September 20 down the years

A giant from Afghanistan

The birth of Afghanistan's first superstar cricketer

Rashid Khan: the first Afghan cricket superstar  •  Abu Dhabi Cricket

Rashid Khan: the first Afghan cricket superstar  •  Abu Dhabi Cricket

1998
Birth of a teenage titan. Legspinner Rashid Khan made his ODI debut for Afghanistan at 17, and three years into his career was among the most sought after bowlers in T20 cricket all around the world thanks to his quickish deliveries, stump-to-stump line, and accurate googly. Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL bought him for about US$600,000 in 2017, and Guyana Amazon Warriors and Adelaide Strikers are other teams he has served for, in addition to stints in the SA20, MLC, BPL and the Hundred. He has starred in national colours as well, among other things taking 7 for 18 in a win over West Indies in 2017. He was 19 when he first led his side in an ODI, and not yet 21 when he led in a Test for the first time - both world records. On his 20th birthday, he became Afghanistan's most prolific ODI bowler, when he followed up a 57 with two wickets in a big win against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup. In over 400 matches in his first nine years as a T20 globetrotter, Rashid took more than 550 wickets at the near superhuman economy rate of 6.45 an over.
1982
The first hat-trick in a one-day international. In Hyderabad in 1982-83, Jalal-ud-Din removed Rod Marsh, Bruce Yardley and Geoff Lawson with the last three balls of his seventh over. Pakistan restricted Australia to 170 for 9 and won by 59 runs. A right-arm seamer from Karachi, Jalal-ud-Din played only seven other one-dayers and six Tests.
1968
Birth of that gifted and prolific batter Ijaz Ahmed senior, whose 12 Test centuries were spread over 11 seasons. His highest score, 211, was made against Sri Lanka in Dhaka in 1998-99, when his unbroken partnership of 352 with Inzamam-ul-Haq set up an innings win that gave Pakistan the inaugural Asian Test Championship. In the same season, Ijaz averaged 140 in the Test series against Australia, which was completely in character. It's a sign of his value that six of his hundreds were scored against the Australians, including three away from home, the last of them in Perth in 1999-2000. He also hit 141 against England at Headingley in 1996 and 151 against West Indies in Karachi in 1997-98.
1963
Birth of the first Hindu to play Test cricket for Pakistan. Anil Dalpat, the first cousin of Danish Kaneria, was one of several wicketkeepers given a chance after the retirement of Wasim Bari. On his debut, against England in Karachi in 1983-84, Dalpat kept well to the spin of Abdul Qadir as Pakistan won by three wickets. In his nine Tests he made 25 dismissals and had a highest score of 52 against New Zealand in Karachi in 1984-85.
1951
Birth of New Zealand slow left-armer Stephen Boock, whose first Test was also the first in which New Zealand beat England, at the 48th attempt. That win, in Wellington in 1977-78, was achieved on a seamer's pitch, but even then Boock's figures were typically economical: 1 for 21 in ten overs. Later in the series he took 5 for 67 in Auckland. When England scored 429 at Trent Bridge the following summer, Boock turned in eye-catching figures of 2 for 29 in 28 overs, 18 of which were maidens. Among his 74 Test wickets were best figures of 7 for 87 against Pakistan in Hyderabad in 1984-85.
2018
Shahbaz Nadeem took 8 for 10 for Jharkhand against Rajasthan in the Vijay Hazare Trophy to set a new record for the most wickets in a List A innings. Nadeem bowled five batters, took two caught and bowleds, and had one lbw, following which his side polished off the target of 74 in under 15 overs.
1988
The use of three spinners paid off for Pakistan in the opening Test against Australia in Karachi. Abdul Qadir, Iqbal Qasim and Tauseef Ahmed bowled Australia out for 116 to go with their 165 in the first innings. The three slow bowlers took 17 wickets between them to win the match by an innings and 188 runs. Draws in the next two Tests gave Pakistan the series 1-0.
1861
One of the least successful Test batters of all time is born. There isn't much doubt that Walter Giffen was only picked for Australia's tour of England in 1893 because his famous brother George twisted a few arms. That wasn't the part of Walter's body the Australian selectors had in mind after a Test career that yielded scores of 2, 0, 1, 3, 3 and 2. Poor Walter might have done better if he hadn't lost the tops of two fingers in 1886. He died in 1949.
1998
In a Sahara Cup one-dayer in Toronto, Mohammad Azharuddin hit 101 in 111 balls - but Aamer Sohail was Man of the Match for his 97, which made sure Pakistan won the game by five wickets and the series 4-1. Appropriate revenge for Pakistan, who had lost the same fixture exactly a year earlier.
1987
Birth of Zimbabwe wicketkeeper Regis Chakabva. He made his international debut in a T20 against Pakistan at King City in 2008 and his Test debut followed three years later, against New Zealand. The turning point of his career came at the end of 2013, when in a Logan Cup match against Mid West Rhinos, he cruised to an almost chanceless 240 - his first double-hundred. He made his maiden Test century against Bangladesh in 2014. Chakabva's ODI career sported a large gap of nearly four years after 2015, during which he was not in the side, but when he returned he was a much improved batter, averaging 30 against 22 previously. His first ODI hundred too came against Bangladesh, in a 2022 home series Zimbabwe won. That year he served for a while as Zimbabwe's white-ball captain, including in an ODI where they memorably beat Australia in Townsville.
Other birthdays
1921 Pananmal Punjabi (India)
1942 Rajinder Goel (India)
1944 Ramesh Saxena (India)
1954 John Valentine (Canada)
1967 Clare Nicholson (New Zealand)
1970 Charmaine Mason (Australia)
1972 Rudi van Vuuren (Namibia)
1973 Naveed Nawaz (Sri Lanka)
1996 Jhye Richardson (Australia)