1959
Birth of talented but accident-prone wicketkeeper Bruce French. He began by being bitten by a dog in the West Indies, then during a practice session in Pakistan he was hit on the head by a ball thrown back by a spectator. As he walked across the hospital grounds to have his eyebrow stitched, he was knocked down by a car. When he woke up after the operation, he banged his head on an overhead light. In the circumstances, playing in 16 Tests for England was no mean feat.

1975
One of the fastest bowlers of all time was born – but under an unlucky star. Shoaib Akhtar came close to 100mph during the 1999 World Cup – but once Pakistan had lost in the final, his career took some sharp turns for the worse. He had to remodel his action after suspicions of throwing, and he was unfit and unthreatening on the tour of England in 2001. The 2002 season saw a return to form for Akhtar as he re-emerged as one of the most thrilling players in the game today. 1976
In the fifth and final Test of a blazing summer, Viv Richards completed his highest Test score, a murderous 291 at The Oval that gave him a total of 829 runs in the series, which West Indies won 3-0. King Viv eventually scored 1710 Test runs in 1976, still easily the record for any calendar year.

1983
An unlikely hero for England. Nick Cook took eight wickets on his debut, including 5 for 35 in the first innings, as England beat New Zealand by 127 runs at Lord's - but he shouldn't even have been playing. Cook only got in because Phil Edmonds ricked his back getting out of his car (yes, really). Cook made the most of the opportunity though: he took 34 wickets in his first five Tests. Shame he then took only 18 in his next (and final) ten appearances.

1982
A round 200 from Mohsin Khan, the first double-century in a Lord's Test since 1949, set Pakistan on their way to a ten-wicket win over England. The unlikely matchwinner was Mohsin's opening partner Mudassar Nazar, who took 6 for 32 in the second innings with his gentle medium-pacers. This was Mudassar's 25th Test - in the previous 24 he'd taken only 11 wickets.

1902
The concluding day of one of the most dramatic Test matches of all time. Big-hitting Gilbert Jessop made only one century at this level, but it was a classic. Scored in only 75 minutes, it revived a second innings that was in tatters at 48 for 5 when he went in. England beat Australia thanks to Yorkshire allrounders George Hirst and Wilfred Rhodes, who made 15 for the last wicket. If they didn't utter their famous "We'll get 'em in singles" line, they should have.

1945
Birth of a cricketer whose maiden Test was cancelled because he'd been picked to play in it. When Surrey's enthusiastic fast-medium bowler Robin Jackman joined England's Caribbean tour as a replacement in 1980-81, he was hurried into the team for the second Test Georgetown – only for the Guyanese government to raise objections to his years as a player in South Africa. When he eventually got onto the pitch, at Bridgetown, he took a wicket in his first over in Test cricket – at the age of 35. He finished with 14 wickets in his four Tests.

1961
Birth of an unexpected hero. Picked to exploit the seamer's wicket at Headingley, unsung Somerset bowler Neil Mallender did exactly that. His 3 for 72 and 5 for 50, one of the best performances by a bowler making his England debut, helped win the match by six wickets. After Pakistan had won the next Test to take the series 2-1, Mallender wasn't capped again – but he'd had his moment in the sun.

1841
Birth of Unaarrimin, known as Johnny Mullagh, part of the famous Australian Aborigine team which toured England in 1868, playing an eyebrow-raising total of 47 matches. A talented allrounder, Unaarrimin hit 1698 runs at an average of 23 and took 245 wickets at only 10 apiece. He died in 1891, the day after his 50th birthday.

1884
Cunning medium-pacer Harry Dean was born. Although he played in only three Tests, his bowling decided the outcome of the last, his 4 for 19 helping to dismiss Australia for 65 at The Oval and win the Triangular Tournament. He equalled what was then a world record in first-class cricket by taking 17 for 91 for Lancashire v Yorkshire in 1913.

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