Statistical review of Pakistan's 10-wicket win over Sri Lanka

Mohandas Menon 16:35 21/06/2015
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  • It was a good test for (top l-r) Shafiq, Shah and Sarfraz.

    A remarkable, Yasir Shah-inspired Pakistan performance saw the visitors claim victory in the first Test of the three-match series against Sri Lanka in Galle on Sunday.

    Here, we look at the statistical highlights of both teams to come from the match.

    ** Misbah-ul-Haq, at 41 years, 20 days became the oldest visiting player to appear in a Test match in Sri Lanka. England wicket-keeper Bob Taylor held the previous record having played in Sri Lanka’s inaugural Test match at Colombo PSS, in February 1982. Taylor was aged 40 years, 219 days.

    ** After the opening day of the Test was completely washed out without a single ball bowled, it became only the third such instance in 25 Tests played at the Galle International Stadium. The others are listed below.

    Date Day Visitors Result
    25th September 1999 4th Australia Drawn
    19th July 2010 2nd India SL won by 10 wkts
    17th June 2015 1st Pakistan Pak won by 10 wkts

    ** By claiming the wicket of Lahiru Thirimanne on the 2nd day, Mohammadd Hafeez became the 34th Pakistani to claim 50 Test wickets. Doing so in his 43rd Test match, Hafeez, primarily a batsman, became the fourth slowest Pakistan bowler to reach the landmark. Only Mudassar Nazar (57 Tests), Wasim Raja (54) and Mushtaq Mohammad (46) have taken more Tests than Hafeez to reach the milestone.

    ** Hafeez also becomes the seventh Pakistani to claim 50+ wickets and also score 2,500+ runs in Tests. The full list is given below.

    Player Achieved on Tests Runs Ave Wkts Ave
    Asif Iqbal February 1977 58 3575 38.86 53 28.34
    Mushtaq Mohd March 1977 57 3643 39.17 79 29.23
    Wasim Raja October 1984 57 2821 36.17 51 35.80
    Mudassar Nazar March 1986 76 4114 38.09 66 38.36
    Imran Khan March 1987 88 3807 37.69 362 22.81
    Wasim Akram February 2000 104 2898 22.64 414 23.62
    Mohd Hafeez June 2015 43 2920 39.45 51 33.80

    ** Sarfraz Ahmed became the 51st Pakistani to reach 1,000 runs in Test cricket and the 7th ‘keeper to reach the landmark for his country. By doing so in his 28th innings, Ahmed equalled the record of Imtiaz Ahmed for the quickest to 1,000 Test runs by a Pakistan gloveman. Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara and South Africa’s AB de Villiers hold the record for the quickest in history (23 innings).

    ** In just nine innings against Sri Lanka, Ahmed has made 495 runs @ 61.87, with one hundred and five fifties. He now has the distinction of scoring five 50-plus scores against Pakistan – 55, 52*, 103, 55 & 96 – becoming the 7th batsman to do so against Sri Lanka and the first Pakistani.

    ** Ahmed is also yet to register a Test duck in his 28 innings to date. Only on seven occasions has he been dismissed for single figures, his lowest score being the single he made at Hobart in January 2010.

    ** Though he missed his fourth Test century by four runs, Ahmed also became the seventh Pakistan wicket-keeper to make a Test 90 after Hanif Mohd, Imtiaz Ahmed (twice), Abdul Kadir, Salim Yousuf, Moin Khan and Rashid Latif.

    ** At this stage of his career, Ahmed’s batting average of 49.95 is the third highest by any Test wicket-keeper with 1,000 or more runs. Only AB de Villiers (58.26) and Zimbabwe’s Andy Flower (53.70) had better averages than Sarfraz after as many Test matches with more than 1,000 runs.

    ** Asad Shafiq registered his seventh Test century in 56 innings, with just Shoaib Mohammad (47), Javed Miandad (50), Ijaz Ahmed (52), Mohsin Khan (54) and Mohammad Yousuf (55) doing so in fewer innings than Shafiq.

    ** During his above knock, Shafiq became the first Pakistan batsman to 2,000 Test runs batting at number six. Only twelve other batmen have achieved this in history. Shafiq also has seven Test centuries to his credit at six, with West Indie’s legend Garry Sobers the solitary man to have made more (8) at the same position in the batting order.

    ** Zulfiqar Babar (56) became the 8th Pakistani tail-ender (batting at either 10 or 11) to make a Test 50 after; Fazal Mahmood, Intikhab Alam, Sarfraz Nawaz (twice), Wasim Bari, Rashid Khan, Mushtaq Ahmed (twice), and Wasim Akram. Akram was the last to do so before Zulfiqar, striking 79 against Sri Lanka at Rawalpindi in February 2000.

    ** Babar, at 36 years, 192 days, also became the oldest tail-ender to make a Test 50 for Pakistan. The previous best was struck by Sarfraz Nawaz who made 90 against England at Lahore in March 1984, at the age of 35 years, 111 days.

    ** Yasir Shah (7/76) recorded the best bowling figures by a leg-spinner on Sri Lankan soil in Tests.  The previous best was the iconic Shane Warne’s 7/94 against Pakistan at Colombo PSS in October 2002.

    ** Five leg-spinners (Shane Warne, Anil Kumble, Paul Strang, Danish Kaneria and Yasir Shah) have claimed five-plus wicket hauls in Sri Lanka, with Warne doing it on a stunning six occasions.

    ** Incidentally, no leg-spinner from Sri Lanka has claimed a five wicket haul at home. Their best figures have come from Somachandra de Silva, who took 3/54 in their first Test.

    ** Yasir Shah’s 7/76 is now the fourth best bowling figures by a Pakistani leggie in Tests, joining the top-five list below.

    Bowl Bowler Opp Venue Month,Year Result
    9/56 Abdul Qadir Eng Lahore Nov ,1987 Won
    7/52 Intikhab Alam NZ Dunedin Feb, 1973 Won
    7/56 Mushtaq Ahmed NZ Christchurch Dec, 1995 Won
    7/76 Yasir Shah SL Galle Jun, 2015 Won
    7/77 Danish Kaneria Ban Dhaka Jan, 2002 Won

    ** Shah has now taken his tally of wickets to 46 in 8 Tests. This is now the most by a Pakistani after their first eight Test matches.

    ** Pakistan’s win in Galle was their 123rd in Tests. Among Asian teams they now have most Test victories, followed by India (122), Sri Lanka (71) and Bangladesh (7). Among all Test nations, only Australia (364), England (341), West Indies (164) and South Africa (144) have won more Tests than Pakistan.

    ** This was Pakistan’s 12th ten-wicket Test victory and their second against Sri Lanka. 

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