SOME CRICKETING BIRTHDAYS FOR APRIL

We might be officially into summer although, sadly, it will be a while yet before we may see any cricket.
Below is a small selection of events which happened on international cricketers' birthdays whose happy day fell during the first week of April.

1 APRIL

As many as fourteen Test cricketers were born on this day. They include David Gower, Stephen Fleming, Jofra Archer, Murali Vijay, Mluleki Nkala, John Morris ( who shared the infamous Tiger Moth with Gower in Australia in 1991, but not on 1 April), Arnie Sidebottom, Ajit Wadekar, John Murray, Aftab Baloch and Heino Kuhn.
Fleming's birthday twice fell during a Test in which he was playing and once during an ODI, whilst Gower and Wadekar celebrated their birthdays during one Test. Nkala played an ODI on his 19th birthday and is the second youngest cricketer behind Harbhajan Singh to play an ODI on his birthday.

2 APRIL

Two New Zealand cricketers from different eras, fast bowler Richard Collinge and current player Tom Latham, both celebrate their birthdays on 2 April, and both played in a Test when their birthdays fell. Amongst others whose birthdays have fallen on this day, Michael Clarke is the most well-known.
ODI cricketer, Ken MacLeay, whose 6 for 39 for Australia against India in 1983 is the World Cup's best bowling performance at Trent Bridge, was also born on this day.
South African opener, Lizelle Lee, also celebrates her birthday on this day.
The fine England batsman, Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji, died on this day in 1933.

3 APRIL

Cricketers born on this day include Cliff Gladwin, Nilesh Kulkarni (who took a wicket with his first ball in Test cricket before finishing the innings with the more sobering 1-195 during Test cricket's highest total, Sri Lanka's 952 for 6 in August 1997) and Thisara Perera.
Of those born on 3 April, Sewnarine Chattergoon is the only person to appear in a Test on his birthday.
England's second highest Test total, 849 against West Indies at Kingston, Jamaica began on 3 April 1930 and ended on the third day. The Test, one of 99 timeless ones, lasted until 12 April and resulted in a draw.
On 3 April thirty-eight years later, also in West Indies but this time in Georgetown, Guyana, England began the final over of the five-match series leading 1-0 but with only one second innings wicket remaining. Alan Knott is rumoured to have said " There's a welcome in the hillside " to number 11 batsman, Jeff Jones of Glamorgan. Jones survived the over from Lance Gibbs and a rare series victory for England in West Indies was theirs.
On 3 April 2018, South Africa recorded their biggest runs victory over any country by beating Australia at Wanderers by 492 runs.

4 APRIL

Jonathan Agnew, Paul Downton, Steven Finn, Easton McMorris and Rameshchandra " Bapu" Nadkarni (the Indian spinner immortalised for his parsimonious bowling analysis of 32-27-5-0 against England at Madras's Corporation Ground in January 1964: I read an article recently which claimed he was still furious fifty years after the event as one player had misfielded and allowed a run), are amongst international cricketers born on 4 April.
Finn, Downton, Nadkarni and McMorris were all involved in a Test during their birthdays. McMorris scored 50 on his birthday for West Indies against India at Port-of-Spain in 1962. Nadkarni played his birthday Test in this same Test.

5 APRIL

Those cricketers born on this day include the legendary South African fielder, Colin Bland.
After their 1967-68 success in the West Indies, England's next tour is 1973-74 found them 1-0 down in the series going into the final Test. On 5 April, the last day of the match, Tony Greig completed his best Test match analysis of 13 for 156 as England squared the series with a 26-run win at Port-of-Spain.

6 APRIL

A few well-known international cricketers were born on 6 April. Mudassar Nazar, Ruchira Perera, Liam Plunkett, Dilip Vengsarkar, Shaheen Afridi and Tom Veivers were all born on this day.
Mudassar was often kept busy on his birthday, playing two ODIs and one Test on and during his 28th, 30th and 32nd birthdays.

7 APRIL

Dennis Amiss was born on this day, as was Australian spinner, Bert Ironmonger, one of only five cricketers, and the only Australian, to play a Test aged 50 or over. Legend has it that a telephone call came through once for Ironmonger, whose position at number 11 was usually only threatened by injuries to others, as he was going out to back. The caller was asked if they wanted to hold on until he returned.