On This Day - May 16

The day of 16th May in Cricket has seen some unforgettable and shocking moments in history. The biggest shock came in 2013 when Rajasthan Royals players Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila, and Ankeet Chavan were arrested for spot-fixing, shaking the IPL. Soon after, CSK official Gurunath Meiyappan was also arrested for betting. In 1956, Jim Laker took 10 wickets for Surrey against Australia while England lifted their first ICC title on this day in 2010, winning the T20 World Cup. Let’s take a look at all the moments.

On This Day - May 16, 1936 - Don Bradman Starts the England Tour With a Double Century

Termed as the greatest player to play the game, Don Bradman began Australia's tour of England in 1938 with an incredible run of form. One of his finest knocks came at Lord’s against the Marylebone Cricket Club, where he scored a brilliant 278 runs in just 349 minutes. His innings was filled with pure class, including 35 boundaries and a six.

(Don Bradman during the 1938 England Tour)

Before the official Test matches even began, Bradman had already piled up huge scores like 258, 58, 137, and 143, showing his consistency and dominance. Even in low-scoring innings like 2 or 5, he bounced back strongly. Once the Test series started, Bradman continued to shine and scored 434 runs at an average of 108, underlining why he was feared by every bowling attack in the world.

On This Day - May 16, 1956 - Jim Laker Takes 10 Wickets in an Innings

The first 10 wicket haul in an innings came on the turning pitch at The Oval when Jim Laker stunned the touring Australians while playing for Surrey. He took all 10 wickets in that innings, finishing with figures of 10 for 88. His spin partner Tony Lock toiled hard but remained wicketless, conceding 100 runs. The pitch offered so much help to spinners that fast bowler Ray Lindwall bowled just 2 of the 133 overs.

(Jim Laker, the Man who took 10 wickets in an innings)

Later that summer, Laker repeated his heroics in the fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford, taking 19 wickets in the match – 9 in the first innings and a perfect 10 in the second, creating history. Tony Lock, again overshadowed, managed just one wicket across both innings. Interestingly, Lock also had his moment that summer, taking all 10 wickets in a match against Kent. However, Laker wasn’t playing in that game. Laker’s achievements remain legendary in cricket history.

On This Day - 16 May 1976 - The Birth of Dirk Nannes

The Australia legend who even played for Netherlands, Dirk Nannes, had an extraordinary cricket journey marked by versatility and late blooming. Born on May 16, 1976, in Melbourne, Nannes was originally a world-class skier before turning seriously to cricket at 29. A left-arm fast bowler known for his pace and swing, he quickly made his mark in domestic and international cricket. He played 17 T20 internationals, taking 28 wickets at an impressive average of 16.39, and featured in one ODI for Australia.

(Dirk Nannes played for Australia in the 2010 T20 World Cup)

Despite limited first-class experience with just 23 matches, he claimed 93 wickets at an average of 25.02, showing his effectiveness in longer formats too. Nannes was a T20 specialist, appearing in 215 matches and taking 257 wickets with a best of 5 for 31. He represented multiple teams worldwide including Australia, Netherlands, Delhi Daredevils, Middlesex, and Royal Challengers Bangalore. Beyond cricket, Nannes is also known for his unique skills such as speaking Japanese and running a ski-travel business.

On This Day - 16th May 1953 - Surrey Finishes the Two Innings of Warwickshire in 145 Minutes

When the most unthinkable thing happened as Surrey bowled out Warwickshire twice in a single day at The Oval in 1953, it left cricket fans stunned. Warwickshire were dismissed for just 45 runs in their first innings, with Alec Bedser delivering a devastating spell of 8 wickets for 18 runs. Ten Warwickshire batsmen recorded ducks across both innings, highlighting their struggle against Surrey’s bowling attack.

(Surrey vs Warwickshire in 1953)

Bedser continued his brilliance in the second innings, taking 4 more wickets for just 17 runs, while Jim Laker took a hat-trick and finished with 5 wickets. Warwickshire’s second innings lasted only 52 runs before being bowled out, leading to a crushing innings and 49 runs defeat and despite rain delaying the start of play, Surrey dominated relentlessly, completing the match in just one day.

On This Day - 16 May 2010 - England Lifts their Maiden T20 World Cup

For the England team, the major event which happened on May 16, 2010, was winning their first ICC T20 World Cup title. After several attempts and near misses in past World Cups, England finally broke their jinx by beating Australia in the final at the Kensington Oval, Barbados as England chose to field first, and Ryan Sidebottom made an early impact by taking key wickets, including Shane Watson and Brad Haddin, helping to restrict Australia to 147 runs for 6 wickets.

(England defeated Australia in the 2010 T20 World Cup Finals)

In reply, Kevin Pietersen and Craig Kieswetter built a strong 111-run partnership, with Kieswetter scoring a crucial 63 runs. Despite losing Pietersen and Kieswetter, Paul Collingwood and Eoin Morgan comfortably finished the chase in 17 overs, with 7 wickets to spare and England had a tough start in the group stages but improved in the Super Eight and knockout rounds, winning every match.

On This Day - 16 May 2013 - IPL Gets its First Match Fixing Incident

The 16th of May 2013 was a dark day for the IPL because of a big match-fixing scandal. Three bowlers from Rajasthan Royals—Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan, and Ajit Chandila—were arrested for working with gamblers to fix matches. Shortly after, Gurunath Meyiappan, who was the team boss of Chennai Super Kings and related to the head of the BCCI, was also arrested for cheating and fraud.

(Rajasthan Players who were involved in Match Fixing)

Many people wanted the BCCI president, N Srinivasan, to quit, but he did not. Instead, some other important officials stepped down. Later, Srinivasan agreed to temporarily leave his position and the police then said that Raj Kundra, the owner of Rajasthan Royals, had admitted to betting on IPL games.