Test cricket's slowest half-century

Trevor Bailey: batted on and on and on... but all in vain © Getty Images Enlarge

1958
Australia's eight-wicket victory over England in the first Test in Brisbane was notable for Trevor Bailey's 357-minute fifty. In all, the Barnacle's 68 used up a paint-drying 425 balls. It was brave stuff in a match where only two batsmen reached fifty - but the other, Norm O'Neill, trumped Bailey with an unbeaten 71 as the Aussies eased home. It was hardly thrilling fare for the audience at home in what was Australia's first televised Test.

1995
A day filled with bittersweet memories for Stuart Law. In for the injured Steve Waugh, Law stroked a classy unbeaten 54 as Australia took an inexorable grip on the first Test against Sri Lanka in Perth - but it turned out to be his only Test innings. His fellow debutant, the 20-year-old Tasmanian golden boy Ricky Ponting, was also in the runs until he was sawn off by a shocking lbw decision four runs short of a maiden century. But the innings that underpinned it all was Michael Slater's highest Test score, a rollicking 219 that included 15 fours and five sixes. Australia sealed an innings-and-36-run victory inside four days.

2005
It had seemed inevitable since the time he entered Test cricket at the age of 16, but when it came it was a bit of a relief. Nearly a year before, Sachin Tendulkar had equalled Sunil Gavaskar's record of 34 Test centuries in Dhaka, and six Tests later came No. 35, against Sri Lanka at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi, one of many records in a record-breaking career.

1941
A firebrand is born. The brawny Welshman Jeff Jones played 15 Tests for England between 1964 and 1968, only two of which were on home soil. It might have been many more but for a serious elbow injury. On his day Jones' left-armers came down frighteningly quickly, and in 1965 he returned the staggering figures of 13-9-11-8 for Glamorgan against Leicestershire. His son Simon, who made his Test debut in 2002 was another Welsh firebrand.

1968
West Indies triumphed by 125 runs in a classic first Test in Brisbane. Australia had looked to be in control after centuries from Bill Lawry and Ian Chappell (who were both eventually mugged by Clive Lloyd's innocuous medium-pacers) but a startling collapse (from 217 for 1 to 284 all out) gave West Indies a first-innings lead of 12. Lloyd, in his first Test against Australia, nailed it with 129, and Garry Sobers (6 for 73) bowled them to victory. His haul included the crucial wicket of Chappell, caught brilliantly at short third man via the knee of first slip.

1992
A strange kind of glory for Asif Mujtaba, who smote Steve Waugh over midwicket for six to earn Pakistan a tie in their World Series match against Australia in Hobart. For once the biter was bit, as 16 came from the usually ice-cool Waugh's last over. Sadly for Pakistan, they lost their next six matches in the tournament, and didn't come close to qualifying for the final.

1847
Birth of a metronome. Australian seamer Henry Boyle was happy to plug away while his erstwhile partner Frederick Spofforth wreaked havoc at the other end. Boyle's finest hour came at The Oval in 1882, when he took the final wicket in the seven-run Australian victory that spawned the legend of the Ashes.

1988
Kris Srikkanth almost single-handedly led India to a four-wicket victory in the first one-dayer against New Zealand in Vishakapatnam. He took 5 for 27 with his offspin to muzzle New Zealand after they sped to 116 for 1, and then, in more typical style, he crashed 70 off 87 balls. This came in the middle of a peculiar purple patch with the ball: Srikkanth took 17 wickets in six ODIs, but only eight in the 140 either side of it.

1886
One of Test cricket's few casualties of war is born. Pudsey-born Major Booth (Major was his first name, not his rank) was a dashing right-handed batsman and brisk fast-medium bowler who was just reaching his peak before the First World War. He played twice for England on their 1912-13 tour of South Africa, but fell on the Somme in July 1916.

1974
In an age where players are expected to be multi-skilled, New Zealand fast bowler Chris Martin's lack of ability with the bat is legendary. Many would have thought the days of genuine Test No. 11s had passed with the retirement of Courtney Walsh, but Martin, who was born today, has kept the flag flying for rabbits. In over 60 Tests, he has six pairs, two more than the next-best (or worst), and 19 other ducks. His nagging bowling puts Martin among the top five leading wicket-takers for New Zealand: his wickets tally is almost double his runs.

Other birthdays
1870 Tom McKibbin (Australia)
1969 Nadeem Khan (Pakistan)
1971 Manjula Munasinghe (Sri Lanka)
1983 Anwar Hossain (Bangladesh)
1985 Talha Jubair (Bangladesh)