On This Day In Cricket - January 30

30th January is one of the special dates in cricket history, mainly remembered for outstanding performances by bowlers. The West Indies legend Curtly Ambrose played a magical spell and took 7 wickets for just 1 run on this day. It is also the birthday of the legendary bowler Mitchell Starc and South Africa’s famous spinner Hugh Tayfield. This day is also remembered for Shahid Afridi’s maiden Test century and the birthday of Purnima Rao, who made a major contribution to Indian women’s cricket. Pakistan’s one more thrilling win over Australia on this day is also recalled, even though it ended with sad news. Let us look back at all these memorable moments.

On This Day - January 30, 1990 - Mitchell Starc Was Born

Mitchell Starc is considered one of the most dangerous left-arm fast bowlers in modern cricket. He played a key role in Australia’s 2015 World Cup win, taking 22 wickets and winning the Player of the Tournament award. One of the most memorable moments of his career was bowling Brendon McCullum in the very first over of the 2015 World Cup final. Starc is also one of the most successful bowlers in World Cup history and took a record 27 wickets in the 2019 World Cup, the most in a single edition. He was also an important part of Australia’s title-winning teams in the 2021 T20 World Cup and the 2023 ODI World Cup.

Starc is among the few Australian bowlers to take more than 400 wickets in Test cricket and play over 100 Test matches. He also holds the world record for the fastest 200 wickets in ODI cricket, achieving the mark in just 102 matches and breaking Saqlain Mushtaq’s 23-year-old record. In the IPL, he created history at the 2024 auction when Kolkata Knight Riders bought him for a record ₹24.75 crore, the highest bid at the time. His personal life is also closely linked to cricket, as he is married to Australia captain and wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy.

On This Day - January 30, 1929 - Great Spinner Hugh Tayfield Was Born

South Africa’s off-spin bowler Hugh Tayfield was born on this day in Durban. He was considered as one of the finest spin bowlers of his time and took 170 wickets in 37 Test matches. Before the rise of Dale Steyn, he was the fastest South African bowler to reach 100 Test wickets in terms of matches played. Tayfield was also known for his habits on the field. Before every ball, he rubbed his toes firmly on the ground, which earned him the nickname ‘Toey’. He also kissed the badge on his cap before starting each over.

Tayfield was known for his great accuracy and could bowl for long spells without getting tired. He holds a rare record from the 1956–57 Durban Test against England, where he bowled 137 consecutive dot balls without conceding a single run. In the same series, during the Johannesburg Test, he took 9 wickets for 113 runs in an innings and led South Africa to a historic win. The final catch of that match was taken by his own brother, Arthur Tayfield, who was on the field as a substitute. Hugh Tayfield was lifted on the shoulders of his teammates after the victory.

On This Day - January 30, 1967 - India’s Pioneering All-Rounder Purnima Rau Was Born 

Born in Secunderabad in 1967, Purnima Rao was a strong all-rounder who played 5 Tests and 33 ODIs for India between 1993 and 2000. She was one of the early players in women’s cricket to bat aggressively and made good use of the fielding restrictions in the first 15 overs of ODIs to score quick runs. She also showed leadership skills and captained India in 3 Test matches and 8 ODIs in 1995.

The 2000 World Cup semi-final was the most memorable match of her career. Against New Zealand, she scored an unbeaten 67 while holding one end, but India lost the match as the other batters were dismissed. Along with her batting, she was also a useful off-spin bowler and took 50 wickets in ODI cricket. After retiring from the game, she began a new role and served as the head coach of the Indian women’s cricket team from 2014 to 2017. She is currently involved in developing youth and women's cricketers in Hyderabad.

On This Day - January 30, 1993 - Curtly Ambrose's Legendary 7/1 Spell

On 30 January 1993 at the WACA Ground in Perth, Curtly Ambrose produced one of the most devastating fast-bowling spells in cricket history. Australia were in a strong position at 85 for 2, but Ambrose completely changed the match. In a magical spell of 32 balls, he took 7 wickets for just 1 run and Australia collapsed to 119 all out. He dismissed Australian captain Allan Border with the very first ball of his spell and did not allow batters like David Boon to settle at all.

Ambrose finished the first innings with 7 wickets for just 25 runs and helped West Indies win the match by an innings and 25 runs inside three days. With this win, West Indies retained the Frank Worrell Trophy and Ambrose was named Man of the Series for his outstanding performance. England fast bowler Steven Finn later said that Ambrose’s bowling length in that spell was so dangerous that it felt impossible for any batter to play him.

On This Day - January 30, 1999 - Shahid Afridi's Maiden Test Century

Shahid Afridi surprised everyone on this day with his batting in the Chennai Test. It was only the second Test match of his career and he played a match-winning innings of 141 runs against India. Afridi stayed aggressive and faced 191 balls, hitting 21 fours and 3 sixes. He scored freely against top bowlers like Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath and reached his maiden Test century in just 134 balls.

Pakistan coach Javed Miandad signaled from the pavilion during this innings and asked Afridi to stay at the crease and Afridi followed his advice. His innings helped Pakistan to set a target of 271 runs against India. Sachin Tendulkar played phenomenally and scored 136 runs, but India lost the match by 12 runs. The Chennai crowd clapped for Pakistan’s performance and gave them a standing ovation after the match.

On This Day - January 30, 2005 - Pakistan Stuns Australia at the WACA

On 30 January 2005 at the WACA Ground in Perth, Pakistan stunned Australia with a thrilling win. Australia batted first and scored 265 runs, with Michael Clarke remaining unbeaten on 75. Abdul Razzaq bowled very well for Pakistan and took 4 wickets for 53 runs, although Pakistan’s fielding was poor and they dropped two easy catches of Adam Gilchrist. While chasing the target, Pakistan got off to a bad start and lost three key batters for just 49 runs against Glenn McGrath’s fast bowling.

Mohammad Yousuf scored 72 runs and captain Inzamam-ul-Haq steadied the innings, but Shahid Afridi changed the game. Afridi smashed 30 runs off just 13 balls and hit big sixes off Andrew Symonds to bring the run rate under control. Man of the Match Abdul Razzaq also played well and scored an unbeaten 63 runs and gave Pakistan a 3-wicket win with 16 balls remaining. The victory ended on a sad note as Younis Khan, who kept wickets in the match, had to leave immediately after learning about the death of his father.