On This Day In Cricket - February 4

4 February is a special day in cricket history because many major moments happened on this date. On this day, Sir Richard Hadlee became the first bowler to take 400 Test wickets. It was also a heartbreaking day for Martin Crowe, who was dismissed on 299 despite being part of a record partnership. Zimbabwe registered their first-ever Test win on this date, and Adelaide Strikers won their first BBL title. The day is also remembered for Brad Hodge finishing on 99 not out and Archie Jackson scoring a famous century on his Test debut. Let’s look at all these memorable moments in detail.

On This Day - February 4, 1929 - Archie Jackson’s 164 on Test Debut

In the fourth Test against England at Adelaide in 1929, young batter Archie Jackson created history on his debut. Australia were in serious trouble when he came in to bat, having lost three key wickets for just 19 runs, including Bill Woodfull and Alan Kippax. Under heavy pressure, Jackson showed great maturity and played a long, calm innings of 164 runs.

Jackson faced 331 balls in this innings and hit 15 fours. He built important partnerships with Jack Ryder and Don Bradman and helped Australia recover from a very difficult situation. His batting was so smooth and stylish that many called it the best innings of the entire tour by any player from either team. England eventually won the match by a close margin of 12 runs, but Jackson’s performance made his debut unforgettable in cricket history.

On This Day - February 4, 1979 - India Scored Record Total of 644/7 vs West Indies

On the third day of the Kanpur Test in 1979, India declared their innings at 644 for 7 against the West Indies. At that time, it was India’s highest Test score for the second match in a row. Gundappa Viswanath laid the foundation with a brilliant 179 runs, which was the highest score of his Test career. Kapil Dev also played a quick knock of 62 down the order, helping India cross the 600-run mark.

In the same innings, Anshuman Gaekwad scored 102 runs and Mohinder Amarnath made an unbeaten 101. However, their batting was considered slow and dull, which reduced the excitement of the match. The pitch was very slow and later rain also affected play, so the match ended in a draw. In reply, West Indies batter Faoud Bacchus scored a fine 250 runs, but India’s huge total still went down in history.

On This Day - February 4, 1990 - Richard Hadlee Becomes First Bowler to Take 400 Test Wickets

Sir Richard Hadlee made history by becoming the first bowler to take 400 wickets in Test cricket. During his 17-year career, he almost carried New Zealand’s bowling attack on his own and finished with 431 Test wickets at an excellent average of 22.29. He was one of the four great all-rounders of the 1980s, along with Kapil Dev, Ian Botham and Imran Khan and he changed fast bowling with his accuracy, control and discipline.

Hadlee’s biggest strength was his short run-up. He believed this decision made him “three times more effective” and also extended his career by almost 10 years. While bowling, he focused on just four things: rhythm, off stump, desire and Lillee (his idol Dennis Lillee). Instead of trying to scare batters with speed, he aimed to hit the off stump again and again. He said this method was as simple as “ABC.”

On This Day - February 4, 1991 - Martin Crowe Dismissed for 299 as Record Partnership Ends

Martin Crowe and Andrew Jones shared one of the greatest partnerships in Test cricket at Wellington’s Basin Reserve against Sri Lanka. After New Zealand fell behind in the first innings, the two added 467 runs for the third wicket. At the time, this became the highest partnership for any wicket in Test cricket. They broke the 57-year-old record of 451 runs set by Don Bradman and Bill Ponsford in 1934. Their partnership put New Zealand in a strong and safe position in the match.

The day ended in heartbreak for Martin Crowe. He was dismissed for 299, just one run short of becoming New Zealand’s first triple centurion. He got out on the third last ball of the day to Arjuna Ranatunga. Crowe later admitted that thinking about reaching 300 took away his focus. He remains the only batter in Test history to be dismissed on 299. Andrew Jones stayed unbeaten on 186 at the other end.

On This Day - February 4, 1995 - Zimbabwe Records First-Ever Test Victory

Zimbabwe recorded their first Test victory at the Harare Sports Club by defeating Pakistan by an innings and 64 runs. It was their 11th Test match. Grant Flower scored an unbeaten 201, while Andy Flower made 156. The two brothers added 269 runs for the fourth wicket. Guy Whittall also contributed with an unbeaten 113 and Zimbabwe declared their innings at 544 for 4.

The match began with a very strange incident at the toss. Pakistan captain Salim Malik called “bird” instead of heads or tails because the Zimbabwe coin had an eagle on it. Even though the coin landed on the bird side, match referee Jackie Hendricks ruled the call unclear and ordered a re-toss. Zimbabwe won the second toss and chose to bat. Heath Streak then led the bowling attack and took 9 wickets in the match, finishing with figures of 6/90 and 3/15. After being asked to follow on, Pakistan were bowled out for just 158 in the second innings.

On This Day - February 4, 2007 - Australia Defeats New Zealand in Commonwealth Bank Series

On this day in 2007 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Australia beat New Zealand by 5 wickets in a memorable Commonwealth Bank Series match. New Zealand batted first and scored a strong 290 for 7, with Lou Vincent making 90 runs and Peter Fulton scoring 60. Vincent and Fulton added 151 runs together, which put New Zealand in a good position. Australian fast bowler Shaun Tait bowled at speeds close to 160 km/h, but New Zealand still scored 71 runs in the last 7 overs and set Australia a tough target.

While chasing the 291 runs, which was a record chase at the MCG at that time, Australia were in trouble at 112 for 3. Captain Ricky Ponting and Brad Hodge then took control of the innings. Ponting, who was returning after an injury, scored a brilliant century with 104 runs and added a match-winning 154-run partnership with Hodge. Brad Hodge, playing under pressure to keep his place in the team, batted very well but remained unbeaten on 99. He needed one boundary for his hundred, but took two runs to finish the match and missed his century by just one run.

On This Day - February 4, 2018 - Adelaide Strikers First BBL Title With Weatherald’s Century

On 4 February 2018 at the Adelaide Oval, Adelaide Strikers beat Hobart Hurricanes by 25 runs to win their first BBL title. The star of the final was Jake Weatherald, who scored a brilliant 115 off 70 balls under pressure. It was the first century ever scored in a Big Bash League final. Weatherald hit 8 sixes and 9 fours and shared a strong partnership with captain Travis Head, who remained unbeaten on 44. Thanks to their effort, Adelaide Strikers posted 202 for 2, which was the highest total in a BBL final at that time.

In bowling, Peter Siddle led the attack in the absence of star bowler Rashid Khan. Siddle bowled brilliantly and took 3 wickets for just 17 runs in his 4 overs, stopping Hobart’s chase completely. For Hobart, D’Arcy Short scored 68 and George Bailey made 46, but they could not reach the target of 203. One more talking point from the match was Matthew Wade’s dismissal. He was run out without facing a ball (a diamond duck) and later fined for hitting a chair in the dugout in anger.