7th August – Four resilient cricketers celebrate their birthday
Four faces of the cricketing fraternity– Greg Chappell, Dominic Cork, Shahadat Hossain and Deepak Chahar celebrate their birthday today on 7th August.
The gritty Aussie
The first name in the list, Greg Chappell has had a controversial relationship with India. The Australian batsman, who represented Australia in 87 Tests and 74 ODIs, scored runs for his national side at an average of 53.86 and 40.18 respectively. He also held the world record for the most catches in Test cricket at the time of his retirement.
#HappyBirthday ??? Greg Chappell pic.twitter.com/5LPth7Yohy
— World Series Cup ??? ? ⚪ (@WSCupCricket) August 7, 2020
Post his retirement, Chappell donned the hat of a selector as well as a coach. However, the most controversial move of his coaching stint with India remains his decision to drop the then skipper Sourav Ganguly.
In his first overseas tour as the coach of the Indian side, Chappell asked Dada to step down from the captaincy, leading to an uproar in Indian media. His methods of coaching were questioned and many senior players weren’t happy with his performance. Chappell eventually parted ways with the team as he left the team as a ‘dark figure’ in the history of Indian cricket.
English all-rounder who wore his heart on his sleeve
Dominic Cork, also known as ‘Corky’, donned the England jersey in 37 Tests and 32 ODIs after breaking into the national side in 1995. Known for his swing and seam bowling, Cork took the best figures for an England bowler on Test debut, registering 7/43 in the second innings against the West Indies.
His first Test wicket came in the West Indies’ first innings when he dismissed Ian Bishop. Cork registered 131 Test scalps and 41 ODI scalps before bidding adieu to international cricket. His last expedition for England was in 2002 in an ODI against India.
Bangladesh’s pacer with a wonderful debut
The third player to celebrate his birthday on 7th August is Shahadat Hossain. After paving his way into the national side, the then coach Dav Whatmore had cited him as the fastest bowler in the team. He became the first Bangladeshi cricketer to have his name etched on the honours board at Lord’s by scalping 5/98 against England in 2010.
Hossain, in 2010, was a member of the Bangladesh squad that won the first gold in any event at the Asian Games. He has donned the national jersey in 38 Tests and 51 ODIs, scalping 70 and 47 wickets respectively. His last international appearance came against Sri Lanka in a One-day International.
The swing sensation
Happy birthday, Deepak Chahar
-Rejected by RCA Academy director Greg Chappell in 2008
-At 18, took 8/10 v Hyd on FC debut
-Part of back to back Ranji Trophy wins for Rajasthan
-1st Indian man to take T20I hat-trick
-Best bowling figures in men’s T20Is (6 for 7)@deepak_chahar9— Sarang Bhalerao (@bhaleraosarang) August 7, 2020
The fourth player in the list is a player of the modern era – Deepak Chahar. He had taken the world by storm by registering 6/7 figures against Bangladesh in 2019. Using his forte to swing the ball, Chahar was also one of the players to flourish under the leadership of MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings.
In his 2 years playing for CSK, the pacer has eventually become an integral part of their regular setup. So far, he has scalped 33 wickets in 34 matches for the Chennai franchise with best bowling figures of 3/15.
