He made his Test debut a day before his 18th birthday, and finished as one of the greatest fast bowlers in both formats.
Not as well-known is the term 'Waqared'.
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Simon Hughes described it as "term coined from Waqar Younis's prowess at producing terminal and frequently painful inswinging yorkers. Chris Cowdrey was the first Englishman to suffer this fate (broken toe 1988) and it cost him the England captaincy."
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And then there were the LBWs, often too plumb for the umpire to ponder about.
The bowleds were probably worse, for at least the toes survived.
Of Waqar's 373 Test wickets, 212 were either bowled or LBW. In ODIs the count read 224 out of 416.
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There is a reason Martin Johnson wrote that Waqar "not only renders the pitch redundant, but the fielders as well."
One not-as-famous Waqaring spree came in end-June of 1997, when he was playing for Glamorgan.
The match was headed for a boring finish after two days of rain.
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Then, on the final day, Glamorgan declared on 272/1, and both Lancashire and Glamorgan conceded an innings each.
There was no monetary incentive. This was not uncommon in County cricket (especially during the old days of three-day matches), where rain plays a major role.
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Lancashire needed 273 in 60 overs.
They were bowled out for 51 in 14 overs. Waqar 7-1-25-7, three bowled, two LBW, two caught behind.
There was a follow-up spell, five days later.
Glamorgan were bowled out for 172.
This time Sussex lasted 22.5 overs for their 54.
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This time Waqar had better figures (11.5-4-17-8), but as many as four of his victims were caught.
So perhaps not a great demonstration of Waqaring.
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Ilikena Lasarusa Talebulamaineiilikenamainavaleniveivakabulaimainakulalakebalau, born on this day, 1921, is a favourite in quizzes, for his is the longest surname in the history of First-Class cricket.
However, there is more to him than that.
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The gargantuan surname obviously demands some explanation.
Thankfully, @tintin1107 has done that, so I can move on.
The thread also mentions why his name was abbreviated to IL Bula.
Chances are that you have not heard of Manish Majithia, a left-arm spinner who played for Railways, then Madhya Pradesh, in the Ranji Trophy, mostly in the 1990s.
On this day, 1999, however, Majithia set two First-Class records that still stand.
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Interestingly, he was playing for Madhya Pradesh (his new side) against Railways (his previous side) at Indore.
He had figures of 12.3-9-3-1 in the first innings of 216.
Railways followed on but saved the match, crawling to 86/5 in 109 overs.
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Of these, 83 (in 104 overs) came on the last day.
This was, at that point, the fewest runs in a complete day's cricket.
Majithia returned 20-20-0-1.
In the history of First-Class cricket, this is the most balls bowled by anyone in an innings without conceding a run.
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John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, was born on this day, 1718.
Yes, the sandwich is supposedly named after him, though historians do not agree on the reason.
He was appointed 1st Lord of the Admiralty, Secretary of State for Northern Department, and Postmaster General.
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Unfortunately, he was both corrupt and incompetent.
And despite that, he left behind two legacies.
We have already discussed the bread-based food product.
Montagu/Sandwich was also a patron of Captain Cook. He helped fund Cook's second and third expeditions.
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Cook thanked him back by going on a naming spree.
The Sandwich Islands in Hawaii, South Sandwich Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, and the two Montague Islands, off Australian coast and off Gulf of Alaska, are all named after Sandwich.