Dravid's record, and Asif's slog-over blues

There was nothing competitive about the second Test between Bangladesh and India at Mirpur, but for the Indians it was a good opportunity to tuck into some much-needed runs. Their top four all got centuries - the first time it has happened in Tests - and along the way there was also the opportunity to string plenty of meaningful partnerships. After the openers had done their bit, Rahul Dravid came in and put together century stands with Wasim Jaffer and Sachin Tendulkar for the first and second wickets. The first of those stands took his number of hundred partnerships in Tests to 65, the highest by any player.

The table below lists the batsmen who've been involved in the most number of three-figure stands, and interestingly, only eight have done it on 50 or more occasions. The two players closest to Dravid have both retired, but Ricky Ponting already has 62 under his belt, and given Australia's outstanding top order, he has every chance of quickly gaining ground on Dravid.

Fifteen of Dravid's 66 century stands were produced in combination with Sachin Tendulkar - the two have combined to score 4912 runs at an average of 54.57 - but the batting partner who is most associated with Dravid is VVS Laxman: the pair have put together ten century stands, at an average of 57.25. Include Sourav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag in the mix, and 41 Dravid's 66 three-figure stands are taken care of.

Talk about batting in pairs, and the first names which come to mind are the great opening pairs - Hobbs-Sutcliffe, Greenidge-Haynes, Hayden-Langer - but many other pairs have done as well, or better. The table below lists the ten pairs which put together century partnerships at the fastest rates, and at the head of the pack is arguably the greatest opening pair of all time - they managed 15 stands of more than 100 in just 39 innings.

None of the other pairs come close to their rate of 2.6 innings per hundred partnership, but the next two pairs haven't done a bad job either. Ponting is involved in them both, combining superbly with both Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden. The only other opening pair in the top ten isn't Greenidge and Haynes - their 16 century stands required 148 innings, a rate of 9.25 innings per partnership. Sunil Gavaskar and Chetan Chauhan, on the other hand, had 11 such stands in 60 innings, good enough to put them in eighth place.

Mohammad Asif showed once again his class as a new-ball bowler in the first ODI of the Afro-Asia Cup on Wednesday, taking 3 for 30 in seven overs, but his final spell again exposed his shortcomings when he bowling during the slog. His last three overs leaked 27, including five fours, as an inspired Shaun Pollock and Thomas Odoyo took him apart. It wasn't that surprising either: Asif hasn't quite distinguished himself in the late overs of ODIs like he has with new ball in hand.

The problem for Asif has been his tendency to mostly rely on the length balls, instead of varying his length and pace. That's a perfect approach in Tests and in the early overs in ODIs - and his numbers suggest just how sensational he has been in those situations - but the last overs of ODIs demand a different type of skill set, one which Asif so far hasn't mastered.

The table below lists out the bowlers with the worst economy rates in ODIs since 2005, and Asif's 7.02 runs per over puts him in 11th place, and in the company of other fast bowlers who have excelled with the new ball. Stuart Clark, Chaminda Vaas and Ian Bradshaw all have impeccable control over length and line, but have struggled in the last ten. Among the batsmen who have got the better of Asif during the slog are Mark Boucher (21 runs from six balls), Yuvraj Singh (28 from 13), Tillakaratne Dilshan (22 from 15) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (29 from 20).

Not only has Asif struggled to keep the runs down, he has also failed to take wickets, unlike the other bowlers in the list. His four wickets have come at more than 46 apiece, while almost all the others average less than 30. Pakistan cricket would be well served if Asif and Naved-ul-Hasan exchange notes: Naved has been atrocious with new ball in hand, but has been a master of bowling at the slog, as this Numbers Game column points out.