Pakistan former Captain Mushtaq Mohammed - was he the inventor of the reverse sweep? 1969, Surrey V Northants, JPL - Mushtaq Mohammed "displays his curious left-handed sweep shot" The first time I ever saw of it was by Kim Hughes in 1980; apparently Mushtaq was a regular user of it through the 1970s.
Zak Crawley's score 267, the second-highest maiden century by an England batsman and the seventh-highest overall. Only Tip Foster's 287 is a higher maiden hundred by an England player than Crawley's 267. Karun Nair's 303 not out is the only higher maiden century in the last 25 years.
This would rank in my top five cricket photos. Manny Martindale and Derek Sealy walk off at the end of the drawn Oval Test on August 22nd, 1939. There is something poignant in the lengthening shadows as this was to be the last Test for seven and a half years. The start of WW2 was less than a fortnight away and the West Indies tourists canceled the rest of their tour and returned home, Neither Martindale nor Sealy played Test cricket again, and this was Martindale's final first-class match.
Two diehard optimists finally prepare to head home after another day washed out during the 1938 Old Trafford Test where not a ball was bowled during the five days. In those times people paid to get in with no refunds and no guarantee of play. Few tickets were sold in advance. This was only the second Test to have been abandoned without a ball being bowled. The first was also between England and Australia and was also at Old Trafford in 1890.
The News heading of Sunday Fictorial On August 18th, 1934 Bill Ponsford (266) and Don Bradman (244) added a world record 451 for Australia's 2nd wicket at The Oval, breaking their own record set at Leeds a month earlier. Newspaper speculation was rife that they could go on to total 1000 as it was they made 701.
On August 22nd, 1896 KS Ranjitsinhji scored two hundred in a day for Sussex against Yorkshire at Hove. He made 100 in the first innings (resuming on 0* after a rain-affected second day) and when Sussex followed on saved the match with 125*. Ranji, 23, who had made his Test debut the previous month, scored his first hundred in 90 minutes and his second in just under two hours. His achievement has never been matched. Matthew Elliott completed two hundred on the same day in 1995 but had resumed his first innings on 98, Stylish Man. We still have Ranji Trophy named after him.
