On This Day In Cricket - January 16

January 16 is a date packed with some of the most exciting moments the game has ever seen, starting from the 1911s all the way to recent years. We'll celebrate the birthday of early West Indian cricketer Ivan Barrow, as well as the incredible records achieved by legends like Sir Don Bradman and Stuart Broad. From a massive series victory for South Africa and Australia to incredible comebacks by New Zealand, this day is filled with all. Let's look at these moments that make this special in cricket.

On This Day - January 16, 1911 - Birth of Ivan Barrow

Ivan Barrow was a Jamaican cricketer who played a key role in early West Indies cricket. He created history by becoming the first West Indian batsman to score a Test century in England in 1933. At the age of 22, he scored 105 runs at Old Trafford ground. He formed an outstanding 200-run partnership with George Headley during his innings. The moment became even more special when Barrow reached his century while Headley was at his 99 at the other end.

Barrow was mainly known as a wicket-keeper, but he was also a capable opening batsman. He played 11 Test matches for the West Indies between 1930 and 1939. Barrow also holds a record as the only Jewish cricketer to score a Test century. Another moment from his career came in 1930 at Adelaide, where he was dismissed by Don Bradman. This made Barrow the first player ever to be dismissed by Bradman in Test cricket.

On This Day - January 16, 1999 - South Africa Whitewash West Indies with 351-Run Win

The Test match that began on 16 January 1999 at Centurion Park turned out to be a difficult one for the West Indies. The South African team dominated the game and won by a huge margin of 351 runs and whitewashed the West Indies with a 5-0 series victory. In the first innings, South Africa scored 313 runs, with wicket-keeper Mark Boucher scoring his maiden Test century. The West Indies struggled against Allan Donald’s pace bowling attack. Despite a quick 68 from captain Brian Lara, the visiting team was bowled out for just 144 runs and Donald took five wickets.

South Africa then increased the pressure in the second innings by batting aggressively. Gary Kirsten scored 134 runs, while Jonty Rhodes made a rapid century off 95 balls including six sixes. South Africa set a huge target of 569 runs. The West Indies failed to chase it and were dismissed for 217 runs. Wicket-keeper Ridley Jacobs fought hard with a score of 78, his highest at the time, but it was not enough to change the result of the game.

On This Day - January 16, 2022 - Most One-Sided Ashes Series Ever

On 16 January 2022, Australia won a 4-0 series victory over England by defeating them by 146 runs in the fifth Test in Hobart. Australia took command early on with Travis Head's 101 and Cameron Green's 74 in the first innings. England fast bowler Mark Wood later fought back with a career-best spell of 6 wickets for 37 runs, but Australia still set England a target of 271 to win.

The match ended quickly on the third day on 16th January. England began the chase well at 68 without loss but later collapsed. They lost all ten wickets for just 56 runs and were bowled out for only 124. Travis Head became the standout performer of the series. He was named Player of the Match for his century and Player of the Series after scoring 357 runs across the series. Cameron Green also impressed by taking three wickets for England's collapse and showed his all-rounder skills. With 21 wickets at the end of the series, captain Pat Cummins was the highest wicket-taker.

On This Day - January 16, 2017 - New Zealand's Record Win Over Bangladesh

New Zealand made a strong comeback to beat Bangladesh in Wellington, even after Bangladesh's huge record. Bangladesh declared their first innings at 595 runs, with massive scores from Shakib Al Hasan (217) and Mushfiqur Rahim (159). New Zealand stayed in the match through Tom Latham’s 177 and the match changed when Bangladesh collapsed for just 160 in their second innings, giving New Zealand a chance to win.

New Zealand needed 217 runs to win on the final day and their captain Kane Williamson played a superfast innings to score 104 not out, reaching his century in just 89 balls to secure a comfortable victory by 7 wickets. The match became a notable moment for some unbelievable records, mostly because Bangladesh's score of 595 became the highest total ever recorded in an innings by a team that went on to lose the match. It was also a strange game for Shakib Al Hasan, who played one of the best innings of his life to score 217 in the first innings, but then got out for zero in the second innings, making him one of the few players to ever have a double-century and a duck in the same Test match.

On This Day - January 16, 2016 - Broad's Magic Spell and Cook's Record

On 16 January 2016, England achieved a famous series victory over South Africa in Johannesburg with some brilliant individual performances. Joe Root was the star batter, scoring 110 runs, which was the only century anyone scored in the whole match. England’s wicket-keeper, Jonny Bairstow, also had an amazing game behind the stumps, taking 9 catches and helping with one run-out. These efforts helped England take a small lead before they bowled South Africa out very quickly in the second half of the game to win by 7 wickets.

The match is most famous for Stuart Broad’s incredible bowling performance on the third day. He bowled a magic spell and took 5 wickets while giving away only 1 run and finished with amazing figures of 6 wickets for just 17 runs. His bowling was on point that South Africa lost all 10 of their wickets for just 60 runs after the lunch break with a final score of just 83. This win was a historic moment for England captain Alastair Cook, as he became the first captain in history to win a Test series in both India and South Africa.

On This Day - January 16, 1931 - Bradman's Double Ton and Headley's Historic First

Don Bradman played exceptionally for 223 runs and scored his fourth double-century in just less than seven months. This was the highest score ever recorded by an Australian player in a home Test match. Bradman batted for five hours and smashed 24 boundaries to dominate the bowlers, making a partnership with opener Bill Ponsford, who also scored 109 runs. This match is also notable because George Headley became the first West Indian to reach a Test century in this match with 102*.

In the match, Australia batted first and scored 558 runs, placing the West Indies under serious pressure. Despite Headley's determined efforts, all the rest of the West Indies team faltered against the Australian bowlers, especially spinner Clarrie Grimmett, who claimed 9 wickets in the match and smashed the visiting team's batting order. The West Indies were bowled out for 193 and forced to bat again, this time for 148, giving Australia an innings and 217 run victory.