Biggest leads, and highest score at No. 8

Stats highlights from a batting fest by Sri Lanka on the third day against Bangladesh in Mirpur

29-Jan-2014

Kithuruwan Vithanage's unbeaten 103 equals the highest Test score by a Sri Lankan batsman at No. 8  •  AFP

Sri Lanka's first-innings lead of 498 is the seventh-highest in Test cricket. The last time a team took a bigger lead was in 2006, and Sri Lanka were the dominant side in that game as well: against South Africa in Colombo, they declared at 756 for 5, with Mahela Jayawardene scoring 374 and Kumar Sangakkara 287, after South Africa had been bowled out for 169 in their first innings. At the receiving end in that match, South Africa had dished out similar treatment to England three years earlier at Lord's, when they declared at 682 for 6 after bowling England out for 173. The four other instances of teams taking first-innings leads of more than 498 were all when the teams batting first made huge scores and then dismissed the teams batting second cheaply.

The biggest contribution for Sri Lanka came from Jayawardene, who scored an unbeaten 203, his seventh double-century in Tests. Only three batsmen - Don Bradman, Brian Lara and Sangakkara - have scored more doubles in Tests.

Jayawardene also became the third batsman to score 1000-plus Test runs against Bangladesh, after Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan. In 15 innings against them, Jayawardene has scored 1063 runs at an average of 81.76, with five centuries. Only Sangakkara and Sachin Tendulkar have scored as many Test hundreds against Bangladesh.

Sri Lanka's total of 730 for 6 declared is their fifth 700-plus total in Tests, and their highest against Bangladesh; their previous-best against Bangladesh was 577 for 6 declared in Colombo in 2007. The last time a team scored 700-plus in a Test innings was in 2011, when England made 710 for 7 declared against India at Edgbaston.

Kithuruwan Vithanage's unbeaten 103 equals the highest Test score by a Sri Lankan No. 8 batsman: Thilan Samaraweera had made the same score at this slot against India in 2001. The only other Test century by a Sri Lankan at No. 8 is Chaminda Vaas' unbeaten 100 against Bangladesh in 2007.

Six Sri Lankan batsmen topped 50 in the innings, which is the second-best in their Test history. In the second innings against England at Lord's in 2006, seven Sri Lankan batsmen went past 50. For the 11th time in Tests, there were three or more hundreds in a Sri Lankan innings.

Mahela Jayawardene Kithuruwan Vithanage Sri Lanka Bangladesh Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka Sri Lanka tour of Bangladesh

S Rajesh is stats editor of ESPNcricinfo. Follow him on Twitter