Fredericks flays the Aussies

Temporary respite: Roy Fredericks comes in for tea © The Cricketer International Enlarge

1975
Perhaps the most audacious innings in Test history. Australia thumped West Indies in five out of six Tests in the series, but in the second match, at the WACA Roy Fredericks led West Indies to an innings victory with an astonishing display. Only a fool gives Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson as good as he gets on a Perth flyer, but Fredericks did exactly that and smacked them all round the park. Even though they were eight-ball overs, Lillee and Thomson's figures of 37-0-251-5 were not a pretty sight, and at lunch on the second day West Indies were 130 for 1 - from 14 overs. Fredericks flayed 50 off 33 balls; 100 in 71; in all he faced only 145 deliveries for his 169.

1974
Four days earlier, 42-year-old Colin Cowdrey was sitting at home in Kent looking forward to Christmas. But an injury crisis led to his being summoned to Australia to reinforce the beleaguered English tourists. He barely had time to get over jet lag before he was thrown in at deep end in the second Test, in Perth, against a rampant Lillee and Thomson. Cowdrey made 22 and 41 and famously reduced Thomson to incredulous silence when he arrived at the wicket and politely introduced himself with a cheery: "Hello, I'm Colin Cowdrey, I don't believe we've met."

1901
Sydney Barnes, considered by many to be the greatest bowler of the 20th century, took 5 for 65 on debut against Australia at the SCG. He took one more wicket in the second innings and England won by an innings and 124 runs in a match where three other visiting players made their debut: Charlie Blythe, Len Braund and John Gunn.

1999
England recovered from 2 for 5 and all that with a rough, tough draw in the second Test in Port Elizabeth. Nasser Hussain led from the front, pounding 82 - his first three scoring strokes were 4, 6 and 6 - and 70 not out. There were also tons for Mike Atherton and Lance Klusener (a mighty 174) in a match that ended tempestuously with four of England's six second-innings victims sawn-off by poor decisions.

1966
Twenty-two-year-old Clive Lloyd made his debut against India in Bombay. He scored half-centuries in both innings - an unbeaten 78 in the second - as West Indies won the first Test by six wickets. Lloyd didn't top his 78 in the rest of the series, which West Indies won 2-0, but he averaged 56.75 from the five innings, and he went on to greater things in his next 107 Tests.

1965
A glorious performance from 19-year-old Doug Walters illuminated the drawn first Test between Australia and England in Brisbane. Playing in his first Test, Walters cracked a brilliant 155 in trying circumstances. That gave Australia the whip hand, but rain played its part and England got away comfortably enough with a draw.

1970
An enigma is born. Basit Ali made his debut for Pakistan in the unofficial world championship duel with West Indies in 1992-93, and looked a class act as the rest of the batsmen surrendered lamely to Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh and Ian Bishop. But as so often happens with Pakistani prodigies, his star faded quickly.

1985
Having suffered humiliating defeats by England and New Zealand in the previous four months, Australia heralded a new era by giving debuts to Merv Hughes, Geoff Marsh and Bruce Reid in the first Test against India. All three would play key roles in the rebirth of Australian cricket, as would one Steve Waugh, who took his bow in the next match. The match was a dull, high-scoring draw on a typical Adelaide shirtfront, notable mainly for Sunil Gavaskar becoming the first man to reach 9000 Test runs in the course of a grand, unbeaten 166.

1970
Greg Chappell, batting at No.7, marked his Test debut with a glorious 108 in the drawn second Test between Australia and England in Perth. There were also tons for Brian Luckhurst, in his second Test, John Edrich and Ian Redpath, while Bill Lawry reached 5000 Test runs in the second innings.

Other birthdays
1850 Frederick Grace (England)
1947 Les Joslin (Australia)
1981 Ajay Ratra (India)