On This Day In Cricket - March 2

2nd March is an important date in cricket history for major World Cup moments and the birthdays of well-known players. On this day in 2008, India won the Under-19 World Cup under the captaincy of 19-year-old Virat Kohli. In the 2011 World Cup, Ireland’s Kevin O’Brien scored the fastest century in tournament history off just 50 balls against England. This date also saw Andy Bichel’s all-rounder performance in 2003 with 7 for 20 and an unbeaten 34, Sri Lanka’s win over India in 1996 despite Sachin Tendulkar’s 137, and Sri Lanka’s close win over South Africa in 1992. It is also the birthday of former England captain Sir Andrew Strauss and World Cup-winning all-rounder Chris Woakes.

On This Day - March 2, 2008 - Virat Kohli Leads India to U19 World Cup Glory

India won the ICC Under-19 World Cup on 2 March 2008 at Kinrara Academy Oval in Kuala Lumpur under 19-year-old captain Virat Kohli. In the rain-affected final, South Africa captain Wayne Parnell won the toss and chose to bowl first. India had a poor start and were 83 for 4 at one stage. Tanmay Srivastava scored 46 runs, while Kohli made 19 runs off 34 balls. Saurabh Tiwary and Manish Pandey scored 20 runs each, and Ravindra Jadeja and Pradeep Sangwan added 13 runs each. India were all out for 159 runs in 45.4 overs. For South Africa, Parnell, Roy Adams, and Matthew Arnold took 2 wickets each.

Due to rain, South Africa were given a revised target of 116 runs in 24 overs under the Duckworth-Lewis method. India’s bowlers started well. Ajitesh Argal dismissed both openers early, and South Africa were 22 for 4. Five South African batsmen failed to reach double figures. Reeza Hendricks scored 35 runs but was dismissed by Jadeja. Argal took 2 wickets for 7 runs and was named Man of the Match. Siddarth Kaul also took 2 wickets, including the wicket of captain Parnell. South Africa finished on 103 for 8 in 24 overs, and India won the final by 12 runs. It was India’s second Under-19 World Cup title after 2000, and this victory marked the beginning of Virat Kohli’s international career.

On This Day - March 2, 2011 - Kevin O'Brien Smashes Fastest World Cup Century

Kevin O'Brien made history on 2 March 2011 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru during the ICC Cricket World Cup. Playing against England, the 26-year-old scored a century in just 50 balls, which became the fastest century in World Cup history at that time. He hit 13 fours and 6 sixes in his innings. He broke the previous record held by Matthew Hayden, who had scored a century in 66 balls in the 2007 World Cup against South Africa. O'Brien’s century was also the sixth fastest in overall ODI history at that time.

England had scored 327 for 8 in their 50 overs. Ireland were under pressure while chasing the big target, but O'Brien changed the match after coming to the crease. He added 162 runs for the sixth wicket with Alex Cusack, who scored 47 runs. This partnership brought Ireland close to a famous win. For reference, the fastest century in overall ODI history was scored by Shahid Afridi in 1996 in Nairobi against Sri Lanka in just 37 balls.

On This Day - March 2, 1977 - Sir Andrew Strauss Was Born

Sir Andrew Strauss from South Africa was born on this day in 1977 in Johannesburg. He moved to the UK at the age of six and later became one of England’s finest left-handed opening batsmen and most successful captains. He made his Test debut in 2004 against New Zealand at Lord’s, replacing the injured Michael Vaughan. He scored 112 runs in his first innings and 83 runs in the second innings. With this, he became only the fourth batsman in cricket history to score a century on Test debut at Lord’s.

As captain, he led England to a 2-1 Ashes series win in 2009 and scored 161 runs at Lord’s in that series, finishing as the highest run-scorer with 474 runs. In 2010-11, he led England to a 3-1 Ashes series win in Australia. In the 2011 World Cup, he scored 158 runs off 145 balls against India in a match that ended in a tie, which became one of his most memorable ODI innings. He played 100 Test matches for England and scored 7,037 runs with 21 centuries. He retired in 2012 after his 100th Test. He became England’s second most successful captain after Michael Vaughan in terms of wins. In 2019, he was awarded a Knighthood for his contribution to cricket, including his role as Director of Cricket for the ECB.

On This Day - March 2, 1989 - Chris Woakes Was Born

Chris Woakes was born on 2 March 1989 in Birmingham, England. He is a fast-medium bowling allrounder and is also known as “The Wizard.” He made his ODI and T20 International debut in 2011 against Australia and started his Test career in 2013. Woakes is one of only six players in England’s cricket history who were part of both the 2019 ODI World Cup winning team and the 2022 T20 World Cup winning team. Before becoming known in cricket, he was also a trainee footballer and played as a winger for Walsall F.C. until the age of 14.

His most memorable performances came at Lord’s. In 2016 against Pakistan, he took 11 wickets for 102 runs in the match. In 2018 against India, he scored an unbeaten 137 runs and made his first Test century. With this, he became one of only 10 players whose name is on both the batting and bowling honours boards at Lord’s. In the 2023 Ashes series, he took 19 wickets in just 6 innings and was named Player of the Series. In his career, he played 62 Tests, 122 ODIs, and 33 T20 Internationals. He retired from all formats of international cricket in September 2025.

On This Day - March 2, 1992 - Sri Lanka Defeated South Africa in Wellington

Sri Lanka defeated South Africa on 2 March 1992 at Basin Reserve in Wellington in the 14th match of the Benson & Hedges World Cup. Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bowl first. South Africa were all out for 195 runs in 50 overs. Peter Kirsten scored 47 runs off 81 balls, and captain Kepler Wessels made 40 runs off 94 balls. For Sri Lanka, Don Anurasiri took 3 wickets for 41 runs, and captain Arjuna Ranatunga took 2 wickets for 26 runs.

Sri Lanka did not start well while chasing 196 runs and lost early wickets against Allan Donald, who took 3 wickets for 42 runs. Opener Roshan Mahanama held one end and scored 68 runs off 121 balls. Arjuna Ranatunga then played an unbeaten 64 runs off 73 balls and stayed till the end. The match went to the final over. On the fifth ball of the 50th over, Champaka Ramanayake scored the winning runs. Sri Lanka reached 198 for 7 with one ball remaining and won the match by 3 wickets. Arjuna Ranatunga was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 64 runs and 2 wickets.

On This Day - March 2, 1996 - Tendulkar's 137 in Vain as Sri Lanka Chases Down 272

India played against Sri Lanka on 2 March 1996 in a World Cup match in Delhi. Sri Lanka had received walkovers from Australia and West Indies earlier in the tournament and were under pressure to prove themselves on the field. Captain Arjuna Ranatunga won the toss and asked India to bat first. India had a slow start and Manoj Prabhakar scored 9 runs off 36 balls before getting out. Sachin Tendulkar then built a 66-run partnership with Sanjay Manjrekar and later added 175 runs with captain Mohammad Azharuddin. Tendulkar scored 137 runs off 137 balls with 8 fours and 5 sixes before being run out. Azharuddin made 50 runs. India finished with 271 runs for 3 wickets in 50 overs.

Sri Lanka chased 272 runs with a strong start from Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana, who added 53 runs. After Kaluwitharana was out, Jayasuriya scored 79 runs off 76 balls and added another key partnership with Asanka Gurusinha before getting out at 137. Captain Arjuna Ranatunga and Hashan Tillakaratne then guided the team closer to the target. Ranatunga scored 46 runs and Tillakaratne remained not out on 70 runs. Sri Lanka reached the target with 8 balls remaining. Tendulkar’s century was not enough to give India the win.

On This Day - March 2, 2003 - Andy Bichel's Heroics (7/20) Save Australia

Andy Bichel delivered one of the most important performances of the 2003 World Cup on this day in Port Elizabeth against England. He played because Jason Gillespie was unfit. England began well and reached 66 without loss in 9 overs against Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee. When Bichel started bowling, the match changed. He removed Nick Knight, Michael Vaughan, and Nasser Hussain within 8 balls. He also dismissed Paul Collingwood and later added three more wickets. He ended with 7 wickets for 20 runs, and England did not hit a single boundary off his bowling.

He then made a key contribution with the bat. Australia were struggling in the chase and were close to losing. Batting at number nine, Bichel scored 34 not out and took his team to victory. Before this tournament, he was considered an average bowler with a bowling average of 34 and a batting average of 15. This match became the best performance of his career. After this game, he kept his place in the team for the rest of the World Cup, but his international career ended about a year later.