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Statistical highlights, England versus Sri Lanka at Lords on May 14th

Mohandas Menon

• This match was the 1443rd in Limited over international (LOI) history.

• This match was the 159th in World Cup history (including the original abandoned match between Zimbabwe and Kenya at Patna in 1996).

• This match was England's 297th and Sri Lanka's 298th in LOIs. This match was the 20th between the two sides in LOIs, and the seventh meeting in the WC between the two sides.

• This match was England's 41st and Sri Lanka's 32nd in the WC.

• This match provided the earliest ever start for a LOI match during the month of May in England.The previous earliest date an LOI match was played was 19th May, when England met West Indies in 1988 at Birmingham; then against Australia at Manchester in 1993 and against New Zealand at Birmingham in 1994.

• This match was the 146th to be played in England. The 105th by England and 16th by Sri Lanka.

•South African Rudi Koertzen was umpiring his 47th LOI match, while India's S Venkataraghvan was officiating in his 20th match.

• Arjuna Ranatunga was appearing in his fifth WC Cup. He now equals Pakistani Imran Khan who has also appeared in five tournaments. Javed Miandad also of Pakistan has appeared in a record six World Cups.

• Alec Stewart was captaining England in the World Cup for the third time. The last occasion being more than seven years ago, when he led England (for Graham Gooch) against New Zealand at Wellington in the 1992 World Cup (on 15-3-1992).

• Roshan Mahanama was opening the Sri Lankan innings for the first time since 8 April, 1997. Since then in the last 47 matches he has appeared in the middle-order position.

• The 42 run partnership between Sanath Jayasuriya and Mahanama for the first wicket was Sri Lanka's second best for this wicket in England. The best still remains as 85 between Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana at Nottingham on 14-8-1998. Sri Lanka's best at this ground was the paltry 13 runs between Jayasuriya and Kaluwitharana on 16-8-1998.

• Mark Ealham by dismissing Hashan Tillekeratne (caught Alec Stewart) became the first bowler to take a wicket off his very first ball he bowled in the World Cup.

• The sixth wicket partnership of 84 runs between Ranatunga and Kaluwitharana was Sri Lanka's best for this wicket in the WC. It betters the previous best of 61 between Ranatunga and Tillekeratne against Zimbabwe at New Plymouth on 23-2-1992. The pair just fell short of Sri Lanka's best against England for the sixth wicket which still remains as 92 between Ranatunga and Upul Chandana at Melbourne on 19-1-1999.

• Kaluwitharana's 57 was his best in a WC match, bettering his previous best of 33 against Kenya at Kandy on 6-3-1996.

• Allan Mullally's 4-37 was the best by an English bowler on debut in the World Cup.The previous best being Neil Smith's 3-29 against UAE at Peshawar on 18-2-1996. It was also the best by an English bowler in an opening match of the World Cup. The previous best being Dermott Reeve's 3-38 against India at Perth on 22-2-1992.

• Graham Thorpe equals the WC record for England with three catches. Only Dermott Reeve had held the same number of catches for England in a WC match - against Pakistan at Adelaide on 1- 3-1992. Thorpe also becomes the second Englishman to take three catches against Sri Lanka in LOIs. Neil Fairbrother had three at Adelaide earlier this year - on 23-1-1999

• For the second time in the World Cup history no individual hundred was recorded in the first innings of any opening match. The first occasion was in 1979 when all the four matches did not produce a single hundred. Although West Indian Gordon Greenidge scored 106 not out while batting second against India at Birmingham on 9-6-1979.

• Stewart became the first English keeper to take three catches against Sri Lanka in LOIs.Stewart also became the first English keeper to take three catches in a WC match on two separate occasions. He had first achieved this against Pakistan at Adelaide on 1-3-1992.

• Sri Lanka's total of 204 is the lowest in any opening match of a World Cup since the 1979 edition.

• Muralitharan's wicket of Hussain puts him on par with Jayasuriya with 152 wickets - the maximum wickets in LOIs for Sri Lanka. Murali is playing in his 111th match, while Jayasuriya in his 179th. Incidentally Jayasuriya held the record since 1-10-1996 (v South Africa at Nairobi) when he surpassed Ravi Ratnayeke's then record tally of 85 wickets.

• By a strange coincidence, Stewart's last fifty (51) came against the same team at this same venue during the Emirates Triangular on 16-08-1998. Since then Stewart has a highest score of just 39 runs in the last 17 matches.

• The 125 runs partnership between Stewart and Graeme Hick was England's best against Sri Lanka obliterating the previous of 75 between Nick Knight and Hick at Adelaide on 23-1-1999.

• Stewart's 88 was not only his highest in a World Cup match which betters his previous best of 77 against South Africa at Melbourne on 12-3-1992, but the highest by a English keeper in the WC.

• For the first time in WC history the opening match went without an individual hundred.

• Sri Lanka became the fourth holders of the WC to lose its first match. West Indies in 1983, India in 1987 and Australia in 1992 were the others to do so.

• The loss was Sri Lanka's eight in the last ten matches.

• Sri Lanka's first loss after six consecutive wins in the World Cup.