On This Day In Cricket - March 9

This day in cricket history is known for some important matches and performances. The performance included India knocking Pakistan out of the World Cup in a quarter-final and Bangladesh beating England and eliminating them from the World Cup. In Test cricket, Ravichandran Ashwin played his 100th Test in 2024 and helped India beat England by an innings, while Kagiso Rabada took five wickets on the first day of the Port Elizabeth Test. On the same day in 2024, Sri Lanka fast bowler Nuwan Thushara took his first T20I hat-trick against Bangladesh and helped his team win the series. The date is also the birthday of first-class great Phil Mead and former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel.

On This Day - March 9, 1887 - Phil Mead Was Born

Born in Battersea, London, Phil Mead was one of England’s great professional cricketers and a fine left-handed batsman. Mead played domestic cricket for Hampshire for 31 years and represented England in 17 Test matches, scoring 1,185 runs with four centuries. His first-class record was remarkable, as he scored 55,061 runs, making him the fourth-highest run scorer in first-class cricket history. He also scored 153 first-class centuries. Except for his first season, he scored more than 1,000 runs in every season he played. Despite his ability, he did not get many Test opportunities because of the attitude of captain Plum Warner toward professional players and the presence of several strong batsmen in the team.

Mead still holds the record for the most runs in the history of the County Championship. In the 1928 county season, he scored 2,843 runs, which remains the record for most runs in a single county season. An interesting moment from his sporting life came in 1907 when he played one official football match as an emergency goalkeeper for Southampton and did not concede a goal. In his later years, Mead suffered from a serious eye illness and became completely blind by 1946. Even then, his love for cricket remained strong, and he often attended Hampshire matches and followed the game by listening carefully. He passed away on March 26, 1958, at the age of 71.

On This Day - March 9, 1985 - Parthiv Patel Was Born

Born in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, Parthiv Ajay Patel is the youngest wicketkeeper to play Test cricket for India. He is a former Indian left-handed wicketkeeper-batsman. Patel made his Test debut against England at Trent Bridge in 2002 at the age of 17 years and 153 days. With this, he became the youngest wicketkeeper to represent any country in Test cricket, breaking the previous record held by Pakistan’s Hanif Mohammad. Despite losing a finger at the age of six, he worked hard to become a skilled wicketkeeper. He was also part of India’s 2003 World Cup runner-up team and the squad that won the 2016 Asia Cup.

Patel had an excellent domestic cricket career. Gujarat won their first Ranji Trophy title in the 2016-17 season under his captaincy and played crucial innings of 90 and 143 in the final against Mumbai. With this, he became the first captain to win all three major domestic titles in India. In the IPL, he played for teams such as Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, and Royal Challengers Bangalore. Patel retired from all forms of cricket in December 2020. After retirement, he worked as a talent scout for the Mumbai Indians and as a commentator and in November 2024, he was appointed assistant and batting coach of the Gujarat Titans for the upcoming IPL season.

On This Day - March 9, 1996 - India Eliminates Pakistan in World Cup Quarter-Final

India defeated Pakistan by 39 runs in the World Cup quarter-final at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on March 9, 1996. The match was already tense and it became even bigger when Pakistan’s captain Wasim Akram was ruled out with an injury just hours before the match. India batted first and scored 287 runs. Navjot Singh Sidhu played a key role with 93 runs, while Ajay Jadeja added 45 off 25 balls and the Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar also contributed with 31 runs.

Pakistan started chasing aggressively with Aamir Sohail and Saeed Anwar adding 84 runs in the first 10 overs. However, Javagal Srinath dismissed Anwar for 48. The most dramatic moment came when Sohail hit a boundary and sledged Venkatesh Prasad, but he bowled Sohail on the very next ball. Prasad celebrated by pointing him back to the pavilion and the wicket turned the match. Prasad’s 3 wickets and Anil Kumble's 3 wickets restricted Pakistan to 248 and book the place for India in the semi-final.

On This Day - March 9, 2015 - Bangladesh Knocks England Out of the World Cup

Bangladesh delivered a historic performance on this day in 2015, when they defeated England in a World Cup match at the Adelaide Oval and knocked them out of the tournament. Bangladesh was led by Mohammad Mahmudullah batted first, where Mahmudullah scored a blazing century and helped his team score a competitive total.

Match remained tough during England’s chase, but Bangladesh’s bowlers made a strong comeback in final stages. Their bowling eventually dismissed the entire England team and secured a almost unbelievable victory. Bangladesh shocked the whole cricket world with this victory and eliminated the England team from the 2015 World Cup.

On This Day - March 9 - Kagiso Rabada’s Five-Wicket Haul in Port Elizabeth Test

On the first day of the 2nd Test between South Africa and Australia in Port Elizabeth, Kagiso Rabada delivered a brilliant bowling performance and destoryed Australia’s batting line-up. Australia started well after choosing to bat, with David Warner scoring 63 and Cameron Bancroft scoring 38. However, Rabada totally turned the match with his pace and accuracy. He finished with 5 wickets for 96 runs and dissmissed key players including Steven Smith, Shaun Marsh and Mitchell Marsh. He also removed Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc with his bowling and came close to a hat-trick. Lungi Ngidi also played well and took 3 wickets, Australia were bowled out for 243.

Rabada also contributed with the bat later in the day. After South Africa lost their first wicket late in the evening session, Rabada was promoted as a nightwatchman at number three. He played positively and struck four boundaries in just 14 balls. South Africa were at 39/1 with Rabada unbeaten on 14, which made him a day dominated by his all-rounder performance.

On This Day - March 9, 2024 - India Crushes England in the 100th Test of Ashwin and Bairstow

India defeated England by an innings and 64 runs on the third day of the 5th Test at HPCA Stadium. This match was held with importance of celebrating the 100th Test for both India's Ravichandran Ashwin and England's Jonny Bairstow. It was also historic for England’s fast bowler James Anderson, who dismissed Kuldeep Yadav to reach his 700 Test wickets and became the first fast bowler in history to achieve this feat. Despite Anderson’s achievement, England struggled as they were bowled out for 219 and 195 in response to India’s first innings total of 477.

Ashwin made his 100th Test by taking 5 wickets for 77 runs in the second innings and finishing with 9 wickets in the match. It was the 36th five-wicket haul of his Test career. Bairstow scored 39 runs with three sixes but was dismissed LBW by Kuldeep Yadav. Joe Root was the only England batter to show strong resistance with 84 runs. Kuldeep Yadav, who took 7 wickets in the match, was named Player of the Match. With this victory, India won the series 4-1 and extended their record of consecutive home Test series wins to 17.