On This Day In Cricket - March 5

March 5 is remembered in cricket history for several memorable events. In 2019, India recorded their 500th ODI victory against Australia with Virat Kohli scoring his 40th ODI century and in 2020 the India Women’s team reached their first T20 World Cup final after a rain-abandoned semi-final. The date also saw South Africa and West Indies play their first official international match in the 1992 World Cup, while Bangladesh achieved their highest successful ODI run chase against Scotland in the 2015 World Cup. It also marks the birthdays of former fast bowlers Rodney Hogg of Australia and Zimbabwe’s hat-trick hero Eddo Brandes.

On This Day - March 5, 2019 - Virat Kohli’s 40th ODI Century and India’s 500th ODI Win

India achieved their 500th ODI victory on this day in 2019 during the second ODI against Australia at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur. India defended a target of 250 runs and won the match by 8 runs. With this win, India became only the second team in cricket history to reach 500 ODI victories after Australia. India reached this milestone in 963 matches, 45 years after their first ODI win against East Africa in the 1975 World Cup.

Virat Kohli played a key role in this victory with a brilliant innings of 116 runs. It was his 40th ODI century, taking him past Ricky Ponting in the list of most ODI centuries and placing him behind only Sachin Tendulkar. In the final over, Australia needed 11 runs with two wickets left, but Vijay Shankar dismissed two batsmen in the first three balls and bowled Australia out for 242. India won the match and leads the five-match series 2-0.

On This Day - March 5, 1951 - Rodney Hogg Was Born

Born in Melbourne, Australia, Rodney Hogg was known as an aggressive fast bowler of his time. Hogg played 38 Test matches for Australia and took 123 wickets, along with 85 wickets in 71 ODIs. He is best remembered for his performance in the 1978–79 Ashes series, where he took 41 wickets in 6 matches during his debut Ashes series. At that time, it was the most wickets taken by an Australian bowler in a single Ashes series. He achieved this despite dealing with asthma from childhood and later suffering serious back injuries.

Hogg’s career was also surrounded by several controversies. In 1985–86 and 1986–87, he took part in two rebel tours to South Africa during the apartheid era, when playing cricket there was banned. Because of this, he received a three-year ban which almost ended his international career. He was also known for his temper on the field. On one occasion he broke the stumps with his bat after being given out and in another incident he even punched his captain Kim Hughes during a match. After retiring from cricket, he worked as a bowling coach for Victoria and later became a television commentator.

On This Day - March 5, 1963 - Eddo Brandes Was Born

Eddo Brandes was born on this day in 1963 in Port Shepstone, South Africa. He later played for Zimbabwe as a fast bowler and all-rounder. From 1987 to 1999, he played 10 Tests and 59 ODIs and represented Zimbabwe in four World Cups. At a time when many Zimbabwe players were not full-time professionals, Brandes worked as a chicken farmer. In the 1992 World Cup, he helped Zimbabwe defend a small target of 134 against England by taking 4 wickets for 21 runs, which led to a historic 9-run victory.

Brandes also holds a special ODI record as the first Zimbabwe bowler to take a hat-trick. He achieved this against England in January 1997 and, just two months before turning 34, became the oldest player to take an ODI hat-trick at that time. He is also remembered for a famous and humorous exchange with Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath during a match. After retiring from cricket, Brandes moved to Australia to work in coaching and later started a tomato farm on the Sunshine Coast.

On This Day - March 5, 1992 - First Ever Official International Between South Africa and West Indies

South Africa and West Indies played their first official international match against each other on this day in 1992 during the Benson & Hedges World Cup at AMI Stadium in Christchurch. South Africa batted first and scored 200 runs for 8 wickets in 50 overs. Peter Kirsten was the top scorer with 56 runs off 91 balls. Adrian Kuiper scored 23 runs, while Jonty Rhodes and Andrew Hudson added 22 runs each. For West Indies, Malcolm Marshall, Anderson Cummins and Curtly Ambrose took 2 wickets each.

West Indies struggled while chasing 201 runs and were all out for 136 in 38.4 overs. Gus Logie scored 61 runs with 9 fours and 1 six and Desmond Haynes added 30 runs, but the rest of the batting failed. Brian Lara scored 9 runs and captain Richie Richardson was out for 1. Fast bowler Meyrick Pringle led South Africa’s bowling with 4 wickets for just 11 runs in 8 overs, including 4 maidens. Richard Snell and Adrian Kuiper took 2 wickets each. South Africa won the match by 64 runs.

On This Day - March 5, 2014 - Ryan Harris Bowls Australia to Series Victory

Australia defeated South Africa by 245 runs in the third Test at Newlands in Cape Town during the 2014 series. Australia scored 494/7 in their first innings and declared their second innings at 303/5. In reply, South Africa made 287 in the first innings and 265 in the second innings. David Warner was named both Player of the Match and Player of the Series for his strong performances with the bat.

On the final day fast bowler Ryan Harris delivered a memorable spell despite serious knee pain. With only a few overs left and South Africa close to saving the match, captain Michael Clarke trusted Harris with the ball. Harris bowled with great determination and dismissed Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel very quickly to end South Africa’s innings at 265. His effort helped Australia win the match and secure the series 2-1. This performance is still remembered as one of the most excellent bowling efforts in Test cricket.

On This Day - March 5, 2015 - Bangladesh Achieves Highest Successful Run Chase

Bangladesh defeated Scotland in a World Cup match at Nelson, New Zealand. Scotland batted first and scored 318 runs for 8 wickets, setting a target of 319 for Bangladesh. Opener Kyle Coetzer was the star of the innings with a record 156 runs. It was the highest individual score by an associate nation player in World Cup history at that time. His innings helped Scotland post one of their highest totals in ODI cricket.

Bangladesh chased the target successfully with 11 balls remaining and won the match by 6 wickets. It became Bangladesh’s highest successful run chase in ODI history and the second-highest successful chase in World Cup history at that time. Tamim Iqbal scored 95 runs off 100 balls and added 139 runs with Mahmudullah, who made 62. Mushfiqur Rahim then scored a quick 60 runs off 42 balls. In the end, Shakib Al Hasan remained unbeaten on 52 and Sabbir Rahman scored 42 to guide Bangladesh to a memorable victory.

On This Day - March 5, 2020 - India Women Reach First T20 World Cup Final After Washout

India Women created history on this day in 2020 when they reached their first ICC Women’s T20 World Cup final. The semi-final against England at the Sydney Cricket Ground was abandoned without a ball being bowled because of continuous rain. Since India had finished first in Group A, ICC rules allowed them to advance to the final when the match was washed out. As a result, India qualified for the Women’s T20 World Cup final for the first time.

India had an excellent run in the group stage, winning all four matches in Pool A against Australia, Bangladesh, New Zealand and Sri Lanka. However, in the final on 8 March 2020 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia scored 184/4 and India were all out for 99. Australia won the match by 85 runs and lifted their fifth T20 World Cup title. Despite the loss, India reaching the final for the first time was a historic moment for women’s cricket in the country.