On This Day In Cricket - February 6

6th February has seen many important moments in cricket history that have made this date memorable. On this day, the careers of some great players came to an end, while some legendary cricketers were born who later went on to set special records. Here is a look at some of the major events in cricket history that happened on February 6.

On This Day - 6 February, 1995 - Last day of Test career of Graham Gooch and Mike Gatting

On this day in 1995, England legends Graham Gooch and Mike Gatting played the final Test of their careers. The match was against Australia in Melbourne. Gooch was caught and bowled by Craig McDermott in the first innings and he was dismissed by McDermott again in the second innings. Mike Gatting also fell to McDermott in his last Test innings. Together, the two players played 197 Test matches and scored more than 13,000 runs for England.

Graham Gooch played a total of 118 Test matches in his career. He batted in 215 innings and scored 8,900 runs at an average of 42.58. He hit 20 centuries and 46 half-centuries, including a career-best score of 333 runs. Mike Gatting scored 4,409 runs in his Test career at an average of 35.55. He made 10 centuries and 21 half-centuries and his highest Test score was 207 runs.

On This Day - February 6, 1931 - Frederick Sewards Truman 'Fiery Fred' Born

Frederick Sewards Trueman was born on this day in 1931. He was a former England fast bowler and was famously known as “Fiery Fred.” He is still regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers in England’s cricket history. Trueman was known for his accuracy and also for his aggressive nature on the field. Many reports say he often used strong language and got into arguments with other players. He made his Test debut against India at Headingley and made an immediate impact in his very first match by showing his dangerous fast bowling to the cricket world.

He struck three wickets in his first eight balls of the spell, leaving India at 3 wickets for just 4 runs. In the same series, he recorded his best Test figures of 8 for 31, which remained the best bowling performance of his career in a Test innings. Frederick Trueman played 67 Test matches and took 307 wickets at an average of 21.57. After retiring, he worked as a commentator with the BBC and often stayed in the news because of his blunt and outspoken remarks. He passed away on 6 July 2006 at the age of 75.

On This Day - February 6, 1873 - Albert Trott Was Born

Albert Trott is the only player in Test cricket history to hit a six out of the ground at Lord’s from the Pavilion End. He was born on 6 February 1873. Reports say the ball hit the chimney on top of the Pavilion. He is also one of the few players to play Test cricket for two countries. He started his Test career with Australia and played three Tests for them. On his Test debut against England, he took 8 wickets for 43 runs, which was his best bowling performance in a Test innings. For Australia, he scored 205 runs and took 9 wickets in three matches.

Later, he joined the Lord’s ground staff and, after qualifying for Middlesex, became part of the England team. He played two Test matches for England, both against South Africa. He did not perform very well for England, but he still scored 23 runs and took 17 wickets. In 1907, he took four wickets in four consecutive balls in a benefit match. Trott had an outstanding first-class career, scoring 10,696 runs and taking 1,674 wickets in 375 matches.

On This Day - February 6, 1948 - Don Bradman's last Test innings in Australia

On 6 February 1948, Sir Don Bradman played his last Test innings on Australian soil. It turned out to be an unfortunate moment for him. In the match against India at Melbourne, he was batting on 57 when he suffered a muscle injury and had to retire hurt. Australia went on to win the match by an innings and 177 runs.

After this incident in February 1948, Bradman returned in June to play his final Test series against England and scored a fine 138 runs. However, in the fifth Test he was dismissed for zero and Australia did not need to bat again in the second innings. This became the last innings of his Test career. Because of that duck, his Test average dropped below 100 to 99.94. Even today, this remains the highest batting average in the history of Test cricket.

On This Day - February 6, 2010 - Highest Successful Run Chase in First-Class Cricket History

On this day in 2010, the biggest successful run chase in first-class cricket history took place. In the Duleep Trophy final played in Hyderabad, West Zone chased a target of 536 runs against South Zone and scored 541 for 7 to win the match by three wickets. Yusuf Pathan hit a six off Sreenath Aravind to seal the victory. Pathan remained unbeaten on 210 runs in the final innings and played a key role in completing this historic chase.

However, West Zone’s score of 541/7 ranks sixth among the highest scores made while chasing in first-class cricket history. England top the list with 654/5 against South Africa at Durban in 1939, followed by Maharashtra with 604 all out against Bombay at Pune in 1949. Glamorgan are third with 592 all out against Gloucestershire at Cheltenham in 2024, Trinidad are fourth with 576/8 against Barbados at Port of Spain in 1946 and New South Wales are fifth with 572 all out against South Australia at Sydney in 1907. Among these matches, the England and Trinidad games ended in draws, Glamorgan’s match ended in a tie, while Maharashtra and New South Wales lost their matches.

On This Day - February 6, 1983 - Former Indian Fast Bowler and World Champion Sreesanth Birthday

On this day in 1983, former Indian fast bowler Sreesanth was born. He was an important part of India’s teams that won the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup. He was known for his aggressive nature, but also for changing matches with his bowling. In 2013, while playing for Rajasthan Royals, he got involved in a spot-fixing case, after which the BCCI imposed a lifetime ban on him.

Later, his lifetime ban was reduced to seven years. After that, he returned to domestic cricket in 2022, but he could not make the same impact as before. He also entered the IPL auction the next season, but no team picked him. He has now retired from all forms of cricket, but he is still seen playing in tournaments like the Legends League and doing commentary. In his career, Sreesanth played 27 Tests, 53 ODIs, 10 T20 internationals and 44 IPL matches.

On This Day - February 6, 1997 - Daniel Vettori's Historic Test Debut

On this day in 1997, former New Zealand captain and spin-bowling all-rounder Daniel Vettori created history by making his Test debut at the youngest age for New Zealand. Till today, no other Kiwi player has broken this record. Vettori made his debut against England in the second Test at Wellington and took his first Test wicket by dismissing Nasser Hussain, who scored 64 runs. He then took his second wicket by getting Andy Caddick out to end the England innings.

However, New Zealand suffered a heavy defeat at home by an innings and 68 runs in this match, so Vettori’s debut did not turn out to be memorable. Still, his bowling performance showed his talent and opened the door for a long career. He later played 113 Test matches, scoring 4,531 runs and taking 362 wickets. Vettori also captained New Zealand in 32 Test matches, winning 6 of them.