2000
The first day of Mike Atherton and Alec Stewart's 100th Test, played at Old Trafford, Atherton's home ground. In a day shortened by rain, Stewart took a catch behind the wicket. The following day he scored a century.

1997
Sachin Tendulkar and Mohammad Azharuddin completed hefty hundreds for India at Colombo – but they only provided the overture for a Sri Lankan partnership that lasted throughout the next two days.

1985
The Old Trafford Test against Australia was drawn and a little dull – but Mike Gatting will remember it fondly. In his 40th Test innings in England, he scored his first hundred at home - and turned it into a big one, reaching 160 against an opening attack of Geoff Lawson and Craig McDermott.

1956
Birth of a World Cup winner. Balwinder Singh Sandhu, who bowled in a turban, was part of the battery of medium pacers who brought India their surprise win in the 1983 World Cup final. Sandhu took the first West Indies wicket by bowling Gordon Greenidge for 1.

1998
The Oval staged the first competitive match to be played under floodlights in London – but, as Wisden reported, "Surrey's horrendous form in this competition continued unabated" as they lost the AXA League match to Sussex.

1937
Birth of Duncan Sharpe. One of the few Christians to play for Pakistan, he scored 56 and 35 on his Test debut, against Australia (where he later emigrated) in 1959-60.

1925
Death by drowning of William Bruce. The first left-handed Australian batsman to tour England (1886), his highest Test score was an attractive 80 against England at Adelaide in 1894-95.

1986
Death of one of the longest-lived first-class cricketers. Rupert de Smidt, 102, had played for Western Province just before the First World War.

Other birthdays
1975 Chris Nevin (NZ)
1960 Gopal Sharma (India)
1939 AK Sengupta (India)
1933 Pat Crawford (Australia)
1855 Joe Hunter (England)

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