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Statistical Highlights 3rd match: South Africa v England at Durban, 26-30 December, 1999

Mohandas Menon

Statistical Highlights

• This match was the 1480th in Test history.

• This match was South Africa's 238th and England's 764th in Tests.

• This match was the 118th meeting between the two sides.

• This match was the 27th to be played at this venue. England was playing its 13th match at this venue.

• Nasser Hussain's unbeaten 146 was the highest score by an English captain against South Africa batting at number three position. The previous highest was the 117 by Peter May at Manchester in 1955.

• In fact Hussain's score was the third highest by any captain batting at number three against South Africa. The best two scores remains with the Australians - Clem Hill (191 at Sydney, 1910-11) and Lindsay Hassett (163 at Adelaide, 1952-53).

• Incidentally Hussain's 146 was by far the highest unbeaten innings by a captain batting at number three in the first innings of a Test match. In fact he remains as the only captain to score a hundred. The previous highest score was the unbeaten 79 by India's Polly Umrigar against New Zealand at Chennai (Corpn Stadium) in 1955-56.

• Hussain's 50 which came in 281 minutes (213 balls) was the slowest for England against South Africa. The previous slowest came in 280 minutes by Peter Richardson (117) at Johannesburg, 1956-57

• His 100 which came in 467 minutes (343 balls) was the third slowest by an Englishman in Tests. The slowest in 488 minutes still remains with Peter Richardson at Johannesburg in 1956-57 and in 487 minutes by Clive Radley (158) against New Zealand at Auckland in 1977-78.

• Hussain's hundred was also the second slowest by a Test captain. The slowest still remains with New Zealander Jeff Crowe (120*) against Sri Lanka at Colombo (CCC) in 1986-87. Crowe need 516 minutes to reach his hundred.

• Andrew Caddick claimed his 100th wicket (Kallis) of his career in the first innings. He was playing in his 28th match. He becomes the 35th Englishman and the 118th bowler in Test history to do so.

• Caddick's 7-46 was the fourth best figures by a bowler at this venue. It was however the best by a visiting bowler at this venue bettering the previous best of 7-84 by West Indian Franklyn Rose in 1998-99. The previous best by a Englishman was the 5-41 by David Allen in 1964-65.

• It was Caddick's personal best figures of his career bettering the previous best of 6-65 against West Indies at Port of Spain in 1993-94.

• South Africa were made to follow-on for the 33rd occasion in Tests, with England making them to do so on 19 occasions. Australia in 1966-67 at Cape Town was the last team to enforce a follow-on on South Africa. This happened 74 Tests ago.

• During his marathon innings of 275 Gary Kirsten playing in his 100th innings (56th match) achieved the following milestones:
• at 100, he became the first South African to score 10 hundreds in Tests. He goes past the tally of nine hundreds by Dudley Nourse (34 matches and 62 innings) and team-mate Cullinan (53 matches and 87 innings). Kirsten was playing in his 56th match and 100th innings.
• at 157, he surpassed the highest score by a South African opener at home. He went past the previous highest of 156 (not out) by Eric Rowan also against England at Johannesburg (Ellis Park) in 1948-49.
• at 173, he became the highest run-getter for South Africa in Tests bettering Hansie Cronje's aggregate of 3689 runs in 64 matches and 106 innings. [At the end the innings, Kirsten now has 3792 runs].
• at 177, he bettered the previous highest score by a South African at home against England, which was the 176 by Herbie Taylor at Johannesburg (Old Wanderers) in 1922-23.
• at 209, he became the ninth South African to reach 1000 runs against England. He also became the first to do so after South Africa's re-entry to Test cricket in 1992. [He now has 1066 runs (avg 44.42) in 16 matches against England.
• at 200, he joined Dudley Nourse and Graeme Pollock to become the third South African to score two double hundreds in Tests.
• at 200, he became the first left-hander to score a double-hundred batting in the second innings of a Test match. The previous highest score was the 199 by Sri Lankan Sanath Jayasuriya against India at Colombo (SSC) in 1997-98.
• at 211, he bettered his career personal best of 210 also against England at Manchester in 1998.
• at 232, he bettered the previous highest score by a South African batsman in the 2nd innings of a Test match, which was the 231 by Dudley Nourse against Australia at Johannesburg (Old) in 1935-36.
• at 237, he bettered the previous highest score by a South African against England, which was the 236 by Eric Rowan at Leeds in 1951.
• at 256, he surpassed the previous highest score by a South African opener, which was the 255 (unbeaten) by Jackie McGlew against New Zealand at Wellington in 1952-53.
• at 268, he surpassed the previous highest score by an opener not reaching a triple-hundred. The previous highest was the 267 (unbeaten) by New Zealander Bryan Young against Sri Lanka at Dunedin in 1996-97.
• at 275, he bettered the previous highest score by a South African at home and at this venue. The previous highest being the 274 by Graeme Pollock against Australia in 1969-70.

• He also equalled the highest individual score by a South African in Tests. Team mate Daryll Cullinan had scored an unbeaten 275 against New Zealand at Auckland earlier this year in February-March.

• He also bettered the previous highest score by a South African left-hander. Pollock (above) had the previous best.

• It was the third highest score made by a left-hander against England after West Indian Brian Lara's 375 at St John's in 1993-94 and Australian Bob Cowper's 307 at Melbourne in 1965-66.

• It was the third highest score by an opener against England. The highest remains as the 311 by Australian Bob Simpson at Manchester, 1964 and 302 by West Indian Lawrence Rowe at Bridgetown in 1973-74.

• It was the fourth highest individual score by a left handed opening batsman in Tests.

• It was the fourth highest individual score by a batsman in the second innings of a Test match.

• It was the second highest individual score by an opening batsman in the second innings of a Test match. The highest still remains as the 337 by Pakistani Hanif Mohammad against the West Indies at Bridgetown, 1957-58.

• It was the second highest individual score made by a batsman while his team was facing a follow-on. The highest still remains as the 337 by Pakistani Hanif Mohammad (see above).

• It was the eight double hundred scored against England in Tests since 1989 - and all of which were scored by left-handers. The last double hundred by a right-hander against England was the 260 by Pakistani Javed Miandad at the Oval in 1987.

• His 275 was the second highest score by a batsman playing in his 100th innings. Englishman Dennis Compton had scored 278 against Pakistan at Nottingham in 1954 while playing in his 100th innings.

• The disparity of Kirsten's two scores (11 & 275) was 264 runs, which was the fifth highest by any batsman in Test history. The previous highest by a South African was 231 runs (0 & 231) by Dudley Nourse against Australia at Johannesburg (Old) in 1935-36.

• This disparity was the highest by any batsman against England. It betters the previous best of 257 runs by Australian Don Bradman (13 & 270) at Melbourne in 1936-37.

• Kirsten who reached his 200 in 741 minutes (522 balls) recorded the second slowest double hundred in Tests. The slowest in 777 minutes still remains with Sri Lankan Brendon Kuruppu (201*) against New Zealand at Colombo (CCC) in 1986-87. The previous slowest 200 by a South African came from Herschelle Gibbs during his unbeaten innings of 211 against New Zealand at Christchurch in March this year. Gibbs reached his 200 in 644 minutes.

• Kirsten's overall innings which lasted for 878 minutes (and 642 balls) was the second longest in terms of minutes in Test history and the third longest in first-class history. Himachal Pradesh's Rajiv Nayyar (271) against Jammu and Kashmir at Chamba in November this year batted for 1015 minutes, while Pakistan's Hanif Mohammad batted for 970 minutes against West Indies at Bridgetown in 1957-58.

• The previous longest Test innings by a South African in Tests were achieved by Cullinan at Auckland and by Gibbs at Christchurch in Feb-March this year against New Zealand. They both batted for 659 minutes each. The previous longest innings by any South African in first-class cricket was by Philip Amm, who batted for 687 minutes for Eastern Province against Transvaal at Port Elizabeth in 1988-89.

• Mark Boucher (108) became the first batsman in Test history to score his two hundreds as a "night-watchman". He had earlier scored 125 against Zimbabwe at Harare just a month ago in November. His hundred was the only second against England by a "night-watchman" in Tests. Pakistani Nasim-ul Ghani had scored 101 at Lord's in 1962. The previous highest score by a South African night-watchman against England was the 48 achieved twice by Tom Campbell (at Durban, Lord's, 1909-10) and by wicket-keeper Dave Richardson (at Leeds, 1994).

• The partnership of 192 runs between Kirsten and Boucher was South Africa's all-time best against any team in Tests for the 5th wicket. It obliterates the previous best of 184 runs between Hansie Cronje and Jonty Rhodes which also came against England at Lord's in 1998. The partnership also betters South Africa's best for this wicket at home which was the 157 between Tony Pithey and John Waite also against England at Johannesburg in 1964-65. Just for the record, the previous highest partnership for the fifth wicket at this venue was the 154 runs put on by Englishmen Phil Mead and Percy Fender in 1922-23.

• South Africa's total of 572-7 was its fifth highest in Tests and its highest against England. The previous highest was the 552-5 dec at Manchester in 1998.

• The total was also South Africa's second highest total in the second innings after its 620 against Australia at Johannesburg in 1966-67.

• Now only Pakistan's total of 657-8 decl exceeds South Africa's total of 572-7 for a team to score maximum runs while facing a follow-on.

• South Africa is still unbeaten in the last 13 Test matches.