On This Day in Cricket - May 16

When it comes to the day of 16th May, there have been various cricketing events that have been in the memory of the fans. In 2013, the spot-fixing of the IPL was exposed as the Delhi Police arrested the three Rajasthan Royals players, Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan, and Ajit Chandila. In 1976, Australia’s bowler and star player, Dirk Peter Nannes, was born in Mount Waverley, Melbourne, Victoria. In 2017, the Rising Pune Supergiants defeated the Mumbai Indians by 20 runs as they qualified for the Finals of the tournament.

On This Day - May 16, 1976 - Dirk Peter Nannes was Born Today

On 16th May, 1976, the Australian team was blessed with Dirk Peter Nannes, who managed to become the leading bowler for the Australia and Netherlands teams. Playing for two teams, he has been a part of 17 T20I matches and has picked up 28 wickets at an average of 16.39 while maintaining an economy rate of 7.52 and keeping a strike rate of 13.0.

His first-class career has seen 23 matches and has picked up 93 wickets at an average of 25.02 and an economy rate of 3.37 while getting a strike rate of 44.5. Coming to the T20s, he has been a part of 215 matches so far and has picked up 257 wickets for the teams. In those matches, he has got an average of 22.25 while keeping an economy rate of 7.42 and picking up 2 5-wicket hauls for the team.

On This Day - May 16, 1993 - Smit Kamleshbhai Patel was Born Today

Playing for the United States of America, Smit Kamleshbhai Patel was born on 16th May, 1993 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Being a player, he has been able to play 21 ODI matches and has scored 727 runs at an average of 38.26 and a strike rate of 80.24. He has scored a century along with 4 half-centuries for the team while getting 80 boundaries and 7 sixes.

In the T20Is, he has been a part of 2 matches so far and has scored 35 runs at an average of 17.50 and a strike rate of 94.59. With his First-Class career, he has scored 3278 runs at an average of 39.49 and a strike rate of 54.43 while scoring 11 centuries and 14 half-centuries for the team. In the T20 Leagues, he has played for different franchises like Texas Super Kings, Barbados Royals, New York Warriors and many more.

On This Day - May 16, 2013 - Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan, and Ajit Chandila were arrested for Spot-Fixing

On the day of 16 May 2013, Indian cricket was shaken by one of the biggest controversies in the history of the Indian Premier League. The Delhi Police arrested 3 Rajasthan Royals players, S. Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila, and Ankeet Chavan, on charges linked to spot fixing during IPL 2013. The arrests were made after a long investigation into suspicious activities during matches. Sreesanth was taken into custody from a friend’s house, while Chandila and Chavan were arrested from the team hotel in Mumbai.

Following the incident, Rajasthan Royals immediately suspended the contracts of all 3 players until the investigation was completed. The case created massive headlines across India and raised serious questions about corruption in cricket. The Board of Control for Cricket in India also suspended the players and promised strict action. This shocking event became a turning point for Indian cricket, as authorities started taking stronger measures to fight betting and fixing in the sport.

On This Day - May 16, 2017 - Rising Pune Supergiants defeats Mumbai Indians by 20 Runs

Playing the first qualifier of IPL 2017 at Wankhede Stadium, Rising Pune Supergiant defeated Mumbai Indians by 20 runs to book their place in the final. Batting first, Pune posted 162/4 in 20 overs after recovering from an early collapse at 9/2. Ajinkya Rahane played a calm knock of 56 off 43 balls, while Manoj Tiwary added 58 from 48 balls. In the final overs, MS Dhoni changed the game with an unbeaten 40 off just 26 balls, smashing 5 sixes and helping Pune finish strongly.

Chasing 163, Mumbai had a poor start and kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Parthiv Patel fought hard with 52 off 40 balls, but lacked support from the other batters. Young Washington Sundar delivered a brilliant spell, taking 3/16 in 4 overs and removing Rohit Sharma, Ambati Rayudu, and Kieron Pollard. Mumbai finished on 142/9, falling short by 20 runs.