On This Day in Cricket - February 9

February 9 is an important date in cricket history. On this day, two major teams won big titles and created history. It is also the birth date of the bowler who delivered one of the greatest bowling spells in a single Test match and one of the greatest fast bowlers in Australian cricket history. Here, we look at some key events from cricket history that happened on February 9.

On This Day - February 9, 1970 - Glenn McGrath Birthday

On this day in 1970, former Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath was born. He is regarded as one of the most influential fast bowlers in international cricket. McGrath made his Test and international debut in 1993 against New Zealand at the WACA in Perth, where he took two wickets in the first innings and one in the second. Later that year, in December, he made his ODI debut against South Africa in Melbourne. He was part of Australia’s World Cup–winning teams in 1999, 2003, and 2007. His final ODI appearance came in the 2007 World Cup final, where Australia defeated Sri Lanka by 53 runs under the Duckworth–Lewis method.

Glenn McGrath played 124 Tests, 250 ODIs, and 2 T20 internationals in his career, taking 563 Test wickets, 381 ODI wickets, and 5 T20 wickets. His best Test bowling figures were 8 for 24 against Pakistan, while his best ODI figures were 7 for 15 against Namibia in the 2003 World Cup. He is considered a great bowler because of how often he dismissed top batters. In Test cricket, he got Mike Atherton out 19 times and Brian Lara 13 times. In fact, he dismissed Lara almost twice as many times as any other bowler did.

On This Day - February 9, 2020 - Bangladesh Win Their First Under-19 World Cup

February 9 is a historic day for Bangladesh cricket because on this day they won their first-ever ICC title at any level. Under the captaincy of Akbar Ali, the Bangladesh Under-19 cricket team defeated the India Under-19 cricket team in the final of the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2020 at Potchefstroom. The match was decided by the Duckworth-Lewis method, and Bangladesh won by three wickets. India were bowled out for 177 runs after batting first, with Yashasvi Jaiswal scoring the highest with 88 runs.

However, due to rain, Bangladesh were given a revised target of 170 runs, which they chased with 23 balls remaining despite losing seven wickets. In this low-scoring match, Bangladesh were struggling at 102 for 6, but they fought back well and crossed the finish line. Captain Akbar Ali played a calm and responsible innings of 43 not out from 77 balls and was named Player of the Match. Soon after the match ended, there was a heated argument between Indian and Bangladeshi players, and the ICC later fined a few players for the incident.

On This Day - February 9, 1922 - Jim Laker Birthday

Jim Laker, one of the greatest spin bowlers in Test cricket history, was born on this day in 1922. He holds the record for the most wickets taken in a single Test match. In 1956, against Australia at Old Trafford, England scored 469 runs in the first innings. Australia were then bowled out for just 84 runs, with Laker taking 9 wickets for 37 runs in 16.4 overs. After being forced to follow on, Australia scored only 205 in their second innings. Laker again dominated and took all 10 wickets for 53 runs in 51.2 overs.

Jim Laker was the first bowler in Test cricket history to take all 10 wickets in an innings. After him, only Anil Kumble and Ajaz Patel have achieved this feat. In the 1956 Test against Australia, Laker took 19 wickets for 90 runs in the match. This is the best bowling performance in a single match in both Test and first-class cricket history. Laker played 46 Tests for England between 1948 and 1959 and took 193 wickets.

On This Day - February 9, 2021 - Joe Root’s 100th Test

Joe Root played his 100th Test match on this day. The match was against India in Chennai. Root, leading the team, batted at number four and scored 218 runs off 377 balls. His innings helped England win the first Test of the series by 227 runs.

Talking more about that match, England won the toss and batted first, scoring a huge 578 runs in the first innings. Along with Joe Root’s double century, Dom Sibley scored 87 and Ben Stokes made 82. India were then bowled out for 337 in their first innings. In the second innings, England scored 178 all out and set India a big target of 420 runs. India failed in the chase and were dismissed for just 152. Root also scored 40 runs in England’s second innings and, with scores of 218 and 40, he was named Player of the Match.

On This Day - February 9, 2003 - Naseem Shah’s Historic Test Hat-Trick

On this day, Pakistan fast bowler Naseem Shah created history by taking a hat-trick in Test cricket against Bangladesh. At just 16 years of age, he became the youngest bowler ever to take a Test hat-trick. He broke the earlier record of Alok Kapali, who had taken a Test hat-trick at the age of 19. In the Rawalpindi Test, Naseem completed his hat-trick in the second innings by dismissing Najmul Hossain Shanto, Taijul Islam, and Mahmudullah on the last three balls of the 41st over.

After losing the toss in the Test played between Pakistan and Bangladesh from 7 to 10 February 2021, Bangladesh batted first and scored 233 runs in the first innings. Pakistan replied with 445 runs in their first innings. In the second innings, Bangladesh were bowled out for just 168 runs and lost the match by an innings and 44 runs. Naseem Shah took one wicket in the first innings and four wickets in the second innings.

On This Day - February 9, 2003 - World Cup Began With Hosts’ Defeat

On February 9, the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 began with a shock result as hosts South Africa lost the opening match by just three runs. West Indies batted first and scored 278 for 5 in 50 overs. Brian Lara, returning after a long illness, played a brilliant innings of 116 runs off 134 balls. South Africa fell short by three runs while chasing the target of 279.

Because of the slow over-rate rule at that time, South Africa were penalised one over and had to chase 279 runs in only 49 overs. During the chase, South Africa were in a strong position and needed 14 runs from the last two overs. They had lost seven wickets, but Lance Klusener was set at the crease with a half-century. For West Indies, Pedro Collins gave away only five runs in the 48th over. In the final over, Vasbert Drakes conceded just five runs and dismissed Klusener and Makhaya Ntini, sealing a dramatic three-run win for West Indies.

On This Day - February 9, 2025 - Dubai Capitals Won the ILT20 Title

On this day in 2025, Dubai Capitals, led by Sam Billings, won the ILT20 title for the first time. It was also the first league title won by any team from the Delhi Capitals franchise. The final was played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, where Desert Vipers batted first after losing the toss and scored 189 runs for five wickets in 20 overs. Dubai Capitals then chased down the target of 190 to lift the trophy.

Chasing a target of 190, Dubai Capitals had a poor start and lost three key wickets for just 31 runs in 4.5 overs. After that, opener Shai Hope and Rovman Powell added 80 runs together and brought the team back into the match. In the final overs, Dasun Shanaka scored 21 runs off 10 balls and Sikandar Raza hit an unbeaten 34 off 12 balls to seal a four-wicket win with four balls remaining. Powell played a key role in the chase with 63 runs off 38 balls and was named Player of the Match.