This day in history: 21st September

Chris Gayle turns 34 today

Cricket

1902 - The birthday of West Indies all-rounder, Learie Constantine. Born in Trinidad he went on to play 18 Test matches for West Indies. A hard-hitting batsman, a bowler, who in his prime, was capable of fearsome pace, and a wonderful fielder. His Test record was modest – he averaged 19.24 with the bat and 30.10 with the ball but, statistics do not tell the full story. He guided Nelson, a local county team to an unprecedented eight Lancashire League titles in 10 years. Constantine was more than just a cricketer: he wrote books; he became an MP; and even served as High Commissioner for Trinidad to England. He was awarded the MBE, and knighted in 1962.

1963 – One of the greatest fast bowlers of his era, Curtly Ambrose, was born. Ambrose, who mad his debut in 1988 against Pakistan, was the one of the mainstays of West Indies bowling in ’90s. In 98 Test matches he picked 405 wickets at an average of 20.99, he was the creator of some of Test cricket’s most devastating spells. His 8 for 45 against England in Bridgetown in 1990 is considered as perhaps the best spell of fast bowling ever seen.

1979 - The birthday of swashbuckling Jamaican opener Chris Gayle, who emerged as one of the best openers of his era in limited overs cricket. Tall and imposing at the crease, Gayle has played 97 Test matches for West Indies scoring 6893 runs at an avergae of 42.45. Among Gayle’s many batting exploits, his triple-century against South Africa in the Antigua Test of 2005 will be remembered as the best. He also holds the record of smashing the first century in the T20 internationals when he made a hundred against South Africa in the opening game of the inaugural World Twenty20 in Johannesburg. His 66-ball 175 in the IPL last season is the fastest T20 hundred.

Football

1979 – Irish footballer, Richard Dunne, was born. Currently plying his trade with Queens Park Rangers, he represented EPL teams like Everton, Manchester City and Aston Villa.

2010 – Former World Cup referee Byron Moreno was arrested in New York with ten pounds of heroin in his underwear. Moreno had already become infamous for his performance at the 2002 World Cup when he refereed the Round of 16 meeting between Italy and South Korea due to several controversial decisions. The Koreans won the match. Italy star Francesco Totti and manager Giovanni Trapattoni claimed that FIFA had rigged the match to ensure that South Korea reached the quarterfinals as a reward for co-hosting the tournament.

Although FIFA denied any impropriety and took no action against Moreno. Then, in 2010, after arriving at New York Airport from Ecuador, he was arrested when authorities found several bags of heroin stuffed down his pants. He pleaded guilty to smuggling charges and received a prison sentence of two and a half years.

Baseball

1956 – Yanks set dubious record, stranding 20 men on base Mantle hits a 500′ plus homer but Red Sox win 13-9 in Fenway.

2008 - The New York Yankees played their last game at Yankee Stadium. The new Yankee Stadium opened across the street in 2009.

Boxing

1955 - Rocky Marciano KOs Archie Moore in 9 rounds to claim Heavyweight Boxing title.

1985 – Michael Spinks beats Larry Holmes in 15 rounds to become Heavyweight Boxing Champion.

1988 – Mike Tyson smashes TV camera outside his Bernardsville, New Jersey, home.

Do check out the rest of the ‘This day in history‘ series.