On This Day In Cricket - March 10

This day in cricket history is remembered for several notable records, title wins, and controversies. West Indies batsman Lawrence Rowe scored a historic triple century against England on this date. India also won the Benson & Hedges World Championship by defeating Pakistan in the final. The well-known “Homeworkgate” controversy involving the Australian team during their tour of India also happened on this day. In the Women’s Premier League, Delhi Capitals recorded a close 1-run win over RCB in a thrilling match. The day is also noted for the birthdays of Barto Bartlett, a member of West Indies’ first Test team, and former New Zealand captain Geoff Howarth.

On This Day - March 10, 1906 - Barto Bartlett Was Born

Barto Bartlett was from Saint Michael, Barbados. He was a right-handed batsman who played for the West Indies and was part of their first Test tour to England in 1928. Bartlett played five Test matches for the West Indies. His highest Test score was 84 against Australia in 1930–31. In first-class cricket, he represented Barbados from 1923–24 to 1938–39 and scored 1,581 runs in 42 matches, including one century. His only first-class hundred came in 1928 against Nottinghamshire.

He was known as a stylish batsman who could play shots around the ground, although people often felt he lacked consistency. In 1934, Wisden magazine mistakenly published news of his death even though he was still alive. His actual death happened later on 21 December 1976 at the age of 70. Another unusual incident happened in 1988 when Barbados issued 50-cent stamps that accidentally carried Bartlett’s picture instead of Herman Griffith. Only 101 of those stamps were released before the mistake was discovered, and today they are considered rare collectibles.

On This Day - March 29, 1951 - Geoff Howarth Was Born

Geoff Howarth is a former New Zealand cricketer from Auckland and is regarded as one of the country’s best captains. He remains the only New Zealand captain to have a positive win–loss record in both Test and ODI cricket. He led New Zealand in 30 Test matches between 1980 and 1985 and won 11 of them, which places him among the country’s most successful Test captains. One of the biggest moments of his captaincy came in 1980 when New Zealand won their first-ever Test series against West Indies. During his time as captain, New Zealand were very strong at home and lost only one Test match there, against Australia in 1982. Teammate Ian Smith once described him as the best captain he played under and said he had the ability to change games.

As a specialist batsman, Howarth played 47 Tests and scored 2,531 runs at an average of 32.44, including six centuries. Interestingly, four of those centuries came when he was not captain. He also had a strong domestic career. From 1971 to 1985 he played 188 matches for Surrey in county cricket in England and became the club’s first overseas captain in 1984. For his contribution to the game, he was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1981 and again in 1984. After retiring, he later worked as coach of the New Zealand national team in the early 1990s.

On This Day - March 10, 1974 - Lawrence Rowe Scores a Triple Century

Lawrence Rowe scored a historic triple century against England in a Test match in Barbados. England made 395 runs in their first innings. Rowe then played a long and impressive innings of 302 runs from 436 balls. His knock included 36 fours and a well-known six off Bob Willis. During the innings he also shared a 249-run partnership for the second wicket with Alvin Kallicharran, who scored 119 runs. With this innings, Rowe went past George Headley’s previous record of 270, which had been the highest score by a West Indies player against England at that time.

West Indies finished their first innings at 596 for 8 before declaring. England later reached 277 for 7 in their second innings, and the match ended in a draw. Even though the match had no result, Rowe’s innings is still remembered as one of the finest in Test cricket. In 2004, it was also chosen as the best innings played by a Jamaican cricketer.

On This Day - March 10, 1985 - India Wins the Benson & Hedges World Championship of Cricket

India won the Benson & Hedges World Championship of Cricket in Australia after defeating Pakistan by 8 wickets in the final. India remained unbeaten throughout the ODI tournament. In the final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Pakistan batted first. Kapil Dev gave India a strong start with the ball and removed some of the top-order batsmen. Javed Miandad scored 48 runs and Imran Khan tried to steady the innings, but tight bowling from 19-year-old leg spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan restricted Pakistan to 176 for 9 in 50 overs.

Chasing 177, India got a solid start from openers Ravi Shastri and Kris Srikkanth, who added a century partnership. Srikkanth scored 67 runs and was named Player of the Match. India completed the chase comfortably, losing only two wickets. Ravi Shastri was named Champion of Champions for his all-round performance in the tournament and received an Audi 100 car as the prize. This victory was widely praised, and the Wisden cricket magazine later described the team as the Indian Team of the Century.

On This Day - March 10, 2013 - “Homeworkgate” Suspensions Hit the Australian Team in India

During Australia’s tour of India in 2013, a controversial incident took place that later became known as “Homeworkgate.” After heavy defeats in Chennai and Hyderabad, coach Mickey Arthur and captain Michael Clarke asked players to write suggestions on how the team could improve its performance. Usman Khawaja, James Pattinson, Mitchell Johnson, and Shane Watson did not submit their responses on time. As a result, all four were suspended for one Test match.

Usman Khawaja later criticized the team management and said their priorities were wrong. He felt the focus was more on paperwork and rules instead of improving performance on the field. Khawaja also said the team was not losing because of fitness issues but because India were simply better in skills at that time. The suspension affected him personally, and he said it made him feel like an outsider in the dressing room. Despite that experience, he stayed focused and later rebuilt his career.

On This Day - March 10, 2024- Delhi Capitals Secure Narrow WPL Victory Over RCB

Delhi Capitals secured a place in the playoffs after defeating Royal Challengers Bangalore by just 1 run in a close Women’s Premier League match. Batting first, Delhi Capitals scored 181 for 5 in 20 overs. Jemimah Rodrigues led the innings with 58 runs from 36 balls, while Alice Capsey added an important 48 from 32 balls. For RCB, Shreyanka Patil was the most successful bowler and took 4 wickets for 26 runs.

While chasing the 182 target, RCB did not start well as captain Smriti Mandhana was out early. Sophie Molineux scored 33 and Ellyse Perry made 49 to keep the chase going. In the final overs, Richa Ghosh played a strong knock of 51 and took the match to the last over, where RCB needed 17 runs from 6 balls. She hit two sixes in the over to reach her half-century. On the final ball, RCB needed 2 runs to win, but her shot went to backward point where Shafali Verma collected the ball and threw it to Jess Jonassen, who ran her out. Delhi Capitals won the match by 1 run.