1985: Masterly blasting from Viv Richards, who smote 80 off only 39 balls to take West Indies to a comfortable eight-wicket win over Pakistan in the first match of the Wills Series, in Gujranwala. One over from Abdul Qadir went for 24, and it was the start of a run of six fifties in eight ODI innings for Richards. Pakistan’s 218 for 5 off 40 overs seemed to be competitive, but Richards’ brutal assault pushed West Indies home with 27 deliveries to spare.
2002: The Nuggets set the record for fewest points in the 1st quarter with 3, in a 68-99 loss to the Spurs.
2014: The cricket world received a terrible jolt when Phillip Hughes died at the age of 25 after being struck by a bouncer on the side of his head, below the helmet. Playing a Shield game in Sydney, Hughes was hit when he missed an attempted hook, causing a cerebral haemorrhage. He underwent surgery after being rushed to hospital from the SCG but did not regain consciousness. His hometown, Macksville, came to a standstill for his funeral on December 3, which was attended by cricketers of every stripe, and dignitaries including the Australian prime minister Tony Abbott.
2016: German Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg clinches his only F1 World Driver’s Championship with victory in season ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix; wins title by 5 points from teammate Lewis Hamilton
2017: R Ashwin became the fastest bowler to 300 Test wickets, in his 54th match, which was also India’s joint-biggest win and Sri Lanka’s biggest defeat. After a close draw in Kolkata, India and Sri Lanka met on yet another grass-covered pitch, in Nagpur. Sri Lanka were bowled out for 205 on day one after which India piled for 610 for 6 – with centuries by M Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma, and a double for Virat Kohli.