Vandals stop play

All Today's Yesterdays - August 19 down the years

August 18 | August 20

1975
Quite a memorable day in Test cricket - considering no play was possible. What promised to be an exciting final day of the Ashes Test doesn't take place after the Headingley pitch had been vandalised by supporters of prisoner George Davis. Australia needed 225 to win with seven wickets left. The draw and another in the next Test gave them the series 1-0.

1953
After a record wait of 18 years 362 days, and despite losing the toss in all five Tests, England regained the Ashes. Fittingly, famous Middlesex partners Denis Compton and Bill Edrich were at the crease when the winning runs were hit at The Oval, a boundary off part-time bowler Arthur Morris. It was the first Ashes series to be won by a professional captain (Len Hutton) - and the last Test appearance of Australia's captain Lindsay Hassett, who first played against England in 1938.

1976
The tragic death from skin cancer of Ken Wadsworth, who was only 29. Fair-haired and talented, he kept wicket in 33 Tests for New Zealand, making 96 dismissals. He averaged 59.00 with the bat in the Caribbean series of 1971-72, when New Zealand surprised everyone by drawing all five Tests. But his crucial dropped catch cost New Zealand their first ever win over England, at Lord's in 1973. Sadly, by the time New Zealand achieved that long-awaited victory, in 1977-78, Ken Wadsworth wasn't around to share it.

1985
Opening batsman Tim Robinson (148) and his captain David Gower (215) completed their partnership of 331 in only 343 minutes at Edgbaston. Gower, enjoying the high summer of his Test career, hit the highest score by an England captain against Australia since Wally Hammond's 240 at Lord's in 1938. England won by an innings to take a 2-1 lead in the series.

1992
Three players hit hundreds on the same day before Sri Lanka declared at 547 for 8 against Australia at Colombo's Sinhalese Sports Club. Asanka Gurusinha made 137, captain Arjuna Ranatunga 127 and new cap Romesh Kaluwitharana 132 not out. But in the second innings Sri Lanka's last eight wickets fell for 37 runs to lose the match by 16.

1957
Birth of Ian Gould, who kept wicket for England in the 1983 World Cup. Although he never won a Test cap, he did have one moment of glory at that level, coming on as substitute at Melbourne in 1982-83 and taking the catch that removed Greg Chappell for 2. England won a famous victory by just three runs. Gould captained Sussex when they won the 1986 NatWest Trophy. After the final, his winning speech consisted of `Watch out, Soho.'

1957
Birth of Hampshire's Dutch seamer Paul-Jan Bakker, possibly the only former ski instructor to open the bowling in a cricket World Cup. His best moment in the 1996 tournament came against England at Peshawar, when he bowled Alec Stewart for 5. Holland weren't disgraced by a 49-run defeat.

Other birthdays
1950 Graeme Beard (Australia)
1973 Carl Bulfin (New Zealand)