Birth of Shoaib Akhtar, one of the fastest bowlers the game has ever seen. Twice unofficially clocked at over 100mph, he drew as much attention for his blistering pace as for his unique action and outspoken nature. At his peak, Shoaib was a terrifying prospect for any batter, but his career was often marred by controversies, injuries, and clashes with authorities. He was forced to remodel his action over throwing suspicions and faced criticism after a lacklustre performance in the 2003-04 series loss to India. Although he occasionally produced flashes of his lethal best, he missed more Tests than he played. His career was further rocked by an alleged drug scandal in 2006, a fight with teammate Mohammad Asif in 2007, and being sidelined with a bizarre health issue. Shoaib bowed out of international cricket after a disappointing 2011 World Cup.

England became the No. 1 Test side for the first time since the ICC rankings began in 2003, thrashing India by an innings at Edgbaston. Alastair Cook’s marathon knock of 294 was the centrepiece, featuring century partnerships with Andrew Strauss, Kevin Pietersen, and Eoin Morgan. England secured a 486-run first-innings lead and sealed the series 3-0 with one Test to play. Injury-hit India’s lone consolation was their sportsmanship at Trent Bridge, when they recalled Ian Bell after a controversial run-out.

Birthday of Bruce French, England’s talented but unlucky wicketkeeper. His career was a catalogue of bizarre accidents—bitten by a dog in the West Indies, struck on the head by a ball thrown from the crowd in Pakistan, then hit by a car on the way to hospital. After surgery, he even managed to bang his head on a light. In spite of it all, he played 16 Tests for England.

Viv Richards completed his highest Test score—291 at The Oval—in the fifth and final Test of a scorching summer. His tally of 829 runs in the series helped West Indies clinch a 3-0 victory. Richards went on to amass 1710 Test runs in 1976, a record that stood until Mohammad Yousuf surpassed it with 1788 in 2006.

Birth of Lisa Sthalekar, one of Australia’s greatest allrounders. An offspinner and middle-order batter, she scored her maiden Test hundred in England in 2003 and was a key figure in Australia’s 2005 World Cup win, taking eight wickets and scoring a fifty in the final. She was named Australia’s Women’s International Cricketer of the Year in 2007. In her autobiography, she opened up about her battle with depression. She retired after lifting the World Cup again in 2013.

The dramatic conclusion of one of the greatest Tests ever played. Gilbert Jessop’s lone Test hundred—a blistering 75-minute effort—rescued England from 48 for 5 in their second innings. The match was sealed by Yorkshire allrounders George Hirst and Wilfred Rhodes, who added the last 15 runs for the final wicket, reportedly vowing to get them “in singles.”

India sealed a 237-run win over West Indies in the third Test at St Lucia, taking an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the series. Despite losing the entire third day to rain, India wrapped things up on day five, bowling the hosts out for just 108. R Ashwin and Wriddhiman Saha hit centuries to set up the win, while the seamers shared 12 wickets.

Nick Cook, a surprise debutant after Phil Edmonds injured his back getting out of a car, became England’s hero against New Zealand at Lord’s. He took 5 for 35 in the first innings and eight wickets overall in a 127-run win. Cook went on to take 34 wickets in his first five Tests, but just 18 in his next ten, ending his brief but bright international career.

Mohsin Khan’s superb 200—the first double-century at Lord’s since 1949—set up Pakistan’s ten-wicket win over England. Surprisingly, the match-winner with the ball was his opening partner Mudassar Nazar, who took 6 for 32 despite having only 11 wickets from his previous 24 Tests.

Birth of Robin Jackman, Surrey’s determined fast-medium bowler. His Test debut was delayed in dramatic fashion when Guyana refused him entry due to his links with South African cricket. When he finally got his chance in Bridgetown, he took a wicket in his first over at age 35 and finished his short career with 14 wickets in four Tests.

Birthday of Neil Mallender, the Somerset seamer who shone on debut at Headingley in 1992 with match figures of 8 for 122 against Pakistan. Despite his heroics, he was never picked again after that series. He later went on to become a respected umpire.

Birth of Unaarrimin, known as Johnny Mullagh, star of the pioneering 1868 Aboriginal team that toured England. A gifted allrounder, Mullagh scored 1698 runs at an average of 23 and took 245 wickets at just 10 apiece during the tour’s gruelling 47 matches.