BySportsCafe Desk, SportsCafe Editor
11th February is an important date in cricket history. Many different events have taken place on this day. Some great players were born on this date, while a few legends made their international debuts. Several teams have also won historic titles on this day. Here we take a look at some of the major events that happened in cricket history on February 11.
Bill Lawry was born on February 11, 1937. He was a former Australian opener and later became a well-known commentator. He was not known for flashy batting, but for playing long and patient innings. He carried his bat twice in Test matches. Lawry came into the spotlight during the 1961 Ashes series against England, where he scored 420 runs in eight innings. His 130 at Lord’s on a difficult pitch played a key role in Australia’s victory.
Bill Lawry was dropped from the team after Australia lost the 1969-70 series against South Africa and then the Ashes the following year. His Test career ended at the age of 33. He played 67 Tests and scored 5,234 runs at an average of 47.15. After retiring from international cricket, he moved into commentary and built a strong reputation as a commentator.
On this day in 1948, former West Indies captain and top batter Frank Worrell made his Test debut. He started his career against England at Port of Spain in Trinidad. In his first innings, he scored 97 runs and missed his century by just 3 runs. Because of his knock, West Indies replied with 497 after England had made 362. The match ended in a draw.
Frank Worrell played 51 Test matches in his career. He batted in 87 innings and scored 3,836 runs at an average of 49.48. He scored 9 centuries and 22 half-centuries, with a highest score of 261. These numbers are very strong for a top middle-order batter. He was also impressive as a captain. He led West Indies in 15 Tests and won 9 matches, while losing only 3.
In February 2023, India defeated Australia by an innings and 132 runs in Nagpur. Australia won the toss and chose to bat first, but the decision went against them. They were bowled out for 177 in the first innings. Marnus Labuschagne was the top scorer with 49 runs. Ravindra Jadeja took 5 wickets and Ravichandran Ashwin picked up 3 wickets to put Australia under pressure.
India scored 400 runs in their first innings. Rohit Sharma led the way with a brilliant 120. Axar Patel scored 84 and Ravindra Jadeja added 70. For Australia, Todd Murphy took 7 wickets. In the second innings, Australia were bowled out for just 91 runs, which was their lowest total in India. India won the match by a big margin.
Australia defeated India in the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2024 final to become champions. The final was played in Benoni. Australia won the toss and chose to bat first. They scored 253 for 7 in 50 overs and set a target of 254 runs for India. With this win, Australia lifted the Under-19 World Cup for the fourth time and for the first time since 2010.
India had a poor start in the chase. They lost their first wicket at just 3 runs and failed to build any big partnerships. As a result, they were bowled out for 177. Adarsh Singh and Murugan Abhishek tried to fight back, but wickets kept falling at the other end. Mahli Beardman took 3 wickets for just 15 runs in 7 overs and was named Player of the Match. South Africa’s Kwena Maphaka won the Player of the Tournament award.
On this day in 2003, a Test-playing nation lost to a team playing its first World Cup after 24 years. The match was played between Bangladesh and Canada in Durban. At that time, Bangladesh were not a strong team, so it was not seen as a massive upset. Before that match, Bangladesh had won only 3 out of 63 matches and had not won a game since 1999.
Canada batted patiently against Bangladesh and scored 180 runs in 49.1 overs. Ian Billcliff made an important 42 runs off 63 balls. Bangladesh failed to chase the small target of 181 runs and were bowled out for 120. They lost the low-scoring match by 60 runs. Fast bowler Austin Codrington led the attack for Canada. He took 5 wickets for 27 runs in 9 overs, including 3 maidens, and secured the win for his team.
In February 1851, the first first-class match in Australian cricket history began on this day. The match was played between Victoria and Tasmania in Launceston from February 11 to 12. It was a low-scoring game, and Tasmania won by 3 wickets. John Marshall of Tasmania became the first winning captain in Australian first-class cricket history.
Tasmania won the toss and chose to field first. Victoria batted first and scored only 82 runs in their first innings. Tasmania replied with 104 runs in their first innings. In the second innings, Victoria were bowled out for just 57 runs. Tasmania then needed only 36 runs to win. They lost 7 wickets while chasing but still secured a 3-wicket victory.
England started 1987 on a strong note by winning the World Series in Australia. The tournament featured three teams: England, Australia, and West Indies. England won 4 out of 8 matches to qualify for the best-of-three finals. In the finals held in Sydney, they faced Australia, who had finished first in the points table. England won the series 2-0 to lift the title.
In the first final in Melbourne, England chased 172 runs and won by 6 wickets. In the second final in Sydney, they defended 187/9 and won by 8 runs. Ian Botham was named Player of the Match in that game. By winning the first two finals, England secured the 1987 World Series title. Vivian Richards of West Indies and Ian Botham of England were named Players of the Series.
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