May 30, 1921. A war-hit England were further bombarded by the thunderbolts of Jack Gregory and Ted McDonald as Australia won within a couple of days at Trent Bridge. Arunabha Sengupta looks back at a forgettable two days of English cricket.
Read MoreThe first use of Bodyline during the infamous tour
November 19, 1932. England resorted to Bodyline bowling for the first time on that infamous Ashes series. Arunabha Sengupta looks back at the day the first thunderbolts made for the heads of the Australian batsmen even as Douglas Jardine was far away from the scene.
Read MoreEngland and West Indies contest the weirdest of Tests
January 10, 1935. One of the weirdest Test matches ever played came to an end at Barbados. Arunabha Sengupta looks back at the rain affected game which saw horrendous sticky wickets, curious batting orders and mind-boggling declarations.
Read MoreColin Cowdrey hauled out of retirement to take on Lillee and Thomson
December 1974, Perth. Responding to an SOS from the England team management, retired stalwart Colin Cowdrey flew across the world at the age of 41 to face two terrifying fast bowlers on the quickest wicket in Australia. Arunabha Sengupta looks back at the battles of the aging master against the hostile pace of Lillee and Thomson.
Read MoreSouth Africa's first Test win - a heart-stopping thriller
January 4, 1906. South Africa achieved their first ever win in Test cricket by beating England in a heart-stopping thriller at Johannesburg. Arunabha Sengupta looks back at the way, riding on a battery of googly bowlers, the nation was recognised as a significant cricketing force.
Read MoreBodyline: The infamous cables
January 18, 1933. After captain Bill Woodfull had been struck on the heart, wicketkeeper Bert Oldfield hit on the temple in a near fatal blow, and several other batsmen battered and bruised, the Australian Board of Control finally sent a cable to lodge its protest to the Marylebone Cricket Club. Arunabha Sengupta looks back at the incidents that led to the missive, followed by the diplomatic blunders that resulted in continued bad blood.
Read MoreAshes 1936-37 - Don Bradman and the best innings of the century
January 5, 1937. Don Bradman was under enormous pressure after losing his first two Tests as captain. He was plagued by a rare loss of form, discontent among players, press and public and a devastating personal tragedy. Yet, at Melbourne, he turned the series around with a blemish-less innings of 270. Arunabha Sengupta recalls the innings that had been ranked by Wisden as the best of all time.
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George Headley scores 223 in Timeless Test
April 10, 1930. George Headley engaged in a single-handed battle against the England side, in an effort to get to an impossible target of 826. He took his score to 223, and at one point of time it seemed that the miracle would be possible. Arunabha Sengupta remembers the timeless Test match at Jamaica which ended in a mutually agreed draw.
Read MoreAshes 1899 - WG Grace's Last Test
June 1, 1899. The start of the last ever Test played by WG Grace. Curiously, it was the debut of another supreme batsman Victor Trumper. Arunabha Sengupta looks back at the match that convinced the father of modern cricket that his days for England were over.
Read MoreAshes 1893 - when WG Grace treated Charlie Turner on the field
August 26, 1893. On the final day of the Old Trafford Test, WG Grace used his medical skills to allow Charlie Turner of Australia to continue his innings. Arunabha Sengupta recalls the day when a painful finger dislocation was treated by the doctor on the field.
Read MoreSri Lanka's first Test victory
September 11, 1985. The minnows of the cricketing world, Sri Lanka, pulled off their first ever Test win by beating India comprehensively at Colombo. Arunabha Sengupta relives the match that marked the coming of age of Sri Lankan cricket.
Read MoreA match played over 339 days
July 23, 1795 to June 28, 1796. That was how long it took to complete one First-Class game. Arunabha Sengupta writes about the match at Stokes Down, Arlesford, that was played over 339 days.
Read MoreKapil Dev's epic spell in vain in Ahmedabad
November 16, 1983. Kapil Dev completed the best bowling performance of his career, capturing nine wickets in the second West Indian innings at Ahmedabad. However, India st the match by a considerable margin. Arunabha Sengupta looks back at the Test match which could have been a closer contest had the Indian selection and tactics been less quixotic.
Read MorePakistan's first ever Test match
October 18, 1952. Pakistan’s first ever Test match came to an end with an innings defeat against India at the Feroz Shah Kotla. Arunabha Sengupta revisits the historic match, along with the political drama that surrounded the encounter.
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Chandrasekhar spins India to her first win in England
August 24, 1971. Climbing the web spun by Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, India reached a new high by winning their first Test and series in England. Arunabha Sengupta looks back at the final day when the drama unfolded, spectators sat on the edge of their seats and captain Ajit Wadekar slept through all of it.
Read MoreMichael Holding decimates England at The Oval
August 17, 1976. On a slow, amiable track Michael Holding ran in to produce one of the fastest and most brilliant displays of pace bowling ever. Arunabha Sengupta looks back at the day the famed ‘grovel’ series concluded with the Jamaican picking up 14 wickets.
Read MoreTavare's crawl and Mudassar's golden arm
August 16, 1982. Chris Tavare went on a strokeless spree, that drove bowlers to despair and sometimes teammates to religious contemplation. Arunabha Sengupta recalls the celebrated crawl the day Mudassar Nazar was running through the English side.
Read MoreThe day Broomsticks took on Bats
August 15, 1877. With a First-class game ending early, Gloucestershire cricketers armed with broomsticks took on a local team with normal bats. Arunabha Sengupta revisits that singular day in cricket history.
Read MoreSachin Tendulkar's first Test hundred
August 14, 1990. As India stared at the face of defeat at Old Trafford, a 17-year old stood firm, scoring his first Test match hundred and saving the day. Arunabha Sengupta looks back at the hundreds of Sachin Tendulkar, trying to determine the veracity of myths and fables associated with his batting.
Read MoreAll out for Zero
August 13, 1855. In the estate grounds of Shillinglee in West Sussex, a weird cricket match took place between the home eleven and the 2nd Royal Surrey Militia. Arunabha Sengupta looks back at the day when the scoreboard took a pristine form, with not a run on display!
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