11th March...

1863
: England captain and batsman Andrew Stoddart (16 Tests from 1988 to 1998; 996 runs) was born.

1870
: South African batsman AE 'Okey' Ochse (2 Tests in 1889) was born.

1876
: England fast bowler Walter Brearley (4 Tests from 1905 to 1912) was born.

1894
: England batsman John Selby (6 Tests from 1877 to 1882) died aged 44.

1897
: England leg-break bowler Dick Tyldesley (7 Tests from 1924 to 1930) was born.

1900
: England left-arm spinner Ted Peate (9 Tests from 1881 to 1886; 31 wickets) died aged 44.

1903
: New Zealand pace bowler George Dickinson (3 Tests from 1930 to 1932) was born.

1910
: England opener Jack Hobbs (187) scores his maiden Test hundred (the first of his 15 Test hundreds) - against South Africa at Newlands, Cape Town. It was then (until 1934), the highest score made by a batsman who was dismissed 'hit-wicket'.

1915
: Indian captain and batsman/all-rounder Vijay Hazare (30 Tests from 1946 to 1953; 2192 runs, avg. 47.65; 20 wickets) was born.

1926
: South African captain and batsman 'Biddy' Anderson (1 Test in 1902) died aged 51.

1929
: South African captain and batsman Jackie McGlew (34 Tests from 1951 to 1962; 2440 runs) was born.

1934
: South Africa's pace bowler Sidney Burke (2 Tests in 1962 to 1965) was born.

1937
: New Zealand keeper John Ward (8 Tests from 1964 to 1968) was born.

1955
: Carisbrook, Dunedin became the fourth venue in New Zealand to host a Test match. The first day produced only 125 runs 81.2 overs by the home team against England.

1963
: Indian pace bowler Mahmmad Nissar (6 Tests from 1932 to 1936; 25 wickets) died at Lahore, Pakistan, aged 52

1977
: Zimbabwean left-handed all-rounder Dirk Viljoen since 1998 was born.

1982
: Pakistan teenage batsman Hasan Raza since 1996 was born.

12th March...

1889
: South Africa made their Test debut against England at Port Elizabeth.

1904
: New Zealand keeper Ken James (11 Tests from 1930 to 1933) was born.

1910
: Opening batsman Billy Zulch (43 not out) became the second South African to carry his bat throughout a Test innings - against England at Cape Town.

1913
: England fast bowler Harold Butler (2 Tests from 1947 to 1948) was born.

1935
: Australian off-spinner Keith Slater (1 Test in 1959) was born.

1938
: Indian batsman Vijay Mehra (8 Tests from 1955 to 1964) was born.

1957
: England's left-arm pace bowler Harry Dean (3 Tests in 1912) died aged 72.

1960
: West Indian all-rounder Eldine Baptiste (10 Tests from 1983 to 1990) was born.

1977
: The replay (known as the Centenary Test) of the first ever Test match of 1877 between Australia and England began at Melbourne.

1999
: The final of the inaugural Asian Test Championship between Pakistan and Sri Lanka began at a neutral venue, Dhaka. Test cricket was being played at this venue (then known as Dacca) after an interval of 29 years 121 days.

13th March...

1859
: England captain and batsman Ivo Bligh (4 Tests in 1882-83) was born.

1882
: The Melbourne Test match between Australia and England was the last drawn Test match in Australia until 1946-47.

1889
: England beat South Africa (latter's first ever Test match) by eight wickets at Port Elizabeth. The match was completed at 3:30 on the second day.

1904
: West Indian batsman Clifford Roach (16 Tests from 1928 to 1935; 952 runs) was born.

1921
: England left-handed batsman Cyril Poole (3 Tests from in 1951-52) was born.

1922
: New Zealand's right hand batsman Bunty Smith (4 Tests from 1947 to 1952) was born.

1950
: West Indian left-hander and all-rounder Bernard Julien (24 Tests from 1973 to 1977; 866 runs and 50 wickets) was born.

1956
: New Zealand beat the West Indies by 190 runs at Auckland to record its first ever Test win after waiting for 26 years and 45 matches for this maiden success.

1959
: Australian batsman Dirk Wellham (6 Tests from 1981 to 1987) was born.

1967
: West Indian captain and batsman who also bowls Sir Frank Worrell (51 Tests from 1948 to 1963; 3860 runs, avg. 49.49 and 69 wickets) died at Kingston, Jamaica, aged 42.

1971
: West Indian left-handed batsman Robert Samuels (6 Tests from 1996 to 1997) was born.

1974
: Opener Glenn Turner (101 & 110 not out) became the first New Zealander to score hundreds in each innings of a Test match against Australia at Christchurch, as the home team beat the Aussies for the first time.

1978
: Indian left-arm pace bowler Ghulam Guard (2 Tests from 1958 to 1960) died aged 52.

1997
: Australian left-handed batsman Leo O'Brien (5 Tests from 1932 to 1936) died aged 89.

2000
: New Zealand's left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori at 21 years 46 days became the youngest spinner in Test history to take 100 wickets - against Australia at Auckland.

14th March...

1906
: South Africa beat England by 243 runs at the Old Wanderers, Johannesburg, its largest in terms of runs over England until 1994.

1906
: Pace bowler 'Tip' Snooke (8-70) became the first South African to take eight wickets in a Test innings.

1929
: England's Wally Hammond (16) in the final Test at Melbourne - took his series aggregate to 905 runs - then (until 1930) the most runs scored in a Test series.

1937
: South African captain and batsman and now an ICC match referee Peter van der Merwe (15 Tests from 1963 to 1967; 533 runs) was born.

1938
: Australia's leg-spinner Johnny Gleeson (29 Tests from 1967 to 1972; 93 wickets) was born.

1939
: The famous timeless Test at Kingsmead, Durban between South Africa and England ended as a draw on the tenth day after 43 hours 16 minutes of actual playing time. The match produced the highest Test run aggregate of 1981 runs and the highest fourth innings total in a Test match, when England made 654-5.

1963
: Australian left-arm pace bowler Bruce Reid (27 Tests from 1985 to 1992; 113 wickets) was born.

1965
: England batsman John Stephenson (1 Test in 1989) was born.

1966
: South African fast bowler Tertius Bosch (1 Test in 1992) was born.

1967
: Indian wicket-keeper Vijay Yadav (1 Test in 1993) was born.

1969
: Making his final appearance in Test cricket West Indian batsman Seymour Nurse scores 258 against New Zealand at Christchurch.

1981
: England batsman Ken Barrington (82 Tests from 1955 to 1968; 6806 runs and 29 wickets) died at Bridgetown, Barbados, West Indies, aged 50.

1982
: Sri Lankan opener Sidath Wettimuny (143 not out) scores Sri Lanka's first ever Test hundred - at Faisalabad against Pakistan.

15th March...

1844
: Australian batsman BB "Bransby" Cooper (1 Test in 1877) was born in Dacca, India (now Bangladesh).

1877
: The first ever Test match begins at Melbourne between Australia and England. Englishman James Southerton at 49 years 119 days still remains the oldest to make a Test debut.

1877
: Australian opener Charles Bannerman scores the first Test hundred - 126 not out - against England at Melbourne.

1878
: Australian keeper-batsman Sammy Carter (28 Tests from 1907 to 1921; 873 runs and 65 dismissals) was born in Halifax, Yorkshire, England.

1888
: South African fast bowler Bill Lundie (1 Test in 1914) was born.

1935
: Batsman George Headley scores an unbeaten 270 (492 minutes, 30 fours) against England at Kingston - then the highest individual Test score by a West Indian until 1958.

1938
: England keeper Edmund Tylecote (6 Tests from 1882 to 1886) died aged 88.

1940
: Australian all-rounder Alfred Marr (1 Test in 1885) died aged 77.

1947
: Australian all-rounder David Colley (3 Tests in 1972) was born.

1953
: West Indian fast bowler Colin Croft (27 Tests from 1977 to 1982; 125 wickets) was born.

1955
: Pakistani batsman Mohsin Khan (48 Tests from 1978 to 1986; 2709 runs) was born.

1979
: Pakistani paceman Sarfraz Nawaz (9-86) captures seven Australian wickets for just one run off 33 balls at Melbourne as the home team lost the Test by 71 runs. At one stage Australia needed 77 runs to win with seven wickets in hand, before Sarfraz produced his remarkable spell.

1993
: Indian left-hander Vinod Kambli scores 227 against Zimbabwe at Delhi - to record his second consecutive Test double-hundred, thus emulating Walter Hammond and Don Bradman.

1999
: Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by an innings and 175 runs to win the inaugural Asian Test Championship at Dhaka. They emulate England (in 1912) to become the only second team to win a tri-nation Test match series.

2000
: Leg-spinner Shane Warne became the Australia's highest wicket-taker when he claimed his 356th wicket at Auckland against New Zealand.

16th March...

1861
: England batsman Joseph McMaster (1 Test in 1889) was born.

1877
: Australian opener Charles Bannerman retires hurt on 165 in the first ever Test match against England at Melbourne.

1906
: England batsman Maurice Turnbull (9 Tests from 1930 to 1936) was born.

1910
: Iftikhar Ali Khan, the Nawab of Pataudi sr. appeared for England (3 Tests from 1932 to 1934) and India (3 Tests in 1946, as captain) was born.

1920
: South African all-rounder Percy Mansell (13 Test from 1951 to 1955) was born.

1923
: England batsman George Bean (3 Tests in 1892) died aged 59.

1954
: Australian batsman Dave Whatmore (7 Tests in 1979) was born.

1959
: Australian keeper Greg Dyer (6 Tests from 1986 to 1988) was born.

1969
: West Indian pace bowler Ottis Gibson (2 Tests from 1995 to 1999) was born.

1971
: Australia's left-arm spin bowler "Chuck" Fleetwood-Smith (10 Tests from 1935 to 1938; 42 wickets) died aged 60.

1974
: Zimbabwean captain and pace bowler Heath Streak since 1993 was born.

1997
: Appearing in his 27th Test match, off-spinner Muthiah Muralitharan became the first Sri Lankan to take 100 wickets - against New Zealand at Hamilton.

2000
: Zimbabwe played their first Test match in the Caribbean at Port of Spain.

17th March...

1872
: England's leg-break bowler Douglas Carr (1 Test in 1909; 7 wickets) was born.

1872
: England batsman Willie Quaife (7 Tests from 1899 to 1902) was born.

1877
: Australian medium pacer Billy Midwinter (5-78) became the first Test bowler to take a five-wicket haul - against England at Melbourne.

1939
: Pakistani left-handed batsman and left-arm pace bowler Shahid Mahmood (1 Test in 1962) was born in Lucknow, India.

1963
: West Indian all-rounder and off-spinner Roger Harper (25 Tests from 1983 to 1993; 535 runs and 46 wickets) was born.

1965
: South African batsman Andrew Hudson (35 Tests from 1992 to 1998; 2007 runs) was born.

1972
: West Indies pace bowler Manny Martindale (10 Tests from 1933 to 1939; 37 wickets) died aged 62.

1977
: Australia beat England by 45 runs in the Centenary Test match at Melbourne - exactly the same margin of victory at the same ground 100 years ago.

1978
: New Zealand pace bowler George Dickinson (3 Tests from 1930 to 1932) died aged 75.

1985
: Indian all-rounder and pace bowler Dattu Phadkar (31 Tests from 1947 to 1958; 1229 runs and 62 wickets) died in Madras aged 59.

1987
: Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar scores 96 runs against Pakistan at Bangalore in his last Test innings. He extended his record Test run aggregate to 10122 runs.

1988
: England off-spinner Reg Sinfield (1 Test in 1938) died aged 87.

1996
: Sri Lanka won the sixth edition of the World Cup by defeating Australia by seven wickets in the final at Lahore.

Compiled by
MOHANDAS MENON

Last Week

Mail Cricket Editor