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Statistical Highlights 13th match: England v South Africa at The Oval, 22-5-1999

Mohandas Menon

• This match was the 1455th in Limited over international (LOI) history.

• This match was the 171st in World Cup history.

• This match was England's 299th and South Africa's 167th in LOIs.

• This match was England's 43rd and South Africa's 18th in the WC.

• This match was 18th meeting between the two sides and their fourth in the WC.

• This match was the 23rd LOI and the 8th in the WC to be played at this venue.

• Stewart was playing in his 123rd LOI match which takes him to the number two position among English players with maximum matches - only Graham Gooch (125) has played more.

• Angus Fraser, who made his LOI debut almost ten years ago - way back in October, 1989 was appear ing in his first WC match, which was incidentally his 40th LOI match.

• The partnership of 111 between Gary Kirsten and Herschelle Gibbs was the first hundred-plus partnership for the opening wicket during this WC. The previous highest was the 81 between Zimbabweans Neil Johnson and Grant Flower against Kenya at Taunton on -5-1999.

• Interestingly, the last hundred-plus partnership in the WC for the opening wicket came on 5-3-1996 at Rawalpindi when it was once again the South African pair of Gary Kirsten and Andrew Hudson, who had put on 186 runs against Holland.

• The unbeaten partnership of 57 between Lance Klusener and Mark Boucher just failed to better South Africa's best against England for the eight wicket which still remains as 59 between Shaun Pollock and Craig Matthews at Cape Town on 9-1-1996. However the Klusener-Boucher partnership was the best for South Africa in the WC. The previous best was 29 between Pollock and Symcox v West Indies at Karachi in 1996 WC.

•The last occasion Klusener was dismissed was on 17-2-1999 against New Zealand at Christchurch when he was dismissed for a duck (in 3 balls). Since in the last eight matches his scores have been: 103* (in 132 balls); did not bat; 35* (19); 13* (7); 35* (26); 12* (4); 52* (45) and now 48* (40) in this match. This means in the last eight matches and seven innings, Klusener has scored 298 runs without being dismissed and has a strike-rate of 109 runs per 100 balls. And as if this was not enough, he has also taken 13 wickets (avg 16.61) during this period.

• Allan Donald's 4-17 was the second best performance by a South African in the WC. The best still remains as 4-11 by Meryrick Pringle against West Indies at Christchurch in the 1992 WC. However, Donald's performance betters South Africa's best against England in the WC which was 3-42 by Richard Snell at Melbourne in 1992.

• Donald now has the best figures by a South African against England in LOIs. The previous best was the 4-32 by Fanie deVilliers at Port Elizabeth on 21-1-1996.

• Although England managed to exceed the score of 93 its lowest in both LOI and WC against Australia at Leeds on 18-6-1975, the total of 103 was its lowest against South Africa. The previous lowest was 115 at East London on 19-1-1996.

• South Africa's win by 122 runs is its largest against England in a in terms of runs. Its previous highest win came at Rawalpindi in the 1996 WC when it won by 78 runs.

• It was also the lowest total at this venue. The previous lowest was the 158 by New Zealand against West Indies on 18-6-1975.

• Klusener won his eleventh "Man of the match" award in his 56th LOI match. It was his second successive award. He had also won the award against Sri Lanka at Northampton.