2002
A tainted life meets a violent death. At the age of 32, and just 26 months after his dramatic fall from grace, Hansie Cronje died in a plane crash near George, in South Africa's Western Cape. Cronje, who captained South Africa in 53 matches and two World Cups - and would surely have done so in many more - shook the cricket world to its foundations in April 2000, when he admitted taking money from a bookmaker to influence the results of matches. As a committed Christian, he had invited ridicule by blaming Satanic influences for his deception. But at the time of his death, in South Africa at least, he was beginning to win back public support despite this notorious lack of repentance. Away from cricket, he had been rebuilding his life as a financial manager for a Johannesburg company. More than 2000 mourners attended his funeral.

1978
The greatest day of Chris Old's career. Against Pakistan at Edgbaston, Old took 7 for 50, including four wickets in five balls. Agonisingly, this spell did not include a hat-trick: worse still, the two sets of two wickets sandwiched a no-ball. Old is one of only three men to achieve the feat in a Test (Maurice Allom and Wasim Akram are the others). Pakistan were blown away for 164, and England went on to win by an innings inside four days. Peculiarly, in five Tests against Pakistan either side of this one, Old took only seven wickets.

1985
At Taunton, Viv Richards became the first West Indian to make 300 runs in a day. He creamed 322 against Warwickshire, the highest score in Somerset's history, and it was brutal stuff. Richards reached 300 off only 244 balls - he went from 100 to 300 in 130 deliveries - and in all belted eight sixes and 42 fours. It was the highest first-class score in England since 1949.

1899
The end of one great Test career … and the beginning of two others. WG Grace began the last of his 22 Tests at the age of 50 in England's draw against Australia at Trent Bridge. Grace made 28 and 1 and took no wickets, while two young debutants had mixed starts. For England, Wilfred Rhodes took seven wickets. For Australia, Victor Trumper began with a duck, but went on to forge a reputation as one of their finest batsmen.

1964
Just one wicketless Test for Indian seamer Rashid Patel, who was born today, and he is better known for an unsavoury incident during the Duleep Trophy final at Jamshedpur in 1990-91. After one sledging match too many, Patel chased Raman Lamba, the batsman, wielding a stump maniacally. He struck Lamba and was later banned for 14 months.

1928
Only four bowlers have ever taken a first-class five-for without conceding a run, and this was the most recent instance. Gloucestershire medium-pacer Percy Mills ushered Somerset from 71 for 3 to 90 all out with a spell of 6.4-6-0-5 at Bristol, after which Gloucester breezed to a ten-wicket victory.

1932
Birth of Frank Cameron, the New Zealand seamer who played 19 Tests in the 1960s. He was successful too, taking three five-fors and averaging below 30. Cameron's finest display was against Pakistan at Auckland in 1964-65, when his match figures were 49-22-70-9. He was later chairman of selectors for New Zealand, as well as an umpire, and was awarded the MBE.

1930
Fourteen Tests for Matt Poore, who was born today, but his wasn't the most successful career. New Zealand won none of those games, and Poore never topped the 45 he made in his very first innings, against South Africa at Auckland in 1952-53.

Other birthdays

1933 Ian Sinclair (New Zealand)
1976 Shahriar Hossain (Bangladesh)

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