About James Franklin (cricketer)
James Edward Charles Franklin (born 7 November 1980) is a New Zealand cricket coach and former cricketer, who played all forms of the game internationally. Franklin played as a left-arm medium-fast bowler who swung the ball, and a middle order batsman who hit the ball with power. He began his career as a capable left-handed lower order batsman, but greatly improved his batting during his career. He is one of only two New Zealanders to take a hat-trick in Test cricket, a feat he achieved in October 2004 against Bangladesh. In the 2007 Cricket World Cup, Franklin became the first man to take a wicket with the first ball of a match on World Cup debut.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.