About John Lever
John Kenneth Lever is an English former international cricketer who played Test and One Day International cricket for England. Lever was a left-arm fast-medium bowler who predominantly swung the ball into right-handed batsmen. Lever finished the match with bowling figures of 10–70, another English debutant's record, which he enhanced with a half century while giving banter. Lever made his first-class debut for Essex in 1967 and would represent the county until 1989, in one of the most successful periods in the club's history. However, with an exercise regime in place to strengthen the back, Lever would recover in time to be available for the first unofficial Test match. It was one of the first publicised incidents of 'doctoring' (using unfair means to enhance the swing or seam abilities of the cricket ball by a bowler), when Lever was accused of rubbing vaseline onto one side of the ball so it would swing better.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.