On This Day In Cricket - December 15

15 December has witnessed several significant events in cricket history that are still remembered by cricket fans today. From the birthday of one of the stylish West Indies batsmen, Carl Hooper, to the riots during the Pakistan vs England Test match, to the first-ever WPL auction where three uncapped players were bid for crores, this date holds a special place in cricket history for many memorable events. Here we are going to take a look at some of the major events in cricket history that occurred on 15th December in different years.

On This Day - December 15, 1963 - Kenya’s Dual-Sport Star Asif Karim Was Born Today

Asif Karim is a dual international player from Kenya who was born on 15 December 1963. He represented Kenya at the senior international level in both cricket and tennis, which is a remarkable achievement for any athlete. Karim played in three Cricket World Cups, which were in 1996, 1999 as a captain and in 2003. Additionally, he captained the Kenya tennis team in one of the most prestigious tournaments of tennis, the Davis Cup in 1988.

Asif Karim initially emerged as an aggressive left-arm spin bowler and represented the team in its first 25 One-Day Internationals. He took 3 wickets for just 7 runs in 8.2 overs against champions Australia in the 2003 World Cup and became the Player of the Match. In that tournament, Kenya reached the quarter-finals, which was their best performance in any ICC event.

On This Day - December 15, 1966 - West Indies' Carl Hooper Was Born Today

West Indies batsman Carl Hooper, also called Alien Warrior was born on this day in 1966. He played many outstanding innings throughout his career and played a crucial role in securing victories for his team. He was one of the most popular batsmen of his time and cricket fans greatly admired his batting skills. Although he often got out by playing wrong shots, he is remembered for his 94* in a Test match against England in Trinidad in 1997-98, which led the West Indies to victory.

In that Test match played in Trinidad, England batted first and scored 214 runs, while the West Indies were all out for 191 in their first innings. In their second innings, the visiting team scored 258 runs and set the hosts a target of 282 runs. At the time, this was considered a formidable target, but Carl Hooper played an unbeaten innings of 94* runs and guided his team to a three-wicket victory and earned the Player of the Match award. In his 102-match Test career, Hooper scored a total of 5762 runs, including 17 centuries and 27 half-centuries with a highest score of 233.

On This Day - December 15, 1977 - Riots during the Pakistan vs England Test in Lahore

Riots suddenly broke out in the stadium on the second day of the first Test match between Pakistan and England in Lahore on 15 December 1977. According to the report, the rioters even chased after police officers, four of whom sought refuge in the England dressing room. Following this incident, the umpires immediately called for a tea break, during which bricks and stones were thrown towards the dressing room and the VIP enclosure.

However, surprisingly, the riot didn't last long, and only 25 minutes of play were interrupted that day. The rioters themselves voluntarily cleared the ground, allowing the match to resume quickly. The Test match ultimately ended in a draw. Batting first, Pakistan declared their innings at 407/9, while England made 288/10 in their first innings. Pakistan then managed to score only 106 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in their second innings before the fifth and final day's play concluded.

On This Day - December 15, 1979 - Dennis Lillee's Infamous Aluminium Bat Controversy

On 15 December 1979, the second day of the first Test match between England and Australia in Perth, play was unexpectedly stopped for ten minutes. The reason was that Australian batsman Dennis Lillee had come out to bat with an aluminium bat. At that time, there were no rules in cricket regarding the material of the bat, a loophole Lillee had tried to exploit. However, after he had batted for a short while, England captain Mike Brearley objected.

At that time, when the ball was hitting the bat, a rattling sound was coming, but the English captain ignored it and complained to the umpire that the bat was damaging the ball. However, Lillee claimed he was using the bat according to the rules. Eventually, the Australian batsman was persuaded to change his bat, but only after a heated argument and the exchange of some harsh words. The following year, a rule was introduced stating that only wooden bats could be used in cricket. Interestingly, Dennis Lillee was promoting aluminium bats and wanted to use one for promotional purposes.

On This Day - December 15 - 1994 and 1996 - England 2 Humiliating Against Zimbabwe on Same Day

England suffered two humiliating defeats against Zimbabwe in different years on the same day of 15th December. In the eighth match of the 1994 Benson & Hedges World Series, played in Sydney, Zimbabwe batted first and were all out for 205 runs in 49.3 overs. It seemed that the strong England team would easily chase down this target, but they suffered a humiliating 13-run defeat. In this match, Zimbabwe's Grant Flower was chosen as the Player of the Match for his outstanding unbeaten innings of 84 runs off 143 balls.

Later in 1996, England suffered another defeat against Zimbabwe in a one-day international match played in Bulawayo. Under the captaincy of Mike Atherton, the England team could only manage 152 runs batting first with Nasser Hussain’s top score of 49 runs. Zimbabwe gave a strong fight to England while chasing the target. Andy Waller scored 48 runs off 71 balls and captain Alistair Campbell scored an unbeaten 32 runs off 39 balls and secured the victory by just two wickets. Campbell was chosen as the Player of the Match for his unbeaten performance.

On This Day - December 15, 2009 - India vs Sri Lanka Historic Thriller 400

On this day in 2009, in the first match of the five-match ODI series between India and Sri Lanka in Rajkot and both teams scored over 400 runs. Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bowl first. India scored 414 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in the first inning with an explosive performance by Virender Sehwag of 146 runs off 102 balls and MS Dhoni 72 runs off 53 balls. India set a formidable target of 415 runs for the Sri Lankan team.

Sri Lankan batsmen Tillakaratne Dilshan scored 160 runs off 124 balls and captain Sangakkara's blistering 90 runs off 43 balls left no stone unturned in their chase to the target. At the end of 45 overs, their score was 383/5 and they needed just 32 runs off 30 balls to win. However, India’s Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan bowled brilliantly while preventing any boundaries and secured a victory for their team by a mere 3 runs. This match was absolutely thrilling and still considered one of the most historic encounters in ODI cricket.

On This Day - 15 December, 2024 - WPL Auction Sets a New High for Domestic Talent

The WPL 2025 auction, held on 15 December 15 2024, witnessed something that surprised all cricket fans. For the first time in the Women's Premier League auction, three uncapped players were signed for over one crore rupees and set a new benchmark for domestic players in the league. The highest bid of the day went to Mumbai all-rounder Simran Shaikh, who was acquired by Gujarat Giants for INR 1.9 crore and making it the second-highest price ever paid for an uncapped player. Previously, Gujarat had bought Kashvee Gautam for INR 2 crore in the WPL 2024 auction.

Apart from this, 16-years Tamil Nadu batsman Gunalan Kamalini was secured by Mumbai Indians by placing the highest bid of INR 1.6 crore. Following this, Uttarakhand leg-spinner Prema Rawat was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore for INR 1.2 crore. This marked the first time that three uncapped domestic players were bought for more than one crore rupees each.