The year 2000 marked the start of one of the most remarkable runs in Test cricket history. Andy Flower smashed an unbeaten 183 for Zimbabwe in the first Test against India in Delhi, and over the next 13 months, he accumulated 1,466 runs at an astonishing average of 133.27, including five hundreds and seven fifties. Flower ended the year as the world’s No. 1 batter in the PWC rankings. Yet, cricket can be humbling: his first four innings in 2002 yielded just 20 runs, showing how quickly fortunes can change.

Born today, Dinesh Chandimal would go on to make a striking entrance into international cricket. He scored 111 in his second ODI and followed it up with fifties in both innings of his first Test in Durban, helping Sri Lanka secure their first Test win in South Africa. Although a dip in form saw him dropped in 2012, he returned the following year and, at just 23, became Sri Lanka’s youngest-ever captain in T20Is. He later served as Angelo Mathews’ deputy in Tests and ODIs and celebrated with back-to-back Test hundreds against Bangladesh. Chandimal starred in Sri Lanka’s historic Test win at Headingley in 2015 and played a remarkable 162* off 168 balls against India in Galle the same year. As Test captain from 2017, he led Sri Lanka to a memorable 2-0 series win over Pakistan in the UAE, including a marathon 155 in Abu Dhabi. In June 2018, he was suspended for ball-tampering during a Test in St Lucia. In 2022, Chandimal became the first Sri Lankan to score a Test double-hundred against Australia in an innings victory at Galle.

On the first morning of the Australia-West Indies Test in Brisbane, the home side were bowled out for just 167 in 70 overs. Malcolm Marshall, Curtly Ambrose, and Courtney Walsh ran through the Aussie batting lineup, with Carl Hooper chipping in with the wicket of top scorer Mike Veletta. Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes had earlier set the tone with a 135-run opening stand, their 13th century partnership in Tests. West Indies cruised to a nine-wicket victory with a day and a half to spare.

The first Test at Centurion between England and South Africa in 1995 was plagued by rain. After a promising start by England, who reached 381 for 9, play was impossible on the third day and the final two days. Graeme Hick’s majestic 141 had been the highlight for England, perhaps his best Test innings, but the weather robbed them of the chance to press for victory.

England’s spinners proved decisive as they secured their first Test series win in Sri Lanka in nearly two decades. Jack Leach and Moeen Ali shared 14 wickets, dominating especially in the second innings, while Joe Root’s masterful hundred guided England past Sri Lanka’s handy lead. It was England’s first series win in Asia in six years.