As the dust settles on Sri Lanka’s victory over Pakistan in the second Test match, cricket statistician Mohandas Menon analyses the match by numbers, with Kumar Sangakkara, Younis Khan, Tharindu Kaushal and Yasir Shah all achieving impressive feats.
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** The second Test between Sri Lanka and Pakistan was the 18th Test match hosted at the P Saravanamuttu Oval in Colombo since 1982. However it was only Sri Lanka’s 17th match there, making The Saravanamuttu only the second stadium in Asia, after Dhaka, to host a neutral Test match. Pakistan took on Australia in October 2002, which the latter won by 41 runs.
** This was the 50th Test match played between the two sides and the first time Sri Lanka has played a half ton of matches against a Test side. Pakistan on the other hand have played 74 matches against England, 59 against Australia & India, 53 against New Zealand and now 50 against Sri Lanka.
** This Test was Misbah-ul-Haq’s 38th as captain. However it was his 23rd consecutive Test as a Pakistani skipper, which puts him on par with Abdul Hafeez Kardar, who also led Pakistan in their first 23 Tests from October 1952 to March 1958. Misbah has been Pakistan’s only captain since the SSC Test at Colombo on 30 June 2012.
** Younis became the fifth Pakistani player to appear in 100 Test matches after Javed Miandad (124), Inzamam-ul-Haq (120), Wasim Akram (104) and Salim Malik (103).
** A breakdown of countries that have players with 100+ Test caps: England 13, Australia 12, India 10, West Indies 9, South Africa 6, Sri Lanka/Pakistan 5, New Zealand 2.
** Test selection has become increasingly ruthless as only 2.22% of Test players since 1877 have managed to reach this landmark of 100 Test matches.
** The recent match against Pakistan was not only Younis’ 100th Test match, but also his 200th first-class game since his debut in 1999 for Peshawar.
Younis’ first-class and Test career record:
Mts Inns No Runs Ave 100s HS
FC: 200 333 39 14898 50.67 49 313
Tests: 100 178 16 8640 53.33 29 313
** Younis now has an aggregate of 8640 runs. Only Brian Lara (8916) and Kumar Sangakkara (8651) have made more runs after their respective 100th Test match.
** Dushmantha Chameera became the 129th Sri Lankan Test player and he is the only Sri Lankan to make his debut in 2015. Sri Lankan Test debutants in the last five years: in 2010 (2), 2011 (8), 2012 (1), 2013 (2), 2014 (3).
** Sangakkara became the second player after South African AB de Villiers to take 50+ catches both as a keeper and a fielder in Test history. Sangakkara now has 182 catches to his credit, of which 131 have come while keeping and the remaining 51 as a fielder. De Villiers (184) has held 87 behind the stumps and 97 in the field.
** Tharindu Kaushal became the sixth off-spinner from Sri Lanka to claim a Test five-wicket haul. He follows Muttiah Muralitharan (67 five-fors), Ajantha Mendis (4), Dilruwan Perera (3), Kumar Dharmasena and Suraj Randiv.
** The wicket of Dimuth Karunaratne was Junaid Khan’s 50th wicket in 13 Tests against Sri Lanka. Junaid seems to enjoy playing against Sri Lanka as his next best record is 10 wickets in three Tests against Zimbabwe.
Tharindu Kaushal’s brilliant 5/42 in just his 2nd Test to help Sri Lanka dominate Day 1 of the 2nd #SLvPak Test pic.twitter.com/F0Rlhy8bKE
— ICC (@ICC) June 25, 2015
** Incidentally Junaid is the fourth Pakistani to claim 50+ wickets against Sri Lanka after Saeed Ajmal (66), Wasim Akram (63) and Waqar Younis (56).
** Yasir Shah’s wicket of Angelo Mathews – his fourth in the first innings – was his 50th in nine Tests and he has achieved this feat faster than any other Pakistani bowler. Waqar Younis, Shabbir Ahmed and Mohd Asif achieved their 50th wicket in their 10th Test match.
** Yasir took eight months and four days to claim his 50th wicket and is now the fourth quickest Test bowler to reach this landmark. However he is the quickest to 50 by any spinner.
** Yasir (6/96) is the first visiting bowler in Sri Lanka to claim six-wicket hauls in consecutive innings, having claimed 7/76 in the second innings in Galle. Imran Khan is the only Pakistani to achieve this feat in three consecutive innings between March and August 1982. His figures were 8/58, 6/58 & 7/52.
Yasir Shah is currently the most dangerous “5th day” bowler in the world! #SLvPak
— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) June 29, 2015
** Azhar Ali’s scored the ninth Test century of his career in his 80 Test innings and it was his fifth against Sri Lanka. Only Sachin Tendulkar (9) and Younis Khan (7) have recorded more centuries against Sri Lanka in Tests.
** All of Azhar Ali’s nine Test centuries have come from the number three position. Only Younis (13) has made more centuries at this position for Pakistan.
** This is the first time Pakistan has lost a Test match after Azhar Ali has made a century.
** Dinesh Chandimal’s six dismissals (five catches & one stumping) in the second innings equals the Sri Lankan wicket-keeping Test record of Amal Silva (six catches) against India at ColomboSSC in 1985.
** Sangakkara now has 11 Test ducks, six of which are golden. However the ducks are not such a bad omen for Sri Lanka as they have won four, lost one & drawn one of the matches where the veteran was dismissed first ball.
** Yasir now has 54 wickets in nine Test matches. This is the most by any Asian bowler at the end of their ninth Test match. Second is India’s Ravichandran Ashwin, who claimed 53 wickets after his 9th Test match.
** Yasir now the highest Test wicket-taker in 2015 with 27 victims to his name in four games. Following the spinner are English pair James Anderson and Stuart Broad , both with 23 wickets in five games.
** Sri Lanka registered their 50th Test win at home. Now only New Zealand (49), Zimbabwe (9) and Bangladesh (4) are yet to reach this landmark at their home ground.
** It has been over five years since a Sri Lankan pace bowler has claimed a Man of the Match award in Tests. The last was Lasith Malinga at Galle in July 2010, which was incidentally Muralitharan’s farewell match.
