CRICKET WORLD

Yuvraj Singh takes England to the cleaners, Curtly Ambrose annihilates Mike Atherton's posse, Allan Border calls it quits and more in our trip down memory lane...

March 29

1994
England's pursuit of a mere 194-run target across a day and then some gets off to an awful start as Windies pace ace Curtly Ambrose cleans up the tourists with a lethal spell described as a 'rampage on springs' by the Wisden Almanack. Port of Spain witness in awe the epitome of Test match fast bowling as Mike Atherton, Alec Stewart and languid company crumble to awesome Ambrose, who leaves the hosts circling the drain at 40 for eight at stumps on day for of Trinidad's third Test. With Ambrose content with his fat haul, new-ball partner Courtney Walsh mops up the rest the next day to leave Atherton's team all out for 46 in 19.1 overs.

1994
While Ambrose furthers his career in Trinidad, the legendary Allan Border ends his on the opposite side of the equator in Durban. Weighing in with a match-saving 42 not out in Kingsmead's final Test, the Australian skipper announces his retirement from the game, taking with him a string of records - most caps, most runs, most appearances at the helm - as yet unsurpassed by current captain Ricky Ponting.

2004
Surpassing fellow Indians Sunil Gavaskar's 236, Sachin Tendulkar's 241 not out and VVS Laxman's 281 in the process, hard-hitting opener Virender Sehwag smashes his first Test triple-ton, reaching the massive landmark with a six heaved over midwicket off Pakistan spinner Saqlain Mushtaq in Multan.

March 30

1998
En route to a series-clinching 82 runs off 64 balls against Sri Lanka in Centurion's third and final Test, Proteas middle-order man Hansie Cronje spanks Muttiah Muralitharan for three consecutive sixes.

1999
Well before his near unbelievable 400 not out against England and five years after his landmark 375 against the same opposition, West Indian star Brian Lara amasses a score of inferior proportion but superior importance, squeezing out a a standalone, unbeaten 153 as the hosts pull off a famous one-wicket win over world-beaters Australia in Barbados.

2001
Black Caps big-hitter Craig McMillan smearing 26 runs across one hapless Younis Khan over is the cherry on the top of an utterly useless showing by Pakistan, who lose by an innings and 185 runs in Hamilton.

2004
A crucial partnership between pending retiree Gary Kirsten and future captain Graeme Smith carry South Africa the bulk of the way to their 234-run target in Wellington's final Test, affording the tourists a series-squaring win with the New Zealanders.

March 31

1978
With Kerry Packer's unsanctioned World Series having accrued the bulk of their best players, the West Indies are forced to field a losing Test XI against the Aussies, handing Sylvester Clarke, David Murray, Basil Williams, Alvin Greenidge, Norbert Phillip and Sew Shivnarine defeated debuts.

1995
With Craig McDermott sidelined due to injury and new-look new-ball pair Paul Reiffel and Brendon Julian left play second fiddle Glenn McGrath, 'Pigeon' shows his first glimpses of greatness with a Bridgetown five-for, including the prized scalp of Brian Lara.

1997
Not quite as dramatic as Ambrose's 1994 assault but equally as important, the Windies pace attack combine to skittle India for 81, who fall awkwardly short of a modest 120-run target in Barbados's third Test.

2001
Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar surpasses 10,000 ODI runs on his way to his 28th century against the Aussies in Indore. For the record: 'The Little Maestro' has since gone on to score 17,500-plus runs across 442(!) one-dayers.

April 1

1933
Picking up where he left off with 227 in the series opener, Wally Hammond fills his boots some more with 336 not out against a hapless Kiwi XI in Auckland's second Test as the prolific Englishman finishes with a bloated series average of 563.

1948
Gubby Allen (now deceased) leads England to another defeat in Kingston's fourth Test to sign off a tour that didn't bring a single first-class win for the unhappy tourists.

April 2

1996
Singapore host their first ever ODI, with a scorching ton from Sri Lanka's Sanath Jayasuriya marking the occasion. 'The Master Blaster' cranks his way to three figures off just 48 deliveries, eventually finishing with 134 off 65 balls in an easy win over Pakistan. 11 fours and 11 sixes - four of 'em consecutively - quickly prompts a rethink at the short length of the Padang ground's boundaries.

1997
In an ODI that saw Mark Waugh cop a painful hand injury, Mark Taylor relinquish the limited-overs captain and recently-suspended Ian Healy take over, South African hero Jonty Rhodes outshines his Australian counterparts with a typically workmanlike 82 runs off 104 balls as the Proteas claim a series lead at Newlands.

April 3

1971
A match organised to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Republic of South Africa's formation quickly turns unsavoury. A stand against racism sees the opposing domestic outfits leave the field in protest against the government, who had halted the selection of two players of colour for 1971-2 tour Down Under. "We cricketers feel the time has come for an expression of our views," read a statement, leaving Minister of Sport Frank Waring to quash it as "merely a gesture."

2000
New Zealand fast bowler Daryl Tuffey ends his endurance of a disappointing debut, finishing with match figures of nought for 127 across 20 torrid overs against the Aussies in Hamilton's third Test.

2006
Centurion Yuvraj Singh and sidekick Suresh Raina show that India's limited-overs batting resources lay deeper than Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, orchestrating a hefty 142-run stand across just 20 overs against the English in Margaon.

April 4

1930
England batsman Andrew Sandham becomes the first player to rack up a Test triple-ton, doing so against the Windies in Kingston. For the record: world cricket has since witnessed 21 more triple-centuries and a solitary quadruple-ton.

1999
Striding to the crease on the back of his 213 in Jamaica and 153 not out in Barbados, Brian Lara's 82-ball century fails to do the trick for the Windies this time around, as the Aussies and hosts square the Test series at two wins apiece, leaving the former to retain the Frank Worrell Trophy.

2006
Australia whitewash South Africa in South Africa, with Brett Lee's tail-end heroics with Michael Kasprowicz paving the way to triumph. Lee bags his second Man of the Match award on the trot and announces his engagement to boot.