Great Cricketers

Nasser Hussain
Vivian Richards
Farokh Engineer
Gundappa Viswanath
Glenn McGrath
Andy Roberts
Rahul Dravid
Kapildev Nikhanj
Syed Kirmani
Doug Walters
Fergie Gupte
Imran Khan Niazi
Adam Craig Gilchrist
VVS Laxman
Geoff Boycott
Anil Kumble
Richie Benaud
Shane Keith Warne
Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji
Sir Donald George Bradman
Dilip Narayan Sardesai
Frank Mortimer Maglinne Worrell
Garfield St. Aubrun Sobers
Dennis Keith Lillee
Sir Len
Dilip Balwant Vengsarkar
Stephen Rodger Waugh
Bhagwat Subramaniam Chandrasekhar
Sanjay Vijay Manjrekar
Lala Amarnath
Mulvantrai Himatlal 'Vinoo' Mankad
Sandeep Madhusudan Patil
Sanath Jayasuriya
Ajit Laxman Wadekar
Pahelam Ratanji Umrigar
Sunil Gavaskar
Alan Knott
Godfrey Evans
Jeffrey Thomson
Mohinder Amarnath
Clive Lloyd
Javagal Srinath
Stanley McCabe
Sourav Ganguly
Sachin Tendulkar

Fred Spofforth & the Ashes

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Australia had beaten England in the first ever Test match played at Melbourne in 1877. A series of test matches were played in the interim. However, when Australia beat England at The Oval in 1882, it was regarded as a national disaster in England. A mock obituary appeared in the Sporting Times the next day.




It read:

In affectionate remembrance of English Cricket Which died at the Oval on 29th August, 1882, Deeply lamented by the large circle of sorrowing friends and acquaintances R.I.P. N.B.- The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia

In this match, England had been set 85 runs to win, but a superb spell of fast bowling from Fred Spofforth 'The Demon Bowler' left them groping by seven runs. He had captured 14 wickets for 90 runs in the match.

The following winter, England won the Test series in Australia. At a dinner before the England team's departure, skipper Ivo Bligh had promised to bring back the 'ashes of English cricket'. After the decider, some ladies burnt a stump, sealed its ashes in an urn and presented it to the England skipper. Thus began the great tradition of 'the Ashes'. The urn stands in the Memorial Gallery at Lord's, even if Australia wins them.

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last updated on: 5/16/2021