lankan.

4. 85 vs Australia in 2012

85 isn't the most dominant score the batsman has ever put on but the fact it came from 80 balls makes it stick in my mind. The quality of the bowling also sets this one apart. At the time Australia had one of the most dominant bowling line ups in world cricket and Jayawardene played with them as if they were kids. As cricketing shots go it could be best described as streaky but the Sri Lankan was not in the mood to let much beat him on the day.

3. 119 v England in 2006

It was often said that when Jayawardene was in top form he was the best batsman in the world. He was truly on top form in this innings. Clever positioning was the order of the day and his judgement of the ball was hugely controlled throughout. His play was fluent - coming out of a period where he had his critics for a lack of fluency and consistency in his game.

2. 92 for Punjab against the Deccan Chargers in 2010

No list of top innings of an Asian player would be complete without an IPL performance. In this performance he showed the full range of his shots from the off. Jayawardene played the fielders expertly and judged power, placement and positioning effortlessly.

1. 120 v England in 1999

Jayawardene was always impressive from a young age and this was the performance that really marked his entrance on the world stage. A classy performance from the very off - this was just his 11th international match. It was widely felt that up to this point he hadn't really lived up to his promise. It was oft accused that England had underestimated the young man and he made them rue that decision with dominant play against some of England's less experienced bowlers. When the fields were in he played big shots; when the fields were spread he was content to play for singles. A great start for the young man.

[The Professor]

On this day in 2015 Eoin Morgan and Parl Stirling helped lift Middlesex to a T20 Blast win over Kent.

After a spell playing in the IPL for Hyderabad, Morgan showed his aplomb for his home team's T20 side with a composed half century, whilst Stirling produced an even more impressive 90 from 50 deliveries. The partnership came together after the cheap dismissals of Dawid Malan and Nick Compton.

When in together, Morgan and Striling looked a threatening and competitive combination and Middlesex looked set for a huge total; however when Morgan got out just after his half century a bit of a wobble ensued. Middlesex only scored 22 runs from the next 22 balls as Kent limited them well.

In reply, James Franklin, who had got 23* with the bat, was Middlesex's chief tormentor of Kent claiming figures of 5-21 and hampering the away side to be all out before their allocated overs. Franklin also had the rare honour of being on a hat trick twice, lamentably not converting either. Only Sam Northeast looked like he had any intention of doing anything with the bat and his score of 20 was Kent's highest.

Toby Roland-Jones, Steve Finn and Stirling also picked up wickets before leg spinner Nathan Sowter wrapped up the innings with two wickets on his debut.

[The Professor]

On this day in 2015 Kent bounced back from yesterday's defeat with a win against Surrey.

Sam Northeast's 96 off 47 balls and Fabian Cowdrey, who hit 42 from 32 balls, did the most damage to Surrey's cause. Kent's attack suffered a setback when Daniel Bell-Drummond was dismissed for just five, but Northeast and Joe Denly consolidated well. Accruing runs seemed like child's play. Northeast bagged 24 runs from the third over. This saw Kent bring up their 50 in just the fourth over but lost Denly shortly after.

Surrey debutant Moses Henriques took his first wicket shortly after to send Sam Billings back for just 5. Surrey would have hoped the tide was turning but instead it just brought Cowdrey out. Northeast took the responsibility first and began to up his run rate, earning his fifty in the process. Cowdrey soon joined the party and helped bring up Kent's hundred in ten overs. The pair were still together four overs later when they brought up the team's 150.

Neither lasted until the end as they began to swing big in the closing overs. Northeast may have been frustrated to not get his century but his powerful scoring drove his side to a total of 193.

In the chase, Henriques was the only real threat to Kent but their bowlers were always in control. This was shown from the very outset when Jason Roy and Steve Davies both were sent back in the same over. Kumar Sangakarra saw that quick runs were a necessity so blasted a quick fire 34 before being caught by Calum Haggett. This brought in Henriques who began playing dynamically from the off, however the run rate was too much for the Australian and, ultimately, the team.

[The Professor]

On this day in 1870 GBY Cox was born.

GBY Cox was the son of a Barbadian dry goods merchant. He went to Durham University in England before returning to Henderson School to teach. He became one of the key proponents of cricket in the West Indies.

Under his stewardship the Henderson School cricket team became a force to be reckoned with. Cox was one of the best cricketers in the area at that time and inspired many students and adults alike to take up cricket.

In 18 matches for Barbados between 1893-1905 Cox scored 767 runs at an average of 27.39.

Even when he was too old to play for Barbados, he still played for his school teams until he was 56.

[The Professor]

On this day in 2014 a record breaking performance from Jos Buttler wasn't enough for England to beat Sri Lanka.

The day started brightly for Sri Lanka after they posted 300-9 after being put in. Kumar Sangakarra hit himself to 112 whilst Tillakaratne Dilshan stroked 71. Before that Harry Gurney had bagged the wicket of Kusal Perera but the two more experienced Sri Lankan batsmen ensured any celebration was short lived. Sangakarra and Dilshan were in exhibition mode, showing their full variety of shots. Both played equally as aggressively as the other and shared the strike.

Dilshan was eventually bowled trying his scoop on James Anderson. This sparked seven overs where Sri Lanka went on to lose Mahela Jayawardene and then centurion Sangakarra.

Angelo Matthews tried to hold on to the tail but none of them showed any desire to stick around with him. Gurney was the best England bowler with figures of 4-55.

Buttler's first international hundred came off just 61 balls and was settling a wobble caused by his higher order team mates. He came in at 111-5.

Within four overs Alistair Cook and Ian Bell were gone for single figures. Gary Ballance and Joe Root managed to steady the ship with a partnership worth 84 runs.

Between the 23rd and 28th over, however, Ballance, Root and Eoin Morgan had all been sent back. This brought together the in-form Buttler and Ravi Bopara. Buttler, needed just 37 balls to reach his first milestone and went from 50 to three figures in 24 deliveries. Bopara got himself a half century too before being dismissed by Ajantha Mendis.

Buttler, powering along on his own, got the equation down to 12 off the final over, but that proved too much for the Lancashire man on a spectacular personal day for him.