1960
Australia and West Indies played out Test cricket's first tie in a sensational finish at Brisbane. Needing 233 to win, Australia started the last (eight-ball) over from Wes Hall on 227 for 7. But after an amazing over that included a leg-bye, a bye, a caught behind, a dropped catch by the bowler (near square leg), and two run-outs - the last crucial one a dead-eye hit from Joe Solomon at square leg - a remarkable match ended with honours even.

1977
From one extreme to the other. Today witnessed the start of an innings designed to send even the keenest supporter to sleep. Mudassar Nazar ground his way to 52 not out at the end of the first day's play in the first Test between Pakistan and England at Lahore, racing to 122 in 591 minutes on the second. His hundred came up in 552 minutes, still the slowest Test century of all time. Geoff Boycott got into the spirit with a mind-numbing 63 in almost six hours. Not surprisingly, the match was drawn ... but there was other entertainment on the second day (see tomorrow's ATY).

1979
Play during the first day of the first Test between England and Australia at Perth was stopped for ten minutes when Mike Brearley objected to Dennis Lillee's aluminium bat. Ignoring the abnormal clanging sound which accompanied every strike, Brearley claimed that the bat was damaging the ball, Lillee (who was involved in its promotion) that it was within the laws. Eventually Lillee was persuaded to swap it, albeit with much muttering and swearing, and the following year the laws were changed to state that the "bat shall be made of wood".

1938
It's hard to believe that Charlie Griffith, who was born today, began life as a spin bowler. He soon gave up that slow-bowling nonsense to form, with Wes Hall, one of the most fearsome fast-bowling partnerships in history. Griffith would make any cricket bad-boy XI. Many people felt he chucked his faster ball - he was twice no-balled for throwing – and, bowling for Barbados in a tour match against the Indians in 1961-62, Griffith fractured their captain Nari Contractor's skull so severely that his life was briefly in danger.

1974
Viv Richards made his first Test ton against India at Delhi, and it was a typically subdued affair: in only his second Test, Richards clubbed an unbeaten 192, with six sixes and 20 fours. With an attack of Bedi, Prasanna and Venkataraghavan doing most of the work, these were no easy pickings. But Lance Gibbs took eight wickets and West Indies sealed an innings victory early on the fourth day.

1993
One of Test cricket's biggest shocks was on the cards at Rawalpindi – until Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis decimated the Zimbabwean middle order. With Mark Dekker showing a rare adhesiveness (he made 68 and 68 not out here – in 13 other Tests he averaged 9.85) and Alistair Campbell for once playing like David Gower, the Zims were cruising at 135 for 1 in pursuit of 240. But their hopes of a first win in Tests were shattered as the old firm cut a swathe through their batting line-up; the last nine wickets went down for 52 runs, leaving the heroic Dekker as the first Zimbabwean to carry his bat in a Test.

1994
Courtney Walsh and Kenny Benjamin got West Indies out of jail with a devastating display in the third Test at Mohali. After Jimmy Adams, in the middle of an unbelievable purple patch (520 runs in the series at an average of 173.33), laid the foundations with 174 and 78 (both not out), Walsh and Benjamin got blood out of a stone to blow India away for 114 on the final day. Seven wickets went down in nine overs, and Mr Extras was the only man to reach 20. It gave West Indies a 285-run victory and preserved their proud 15-year unbeaten run in Test series – for another six months anyway, before Australia famously turned them over in their own backyard.

2000
Violent stuff from Ajit Agarkar as India sealed a 4-1 one-day series victory with a 39-run win over Zimbabwe at Rajkot. Agarkar might not be able to score a single run against Australia but here he creamed an unbeaten 67 off 25 balls. His 50, off 21 balls, is the fastest by an Indian in a one-dayer, and carnage reigned as he and Reetinder Sodhi added an amazing 65 off the last four overs.

1999
Not such a good day for Agarkar. He stated a run of seven consecutive Test ducks against Australia with a first-baller in the second innings of India's crushing 285-run defeat at Adelaide. Steve Waugh performed his usual party trick of a century in the first Test of a series, while the ever-underrated Damien Fleming picked up eight wickets. The big scalp, though, went to Glenn McGrath: Sachin Tendulkar, lbw for 0 late on the fourth evening in bizarre circumstances – he was hit on the shoulder as he ducked into a short one that didn't get up as expected.

1998
More humiliation for a hapless West Indies side. They were thumped by 178 runs by South Africa in the second Test at Port Elizabeth – a margin of defeat that took some effort, considering only one South African (Jonty Rhodes, with 64) passed 50. Allan Donald took seven wickets, including Brian Lara twice, as West Indies managed to bat for only 75.5 overs in the whole match. Their only highlight was a memorable slog from Nixon McLean – his 12-ball 31 in the first innings included four sixes.

1983
Police had to protect the Indian team from an enraged Calcutta crowd armed with fruit, stones and bottles, after they were thumped by an innings and 46 runs in the fifth Test against West Indies. Clive Lloyd cracked 161 not out, rubbing salt in the wound by adding 161 for the ninth wicket with Andy Roberts (68) before India were blitzed for just 90 in their second innings.

Other birthdays
1854 Harry Wood (England)
1866 Francis Ford (England)
1867 Alfred Richards (South Africa)
1917 Wilf Ferguson (West Indies)
1935 Butch White (England)
1941 Barry Hadlee (New Zealand)
1962 Bharati Arun (India)
1979 Chamara Silva (Sri Lanka)

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