John Arlott and Kim Hughes at the Centenary Test

On September 2, 1980, the much-anticipated Centenary Test at Lord’s petered out into a dull draw. Arunabha Sengupta revisits the Test that had beckoned stars of the yesteryear from far and wide, and was also the last Test described by the voice of John Arlott from the commentary box.

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Last day in Test cricket for Richards, Dujon and Marshall

August 12, 1991. West Indies have not yet recovered from that day when Viv Richards, Malcolm Marshall and Jeff Dujon walked out of The Oval, having played the final Test match of their glittering careers. Arunabha Sengupta remembers the game that marked the beginning of the end of West Indian dominance over world cricket.

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WG Grace fields for the opponent

The Grace clan hated losing in cricket, and none less than WG. He wanted to push for victories, not a very common trait in the era he played. Playing against Sussex at Bristol, however, he really had to push things; so, in the absence of KS Ranjitsinhji, Grace himself graced the field (if you mind the pun) as substitute. Abhishek Mukherjee recalls August 7, 1895, a day that saw The Doctor take field against Gloucestershire.

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The Mycroft Match

25 July 1876. Set a mere 144 by Derbyshire, Hampshire were cruising at 51 for 1, and later, at 89 for 3 at Antelope Ground, Southampton. Then William Mycroft, who had already taken 9 for 25 in the first innings, came to the forefront. He got them one by one, taking Derbyshire to the brink of an improbable victory single-handedly. Abhishek Mukherjee looks back at an astonishing performance by an extraordinary champion.

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