On This Day In Cricket - January 28

28 January is an important date in cricket history. Many big matches and records are linked to this day. In 2000, India won its first Under-19 World Cup. In 2024, the West Indies beat Australia at the Gabba in a famous Test match. This day is also the birthday of Shafali Verma and Monty Noble. Two Big Bash League finals were also played on January 28, with Sydney Sixers and Perth Scorchers winning the titles. This article covers all these events from 28th January.

On This Day - January 28, 1873 - Monty Noble Was Born

Monty Noble was born on 28 January 1873 in Sydney. He was one of Australia’s great all-rounders. He scored close to 2,000 runs and took 121 wickets in Test cricket. He was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2021. He shared a record sixth-wicket partnership of 428 runs with Warwick Armstrong in 1902, the highest at the time.

Noble was known for his patient batting. Once, he batted for eight and a half hours against England to save a match. He was also very effective with the ball and once took 7 wickets for just 17 runs in an innings. His life outside cricket was also interesting. After retiring, he became a dentist and also enjoyed ringing church bells.

On This Day - January 28, 1880 - Herbert Strudwick Was Born

On this day in 1880, England’s legendary wicketkeeper Herbert Strudwick was born. He holds a major place in cricket history because he made 1,493 dismissals in first-class cricket, the third-highest by any wicketkeeper. This included 1,235 catches and 258 stumpings and his 1,235 catches are still a world record. His move to wicketkeeping began early. When he was 10 years old, a priest’s daughter, Miss Wilson, noticed his fielding and suggested he try wicketkeeping, which later became his career.

Herbert Strudwick was known not only for his cricket but also for his strict discipline. At a time when many players treated cricket as a hobby, he stayed completely away from alcohol and tobacco. In an article written for Wisden, he explained that wicketkeeping gloves and pads in his era were very thin and offered little protection. He even mentioned that some players before his time used to keep thick books, like railway timetables, inside their shirts to avoid injury. Although he was not a leading batter, Strudwick was involved in two partnerships of over 100 runs for the tenth wicket, which is a rare achievement in first-class cricket.

On This Day - January 28, 2000 - India Wins Maiden U19 World Cup Title

On this day in 2000, the Indian cricket team created history. Under the captaincy of Mohammad Kaif, India won their first Under-19 World Cup by defeating Sri Lanka. The final was played in Colombo, where Indian bowlers performed brilliantly and bowled Sri Lanka out for just 178 runs. Reetinder Sodhi was the standout player of the match, as he bowled tightly, took a stunning catch and also produced a brilliant direct hit to run out a batter.

India lost four wickets early while chasing the target and the match looked difficult. Reetinder Sodhi, who stayed unbeaten on 39 and Neeraj Patel, who made an unbeaten 34, then batted calmly and added 64 runs to take India to a six-wicket win. Sodhi was named Man of the Match for his all-round performance, while Yuvraj Singh won the Player of the Series award for his consistent display throughout the tournament. After the win, coach Roger Binny said the team showed the same fighting spirit that India showed while winning the 1983 World Cup.

On This Day - January 28, 2004 - Shafali Verma Was Born

Shafali Verma was born on 28 January 2004 in Rohtak, Haryana. She is the youngest player to play a T20 International for India, making her debut at just 15 years of age. She is also the youngest Indian cricketer to play all three formats, Test, ODI and T20I. Indian women won the historic Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup for the first time in 2023 under her captaincy.

Shafali is known for her aggressive batting and has the ability to hit big sixes. She holds the world record for the fastest double century in women’s Test cricket, scoring 205 runs in just 197 balls against South Africa. Her cricket journey is inspiring. As a child, some academies refused to admit her because she was a girl, so she short her hair like boys and trained with them under her brother Sahil’s name. Inspired by Sachin Tendulkar, Shafali has quickly grown into one of the best batters in the world.

On This Day - January 28, 2012 - Sydney Sixers Win Inaugural Big Bash League

On 28 January 2012, the Sydney Sixers created history by winning the first-ever Big Bash League title. They defeated the Perth Scorchers by 7 wickets in the final played at the WACA Ground in Perth. The match turned early when veteran fast bowler Brett Lee made an immediate impact. He dismissed two key Perth batters, Herschelle Gibbs and Luke Ronchi, in the very first over and put the home team under strong pressure from the start.

The real hero for Sydney’s win was all-rounder Moises Henriques, who was named Man of the Match. He played a brilliant knock of 70 runs off just 41 balls and added 110 runs for the first wicket with Steve O’Keefe, who scored 48. Mitchell Marsh fought hard and remained unbeaten on 77 to take his team to 156 runs, but Henriques’ batting made the chase comfortable. In the end, young captain Steve Smith finished the match with an unbeaten 21 and hit the winning boundary to seal the title for Sydney.

On This Day - January 28, 2017 - Perth Scorchers Claim Third BBL Title

On 28 January 2017, Perth Scorchers won their third Big Bash League title by defeating Sydney Sixers. The final was played at the WACA in Perth and turned out to be a one-sided match, with the Scorchers winning by 9 wickets. With this victory, Perth Scorchers became the most successful team in BBL history, winning three titles in just six seasons.

Sydney Sixers batted first but struggled against Perth’s fast bowlers and could score only 141 runs for 9 wickets in 20 overs. Perth coach Justin Langer showed trust in 20-year-old bowler Jhye Richardson and he repaid that faith by taking 3 wickets and was named Man of the Match. While chasing the target, Michael Klinger played a calm and unbeaten knock of 71 runs and helped Perth Scorchers win the match in just 15.5 overs.

On This Day - January 28, 2024 - West Indies Historic Win At Gabba

West Indies made history by beating Australia by 8 runs at The Gabba in Brisbane. It was their first Test win in Australia since 1997. The star of the match was young fast bowler Shamar Joseph. He had badly injured his toe while batting the night before, but still chose to bowl in the final innings. Playing through the pain, Joseph bowled a long spell of 11.5 overs and took 7 wickets for 68 runs, helping West Indies seal a famous and emotional win.

Australia was given a target of 216 runs, which was the smallest target set for a visiting team at the Gabba in many decades. Steven Smith fought hard and remained unbeaten on 91, trying to take Australia home on his own. However, Shamar Joseph kept taking wickets from the other end and ran through the Australian batting line-up. He bowled Travis Head for a first-ball duck, giving him a “king pair” with ducks in both innings. Joseph then bowled Josh Hazlewood to finish the match and end Australia’s unbeaten record in day-night Test matches.