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Fred Trueman Became The First Bowler To Pick Up 300 Test Wickets On This Day In 1964

Fred Trueman in action for Yorkshire in 1961 [X]Fred Trueman in action for Yorkshire in 1961 [X]

Fred Trueman is one of those names, which is not much known amongst the cricket fans of today. Many avid followers might know that Muttiah Muralitharan has the highest number of wickets in the purest format of the game, 800. But, it was Fred Trueman, the English fast bowler who first achieved the figure of 300 Test wickets. 

Trueman achieved this feat during the fifth Ashes Test of 1964 at the Kennington Oval. England batted first in the game and were able to post only 182 runs in their first innings. The Aussies gave a tough response to the home team as they scored 379 runs in their first dig of the match with the bat and took a massive lead of 197. 

Neil Hawke became Trueman's 300th Test victim

Fred Trueman came into this game after having missed the previous match at Manchester. He started Day 3 with his Test wicket tally at 297. He quickly moved to 299 with two quick wickets before lunch. Neil Hawke prevented Trueman from completing a hat-trick, however he did not last long. Hawke was taken in the slips by Colin Cowdrey off Trueman's bowling, making him the first ever bowler in the history of the game to complete 300 Test wickets. 

Many bowlers have went a miles ahead of this number. But Trueman will be immortal in the history of the game as a pioneer to achieve this feat. The English first bowler finished his career with 307 Test wickets in 67 matches. 

Australia managed to win the series

Coming back to the game, England came up with a resilient reply in the second innings and scored 381/4 before the overs allotted in the match came to an end and the game ended in a draw. Australia having won the third Test of this five-match series, the only game with a result, won the series by an 1-0 margin.