It was a special day at Old Trafford as both Michael Atherton and Alec Stewart began their 100th Test match—with Atherton doing so at his home ground. Rain shortened play on day one, but Stewart managed a catch behind the stumps. The following day, he made it even more memorable by becoming just the fourth batter to score a century in their 100th Test, joining Colin Cowdrey, Javed Miandad, and Gordon Greenidge. Fittingly, his milestone came on the Queen Mother’s 100th birthday.

The Old Trafford Test against Australia may not have been a thriller—it ended in a dull draw—but Mike Gatting had plenty to smile about. In his 40th Test innings on English soil, he finally scored his first Test century at home, and made it count with a commanding 160 against a strong Aussie attack featuring Geoff Lawson and Craig McDermott.

Balwinder Singh Sandhu, a key member of India’s historic 1983 World Cup-winning team, was born today. In the final, Sandhu set the tone early by bowling Gordon Greenidge for just 1—an unforgettable moment in Indian cricket history.

The Oval hosted the first competitive floodlit match in London, a milestone moment for English cricket. While the occasion was historic, Surrey’s form wasn’t, as they slumped to an eight-wicket loss to Sussex in the 40-over tournament. As Christopher Martin-Jenkins noted, it was surprising it had taken England so long to embrace night cricket—an idea that had taken off worldwide since Kerry Packer’s revolution in the late 1970s.

Duncan Sharpe, one of the few Christians to represent Pakistan in Test cricket, was born today. On debut against Australia in 1959–60, he made an impressive start with scores of 56 and 35. He later emigrated to Australia.

William Bruce, the first left-handed Australian batter to tour England (in 1886), tragically drowned on this day. He is remembered for an elegant 80 against England in Adelaide during the 1894–95 series.

Rupert de Smidt, who played for Western Province before World War I, passed away at the age of 102. At the time, he was one of the longest-lived first-class cricketers in history.