On This Day In Cricket - February 17

17th February is popular in cricket history for the birth of Mr. 360° aka AB de Villiers and the funny beginning of the T20 format. AB de Villiers was born on this day. On the same day, Australia and New Zealand played the first men’s T20 International wearing retro kits and fake moustaches. This date is also emotional for Sri Lanka because they played their first Test match and the Colombo stadium celebrated with “I WAS THERE” caps. It is also the birthday of Don Tallon, the wicketkeeper of Bradman’s “Invincibles” team, and England World Cup winner Adil Rashid. On this day, the Netherlands also made their World Cup debut. Let’s look at these historic moments of February 17 in detail.

On This Day - February 17, 1984 - “Mr. 360°” AB de Villiers Was Born

Abraham Benjamin de Villiers was born on 17 February 1984 in Pretoria. He is known as modern cricket’s “Superman” and “Mr. 360” because he could play shots all around the ground. He is one of the few players in cricket history with a batting average above 50 in both Tests (50.66) and ODIs (53.50). He holds some of the most explosive records in ODI cricket. In 2015, he scored the fastest century in just 31 balls and the fastest half-century in 16 balls against West Indies in Johannesburg.

De Villiers made his Test debut in 2004 against England. He scored 8,765 runs in 114 Test matches, including a historic unbeaten 278 against Pakistan. He wasn’t only the great batsman but also an excellent wicketkeeper and fielder. He equaled the world record for most dismissals by a wicketkeeper in a single Test match with 11 dismissals. De Villiers retired from international cricket in May 2018, saying “I am tired.” He was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in October 2024.

On This Day - February 17, 1916 - ‘The Invincibles’ Wicketkeeper Don Tallon Was Born

Don Tallon was born in 1916 in Bundaberg, Queensland. He is regarded as one of Australia’s greatest wicketkeepers. He was a key member of Sir Don Bradman’s famous 1948 “Invincibles” team. Bradman also included him in his all-time playing XI. Tallon kept wickets in a calm and simple style. However, his quick reflexes and sharp reading of the ball behind the stumps were outstanding.

Tallon’s career was heavily affected by the Second World War and he lost some of his best playing years. He set a world record by taking 12 dismissals in a single first-class match. During the 1948 Oval Test, he took a brilliant leg-side catch to dismiss England great Len Hutton and it is regarded as one of the finest catches in cricket history. Later in his career, he suffered from hearing loss and his teammates jokingly started calling him ‘Deafy.’

On This Day - February 17, 1982 - Sri Lanka Played Its Inaugural Test Match

Sri Lanka created history by playing their first Test match against England at the P. Sara Oval in Colombo in 1982. The whole country celebrated the occasion. President J.R. Jayewardene was present at the stadium and fans wore caps with the text ‘I WAS THERE’ written on them to support their team. Sri Lankan captain Bandula Warnapura won the toss and chose to bat first. He became the first player for his country to win the toss, face the first ball, score the first run, and also become the first to get out in Test cricket. Sri Lanka had a poor start against the dangerous bowling of Bob Willis and Ian Botham and slipped to 34/4. Then 18-year-old Arjuna Ranatunga scored 54 runs and Ranjan Madugalle scored 65 runs. They added 99 runs together and steadied the innings. Ranatunga became the first Sri Lankan to score a Test half-century.

England took a lead of just 5 runs in the first innings. By the end of the third day, Sri Lanka were in a strong position at 152/3 in their second innings, with Roy Dias scoring 77 runs. It looked like Sri Lanka could win their debut Test match. However, the fourth day turned into a nightmare for the hosts. Against the spin of John Emburey, Sri Lanka lost their last 7 wickets for just 8 runs and were all out for 175. England got a target of 171 runs. They chased it comfortably with 7 wickets in hand, thanks to 85 runs from Chris Tavaré and a solid innings from David Gower. Sri Lanka missed out on a historic win.

On This Day - February 17, 1988 - Star Spinner Adil Rashid Was Born

Adil Rashid was born on 17 February 1988 in Bradford and celebrates his birthday today. He is considered one of the most successful white-ball spinners in England’s cricket history. He was a key member of the England team that won the 2019 ODI World Cup and the 2022 T20 World Cup. He made his Test debut in 2015 against Pakistan in a dramatic match. In his first innings, he recorded figures of 0/163, which was the worst performance by a debut bowler. However, he made a strong comeback in the second innings and took 5 wickets.

Rashid holds several major records. He is the first England spinner to take 200 wickets in ODI cricket and he is also England’s leading wicket-taker in T20 Internationals. He has also made important contributions with the bat. In 2015, he shared a world record 177-run partnership for the seventh wicket with Jos Buttler. He was awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 2023 for his contribution to cricket.

On This Day - February 17, 1996 - Netherlands Made Their Historic World Cup Debut

The Netherlands played their first ODI and World Cup match against New Zealand and entered international cricket on this day in 1996. The New Zealand batsmen made the debut difficult for the Netherlands. Player of the Match Craig Spearman scored 68 runs, Stephen Fleming scored 66, and Adam Parore scored 55. New Zealand posted a big total of 307/8. It was a tough start for the Netherlands, but their captain Steven Lubbers took 3 wickets for 48 runs and lifted the team’s spirit.

In reply, the inexperienced Netherlands team played the full 50 overs and scored a respectable 188/7, but they fell 119 runs short of the target. Roland Lefebvre and Peter Cantrell scored fighting 45 runs each and prevented a collapse. For New Zealand, Chris Harris took 3 wickets for 24 runs. Stephen Fleming also took his first ODI wicket in this match. This match is also remembered because all 11 Netherlands players made their ODI debut together.

On This Day - February 17, 2005 - The First Men's T20 International Match Played

On 17 February 2005, Australia and New Zealand played the first men’s T20 International at Eden Park in Auckland. The match was not taken very seriously at the start and felt like an exhibition game. Both teams wore retro kits from the 1980s. New Zealand played in their famous beige jerseys. Many players wore fake moustaches, afro wigs, and headbands. The format was introduced mainly for entertainment. No one expected that this format would later change the game of cricket.

Australia captain Ricky Ponting scored an unbeaten 98 off 55 balls and took his team to 214 runs, but he missed the first T20 International century by just 2 runs. Australia won this historic match by 44 runs. The match is also remembered for an incident involving Glenn McGrath. He jokingly bowled one delivery underarm, copying the famous 1981 underarm controversy. Umpire Billy Bowden showed him a red card, which was probably the first and only time a red card was shown in cricket.

On This Day - February 17, 2007 - Chamara Silva’s Maiden ODI Century

On this day in 2007, Chamara Silva scored his maiden ODI century against India and proved his talent. He made 107 not out just three weeks before the 2007 World Cup. He had scored a half-century on his debut in 1999, but he had to wait many years to secure his place in the team. This century against India strengthened his position in the middle order and earned him a place in the World Cup squad. His batting style and bow-legged stance often reminded people of Aravinda de Silva.

Silva’s career later became controversial. In 2017, he received a two-year ban for his involvement in a suspicious domestic match while serving as captain of Panadura Cricket Club. He later made a comeback after serving the ban. According to sources, he has recently been appointed as the head coach of the Sri Lanka Under-19 men’s team. He is also serving as a Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) in Sri Lanka.