On This Day

[Arthur Crabtree]

Ian Smith is very critical of the incident on cricinfo today. It's great to get his view on it after all these years.

[Arthur Crabtree]

I always agree with GJ

I think my computer screen ran out of electrons - it was just a blur after this.

Absolutely.

[GarlicJam]

I will have to have a look. I believe he has maintained a steadfast silence on the matter - until now.

[GarlicJam]

I always agree with GJ

I think my computer screen ran out of electrons - it was just a blur after this.

Absolutely.

unless, of course, it was due to the tears of joy in my eyes.

[Arthur Crabtree]

I will have to have a look. I believe he has maintained a steadfast silence on the matter - until now.

I understand he touches on playing with Sir Richard too.

[GarlicJam]

a very interesting interview.

[The Professor]

On this day in 1936 a circumspect first day is played out between the Madras Presidency and an Australian XI.

The Australians were at the fag end of a tour of India that had begun on 25th October. The players were tired and it was no surprise that the first day's play was played at a turgid speed.

Con Johnstone, the English born captain of the Madras Presidency, won the toss and chose to put his team in. By lunch they were at 57 for the loss of opener Archibald Southby for twelve.

The afternoon session was more successful for the Australians as they seized a further five wickets. Charles Macartney was the most successful bowler with three of those wickets - including captain and opener Johnstone. By tea the Madras Presidency were 97-6.

The Australians cleaned up the home side in the evening session. Out of the final six batsmen it was only E. Godfrey who scored double figures. The Madras Presidency had scored a total of 142 runs.

Three late wickets for Ron Oxenham saw him take bragging rights on Day One with figures of 4-42.

[The Professor]

On this day in 1936 a frenetic second day is played out between Madras Presidency and an Australian XI.

The Australian XI were shocked by Madras Presidency in succumbing in just over twenty overs. Wickets fell in clumps. Australia were 11-4 before the marvellously named Stork Hendry put on a heady 15. Australia then went from 30-5 to 30-7 thanks to the bowling of Morappakam Gopalan. Frederick Mair put on another score of fifteen for a late fight at the death but the Australian XI were all out for 47. Gopalan had the best figures of 6-23 and the Madras Presidency were ahead by 95 runs.

Australia then continued to pick up quick wickets. Madras Presidency were 4-3 when Cotar Ramaswami came in and started to put the slide right. He and M. Baliah put on 126 between them but the rest of the Madras team let the side down. Overall Madras got 165 all out and the crowd had seen twenty wickets in the day. Australia were set 261 to win in the final day.

[The Professor]

On this day in 1936 Thomas Leather and Ron Oxenham delivered the final twist to lead the Australia XI to shock victory over the Madras Presidency.

Needing 262 to win, the Australian XI soon lost Frank Tarrant and Ron Morrisby for seven and two respectively. Wickets continued to fall regularly until the partnership of Stork Hendry and Charles Macartney who put on 76 between them. Both fell soon after each other which led to a mini collapse when Australia went from 152-5 to 171-8.

Due to injury Oxenham was dropped down 4 places and had to come out with a runner in the form of last man Thomas Leather. When Frederick Mair was the ninth man out for Australia he simply switched places with Leather and became Oxenham's runner. At this point Australia still needed 76 to win.

Perhaps due to a sense of overconfidence, Madras Presidency captain, Con Johnstone persevered with his slow bowler Ram Singh. Leather took this bowler on and built up confidence and runs. The Madras Presidency dropped chances off both Leather and Oxenham and soon the total seemed dubiously near. Soon enough Australia were at 256-9 with five needed to win. Oxenham hit the captain for a four to level the scores and with the single off the next ball Australia won the match.

The last wicket partnership between Oxenham and Leather was worth 76 and is still the highest winning last wicket stand.

[The Professor]

On this day in 2016 Scotland best Netherlands in their only T20 in Dubai.

Scotland began poorly with Callum MacLeod and Matt Cross both going in single figures and leaving the Celtic team on 35-2. It was the 64 run partnership off Matt Machan and Richie Berrington that put Scotland back on track. By the time Berrington got out the score was 117-4. Captain Preston Mommsen then added the last few runs taking Scotland to 140.

Netherlands started their chase similarly poorly with the loss of Stephan Myburgh for a duck but Michael Swart and Ben Cooper's partnership of 55 put them back on the right track. Mark Watt caught the eye for Scotland with figures of 5-27. He began by looking expensive but in his second spell bagged two wickets in two successive overs and helped Netherlands collapse from 55-1 to 103 all out and granting Scotland a 37 run win.

[The Professor]

On this day in 1948 Australia get off to another good start against India.

Don Bradman won the toss and chose to bat for the fourth time in the last five games in this series.

Sid Barnes was first man out, a tad prematurely, after becoming the victim of a spectacular run out by Hemu Adhikari on 33. Bill Brown and Bradman then put together a partnership of 92 that was also ended prematurely by the retirement of the captain due to him tearing a rib muscle.

Keith Miller was not long at the crease when he was bowled by Dattu Phadkar for 14 but Brown and Neil Harvey continued to play well throughout the afternoon session. Brown was out a run short of his century which left Sam Loxton to join the set batsman for the rest of the evening session.

By the end of the day's play Australia were 336-3 with Harvey on 78 and Loxton on 48.

[The Professor]

On this day in 1948 young Neil Harvey takes Australia to big total.

In just his second ever Test Match nineteen year old Neil Harvey showed all the delicacy and poise of a seasoned Cricketer in bagging his maiden century. Harvey's overnight partner of Sam Loxton matched the youngster blow for blow in a partnership of 159. Loxton was the first to go when caught behind off the bowling of Lala Amarnath for 80.

Harvey also outlasted the next man at the crease, Ray Lindwall who got 35 runs before being displaced by Vinoo Mankad. Harvey eventually managed 153 that spanned over the last two sessions of Day One and the first two of Day Two.

The lower order went on to do themselves proud with Len Johnson and Bill Johnston chugging along with a partnership of 31 when Don Bradman called time on the innings with Australia on 575.

Although India lost Chandu Sarwate for nought, they recovered quickly and ended on 43-1 with Mankad on 30 and Hemu Adhikari on 38. India trail by 532.

[The Professor]

On this day in 1948 there was a rest day between Australia and India so we will look at young Neil Harvey's century in relation to other young centurions.

When Harvey tallied up his century at the age of nineteen years and one hundred and one days he found himself as joint youngest Test Centurion ever. He was tied alongside New Zealand international Giff Vivian who reached his score of exactly a hundred v South Africa in 1932.

Despite the 69 year gulf between Harvey's milestone and today, the Victorian is still the youngest ever Australian batsmen as he is twenty eight days younger than Archie Jackson who got 164 v England in 1929.

Pakistan have always had pedigree when it comes to blooding youngsters but they make up a shocking 6 out of the top ten youngest centurions and have had seven centurions younger than Harvey and Vivian. The man at the top of the tree for Pakistan also reached the summit first. Mushtaq Mohammad knocked the antipodean pair off the top spot in 1961 when he scored 101 at the age of seventeen years and seventy eight days.

The current youngest Test Centurion is Bangladesh's Mohammad Ashraful. The promising youngster cracked 114 v Sri Lanka at the age of seventeen years and sixty one days before going on to become Bangladesh captain and then ruin his reputation through affiliation with match fixing.

[GarlicJam]

I believe that Matt Renshaw was not far off beating Harvey's (still standing) record for Aus. Renshaw is now second youngest Australian to score a test centruy.

[The Professor]

At twenty years two hundred and eighty one days is fifth overall for Australia.