This Day in History: 31st May

Umpire Steve Bucknor was born on this day in 1946

Football

1972: Ajax won the second of three straight European Cups, beating Inter 2-0 with both goals coming from Johan Cruyff.

2000: Manchester United completed the signing of France goalkeeper Fabien Barthez from Monaco on a six-year-deal.

2000: Tony Adams becomes the last English player to score at the old Wembley before it was closed for renovation.

Cricket

1926: Birth of Khokhan Sen, one of India’s finest wicketkeepers who represented his country in 14 Tests from 1948 to 1952.

1946: Birth of Steve Bucknor, who is known as one of the most experienced Test umpire in the history of cricket. Steve Bucknor broke Dickie Bird’s record in 2002, and in March 2005 became the first umpire to officiate in 100 Test matches.

1966: Birth of Roshan Mahanama, a former Sri Lankan cricketer and currently an ICC match referee.

1984: After West Indies were 102 for 7 at one point, and then 166 for 9, but then Viv Richards scored 189 off just 170 balls, with 21 fours and five sixes. It is known as one of the greatest innings in one-day international history.

1999: Pakistan lost to Bangladesh in a World Cup match at Northampton. Pakistan accusations started flying, most notably from Saleem Malik, who played in the match and said it was rigged.

Tennis

1973: Birth of Dominique Monami, a former Belgian professional female tennis player.

Basketball

1976: Birth of Matthew Joseph Harpring, a retired American professional basketball player who played 12 seasons in the NBA.

1984: Birth of Nate Robinson, an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Chicago Bulls of the NBA.

1985: Birth of Ian Vougioukas, a Greek professional basketball player. He played college basketball in the United States for Saint Louis University in Saint Louis, Missouri.

Do check out the rest of the ‘This day in history’ series.