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Clarrie Grimmett: a bagful of birthday wickets at Christmas © Getty Images
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1891
An unlikely cricketing giant was born. Small, bald and wizened, known as The Gnome, Clarrie Grimmett didn't play Test cricket till he was 33, but went on to become the first bowler to take 200 Test wickets, the last 44 (which matched his age) in the 1935-36 series in South Africa. His legspin partnership with Bill O'Reilly was the greatest of all time, and he often celebrated his Christmas birthday on the field of play, usually for South Australia v Queensland, taking six wickets in 1929, five in 1933, and setting up an innings win in 1939. South Australia were forever playing Queensland at Adelaide on Christmas Day at the time. They did so 24 times from 1926 to 1969.
1972
On his Test debut, Tony Lewis followed the nightmare start of a first-knock duck with a captain's innings of 70 not out that led his team to victory at Delhi, a series lead England couldn't hold.
1975
Birth of a batsman who made a superb start to his international career. From the moment he made his England debut in the NatWest Series in 2000, the Somerset left-hander Marcus Trescothick - who had been a prolific schoolboy batsman, then took some time to show that form in county cricket - established himself as a key player in both forms of the game. But the pressures of the international game and the endless touring took its toll and he twice left tours early and by 2007 it seemed unlikely that he would again play for England.
1984
Birth of another left-hand England opener, Alastair Cook, who exploded into Test cricket, aged 20 with 60 and 104 against India in 2006. A stylish batsman with a simple approach to batting, he hit back-to-back hundreds against Pakistan in 2006 cemented his England place. His hundred against Sri Lanka in 2007 meant by his 23rd birthday he had scored seven Test hundreds.
1978
The international career of Glamorgan and England fast bowler Simon Jones, who was born today, seemed over before it began when he suffered a horrific knee injury on the opening day of his debut at Brisbane in November 2002. But he battled back to form a vital part of England's seam attack in the 2005 Ashes. He claimed 18 wickets at 21 in the series, and was named as one of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Year. Injury problems returned, and he has played little since that series.
1940
No Christmas cheer for Grimmett's famous skipper, who controversially left him out of the 1938 trip to England. Playing for South Australia v Victoria at Adelaide, Don Bradman was out first ball. Any other words fail us.
1951
In the first Christmas Day's play in Test cricket, West Indies completed a three-day win at Adelaide, their only success in a series they eventually lost 4-1.
1957
A record-breaking partner was born. Playing for Karachi Whites v Quetta at Karachi in 1976-77, Mansoor Akhtar scored 224 in an unbroken stand of 561 with Waheed Mirza (324). Their opening partnership, still the highest in first-class cricket, was a hammer cracking a nut: Quetta made only 104 and 163 and lost by the little matter of an innings and 294.
1997
The one-day international between India and Sri Lanka at Indore was the first international match to be called off because of an unsafe pitch. Sri Lanka chose to bat but appealed to the umpires as early as the third over, to the annoyance of Madhya Pradesh officials.
1884
The first Christmas Day's play in any first-class match: Hawkes Bay v Wellington at Napier.
Other birthdays
1872 Charlie Smith (South Africa)
1875 Walter Lees (England)
1900 Walter "Tich" Cornford (England)
1912 Donald McRae (New Zealand)
1943 Hedley Howarth (New Zealand)
1970 Azhar Saeed (UAE)
1970 Mohammad Ramzan (Pakistan)
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