1960: A lucky charm is born in Antigua. Eldine Baptiste played ten Tests over seven years – and West Indies won the lot. It’s ironic that Baptiste has such an unblemished record, because he hardly set the world alight. He was a useful bowling all-rounder who wielded the willow with a typical Caribbean flourish, particularly when he walloped 87 at Edgbaston in 1984. He could field too: that summer he famously ran out Geoff Miller at Lord’s, knocking his middle stump out of the ground from 80 yards away.
1982: Less than seven years after the birth of Marlon Black, with whom he would later share a Test new ball, Courtney Walsh made his first-class debut. It was for Jamaica against the Leeward Islands in Kingston. His start wasn’t too great – 10-2-52-0 – but from there Walsh soon found his range: in his next three innings he took 1 for 16, 4 for 119 and 6 for 95.
1985: Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics scored 60 points in a 126-115 win over the Atlanta Hawks.
1987: David Robinson scores 50 points in a NCAA basketball game.
2006: The most exhilarating one-day international of all time, in Johannesburg. Ricky Ponting made 164 from 105 balls as Australia rattled up the small matter of 434 for 4 – the first 400-plus total in the history of the game. And yet they lost by one wicket with one ball to spare, after Herschelle Gibbs led the charge with 175 from 111 balls. In all, 87 fours and 26 sixes were struck on the day – both records. Australia’s Mick Lewis returned figures of 10-0-113-0, the worst in ODI history. The win gave South Africa the series 3-2.
2013: Dwight Howard ties a record for most free throw attempts in a game with 39, in a win over the Magic.
2020: NHL announces the pausing of the 2019-20 season due to the Covid-19 pandemic; Commissioner Gary Bettman hopeful the postponement would not affect the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
2020: NCAA men’s basketball tournament is cancelled over concerns of the spread of Covid-19; first time ‘March Madness’ not held since it began in 1939; women’s tournament also cancelled.