On This Day In Cricket - December 11

11 December has achieved many great achievements in cricket. On this day, the WACA hosted its first Test, teenage Sachin Tendulkar made his mark with his first maiden century in first-class cricket, one of England's most defensive batsmen scored his only ODI century and a swing bowler was born who later became a New Zealand legend. Let's take a look at the events that make December 11 a special day in cricket history.

On This Day - December 11, 1988 - Tim Southee Born

The future swing bowling star Tim Southee was born on this day in 1988 in Whangarei, New Zealand. He grew up playing cricket on a cattle farm and got the opportunity to debut for New Zealand in 2008. He quickly started making an impact with his performance from the first match and scored 77 off 40 balls. Not just this, Southee also took five wickets and became the sixth New Zealander to take a five-wicket haul on Test debut. His ability to swing the ball both ways quickly made him the ideal new ball partner for Trent Boult.

Southee's career has been marked by many memorable moments, especially when he has devastated batting lineups on the big stage. In 2012, he achieved something no New Zealand bowler had done before in India by taking 7 wickets for just 64 runs in the Bangalore Test. His best ODI performance came in the 2015 World Cup when he took 7 wickets for 33 runs against England and led his team to a glorious victory. His best Test performances included 10 wickets for 108 runs against England at Lord's in 2013 and a match-winning 9 wickets for 110 runs against India in Wellington in 2020. Southee assumed the Test captaincy in 2022 and retired from International cricket in December 2024. His name is at the top of the list of Most wickets taken caught in T20Is.

On This Day - December 11, 1988 - Sachin Tendulkar’s Maiden First‑Class Century

A 15-year-old schoolboy named Sachin Tendulkar made his first-class debut for Bombay against Gujarat in a Ranji Trophy match at the Wankhede Stadium. Bombay's top order batsman Lalchand Rajput scored 99 and Alan Sippy scored 127 to provide good support to the team. But the crowd was eagerly awaiting this famous teenager. Tendulkar came to bat at number 4 and showed a calmness beyond his years on the crease. He overcame his initial nervousness to hit drives and cuts and scored an unbeaten 100 in Bombay's total of 394. Tendulkar became the youngest Indian to score a century on his first-class debut after this brilliant innings.

Tendulkar's century marked the beginning of his fairytale career. A teenager from Mumbai announced his entry into Indian cricket and made his Test debut just 11 months after this innings. His ability to score big runs quickly became popular and later people started calling him the God of Cricket.

On This Day - December 11, 1987 - Carl Hooper’s Test Debut

West Indies arrived in Mumbai for the second Test against India to strengthen their batting. Off-spinner Roger Harper was ruled out of this match, so the selectors included off-spinner Clyde Butts in the squad along with uncapped Guyanese all-rounder Carl Hooper. Hooper was a 20-year-old all-rounder who was known more for his brilliant batting than his bowling skills. He came in at number 5 at the Wankhede Stadium and showed his class. He scored 37 runs in 57 balls, but was dismissed LBW by Kapil Dev when West Indies were 210 for 5. His contribution along with Richie Richardson's 89 and Desmond Haynes' 58 runs gave West Indies a 56-run lead in the first innings.

Heavy rain limited play on the final two days later resulting in a draw and Hooper's impressive debut became a disappointing memory. He played 102 Tests for West Indies and scored a total of 5762 runs with 13 centuries and a highest of 233. He became one of the most elegant performers of his generation.

On This Day - December 11, 1970 - WACA Ground Hosts First Test

Perth's WACA Ground was built in 1893, but it hosted its first Test match in 1970. The second Ashes Test between Australia and England began on this date, where Australia showed the world WACA's fast and bouncy pitch. England batters dominated the crease from the start with opener Brian Luckhurst scoring 131 and Geoff Boycott 70 runs. England's right-arm fast medium bowler Peter Lever debuted in this match and Australia's top-order batter Greg Chappell debuted on the opposing side. Ian Redpath scored a marathon with 171 and Chappell added 108 runs in the first innings of Australia. The match ended in a high-scoring draw, but it showed the WACA's pace and bounce, where 15,840 people gathered to watch this match live.

Later observers said that Chappell's century in his debut match marked the beginning of his illustrious career and players such as Luckhurst, Redpath and John Edrich also scored centuries on the ground's first Test match. The WACA went on to host many memorable Ashes matches, yet its first Test marked the beginning of exciting and high-scoring cricket in Perth.

On This Day - December 11, 2004 - Sachin Equals Gavaskar’s World Record

Sachin Tendulkar was still setting new records for India after sixteen years of his first-class debut. In the first Test against Bangladesh at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka, Sachin came to bat on the second day for India's 1st innings batting and scored an unbeaten 159 runs at the end of the day. He equalled Sunil Gavaskar’s world record for most Test centuries with his 34th century.

Sachin did not stop there, but scored an unbeaten 248 runs off 379 balls, which included 35 fours. India reached a total of 526 in the first innings total and Bangladesh were bowled out for 184 in their first innings and then 202 in the second. India won by an innings and 140 runs. Irfan Pathan played a big role with the ball and took 11 wickets and became the Player of the Match. Sachin’s knock in Dhaka remains his highest Test score.

On This Day - December 11, 1988 - Mark Waugh Makes His ODI Debut

Another milestone was achieved in the Benson & Hedges World Series match at the Adelaide Oval on this day in 1988 was Mark Waugh’s ODI debut. With his twin brother Steve in the team, they became the first pair of twins to play for Australia. Pakistan elected to bat first but got all out for 177. Australia's Merv Hughes took 3 wickets for 30 runs and the top order batsmen achieved the target easily. Opener Geoff Marsh scored an unbeaten 86, David Boon scored 27 and Dean Jones scored an unbeaten 55 and leading to victory at 178 for 1 with five overs remaining. Because Marsh and Jones single-handedly won the match, Mark Waugh did not get a chance to bat and made no impact with bat or ball on debut.

Mark Waugh's impact was far greater than his quiet debut. Known for his flamboyant style, Waugh became a powerhouse opener in ODIs and a middle-order star in Tests. He made his Test debut on 25 January 1991 by scoring a century against England. He became the first player in history to score three centuries in a single Cricket World Cup (1996), which is one of his greatest achievements. He was one of the game's best slip fielders and retired as the record-holder for the most catches with 181.

On This Day - December 11, 1979 - Geoffrey Boycott’s Only ODI Century

The Benson & Hedges World Series Cup match being played at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Australia turned out to be a memorable moment for England's defensive opener Geoffrey Boycott. After winning the toss, England chose to bat first and got off to a good start with Derek Randall scoring 42 and Geoffrey scoring 105. The Yorkshireman stunned the attacking bowlers and completed his maiden ODI century by hitting seven fours in 124 balls. Geoffrey was the backbone of the innings and was bowled by Dennis Lillee. With the help of Peter Willey’s 64 runs, England scored a total of 264 for 7.

Australia's chase quickly collapsed. Peter Willey and Bob Willis quickly removed the top order batsmen and left the hosts at 39/5. Only Trevor Laughlin's 74 and Doug Walters' highest innings of 34 runs helped Australia reach a respectable score of 192, but they still lost the match by 72 runs. Boycott's century in this match was the first and only century of his ODI career.

These stories from 11th December show how cricket's history is filled with debutants, broken records and the emergence of new cricket heroes. This date reminds fans of timeless performances and the everlasting romance of the game.