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All Today’s Yesterdays – October 26 down the yearsOctober 25 | October 271965
Few people have had as bad a start to their Test career as Ken Rutherford, who was born today. Rutherford was 19 when he was thrown in at the deep end in the Caribbean in 1984-85, and made only 12 runs in seven innings (and was run out without facing a ball to bag a pair on debut). He was out five times to Malcolm Marshall, who did to him what Curtly Ambrose would do to Graeme Hick six years later. But Rutherford eventually came of age, and at his best was an impressively assertive performer (he cracked 317 in four hours against Brian Close’s XI in 1986), undeniably better than an average of 27 suggests. He would surely have improved on that had his Test career not ended in 1995 when, aged only 29, he lost the captaincy and his place.1987
In a winner-takes-all showdown at Jaipur, England grabbed their second victory over West Indies in their World Cup group in a thrilling match that virtually clinched their semi-final place. Graham Gooch hit a controlled 92 before John Emburey and Phil DeFreitas helped add 83 off the last 10 overs to set West Indies a target of 270. Viv Richards raced to fifty at a run a ball, including three sixes, but the tide turned when he was bowled by Eddie Hemmings. After that the lower order fell away to DeFreitas (3 for 28) and England won by 34 runs, 22 of which came from West Indian wides.1890
Birth of perhaps the only Test player to be taken prisoner during the First World War. Harry Lee was erroneously reported dead after being captured by the Germans, though he did suffer a badly broken thigh, as a result of which he was told he would never play cricket again. This proved incorrect, although he was left with a permanent limp. Despite this Lee went on to make over 20,000 runs and take more than 400 wickets for Middlesex. His one Test came in South Africa in 1930-31, when he was called up after a series of injuries hit Percy Chapman’s team. He died in London in 1981.1952
Pakistan’s maiden Test victory. In only their second match, played on jute matting at Lucknow, they thrashed India by an innings and 43 runs. That master craftsman Fazal Mahmood was the star man, taking 5 for 52 and 7 for 42 (his best figures in Tests) as India were blown away for 106 and 182. Nazar Mohammad anchored Pakistan’s 331 with a painstaking unbeaten 124, carrying his bat after 515 minutes at the crease. He became the first man to be on the field throughout an entire Test match.1998
A historic day for Australia at Karachi. They drew the third Test to clinch their first series victory in Pakistan for 39 years. An outstanding performance from Glenn McGrath (5 for 66) gave them a first-innings lead of 28, and from there they were happy to bat Pakistan out of the match and the series. Justin Langer took almost four hours to make 51, and in all Australia’s 390 took 142.3 overs. There was only one winner after that. As the match petered out, there was another hundred for Ijaz Ahmed, half of whose 12 Test tons came against the Aussies.1961
England grabbed their first win in Pakistan at the first attempt with a five-wicket win at Lahore. Despite 139 from Ken Barrington and 99 from MJK Smith, England trailed by seven on first innings, but they whipped Pakistan out for 200 in their second knock and the captain Ted Dexter (66 not out) took them home comfortably. It was a bit of a false dawn though – England failed to win any of their next 19 Tests in Pakistan (17 of which were drawn) before Graham Thorpe’s Chinese cut off Saqlain Mushtaq sealed a famous victory in the Karachi gloom last December.Other birthdays
1950 TE Srinivasan (India)
1971 Ronnie Irani (England)

A convincing win over bottom of the table Calmore was achieved by the youngest Hampshire Academy team yet; featuring eight teenagers and no-one over 22 years of age.The young Hawks got back to winning ways at the toss and stand-in captain Ian Hilsum had no hesitation in batting first on a perfect summer’s day at the Rose Bowl.Solid batting by Chris Benham (115 balls, 14 fours) and latterly 17-year-old Kevin Latouf (100 balls, 3 fours), fresh from a successful debut with the 2nd XI, took the Academy to 140-3 at lunch; achieving a solid platform from which to build afterwards.Hilsum declared, when realizing that the final batting bonus point was out of reach, when the Academy stood on 239-8 in 59.5 overs. Calmore’s bowlers stuck to their task in the searing heat; the pick being Mark Boston, who returned figures of 5-88 off 23 consecutive overs.In a reversal of fortune, former Calmore player Matthew Metcalfe (3-21) achieved the early break-throughs for the Academy, as the relatively out-of-sorts David Griffiths went wicket-less in his first spell – a rarity this season.Metcalfe was well supported by yet another 17-year-old in James Manning (2-17), and skipper Ian Hilsum (8-4-13-4) helped clean up the middle order and tail in typical leg-break fashion.No Calmore batsman passed 20 as the Totton-based side were bowled out in 32.1 overs to lose heavily by 138 runs; just a few minutes after Radio Solent (presented by ex-Hampshire stalwart Kevan James), who made this fixture their featured match of the day, went off air at six o’clock.

Legendary cricketers can perform the role of sporting ambassadors between Pakistan and India, according to Asif Iqbal, former captain of Pakistan.”I think there should be tours of sporting ambassadors to Pakistan and India which can pave the way for a revival of cricket between the two neighbours who have so many things in common,” he said. “The likes of Hanif Mohammad, Zaheer Abbas and Imran Khan should tour India and take feedback from people, and India’s Sunil Gavaskar, Bishen Bedi and Kapil Dev should come to Pakistan…”Iqbal himself was born in India, and made his first-class debut for Hyderabad in 1959 before migrating to Pakistan in 1962.India’s Minister for Sports, Vikram Verma, had recently announced that two one-day games on a home-and-away basis could be played in September.It’s now 13 years since India made a full Test tour of Pakistan, which has prompted many old-timers to recall the 17-year freeze that existed from 1961 to 1978.

With a wry grin on his face, Otago captain Craig Cumming commented late today that cricket is not a game that one should try to understand.Cumming’s men had just completed an unlikely victory over Central Districts, winning by nine runs after looking all over a well-thrashed team just an hour and a half earlier.Otago scored 243, and Central could only reach 234 after reaching 154 before losing a wicket. Cumming suggested it’s difficult to try to understand just what happens in cricket. Two games ago Otago blew what appeared a certain winning chance against Wellington.Now they savoured cricket from, the other side of the coin.”It’s the opposite feeling to what we had when we played Wellington. It was unbelievable how we could lose that – now it’s unbelievable how we could win this.”I suppose it was pressure. We managed to get a couple of wickets and put some pressure on, and our bowlers did a whole better at the end than they did at the start,” Cumming said, “and the ball started to reverse.”It’s a funny game. I don’t think you should ever try to work it out because I don’t think you can.”Cumming believed the loss of momentum by Central after Jesse Ryder (61) and Craig Spearman (97) were dismissed was vital in achieving Otago’s ultimate win.”We talk about keeping momentum going with our batting. When we put a stop to their momentum, it allowed us to claw our way back into it. Funny things happen.”

Saturday, April 12, 2003:::
“When we came here, we were without superstars, but we are returning home with new stars, who will become superstars,” Pakistan skipper Rashid Latif, after winning the Sharjah Cup
Source: BBC, UK
“People are well aware here that my interest in the captaincy has diminished since I left in 2000 and I’ve said on numerous occasions that I want to be led. I want someone to come out there and lead the team with myself on the team,” Brian Lara
Source: The Advertiser, Australia
“I’m aware of what stats are and my job as captain is to be aware what’s going on so I look up cricket sites, I read newspapers because I like to find out bits of information about the opposition. But I’m not a great student of the game,” Steve Waugh
Source: FOX Sports, Australia
Tuesday, April 8, 2003:::
“I’ll be going there just to prove as a 40-year-old I can do exactly what I could do as a 39-year-old. My desire, hunger, passion and enjoyment is still exactly the same as it was when I was 25,” Alec Stewart, on his fortieth birthday
Source: BBC, UK
“”I know these boys inside out, having spent good time with them. It will be a very challenging job and I am looking forward to the chance,” Ashok Malhotra, after being named to replace the bereaved John Wright as India coach for the early part of the Dhaka tri-series
Source: Rediff, India
“I would be interested in the job. Coaching New Zealand would be my main ambition but any team that plays one-day internationals and test matches would appeal to me,” former New Zealand spinner John Bracewell, expressing his willingness to be the next Sri Lankan coach
Source: Stuff.co.nz
“There’s just too much at stake at the moment for every member of the squad, and that includes me as well. This tour to Bangladesh is vital for the team’s success in later series, the big one being the tour to England later this year,” South African captain Graeme Smith
Source: The Star, South Africa

South African fast bowler Nantie Hayward has been included in a 13-man Eastern Province Jumbos squad for the Standard Bank Cup first leg semifinal against the KwaZulu-Natal Dolphins at St George’s Park on Wednesday.But whether Hayward will play remains to be seen. He is currently the subject of discussion between South African physiotherapist Craig Smith and the United Cricket Board concerning his rehabilitation from an ankle injury suffered in Australia.The Jumbos side will be captained by Robin Peterson.SquadRobin Peterson (Capt), Kevin Duckworth, James Bryant, Mark Benfield, Umar Abrahams, Dave Callaghan, Bruce Friderichs, Johan Botha, Lyall Meyer, Garnett Kruger, Meyrick Pringle, Mornantau Hayward, Clint du Plessis.

New Zealand’s longest-serving international umpire Steve Dunne will become the first umpire in the world to stand in 100 One-Day Internationals when walking out for the National Bank Series decider between New Zealand and England in Dunedin tomorrow.Dunne was unavailable to discuss his career yesterday, as he wanted to prepare for the game without any distraction. But before he ended the call he did acknowledge that he was unaware of the fact that he will be the first to achieve the milestone.The top 10 list of most appearances in ODIs by umpires reads: Steve Dunne (NZ) 99, David Shepherd (England) 97, Steve Randell (Australia) 88, Tony Crafter (Australia) 84, Steve Bucknor (West Indies) 83, Ian Robinson (Zimbabwe) 82, Rudi Koertzen (South Africa) 77, David Orchard (South Africa) 77, Darrell Hair (Australia) 74, Dickie Bird (England) 70.The top five New Zealand ODI umpiring list is: Dunne 99, Doug Cowie 63, Brian Aldridge 45, Steve Woodward 30, Dave Quested 30.It started for Dunne back in the summer of 1988/89 when he stood in his first One-Day International, on the same Carisbrook ground he had graced during his playing career for Otago. New Zealand were playing Pakistan and the most notable feature of the game was that it was a replacement match for the first Test of the series that had been abandoned without a ball being bowled.New Zealand won a low scoring game.His list of appointments was slowed by the fact that he was not on New Zealand’s list of World Cup umpires in 1992, as Aldridge and Woodward were the preferred umpires. However, he was on the panel for the 1996 and 1999 World Cups.His first overseas appointments under the independent umpires scheme was at Sharjah in 1995/96 for a series involving Sri Lanka, Pakistan and the West Indies.Forty-six of his games have been in New Zealand, 24 in Sharjah, eight each in India and Canada, five in England, three each in Pakistan and Bangladesh and two in Sri Lanka.

All Today’s Yesterdays – July 31 down the yearsJuly 30| August 11956
History was made at Old Trafford when Jim Laker took his 19th wicket in the fourth Test against Australia, including all ten wickets in the second innings. Laker had warmed up his day of reckoning by taking 9 for 37 in Australia’s first outing, that itself the best-ever return by an England bowler in Ashes cricket. In the second innings, though, he was unstoppable, and when the last man, Maddocks, was trapped lbw, Laker had taken all 10 wickets for 53 runs. No less astonishing was Tony Lock’s match return of 1 for 106 in 71.4 overs. The Australians were said to be fuming about an Old Trafford pitch that had been deliberately underprepared to suit the spinners, but as their captain, Ian Johnson said afterwards: “When the controversy and side issues of the match are forgotten, Laker’s wonderful bowling will remain.” No-one else has taken more than 17 in a first-class match.1953
Birth of the South African opener Jimmy Cook, who scored so many runs for Somerset. Forced to wait till he was 39 for his first taste of Test cricket, he was out to his very first ball – from Kapil Dev – the opening delivery of a match against India at Durban in 1992-93.1943
Yorkshire’s great slow left-armer Hedley Verity died in a Prisoner of War camp in Italy. He set a world record by taking 10 for 10 against Notts, and in 1934 dismissed 14 batsmen in a day to give England their only win against Australia at Lord’s in the 20th Century.1973
Fair-haired and full of flair, Frank Hayes scored a hundred on his Test debut, against West Indies at The Oval> – but nerves got in the way of his Test career, in which he never again scored more than 29, and eventually averagedonly 15.25. He scored 34 runs off an over in 1977 and now teaches maths and physics at Oakham School.1984
England’s first blackwash was in the post after West Indies went 4-0 up after four with an innings victory at Old Trafford. Gordon Greenidge smashed his second double-century of the series – he averaged over 100 in Old Trafford Tests – but it was Winston Davis who really put the boot in. Not content with creaming a career-best 77, he fractured Paul Terry’s left arm with a short ball that didn’t get up as Terry expected. Terry bravely returned to see Allan Lamb to a first-innings century – it was Lamb’s third in as many Tests, not bad given the havoc being wreaked all around him.1902
Birth of “Gubby” Allen. Later Sir George Oswald Browning Allen, he took 21 wickets in 1932-33 without bowling Bodyline, captained England in the feverish 1936-37 series, and for many years was influential behind the scenes at Lord’s.1912
Australian opening batsman Bill Brown was born. Top of his Test achievements was an innings of 206, carrying his bat, at Lord’s in 1938. He was controversially run out while backing up (the original “Mankad”) against India in 1947-48.1919
Lieutenant-Colonel Hemu Adhikari was born. After scoring a century against West Indies, and captaining India in 1958-59, he became a respected manager of Indian touring teams.Other birthdays
1916 Verdun “Scotty” Scott (New Zealand)
1939 Roger Prideaux (England)
1968 Saeed Al-Saffar (United Arab Emirates)
1975 Andrew Hall (South Africa)

At the County Ground this morning, Somerset Chief Executive Peter Anderson talked about his two England players Andy Caddick and Marcus Trescothick, who are currently both out in New Zealand.Mr Anderson told me: “I’m worried about Andy Caddick’s morale, as it seems that once again he is in and out of the England side. We all know that the trigger for Andy’s confidence level is to feel wanted.”I was surprised to read Duncan Fletcher comment that Andy missed “a bit of oomph” in his bowling because he hadn’t really played for six months.”That is true and reflects two things. Andy could easily have played in the last two Championship matches, and had there been any meaningful liaison between the England manager, Kevin Shine and the player, we could have put in a structured practice programme for him in November and December.”Andy is at the age now where even though he doesn’t like practice, to continue at the high level he has achieved he has to practice. Cricket history shows us that all the great bowlers of the past started to lose it in their mid thirties.”By practicing, Andy can probably extend his career beyond that if he wants to.Regarding Marcus Trescothick, the Somerset Chief said: “Everyone at the club is pleased to note Marcus’s continuing impressive performances for England, and looks forward to the day when he is the England captain.”It is ironic though that following on from all the hoo-hah over Alec Stewart opening the batting and keeping wicket that suddenly Marcus finds himself in the same position.”The only saving grace for the team is that by keeping wicket he doesn’t have to run around the field (slowly!), but if this is a defect in his athleticism it is more than made up with his multi-talents of batting, bowling and keeping wicket.”On a vote of Somerset players, Marcus is the worst five-a-side soccer player currently in the county squad, if not on the whole of the circuit, and he can’t even keep goal!”

Taking advantage of the absence of South African stars, two Province young guns Rashaad Magiet(115 not out) and Andrew Puttick(85) gave their side a solid start on the opening day of the 3-day friendly against North West in Potchestroom on Thursday.WP were asked to bat after captain HD Ackerman lost the toss in cold and grey conditions. When bad light ended play some 13 overs before the scheduled close close WP reached 270 for the loss of Graeme Smith(55) and Puttick who made a well struck 85. Considering that this was WP’s first outdoor session of the season credit must go to the Province batters who seemed on form from the start.The match continues on Friday and Saturday.

Full scorecard;R.Magiet not out 115G.Smith ct Bula b Mazibuko 55A.Puttick ct Bula b Dreyer 85J.Mclean not out 7Extras 8Total 270/2