THIS WEEK THAT AGE

For the week December 21 to 27

1920: Australia defeat England by 377 runs in the first Test at Sydney to go one up in the five-match series. Warwick Armstrong scores a hundred in his first match as captain and leads Australia to the first of eight successive victories. Wilfred Rhodes becomes the first to score 2000 runs and take 100 wickets in Test cricket.

1924: Australia defeat England by 193 runs in the first Test at Sydney to go one up in the five-match series. The match marks the start of the famous association between Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe against Australia and they begin with opening partnerships of 157 and 110.

1936: England defeat Australia by an innings and 22 runs in the second Test at Sydney to go two up in the five-match series. Don Bradman is dismissed first ball for his second duck in successive Test innings.

1948: On the opening day of the second Test between England and South Africa at Johannesburg Len Hutton (158) and Cyril Washbook (195) set a world Test record by being associated in a partnership of 359 runs for the first wicket.

1950: Australia defeat England by 28 runs in the second Test at Melbourne to go two up in the five-match series. The match includes the unusual feature of a two day interlude for Sunday and Christmas Day.

1951: In three days West Indies defeat Australia by six wickets in the third Test at Adelaide to cut Australia’s lead in the five-match series to 2-1. Twenty two wickets fall for 207 runs on the first day on a rain-affected pitch, Australia being dismissed for their lowest total (82) against West Indies until 1984-85. Australia’s second post-war defeat in 29 matches is completed midway through the first Christmas Day of Test cricket.

1954: Frank Tyson with match figures of ten for 130 bowls England to a 38-run victory over Australia in the second Test at Sydney as the visitors level the five-match series 1-1.

1959: India score a surprise 119-run victory over Australia in the second Test at Kanpur to draw level 1-1 in the five-match series. Jasu Patel’s innings figures of nine for 69 and match figures of 14 for 124 are the best by an Indian in Test cricket. This is India’s first victory in ten Tests against Australia.

1972: England defeat India by six wickets in the first Test at New Delhi to go one up in the five-match series. Tony Lewis makes his Test debut and leads England to victory in his first Test as captain. Bishen Bedi takes his 100th wicket in his 28th match. BS Chandrasekhar (8 for 79) achieves the best innings analysis of his 58-match career.

1977: Australia defeat India by two wickets in the second Test at Perth to go two up in the five-match series. Bishen Bedi becomes the first Indian to take ten wickets in a Test in Australia. Anthony Mann is the second player to score a hundred in a Test match as a night watchman.’

1981: On the opening day of the third Test at New Delhi between India and England Geoff Boycott passes Gary Sobers world Test record of 8032 runs and goes on to become the 13th batsman to score 40,000 runs in first class cricket.

1984: The fourth Test between West Indies and Australia at Melbourne is drawn and this ends the visitors’ record run of eleven successive victories. They also set a world record by avoiding defeat for the 27th consecutive match.