BySportsCafe Desk, SportsCafe Editor
21 January has seen many important events, including memorable matches and major moments in cricket history. This article will explore all the key events that happened on this day. From the beginning of a new era after World War II, when England and the West Indies played with the debuts of a dozen players. We'll also revisit the infamous Tiger Moth incident in 1991 and Shaun Marsh's match-winning century in 2011. The day is also remembered for strong series wins by South Africa and India and for the international debut of players like Azmatullah Omarzai.
The Test match played in 1948 at Bridgetown marked the start of a new era in cricket, as England and the West Indies faced each other for the first time since 1939 after World War II. The match was special because a total of 12 players made their Test debut. For England the debutants were Dennis Brookes, Gerald Smithson, Jim Laker, Maurice Tremlett and Winston Place. For the West Indies the debutants were Berkeley Gaskin, Clyde Walcott, Everton Weekes, John Goddard, Prior Jones, Robert Christiani, and Wilf Ferguson.
There were many memorable moments in the match. Jim Laker took 7 wickets in the first innings on debut. West Indies batsman Robert Christiani missed a century in his first Test and was out for 99. Another striking moment came when Foffie Williams hit Jim Laker for 6, 6, 4 and 4 off his first four balls. This match was played from 21 to 26 January at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados. England were close to defeat on the final day but heavy rain stopped the game and the match ended in a draw.
On this day in 1991, during a tour match against Queensland, David Gower and his teammate John Morris got involved in one of the most famous incidents in cricket history. They were unhappy with the strict discipline under England captain Graham Gooch. During the lunch break on the third day, these two players quietly left the ground and hired an old Tiger Moth aircraft from a nearby airfield. Gower persuaded the pilot to fly the plane far lower than allowed. Instead of flying at 2,000 feet, the aircraft flew over the ground at around 200 feet. At the ground, Allan Lamb jokingly aimed his bat at the plane as if shooting it down, while the team management in the dressing room did not initially know who was flying overhead.
The incident had serious consequences for both players. England team manager Peter Lush and captain Graham Gooch were extremely unhappy and fined Gower and Morris £1,000 each, which was a large amount at the time. The situation worsened when reports emerged that Morris had planned to drop a water bomb on the pitch and that both players returned to the airfield for photographs after their disciplinary hearing. The episode caused a permanent break in relations between Gower and Gooch. Soon after, Gower’s international career came to an end and John Morris never played a Test match for England again.
On 21 January 2011 in the second ODI played at Hobart, Shaun Marsh rescued Australia from a likely defeat with a crucial century. Batting first Australia were in serious trouble after losing 4 wickets for 33 runs and later slipping to 142 for 8. Marsh held one end and scored 110 runs off 114 balls. He shared an important ninth-wicket partnership with Doug Bollinger, who scored 30 runs, helping Australia reach a respectable total of 230.
England were set a target of 231, but Bollinger played a key role with the ball after contributing with the bat. He took 4 wickets for 28 runs, including the wickets of England captain Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen. England were bowled out for 184 in the 45th over. With Marsh’s century and Bollinger’s all-round performance, Australia won the match by 46 runs and took a 2-0 lead in the series.
On 21 January 2015 at East London, South Africa defeated West Indies by 9 wickets to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match ODI series. West Indies won the toss and chose to bat but collapsed against the South African bowling and were bowled out for just 122 in 33.4 overs. Vernon Philander was named Man of the Match after taking 3 wickets for 27 runs and dismissing Chris Gayle and Dwayne Smith early. Imran Tahir added further damage with 4 wickets for 28 runs. Apart from Marlon Samuels, who scored 26, no West Indies batter crossed 20 runs.
Chasing a small target of 123, South Africa reached the total comfortably in 24.4 overs. Rilee Rossouw was out early for 7, but Hashim Amla scored an unbeaten 61 and Faf du Plessis remained not out on 51 to seal the win. West Indies captain Jason Holder later admitted the pitch was fine and the batting was poor. The defeat was especially heavy as South Africa had scored 439 runs against the West Indies in the previous match.
Azmatullah Omarzai made his ODI debut on 21 January 2021 against Ireland at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The match was historic as Rahmanullah Gurbaz also made his debut and scored a century, but Omarzai had a quiet start. He batted at number eight and scored 2 runs off 10 balls before being caught and bowled by Simi Singh. He bowled four overs and gave away 24 runs at an economy rate of 6.00 without taking a wicket. In the field, he took a catch of Gareth Delany off the bowling of Rashid Khan and Afghanistan won the match by 16 runs.
After a modest debut, Omarzai quickly established himself as a strong all-rounder in international cricket. His biggest achievement came in 2024 when he was named ICC Men's ODI Cricketer of the Year. The player from Kunar province has scored over 1,000 runs in 39 ODIs at an average close to 47, including a highest score of 149 and has also taken 37 wickets. He was an important part of Afghanistan’s squad in the 2023 Cricket World Cup and has also played in the IPL for teams such as the Gujarat Titans and the Punjab Kings.
On 21 January 2022 in the second ODI played at Paarl, South Africa defeated India by 7 wickets to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Batting first, India scored 287 for 6, with Rishabh Pant making 85 runs and captain KL Rahul scoring 55. In reply, South Africa produced a strong batting performance. Opener Janneman Malan scored 91 runs, while Quinton de Kock made 78 runs off 66 balls. Their partnership put India out of the game and later Aiden Markram scored 36 and Rassie van der Dussen remained not out on 37 to seal the win with 11 balls remaining.
Quinton de Kock was named Player of the Match for his innings, which included 7 fours and 3 sixes. Playing his first series after becoming a father, de Kock said the experience had changed his outlook on life and that returning to the field felt special. The win was significant for South Africa, as they defeated India convincingly in the series despite being considered underdogs.
On 21 January 2023 in the second ODI played at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur. India’s bowlers completely crushed New Zealand’s batting lineup. After winning the toss and India chose to bowl first and pushed the visiting team New Zealand on their back foot very early. New Zealand were at just 15 runs for 5 wickets. India’s Mohammed Shami led the bowling attack with 3 wickets for 18 runs in 6 overs and was named Player of the Match. Hardik Pandya and Washington Sundar took two wickets each, and New Zealand were bowled out for 108 in 34.3 overs. Glenn Phillips scored 36 and Mitchell Santner made 27, but the rest of the batters failed to resist.
India easily won the match by 8 wickets while chasing their target of 109. They took a 2-0 lead in the three-match series after the crucial victory. Captain Rohit Sharma scored 51 runs off 50 balls with 7 fours and 2 sixes. After he was out, Shubman Gill stayed unbeaten with 40 runs and guided the team to victory. India reached 111 in just 20.1 overs and won the match with 179 balls remaining.
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