Botham's final fling

Ian Botham's last hurrah against Australia © Getty Images Enlarge

1992
Beefy's last hurrah. The final gold-star performance of Ian Botham's international career just had to come against Australia. In this World Cup match in Sydney, Botham swung a tight game England's way by taking 4 for 0 in seven balls, including Allan Border bowled neck and crop through the gate, as the Aussies fell under his spell for the umpteenth time. England needed 172 to win and Botham flayed his only half-century of this World Cup to take them to the brink of an eight-wicket win. It left Australia, the holders and co-hosts, on the brink of an ignominious early exit.

1951
Few cricketers have ever made as great an impact in their first series as Australian quickie Rodney Hogg, who was born today. Playing for a Packer-ravaged Australia against England in 1978-79, he took five five-fors in his first three Tests and ended up with 41 wickets in the series, even though Australia were pasted 5-1. Blond and extremely quick, Hogg survived the return of the Packer mob and played 39 Tests in all, but there was only one other five-for - in Barbados in 1983-84. Typically, Australia lost, and if he took five wickets Australia were in trouble. When they lost, he averaged 22; when they didn't, it was 36.

1963
Birth of cricket's greatest chicken-farmer. Thickset Zimbabwean seamer Eddo Brandes' agricultural exploits were always rather patronisingly referred to as he lumbered in to the crease, but this chap could bowl, and he would have played a lot more than 10 Tests but for a series of injuries. He was particularly successful against England: he took 4 for 21, including Graham Gooch first ball and Graeme Hick for 0, in the biggest shock of the 1992 World Cup, when the Zimbabweans won by nine runs in Albury, and bagged a famous hat-trick in Harare in 1996-97. Brandes is also allegedly the only man to silence Glenn McGrath in a sledging war, though his apparent riposte is not really suitable for a family website such as this.

1971
A sixth consecutive first-class century for that great allrounder Mike Procter, for Rhodesia against Western Province in Salisbury. It equalled the record, which still stands, held by CB Fry and, of course, Don Bradman. Everyone remembers Procter's bowling exploits, but he really was a bona fide allrounder: he made over 20,000 first-class runs.

1921
Pakistan's first Test centurion is born. Nazar Mohammad played only five Tests, all in Pakistan's inaugural series against India, in 1952-53, but he did have his moment in the sun. Nazar ground out an unbeaten 124 to anchor Pakistan's first win, by an innings and 43 runs in the second Test in Lucknow. It was an outstanding effort in a match where only one other man reached 50, and in the process Nazar became the first man to be on the field through an entire Test match. The father of Mudassar Nazar, who played 76 Tests for Pakistan, Nazar died in his native Lahore in 1996.

1975
A nearly man is born. Chris Silverwood was consistently on the fringes of England selection after he made his debut in Zimbabwe in 1996-97. Silverwood was not far short of genuine pace - he was timed at 148kph when he clanged Jacques Kallis on the helmet in a Test in Port Elizabeth in 1999-00 - but after taking a zealous five-for in Cape Town the same winter, he slipped down the pecking order.

1965
A first-class debut for New Zealand allrounder Graham Vivian - and a Test debut to boot. He'd only just turned 19 when he took the field for the drawn second Test against India in Calcutta. Vivian's performance was unspectacular, and he was overshadowed by another Kiwi debutant: Bruce Taylor, who smacked a punishing 105 and then took 5 for 86. Taylor remains the only player to make a century and take a five-for on debut.

2004
Pakistan won the Under-19 World Cup after beating West Indies by 25 runs in Dhaka. Asif Iqbal (54) and Salman Qadir (42) added 97 in Pakistan's 230. West Indies, whose side included Xavier Marshall, Ravi Rampaul and Lendl Simmons, were bowled out in 47.1 overs, with offspinner Tariq Mahmood taking 3 for 34.

Other birthdays

1918 Ranga Sohoni (India)
1922 Ebrahim Maka (India)
1969 Derek Crookes (South Africa)
1973 Jahangir Alam (Bangladesh)
1983 Dwight Washington (West Indies)