Cook is goosed

All Today's Yesterdays - November 15 down the years

November 14 | November 16

1992
An impressive debut ton from India's Pravin Amre could not stop South Africa's first home Test for 22 years ending in a bore-draw at Durban. The match wasn't quite so memorable for Jimmy Cook. He was the only person to play in all 19 unofficial Tests against rebel touring sides, and when he finally made his Test debut at 39, he was out to the first ball of the match. There was also a debut for Omar Henry, the first non-white to play for South Africa, and at 40 years 295 days, their oldest Test debutant too. This was the first Test in which the third umpire was used for line decisions. Karl Liebenberg and Cyril Mitchley shared the video duties, and Liebenberg claimed a memorable first scalp: Sachin Tendulkar, run out for 11.

1947
The Don's 100th first-class hundred. Donald Bradman cracked 172 for an Australian XI against the touring Indians at Sydney. India won the match, though, after the Australian XI failed in their chase for 251 to win in 150 minutes - they were bowled out for 203 in only 30 overs. Left-arm spinner Vinoo Mankad returned the remarkable figures of 12-0-84-8. Mankad also ran out Bill Brown while he was backing-up, leading to such practice being known as "Mankading" in Australia for a time. In all Bradman made 117 centuries in 338 innings, a staggering ratio of a century every 2.88 innings.

1903
Birth of the first great New Zealand batsman. Stewie Dempster played only 10 Tests, but in that time he averaged over 65. He was a short, compact batsman, a fierce driver who cracked 136 in only his second Test, against England at Wellington in 1929-30, putting on 276 for the first wicket with Jack Mills, New Zealand's highest partnership for any wicket against England (they were the first two Test hundreds by New Zealanders). He was sensational in England in 1931, making seven centuries, including a glittering 120 in the first Test at Lord's. Dempster was named as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1932, but the following winter he gave up Test cricket to take up a business appointment with Sir Julien Cahn, though he did go on to play for Leicestershire between 1936 and 1939. He died in his native Wellington in 1974.

1989
Two modern greats took their bows in the drawn first Test between Pakistan and India at Karachi. Sachin Tendulkar, aged just 16 years 205 days (at the time he was the third-youngest Test cricketer, after Mushtaq Mohammad and Aqib Javed), gave little hint of what was to follow when he was bowled for 15 ... by Waqar Younis, who was making his debut at the age (officially at least) of 17 years 364 days. Waqar's first-innings figures (19-1-80-4) were more prophetic, being typically expensive and penetrative.

1968
When England called up Peter Martin, who was born today, for the one-day series against West Indies in 1995, most observers were convinced they'd got the wrong Lancastrian. Glen Chapple had just had a storming England A tour of India, but the selectors wanted Martin's gentle movement in the air and off the pitch, and he was Man of the Match on his debut at The Oval with 4 for 44. That won him a place in the Test team, and in South Africa the following winter Martin was a revelation. He proved difficult to get away (in the fourth Test at Port Elizabeth he started the second innings with a spell of 7-7-0-2) and managed 11 wickets in three Tests at 19.82. His reward? He was overlooked for the first Test of the following summer, against India, and played only twice in Tests for England again.

1997
A humiliating day for New Zealand, who were skittled for 82 by Victoria in a tour match at Melbourne. Admittedly the Victorian attack did include Damien Fleming, Tony Dodemaide and Ian Harvey, but it was still a ragged performance, with only three batsmen reaching double figures. New Zealand eventually lost by five wickets, and all in all it wasn't a great tour: they lost the three-Test series 2-0, failed to win a single first-class match, and were beaten by both Queensland and New South Wales by an innings.

Other birthdays
1874 John Hartley (England)
1961 Zahid Ahmed (Pakistan)
1969 Dave Joseph (West Indies)
1973 Shayne O'Connor (New Zealand)