19th August...

1929:
South Africans Herbie Taylor and Nummy Deane put on 214 for the fourth wicket against England at the Oval, which still remains their best for this wicket against any country in Tests.

1939:
West Indian left-arm pace bowler Tyrel Johnson took a wicket off his very first ball in Test cricket at The Oval against England. He had also taken a wicket off his first ball of the tour.

1946:
England's Wally Hammond, at the Oval against India, became the first batsman to reach 7000 Test runs.

1950:
Australian all-rounder Graeme Beard (3 Tests in 1980) was born.

1953:
England beat Australia at the Oval by 8 wickets, thus regaining the Ashes after Australia had held them for a record period of nearly 19 years.

Len Hutton became the first captain to win a series despite losing the toss in all the five matches of the series.

1957:
England ODI keeper-batsman Ian Gould (18 matches in 1983) was born.

1975:
The last day of the Leeds Test should have started with Australia needing 225 runs to win with seven wicket left, and with opener Rick McCosker five runs short of his maiden Test hundred. But the match had to be abondoned as a draw after vandals, campaigning for the release from prison of a convicted criminal, sabotaged one end of the pitch with knives and oil.

1976:
New Zealand keeper-batsman Ken Wadsworth (33 Tests from 1969 to 1976; 1010 runs, 96 dismissals) died aged 29.

1992:
Sri Lankan keeper Romesh Kaluwitharana scores an unbeaten 132 on his Test debut against Australia at Sinhalese SC, Colombo.

20th August...

1847:
England batsman Andrew Greenwood (2 Tests in 1877) was born.

1865:
South African batsman Bernard Tancred (2 Tests in 1889) was born.

1869:
English batsman Jack "JT" Brown (8 Tests from 1894 to 1899) was born.

1909:
New Zealand all-rounder Albert Roberts (5 Tests from 1929 to 1937) was born.

1919:
England keeper Gregor MacGregor (8 Tests from 1890 to 1993) died aged 49.

1921:
Australian left-arm slow bowler Jack Wilson (1 Test in 1956) was born.

1929:
English opener Hebert Sutcliffe became the first batsman in Test history to score hundreds in each innings of a Test match on two separate occasions, when he scored his unbeaten 109 against South Africa at The Oval.

1930:
Australian batsman and Test cricket's first centurion Charles Bannerman (3 Tests from 1877 to 1879) died aged 79.

1930:
England's Jack Hobbs ended his Test career with then record totals of 5410 runs and 15 hundreds; in the Oval Test match against Australia.

1932:
South Africa's left arm slow bowler Atholl McKinnon (8 Tests from 1960 to 1967; 26 wickets) was born.

1934:
Australian opener Bill Ponsford scored 266 in his final Test match, at the Oval against England.

1935:
After waiting for 28 years, South Africa won their first Test series in England by drawing the Oval match.

1940:
Australian leg-spinner Rex Sellers (1 Test in 1965) was born in Bulsar, India.

1952:
English off-spinning all-rounder John Emburey (64 Tests from 1978 to 1995; 1713 runs and 147 wickets).

1956:
West Indian opening batsman Alvin Greenidge (6 Tests in 1978 to 1979) was born.

1962:
Pakistani paceman Fazal Mahmood appeared in his last Test match, against England at the Oval with the then record aggregate of 139 wickets for Pakistan.

1979:
England's Ian Botham scored 99 runs before lunch on the fourth day against India at Leeds.

1999:
Stephen Fleming overtook the New Zealand's record tally of 71 catches held by Martin Crowe against England at The Oval.

21st August...

1905:
England all-rounder Errol Holmes (5 Tests from 1934 to 1935) was born in Calcutta, India.

1905:
England batsman and all-rounder Stan Worthington (9 Tests from 1929 to 1937) was born.

1907:
Attempting to score 256 in just over 150 minutes, South Africa reached 100-3 in just in an hour against England at The Oval, when bad light compelled more defensive measures.

1914:
English leg-spinner Doug Wright (34 Tests from 1938 to 1951; 108 wickets) was born.

1930:
With no play possible on the fifth day of the Ashes Test, for the first time in 50 years of Test cricket at The Oval a day's play was lost to rain.

1935:
England opener Ken Taylor (3 Tests from 1959 to 1964) was born.

1963:
England left-handed all-rounder John Gunn (6 Tests from 1901 to 1905) died aged 87.

1976:
New Zealander keeper Ken James (11 Tests from 1929 to 1933) died aged 72.

1978:
Indian all-rounder and captain Vinoo Mankad (44 Tests from 1946 to 1959; 2109 runs and 162 wickets) died aged 61.

1980:
South African batsman and captain Jack Cheetham (24 Tests from 1948 to 1955; 883 runs) died aged 60.

1995:
West Indian batsman Ken Rickards (2 Tests from 1948 to 1952) died aged 71.

1986:
England's Ian Botham claims his 356th wicket, against New Zealand at the Oval to become the highest Test wicket-taker.

1994:
English pace bowler Devon Malcolm takes 9-57 in 16.3 overs against South Africa at the Oval.

22nd August...

1881:
England batsman Harry Makepeace (4 Tests in 1920-21) was born.

1892:
England all-rounder Percy Fender (13 Tests from 1920 to 1929) was born.

1893:
England keeper George Wood (1 Tests in 1924) was born.

1897:
Australian captain and batsman Bill Woodfull (35 Tests from 1926 to 1934; 2300 runs) was born.

1910:
Australian off-spinning all-rounder George Palmer (17 Tests from 1880 to 1886; 78 wickets) died aged 51.

1912:
England beat Australia by 244 runs at the Oval to win the first-ever triangular Test series.

1934:
Australian beat England by a huge margin of 562 at the Oval to regain the Ashes.

1934:
For the second time in four years Australia regained the Ashes on their captain Bill Woodfull's birthday.

1939:
Len Hutton's unbeaten 165 against the West Indies at the Oval took his tally to 1109 runs in his last eight Tests as World War II brought an end to Test cricket for the next six and half years.

1956:
Australian off-spinner Peter Taylor (13 Tests from 1986 to 1992) was born.

1978:
Bangladeshi Test batsman Mehrab Hossain "Opee" was born.

1992:
Sri Lanka lose the Colombo Test match by 16 runs against Australia despite needing just 54 runs at one stage with eight wickets in hand.

1999:
Ten minutes after lunch on the fourth day, New Zealand gained their first victory at the Oval. London defeating England by 83 runs.

23rd August...

1921:
England left-armer Sam Cook (1 Test in 1947) was born.

1923:
West Indian batsman Ken Rickards (2 Tests from 1948 to 1952) was born.

1938:
England became the first team to score over 900 runs (903-7 decl.) at the Oval against Australia, as English opener Len Hutton scores 364 runs.

1941:
Australian medium pacer Jack O'Connor (4 Tests from 1907 to 1909) died aged 65.

1963:
England slow left-armer Richard Illingworth (1991 to 1996) was born.

1969:
Pace bowler Dick Motz against England at the Oval became the first New Zealander to take 100 Test wickets.

1972:
England left handed opener Mark Butcher (27 Tests from 1997; 1253 runs) was born.

1973:
New Zealand paceman Kerry Walmsley (2 Tests in 1994) was born.

1974:
Pakistani Zaheer Abbas blasts 240 against England at the Oval.

1997:
England beat Australia at the Oval by 19 runs in three days. This was the first three-day Test at the Oval since 1957. Needing just 124 runs to win, Australia were dismissed in 152 minutes and off 32.1 overs.

24th August...

1851:
Australian left armer Ton Kendall (2 Tests in 1877; 14 wickets) was born in England.

1909:
South African keeper Ronnie Grieveson (2 Tests in 1938-39) was born.

1938:
England beat Australia by a huge margin of an innings and 579 runs at the Oval.Don Bradman does not bat in either innings for Australia due to a foot injury.

1939:
Australian all-rounder Bill Moule (1 Test in 1880) died aged 81.

1957:
For the second successive day West Indies were dismissed for less than 100 (86) by England, at The Oval. The previous day they were dismissed for 89.

1959:
South African batsman and all-rounder Adrian Kuiper (1 Test in 1992) was born.

1959:
England drub India at the Oval to win a series 5-0 for the first time at home.

1968:
South Africa's left handed all-rounder Cyril Vincent (25 Tests from 1927 to 1935; 526 runs and 84 wickets) died aged 66.

1971:
India beat England at the Oval by four wickets - its first Test win in England.

1972:
English opener Dennis Amiss scores One-day internationals first century - 103 against Australia at Manchester.

1982:
South African batsman Jack Siedle (18 Tests from 1927 to 1935; 977 runs) died aged 79.

1984:
Duleep Mendis during his innings of 111 against England at Lord's became the first Sri Lankan captain to score a hundred.

1990:
At 17 years 123 days, India's Sachin Tendulkar against England at the Oval, became the youngest batsman in first-class history to reach the aggregate of 2000 runs.

25th August...

1893:
England batsman Billy Gunn (102 not out) against Australia recorded the first Test hundred at Old Trafford, Manchester.

1898:
English keeper Arthur Wood (4 Tests from 1938 to 1939) was born.

1906:
England all-rounder Jim Smith (5 Tests from 1934 to 1935) was born.

1929:
Australian keeper Fred Burton (2 Tests in 1886 to 1887) died in New Zealand aged 63.

1952:
Sri Lankan batsman and captain Duleep Mendis (24 Tests from 1981 to 1988; 1329 runs) was born.

1957:
Pakistani pace bowler Sikander Bakht (26 Tests from 1976 to 1983; 67 wickets) was born.

1962:
Pakistani fast medium bowler Shahid Mahboob (1 Test in 1989) was born.

1965:
Indian pace bowler Sanjeev Sharma (2 Tests from 1988 to 1990) was born.

1968:
Australian middle-order batsman and all-rounder Stan McCabe (39 Tests from 1930 to 1938; 2748 runs and 36 wickets) died in an accident (fell from a cliff) aged 58.

1969:
Indian paceman Vivek Razdan (2 Tests in 1989) was born.

1973:
A bomb alert on the third day of the Lord's Test between England and the West Indies resulted in 89 minutes being lost.

1976:
Australian left-armer Percy Hornibrook (6 Tests from 1928 to 1930) died aged 77.

1986:
England's Ian Botham scores a 50 in just 32 balls against New Zealand at the Oval, which included a 24 run onslaught off Derek Stirling's over.

1989:
Australia against England at the Oval became the first Test team to score 400-plus runs in eight successive Test matches.

1993:
New Zealand's Brain Aldridge became the first umpire to officiate as a member of the ICC international panel, in the Moratuwa Test between Sri Lanka and South Africa.

1995:
Australia's Gloucestershire batsman Andrew Symonds hit a record 16 sixes against Glamorgan at Abergavenny during his unbeaten innings of 254.

Compiled by:
Mohandas Menon

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Mail Cricket Editor