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Statistical Highlights 9th match: South Africa v Sri Lanka at Northampton, 19-5-1999

Mohandas Menon

• This match was the 1451st in Limited over international (LOI) history.

• This match was the 167th in World Cup history.

• This match was South Africa's 166th and Sri Lanka's 299th in LOIs.

• This match was South Africa's 17th and Sri Lanka's 33rd in the WC.

• This was the 16th meeting between the two sides in LOIs and their second in the WC.

• The County Ground, at Wantage Road, Northampton (Northamptonshire) became the 112th city and 126th ground to host a LOI match. It was England's 18th city/town and 19th international ground. Until 1996, this ground was shared by the Northampton Town Football Club and the Northamptonshire County Cricket Club. Now the football pitch is used for car-parking.

• Muralitharan has became the highest wicket-taker for Sri Lanka when he claimed the wicket of Jonty Rhodes. He now moves ahead of Sanath Jayasuriya (152) with his 153rd wicket. At the end of the match Muralitharan extended his tally to155 wickets in his 112th match. Just for the record, Jayasuriya held the distinction of being the highest wicket taker for Sri Lanka from 1-10-1996 (v South Africa at Nairobi) when he surpassed Ravi Ratnayeke's then record tally of 85 wickets.

• Daryll Cullinan's 49 was briefly the highest by a South African against Sri Lanka in the WC. The previous highest was 47 by Peter Kirsten at Wellington in the 1992 WC. However later in the innings, Klusener (52*) overtook Cullinan's record.

• The 44 run partnership between Klusener and Elworthy was South Africa's all-time best for the ninth wicket in LOIs. The previous best was the unbeaten 36 between Klusener and Pat Symcox against West Indies at Centurion earlier this year on 7-2-1999. The pair also betters South Africa's previous best against Sri Lanka for this wicket which was 30 runs between Brian McMillan and Fanie deVilliers at Nairobi on 1-10-1996.

• The last wicket unbeaten partnership of 33 between Klusener and Donald was South Africa's best in the WC. The pair obliterates the previous best of 17 runs which was achieved twice by Craig Matthews and Fanie de Villiers against England at Rawalpindi and by Matthews and Paul Adams against West Indies at Karachi - both during the 1996 WC.

• Lance Klusener by taking 22 runs (042466) from one over of Chaminda Vaas has now scored the maximum runs in an over by a South African in the WC.

• Muralitharan's 3-25 was the best by a Sri Lankan against South Africa in WC. The previous best was 3-41 by Don Anurasiri at Wellington in the 1992 edition of the WC.

• Interestingly, the last occasion these two teams met in the WC, South Africa were dismissed for 195 at Wellington in 1992.

• The partnership of 35 runs between Mahanama and Jayawardene was Sri Lanka's best for the sixth wicket against South Africa. The previous best was 32 runs between Arjuna Ranatunga and Chandika Hathurasinghe at Nottingham on 14-8-1998.

• Klusener's 3-21 was the best figures by a South African against Sri Lanka in the WC. The previous best being 3-42 by Donald at Wellington in 1992.

• This was the third occasion in his career, Klusener was scoring 50-plus runs and taking three wickets in the match.

• Sri Lanka's total of 110 was its second lowest in the WC. The lowest remains as 86 which they had made in their first ever WC match at Manchester against West Indies in 1975.

• This was South Africa's seventh WC victory in the last eight matches, while title holders Sri Lanka has lost its second consecutive match.

• With this victory, both South Africa and Sri Lanka have won one match against each other in the WC.

• Klusener won his tenth "Man of the match" award in his 55th LOI match.