29th April...

1918: Australian batsman Mervyn Harvey, elder brother of Neil Harvey (1 Test in 1947) was born.

1921: England pace bowler Arthur Mold (3 Tests in 1893) died age 57.

1930: West Indies left-arm spinner Alf Valentine (36 Tests from 1950 to 1962; 139 wickets) was born.

1940: Australian wicket-keeper Brian Taber (16 Tests from 1966 to 1970; 60 dismissals) was born.

1966: England's left-arm spinner Phil Tufnell with over 100 Test wickets since 1990 was born.

1979: Indian left-arm pace bowler Ashish Nehra (1 Test in 1999) was born.

1983: Sri Lanka won its first one-day international series when the third match against Australia at the Sinhalese ground at Colombo, was abandoned due to rain. Sri Lanka had won the first two matches.

1990: The Pakistan-Sri Lanka ODI match was the 50th to be played at Sharjah. Waqar Younis takes 6-26.

1996: Nathan Astle who scored his maiden Test hundred in the previous Test match scored 103 in the next Test at St John's against the West Indies.

1997: Sri Lankan Aravinda deSilva (138 not out and 103 not out) - against Pakistan at the Sinhalese ground at Colombo became the first batsman to score two undefeated hundreds in a Test match.

30th April...

1905: England batsman Walter Keeton (2 Tests fro 1934 to 1939) was born.

1919: England keeper-batsman Harry Wood (4 Tests from 1888 to 1892) died aged 65.

1922: South African all-rounder Anton Murray (10 Tests from 1952 to 1954) was born.

1923: England's left-handed batsman Alan Wharton (1 Test in 1949) was born.

1931: All-rounder Sammy Woods for Australia (3 Tests in 1888) and England (3 Tests in 1896) died in England aged 64.

1964: Australian keeper-batsman Ian Healy (119 Tests from 1988 to 1999; 4356 runs and a record 395 dismissals) was born.

1983: West Indian opener Gordon Greenidge batting on 154 at close on the third day against India at St John's had to 'retire" as he had to fly to Barbados to visit his critically ill two year old daughter (who later died on May 5). Greenidge's innings has been treated as a 'not-out' in view of the unusual circumstances.

1983: West Indian openers Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes put on a record 296 for the first wicket against India at St John's. This still remains the best Test partnership for the first wicket by any team against India.

1989: West Indian Viv Richards scores 110 against India at Kingston, which was the last of his 24th Test hundred of his career (incidentally he had scored his first - 192 not out - also against India at Delhi in November 1974)

1993: South African batsman Eric Rowan (26 Tests from 1935 to 1951, 1965 runs) died aged 83.

1995: The Australian twins - Mark and Steve Waugh - put on 231 runs for the fourth wicket off 355 balls and in 233 minutes - against West Indies at Kingston.

1st May...

1889: England batsman John Evans (1 Test in 1921) was born.

1927: Pakistani left-arm pace bowler Israr Ali (4 Tests from 1952 to 1959) was born in India.

1929: West Indian off-spinner Sonny Ramadhin (43 Tests from 1950 to 1960; 158 wickets) was born.

1930: Don Bradman in his very first first-class innings on a foreign soil scores 236 for the touring Australian team against Worcestershire.

1947: Pakistani left-handed batsman Ghulam Abbas (1 Test in 1967) was born in Delhi.

1951: West Indian opener Gordon Greenidge (108 Tests from 1974 to 1991; 7558 runs) was born.

1953: West Indian left-arm spinner Elquemedo Willett (5 Tests from 1973 to 1974) was born.

1954: Pakistani keeper-batsman Taslim Arif (6 Tests in 1980; 501 runs, avg. 62.63 and 9 dismissals) was born.

1955: Australian batsman Julien Wiener (6 Tests from 1979 to 1980) was born.

1957: Australian batsman Warwick "Rick" Darling (14 Tests from 1978 to 1979; 697 runs) was born.

1969: South African pace bowler George Parker (2 Tests in 1924) died in Australia, aged 69. Parker, incidentally, has the unique distinction of being the only Test cricketer not to have played in any first-class matches in his own country.

1983: Indian pace bowler VN Swamy (1 Test in 1955) died aged 58.1983: For the first time four West Indian batsmen scored hundreds in same Test innings in a home match - against India at St John's.

1984: West Indies beat New Zealand by ten wickets within 37 minutes on the fifth day Bridgetown despite almost eight hours were lost due to rain.

1990: New Zealand's Andrew Jones contributes 63.51% of his team's total of 74 runs, while scoring 47 against Pakistan at Sharjah.

1991: Australia beat West Indies by 157 runs to become the first visiting team to win a Test at St John's, Antigua.

1995: Australian Steve Waugh scores 200 (in 555 minutes, 425 balls, 1 six and 17 fours) against the West Indies at Kingston.

2nd May...

1901: England captain and all-rounder Bob Wyatt (40 Tests from 1927 to 1937; 1839 runs and 18 wickets) was born.

1910: Australian pace bowler Laurie Nash (2 Tests from 1932 to 1937) was born.

1914: South African batsman Dennis Dyer (3 Tests in 1947) was born.

1925: South African pace bowler David Ironside (3 Tests from 1953 to 1954) was born.

1929: New Zealand batsman Graham Gedye (4 Tests from 1964 to 1965) was born.

1940: West Indian batsman Bryan Davis (4 Tests in 1965) was born.

1955: Australian pace bowler Ian Callen (1 Test in 1978) was born.

1960: Sri Lankan all-rounder Ravi Ratnayeke (22 Tests from 1982 to 1989; 807 runs and 56 wickets) was born.

1961: England captain and left-arm spinner Jack "Farmer" White (15 Tests from 1921 to 1931; 49 wickets) died aged 70.

1963: England all-rounder Jack Crawford (12 Tests from 1906 to 1908; 469 runs and 39 wickets) died aged 76.

1969: West Indian captain and left-handed batsman Brian Lara since 1990 was born.

1979: West Indian pace bowler Berkeley Gaskin (2 Tests in 1948) died aged 71.

1980: Australian leg-spinner Clarrie Grimmett (36 Tests from 1925 to 1936; 216 wickets) died aged 88.

1984: West Indies beat Australia by 10 wickets at Kingston to win the five-match Test series 3-0 - their largest ever margin against the Aussies in a Test series.

1990: Australian all-rounder Simon O'Donnell blasts an unbeaten 74 in 29 balls with four fours and six sixes against Sri Lanka at Sharjah. He reached his 50th run in just 18 balls!

1993: Carl Hopper (178 not out) and Courtney Walsh (30) put on a 106 in 103 minutes for the last wicket against Pakistan at St John's. This was West Indies' first and only three-figure partnership for the tenth wicket in Tests.

1995: Australia beat West Indies by an innings and 53 runs at Kingston. It was the home team's first innings defeat since January 1985 and its first at home since March 1958.

3rd May...

1844: Australian batsman Tom Kelly (2 Tests from 1877 to 1879) was born in Ireland.

1867: England pace bowler Jack Hearne (12 Tests from 1892 to 1899; 49 wickets) was born.

1874: Australian all-rounder and medium pace bowler Bert Hopkins (20 Tests from 1902 to 1909, 509 runs and 26 wickets) was born.

1904: England pace bowler Austin Matthews (1 Test in 1937) was born in Wales.

1945: Pakistani left-hand batsman Sadiq Mohammad (41 Tests from 1969 to 1980; 2579 runs) was born.

1955: Australian left-handed batsman David Hookes (23 Tests from 1977 to 1985; 1306 runs) was born.

1958: England all-rounder and pace bowler Frank Foster (11 Tests from 1911 to 1912) died aged 69.

1978: Australia were denied a probable victory at Kingston, Jamaica, when spectators rioted and invaded the fielder after West Indian Vanburn Holder was given out with still 38 balls and just one wicket remaining on the fifth day.

1987: West Indian batsman Dickie Fuller (1 Test in 1935) died aged 74.

1997: West Indies openers Stuart Williams and Shivnaraine Chanderpaul put an unbeaten 200 against India at Bridgetown - the only unbeaten double-century partnership for the first wicket in ODIs.

4th May...

1867: South African pace bowler Nicolaas Theunissen (1 Test in 1889) was born.

1875: South African all-rounder and leg-break bowler Reggie Schwartz (20 Tests from 1906 to 1912; 374 runs and 55 wickets) was born in England.

1957: Australian all-rounder and leg-break bowler Peter Sleep (14 Tests from 1979 to 1990; 483 runs and 31 wickets) was born.

1960: England batsman Martyn Moxon (10 Tests from 1986 to 1989) was born.

1970: New Zealand's off-spinner Paul Wiseman since 1998 was born.

1990: Pakistani Wasim Akram takes a hat-trick against Australia at Sharjah. He becomes the first to do so on two separate occasions.

1990: Pakistan win their second Australasia Cup at Sharjah by defeating Australia by 36 runs in the final at Sharjah.

5th May...

1889: South African captain and batsman Herbie Taylor (42 Tests from 1912 to 1932; 2936 runs) was born.

1911: England batsman Norman Oldfield (1 Test in 1939, scored 80) was born.

1927: South African left-handed batsman Sid 'Micky' O'Linn (7 Tests in 1960 to 1961) was born.

1933: West Indian all-rounder Collie Smith (26 Tests from 1955 to 1959; 1331 runs and 48 wickets) was born.

1962: England batsman John Whitaker (1 Test in 1986) was born.

1962: England batsman Ernest Tyldesley (14 Tests from 1921 to 1929) died aged 73.

1965: Australian openers Bill Lawry and Bob Simpson batted throughout the first day to score 263 against the West Indies at Bridgetown.

1978: England captain and batsman AHH 'Alfred' Gilligan (4 Tests in 1930) died aged 81.

1982: Pakistani left-handed all-rounder Qaisar Abbas in 2000 was born.

1993: Antiguan umpire Clancy Mack deputised for English umpire Dickie Bird, when he had to leave field because of a bruised back in the St John's Test against Pakistan on the fourth afternoon.

Compiled by
MOHANDAS MENON

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