1873
In Trinidad Pelham Francis "Plum" Warner was born. He was the first man to carry his bat on his Test debut, when he made 132 at Johannesburg in 1898-99, a match in which no other Englishman passed 30 (the innings is joint 17th in the Wisden 100). He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1904 and 1921, and was knighted in 1937 for services to cricket. A tribute in the Wisden Almanack said: "There have been many greater cricketers than Pelham Warner but none more devoted to the game." He was captain of Middlesex for 12 years and in 1920 he led them to an unlikely championship triumph. When he died in 1963, his ashes were scattered in front of the stand at Lord's which bears his name.

1994
One of the greatest Tests of modern times came to a dramatic conclusion at Karachi. Pakistan needed 314 to beat Australia in the first Test; but when they fell to 258 for 9, their first-ever defeat at the National Stadium - and Australia's first win in Pakistan for 35 years - looked a certainty. But Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mushtaq Ahmed flayed an injury-ravaged attack for 53 runs in eight overs to leave only three needed for victory. Inzamam gave Shane Warne the charge and missed, only for Ian Healy to let a difficult stumping chance go for four byes. It was the highest last-wicket partnership ever to win a Test, and Australia's wait for a victory in Pakistan went on ...

1998
... for another four years. On this day at Rawalpindi Steve Waugh set them up for that long-awaited victory with one of his greatest innings. Australia were rocking on 28 for 3 in the first Test in reply to Pakistan's 269, their subcontinental demons again coming to the fore, when Waugh hit a brilliant 157. He added 198 for the fourth wicket with Michael Slater and so demoralised Pakistan that Australia went on to win the match by an innings and the series 1-0.

1939
The birth of a true allrounder. Indian "Budhi" Kunderan did a bit of everything: he was an exciting batsman, a more than competent wicketkeeper and an occasional medium-pacer. He batted at No. 1 and 11 in Tests; and he is one of a select few to open the batting and bowling in the same Test. He also frequently combined opening and keeping wicket, as he was when he made the highest score by an Indian wicketkeeper, 192 against England at Madras in 1963-64. But thanks mainly to the excellence of the mercurial Farokh Engineer, Kunderan only played 18 Tests.

1997
Fast finish at Lahore. In the deciding third one-day international against India Pakistan were set 217 to win in 49 overs but they used up barely half the quota, thrashing 219 for 1 in 26.2 overs. The usual suspects did the damage: Ijaz Ahmed hit 139 not out off 84 balls, with 10 fours and nine sixes, while Shahid Afridi smote 47 off just 23 balls.

1965
Birth of that punishing allrounder Tom Moody. It is a sign of Australia's omnipotence throughout the 1990s that Moody played only eight Tests. He was quickly typecast as a one-day man, and was a regular in the side that won the 1999 World Cup in England. Moody was also an outstanding performer at county level, and helped Worcestershire to the NatWest Trophy in 1994 with matchwinning performances in the semi-final (180* v Surrey) and final (88* & 12-4-17-1 v his old county Warwickshire). Moody also broke a world record in Scotland in 1989 when he threw the haggis over 230 feet.

1961
The cruellest twist of fate awaited Alan Wells, who was born today, when he finally made his overdue Test debut in the sixth Test against West Indies in 1995. On an absolute belter at The Oval - 1369 runs were scored in the match for the loss of 22 wickets - Wells fended his first ball from Curtly Ambrose off his hip and straight to short leg. He had a chance to make 3 not out in the second innings, but as happened to so many Oval debutants in the 1990s, he did not play again.

1884
If Wells got a rough deal, then what of Plum Lewis, the brilliant South African batsman who was born today? After a blistering 151 for Western Province against England in the opening match of the 1913-14 tour, Lewis was picked for the first Test at Durban. But in what proved to be his only Test he bagged a pair - c Woolley b Barnes in each innings - and was then severely wounded in the leg during the First World War. After that he was only able to play club cricket, and that required the aid of a runner.

1964
A devastating batting performance in a trial match at Johannesburg, where South Africa racked up 618 for 4 on the first day against the Rest of South Africa. There were hundreds for Colin Bland, Graeme Pollock, Tony Pithey and Denis Lindsay, and in the last 99 minutes play Bland and Lindsay added a mind-blowing 267.

Other birthdays
1902 Ladha Ramji (India)
1930 Jayasinghrao Ghorpade (India)
1933 Tony Catt (Kent)
1934 Geoff Millman (England)
1948 Robert "Jumbo" Anderson (New Zealand)
1974 Matt Nicholson (Australia)
1977 Justin Kemp (South Africa)

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