On This Day

[The Professor]

On this day in 1896 England lost to Australia by a huge margin in the second Test in a surprisingly tight final day.

After having been forced to follow on due to the fact that they could only muster 231 to Australia's 421, their only saving grace was the performance of Ranji. Despite the distant prospect of a win at the start of the day's play the young Indian gave the spectators something to cheer about.

Lamentably nobody could stick around with Ranji long enough to make it worthwhile. Three of the batsmen that batted in the morning went for one run or fewer. *modded* Lilley and Jack Hearne put up the sternest partnerships. The innings came to an end for 305, Ranjitsinhji carrying his bat for 154.

The Australians were left with 125 to get to win. Many would have expected the Australians to polish this off with relative ease - but this was not the case. Tom Richardson was as impressive with the ball as Ranji was with the bat. He claimed the first four wickets in short order and Australia were soon 45-4.

Syd Gregory and Harry Donnan stopped the rot with a partnership of 34. Despite this Gregory, Donnan and Clem Hill all got out in short order. The score was 100-7 and the Australians had three wickets to fall and needed 25 runs to win.

Hugh Trumble and James Kelly were the final hopes for Australia. It was slow scoring stuff but the pair crawled their way towards the total. Gallingly for England, Lilley had a chance to catch Kelly behind but failed to. This could have changed the course of the game. The last 25 runs took just an hour to obtain.

Despite the fact that it was a loss of such magnitude and an afternoon of such slow scoring - many regard this as one of the most fascinating last days of cricket ever.

[The Professor]

On this day in 1952 England won a huge victory against India in super quick time.

The day began with the end of the first innings of the game - England's. They eventually declared after the accumulation of another 55 runs, largely scored by Godfrey Evans. Their first innings total was 347.

As soon as Fred Trueman got the ball he was eminently dangerous and India were soon skittled out for (what was at the time) their lowest ever Test score. After the Vinoo Mankad off the bowling of Alan Bedser, Trueman got all of the rest of the opening seven wickets. Trueman's figures of 8-31 were some of the best of all time ...at the time. The two Vijays - Manjrekar and Hazare, were the two 'heroes' of the first innings - scoring 22 and 16 respectively. They were the only Indian batsmen to get into double figures.

When India followed on Trueman bowled far fewer overs. This time he got the first wicket of Pankaj Roy, who got himself a pair, and then let his other bowlers have a run out. In this innings Hazare combined with Hemu Adhikari for a partnership of 48 - however that was all India had to shout about. India's last seven wickets fell for 27 mainly thanks to the heroics of Bedser (5-27) and Tony Lock (4-36). In their two innings India batted only three hours and three-quarters.

HINDSIGHT WATCH

Their first innings score is still their eight ever lowest score of all time in Test matches.

Trueman's first innings figures still stands as the 26th best figures of all time.

This was the first time that a Test team was dismissed twice in the same day - a feat only replicated twice since; both Zimbabwe, both against New Zealand, first in 2005 and then again in 2011.

[The Professor]

On this day in 1948 Australia beat Middlesex in a warm up match leading up to the Ashes.

Middlesex started the day with John Dewes on 6 and it was he and Leslie Compton (of the great Compton cricketing family) that staged the mini revival. Their partnership of 73 was the highest Middlesex partnership of the match and got Middlesex from 50/4 to 113/6. The spectacularly named Colin McCool bagged both wickets. After that Middlesex had nothing to offer. Nobody else got above single figures and Middlesex were all out for 135.

The Australians only needed 21 and McCool and Doug Ring polished this off in 4 overs.

[The Professor]

On this day in 2014 Ishant Sharma buried England with a seven wicket haul on the last day of the 2nd Test.

Pressure is starting to mount on Alistair Cook's England after a 95 run loss to India thanks to Sharma's career-best figures of 7 for 74. Sharma's also included 3 for 2 in eight balls when he dismissed Matt Prior, Ben Stokes and Joe Root in short order - all falling to Sharma's short balls.

It looked like England might have ground something out as Root and Moeen Ali consolidated as lunch time approached - England chipped away 68 of the 214 runs. Sharma sent Ali back for 39. Root wanted to get the show back on the road with a spell of aggressive batting. At the end of this England 170 for 4, 149 runs away from victory.

After lunch, when Matt Prior had just come in, he batted sloppily, got out and then began the Ishant-led collapse. Root was the glue holding the innings together but when he got out for 66 it was game over for England. Liam Plunkett and James Anderson offered a bit of fight towards the end but when Ravindra Jadeja got Plunkett the game was wrapped up and India could begin their celebrations.

[The Professor]

On this day in 1948 the opening English batsmen put up a fair showing in the first day of the 4th Test.

Norman Yardley won the toss and, in what was an easy decision, elected to bat. After what had been a torrid series for them, Les Hutton and Cyril Washbrook put together their strongest stand of 168 - their best partnership in any Test Match. The latter was the most effective with a faultless hundred off 189 and fell in the last over of the day for 143 after batting five hours twenty minutes. He combined most effectively with Will Edrich with whom he formed a partnership of 100.

England went in on 268/2 with Edrich on 41 with Alan Bedser, night watchman, on 0.

[The Professor]

On this day in 1948 England put themselves in a dominant first innings position against Australia despite a batting collapse.

The star of the morning was Alec Bedser. Sent in the night before as a nightwatchman he combined with Bill Edrich to form the third successive century partnership. The pair of them stuck around throughout the morning session. After lunch Bedser was first man out - caught and bowled by Ian Johnson on 79 - a score that was (and would remain) his highest in Tests. Edrich followed three runs later and from there England's batting disintegrated.

The only batting partnership of any note in the tail was between Denis Compton and Norman Yardley whose 26 paled into insignificance compared to what had gone before. The other five batsmen in the tail scored single figures. England went from 423-2 to 496 all out.

Arthur Morris and Lindsay Hassett came out to open for Australia. The former was gone for 6 after his team accrued 13 runs. Hassett and Don Bradman batted through the rest of the day. Australia went in at 63/1 - 433 runs behind.

[The Professor]

On this day in 1948 Australia rally after poor start.

England could not have asked for a better start to Day Three of the Test when two of Australia's most dangerous batsmen, Lindsay Hassett and Don Bradman, were dismissed by *modded* Pollard in the same over for the accumulation of just three more runs.

Out of the ashes of this loss came Neil Harvey and Keith Miller's partnership of 121 in just over an hour and a half. Nineteen year old Harvey, who had only made his debut at the start of the year, was the most dangerous batsman and, when Miller was dismissed by Norman Yardley for 58, he provided the impetus for a further partnership with Sam Loxton. The pair added yet another century partnership, Australia's second in succession and the fifth of the match. When Australia lost the both of them, Ron Saggers was soon to follow - leaving Australia at 355-8 and 141 behind England.

Despite this a stolid display from last wicket pair, Ray Lindwell and Ernie Toshack, frustrated England in the closing sessions and they still stood going into the rest day. Their partnership stood on 54 with Lindwall on 76 and Toshack on 12. Australia were 39 runs behind.

[The Professor]

On this day in 1948 there was a rest day between England and Australia so, seeing as we are still on Don Bradman's final series, it seems a good opportunity to share another Bradman story.

Don and Jessie Bradman were married in St Paul’s Church in the Sydney suburb of Burwood on 30th April, 1932.

Ever servants to cricket, their honeymoon was unusual with Jessie accompanying her husband and several other cricket players on a tour, ogranised by former Test player Arthur Mailey, to the United States and Canada. The tour lasted from May - September 1932 and games were played in Vancouver, Cowichan, Toronto, Guelph, Montreal, New York, Windsor, Chicago, Winnipeg, Moose Jaw, Regina, Yorkton, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Calgary, San Francisco, Santa Barbara and Hollywood (in that order). While in New York Don Bradman met the legendary baseballer ‘Babe’ Ruth.

The team had seven members with Test experience, Alan Kippax, Stan McCabe, L. O. ‘Chuck’ Fleetwood-Smith, Hanson Carter, Don Bradman, Athur Mailey & Vic Richardson, the rest being cricket enthusiasts. During the tour Bradman made many big scores including a North American record of 260 runs verses Western Ontario on 4th July.

[The Professor]

On this day in 1948 England bat their way to a dominant position.

After the staunch defiance of Ray Lindwall and Ernie Toshack on Day Three, they, and Australia, would have been disappointed they got only a further run before it was England's turn to bat once more.

Len Hutton and Cyril Washbrook opened up their second innings with a second century stand - the first time that this had happened in Test Cricket. They got their team to 129, when they were both bowled off the same Bill Johnston over.

Bill Edrich and Denis Compton hit the ground running as their replacements, with a fast scoring century stand of their own. When Edrich was dismissed lbw off Lindwall, Compton ran through a cycle of partners who got themselves out cheaply. He looked like he had found a decent rhythm with Godfrey Evans but got himself out to Johnston.

Evans had himself and the tail to further England's total and he and Alec Bedser put on a decent 37 not out before Bedser's dismissal by an unusually quiet Keith Miller. The final wicket pair of Evans and Jim Laker were still in force when the umpires called stumps - Evans on 47 and Laker on 14. England were 362/8 and 403 runs ahead.

[The Professor]

On this day in 1948 a catalogue of English errors sees them spurn their decent lead and lose to Australia.

To many people's surprise, Norman Yardley did not declare overnight and England batted for a further two overs and gained three runs before the captain threw in the towel. He had set Australia 494 runs to get in just under three sessions.

Where England's bowling had been so competent thus far in the Test, their expertise eluded them when they needed it the most. Jim Laker was erratic whilst Denis Compton was more effective but yielded little reward.

Then came the errors. Godfrey Evans missed an easy stumping off Arthur Morris. At this time Morris was on 32. He would go on to score 182. The bowling of Compton saw off Lindsay Hassett when he caught him off his own bowling for 17 but he should have got the more prized scalp of Don Bradman if it wasn't for the fact that the chance was grassed by Jack Crapp.

Morris and Bradman went on to make England pay for these spurned chances and began to motor. To miss getting Bradman out once is a mistake, to do it twice is a crime. After lunch, when the partnership was on 64, Compton had another delivery that was not dispatched. Bradman was on 59. He would go on to score 173.

The fielding errors did not stop there. Evans had the opportunity to make up for his earlier error by stumping Bradman just after he passed his century ..... He didn't. Even Jim Laker dropped a catch off Morris. At this point it seemed the result was written in the stars.

The partnership of 301 was finally broken by Yardley when he sent Morris back for 182. No fewer than 62 fours were hit in the partnership, 33 by Morris and 29 by Bradman. The score at 358-2, Australia only needed a further 136 runs and had the best part of a session and a half to get it.

Keith Miller was dispatched with easily enough but Neil Harvey joined Bradman to force Australia over the line for an unlikely victory.

[The Professor]

On this day in 1846 George Dunlop, one of Lancashire's first players, was born.

George was the third of fourteen children born to a wealthy Scottish landowner. He attended The Edinburgh Academy where he quickly ingratiated himself into the cricket team. He got himself quite a reputation as a schoolboy cricketer and would often score centuries.

After school he moved to Merseyside to become a cotton broker. He became affiliated, first, with Liverpool Gentleman and, then, Cheshire.

On the 11th June 1868, he became the 43rd person to represent Lancashire when he turned out against Surrey.

After playing for Lancashire he continued his fine spell of form for Birkenhead Park - where he once scored 201 against Rock Ferry.

In 1881 he left the cotton brokering business to his brother and joined the Liverpool Stock Exchange where he immediately became a popular and gregarious figure.

As well as cricket, Dunlop was also gifted at golf. In 1896 he was made Captain of the Royal Liverpool Golf Club.

On retirement he moved back up to Scotland but, aged 80, was committed to a hospital for his own safety. His wealth afforded him a quite luxurious life in the hospital but he was to remain there until his death in 1929

[The Professor]

On this day in 1989 Northamptonshire cricketer Alan Wright died.

Born in 1905, Wright made two appearances for Northamptonshire against Yorkshire in 1922 and Nottinghamshire in 1923. Across the two of these games he scored only four runs - getting out for a duck in two of the four innings.

[The Professor]

On this day in 1989 Wayne Parnell was born.

Parnell had built up a bit of a reputation with both bat and ball in juniors cricket and was captain of the Under 19 South African side before he had played any domestic cricket at all. He hardly burst on to the scene at the age of 17 with a fairly low key debut for Eastern Province in 2006 however he soon showed his true colours and was awarded Under 19 Cricketer Of The Year.

In 2009 he made his International T20 debut against Australia. He was disappointing but was still handed a central contract - the youngest player to have done so. He soon became a regular starter for South Africa in the shorter form of the game. This brought him to the attention of Kent where he was signed for six weeks. It was a fruitful spell for Parnell where he had to face up to a better class of batsmen then he faced in the South African league. Parnell stayed in England for the T20 World Cup that Summer - where he thrived and ended up the leading wicket taker. My favourite Parnell performance came in this tournament where he scored 4-25 against Australia.

Parnell needed to up his game again in 2010 when he was signed by Delhi for that season's IPL for the highest price for a South African in that tournament. He also made his Test debut in that year - playing three Tests against England. Parnell has also turned out for the Cape Cobras too.

Injury began to beset Parnell in 2011 and his performances and availability have been sporadic since then. He has had a number of comebacks but has broken down shortly after. He is still playing domestic cricket to a high standard and is hopeful of a return to the International fold.

[Arthur Crabtree]

I read about five years ago that WP had changed his name to an Arabic one on becoming a Moslem. Not sure if he changed his mind or it was a wind up.

[The Professor]

I read about five years ago that WP had changed his name to an Arabic one on becoming a Moslem. Not sure if he changed his mind or it was a wind up.

No it's very much true.