da dobrowin： 1975 Quite a memorable day in Test cricket – considering no play waspossible
Wisden CricInfo staff15-Dec-2005
All Today’s Yesterdays – August 19 down the years
August 18 | August 20
1975
Quite a memorable day in Test cricket – considering no play waspossible. What promised to be an exciting final day of the Ashes Testdoesn’t take place after the Headingley pitch had been vandalised bysupporters of prisoner George Davis. Australia needed 225 to win withseven wickets left. The draw and another in the next Test gave them theseries 1-0.1953
After a record wait of 18 years 362 days, and despitelosing the toss in all five Tests, England regained the Ashes.Fittingly, famous Middlesex partners Denis Compton and Bill Edrich wereat the crease when the winning runs were hit at The Oval, a boundary offpart-time bowler Arthur Morris. It was the first Ashes series to be wonby a professional captain (Len Hutton) – and the last Test appearance ofAustralia’s captain Lindsay Hassett, who first played against England in1938.1976
The tragic death from skin cancer of Ken Wadsworth, who was only29. Fair-haired and talented, he kept wicket in 33 Tests for NewZealand, making 96 dismissals. He averaged 59.00 with the bat in theCaribbean series of 1971-72, when New Zealand surprised everyone bydrawing all five Tests. But his crucial dropped catch cost New Zealandtheir first ever win over England, at Lord’s in 1973. Sadly, by the timeNew Zealand achieved that long-awaited victory, in 1977-78, KenWadsworth wasn’t around to share it.1985
Opening batsman Tim Robinson (148) and his captain David Gower(215) completed their partnership of 331 in only 343 minutes atEdgbaston. Gower, enjoying the high summer of his Test career, hit thehighest score by an England captain against Australia since WallyHammond’s 240 at Lord’s in 1938. England won by an innings to take a 2-1lead in the series.1992
Three players hit hundreds on the same day before Sri Lankadeclared at 547 for 8 against Australia at Colombo’s Sinhalese SportsClub. Asanka Gurusinha made 137, captain Arjuna Ranatunga 127 and newcap Romesh Kaluwitharana 132 not out. But in the second innings SriLanka’s last eight wickets fell for 37 runs to lose the match by 16.1957
Birth of Ian Gould, who kept wicket for England in the 1983 WorldCup. Although he never won a Test cap, he did have one moment of gloryat that level, coming on as substitute at Melbourne in 1982-83 andtaking the catch that removed Greg Chappell for 2. England won a famousvictory by just three runs. Gould captained Sussex when they won the1986 NatWest Trophy. After the final, his winning speech consisted of`Watch out, Soho.’1957
Birth of Hampshire’s Dutch seamer Paul-Jan Bakker, possibly theonly former ski instructor to open the bowling in a cricket World Cup.His best moment in the 1996 tournament came against England at Peshawar,when he bowled Alec Stewart for 5. Holland weren’t disgraced by a 49-rundefeat.Other birthdays
1950 Graeme Beard (Australia)
1973 Carl Bulfin (New Zealand)