#1968

8 incidents tagged

Colin Cowdrey's 100th Test — First Man to Play a Hundred Test Matches, December 1968

Pakistan vs England

1968-12-06

Colin Cowdrey of Kent became the first man in cricket history to play 100 Test matches when he appeared in England's first Test against Pakistan at Lahore in December 1968. Cowdrey was 35; his career had spanned 16 years, two continents and five different captains. His 100th cap was marked with a guard of honour from both teams and a telegram from the Queen.

#colin-cowdrey#100-tests#milestone

😂Moderate

Fred Titmus Loses Four Toes in a Motorboat — Barbados, January 1968

England touring party

1968-01-07

England off-spinner Fred Titmus lost four toes on his left foot on 7 January 1968 when his foot was caught in the propeller of a motorboat during a rest-day excursion in Barbados. He was immediately taken to hospital, operated on, and — in a feat of recuperation that stunned his team — was bowling again within a year, his spinning action apparently unchanged by the loss of the toes.

#fred-titmus#motorboat#accident

⭐Mild

Underwood's 7 for 50 on a Sticky Wicket — The Oval Saves the Ashes, August 1968

England vs Australia

1968-08-22

A thunderstorm drenched The Oval on the final afternoon of the last Ashes Test of 1968, leaving England needing 352 to win — or, in practice, to survive to a draw on an unplayable wet surface. Groundstaff worked desperately to mop up the outfield, and England supporters helped dry the covers. When play resumed with 75 minutes left, Derek Underwood bowled Australia out for 125 to win the match by 226 runs and level the series 1-1.

#derek-underwood#deadly-derek#the-oval

⭐Mild

Bill Lawry Becomes Australia's Captain — The Most Dour Leader in the Country's History, 1968

Australia cricket

1968-01-12

Bill Lawry of Victoria succeeded Bob Simpson as Australia's captain for the 1967-68 series against India, beginning a three-year leadership that produced consistent results but was criticised for excessive caution. His personal batting was as effective as ever — he scored 7,614 Test runs at 47.15 — but his captaincy was eventually ended by the Australian board in controversial circumstances during the 1970-71 Ashes.

#bill-lawry#australia#captain

⭐Mild

John Snow — England's New Fast Bowling Threat Emerges, 1968

England vs Australia

1968-06-01

John Snow of Sussex emerged in the 1968 Ashes as England's most genuinely fast bowler since Trueman's peak — a right-arm quick with a classical side-on action, real hostility and the ability to move the ball off the seam. He took 17 wickets in the 1968 series and 31 wickets in the 1970-71 Ashes, England's most famous series win in Australia in a generation.

#john-snow#fast-bowling#england

⭐Mild

Garry Sobers Hits Six Sixes off Malcolm Nash — Swansea, 31 August 1968

Glamorgan vs Nottinghamshire

1968-08-31

On 31 August 1968 at the St Helen's ground in Swansea, Nottinghamshire captain Garfield Sobers became the first batsman to strike six sixes in a single first-class over. The bowler was Glamorgan's Malcolm Nash, experimenting with slow left-arm round the wicket as Notts pushed for a declaration. A BBC Wales camera crew, on site for training, captured the fifth and sixth sixes — and Wilf Wooller's commentary — for posterity.

#garry sobers#malcolm nash#swansea

⭐Serious

Basil D'Oliveira's 158 at the Oval — August 1968

England vs Australia

1968-08-23

Recalled at the last minute when Roger Prideaux withdrew with pleurisy, Basil D'Oliveira made 158 against Australia at the Oval on 23 August 1968 in the fifth Test. England won by 226 runs to draw the series 1-1 and retain the Ashes. The innings would, within weeks, force the MCC selectors into the decision that triggered the D'Oliveira Affair and South Africa's expulsion from international cricket.

#basil d'oliveira#the oval#1968

⭐Mild

India's First Overseas Test Series Win — Dunedin, February 1968

New Zealand vs India

1968-02-20

On 20 February 1968 at Carisbrook, Dunedin, India beat New Zealand by five wickets to win their first overseas Test in 12 attempts. They went on to take the four-Test series 3-1 — India's first away series win in cricket history. Captain Pataudi played three spinners (Prasanna, Bedi and Nadkarni) on every ground and was rewarded with 22 wickets from Erapalli Prasanna alone.

#india#new zealand#1968