More debut heroics, and South Africa's low
Stats highlights from an engrossing second day's play between South Africa and Sri Lanka in Durban
Madhusudhan Ramakrishnan
27-Dec-2011
Marchant de Lange's figures of 7 for 81 are the third-best for a South Africa bowler on Test debut • Getty Images
Following an innings defeat in the first Test, Sri Lanka were not expected to give South Africa too many problems, but the hosts stumbled to their lowest total against Sri Lanka. Marchant de Lange's seven-wicket haul on debut and Thilan Samaraweera's century were the stand-out achievements on a day with numerous statistical highlights. Here are the most important stats from an action-packed second day in Durban.
- de Lange became the eighth bowler to pick up a five-wicket haul on Test debut in 2011. Six of these instances have come since the beginning of November.
- de Lange also became only the second South Africa bowler to pick up seven or more wickets on Test debut since Lance Klusener picked up 8 for 64 in 1996 in Kolkata. This is also the 20th instance of a bowler picking up seven or more wickets on debut.
- de Lange's 7 for 81 is the tenth instance of a bowler picking up seven or more wickets in an innings against Sri Lanka. Imran Khan's 8 for 58 in Lahore in 1982 is the best bowling performance against Sri Lanka.
- Thilan Samaraweera's century is only his second outside the subcontinent after his 125 against West Indies in Trinidad in 2008. In 17 Tests outside the subcontinent, he has scored 939 runs at 37.56. This is also the first time that Samaraweera has faced more than 200 deliveries in an innings outside Asia. Samaraweera's century is also only the second for a Sri Lanka player in South Africa; the first was Hashan Tillakaratne's 104 in 2002.
- Chanaka Welegedara's 5 for 52 is his second five-wicket haul and best bowling performance in Tests, surpassing his 5 for 87 against Pakistan in Sharjah in 2011. It is also the second-best bowling performance by a Sri Lanka bowler in South Africa after Muttiah Muralitharan's 6 for 39 in Durban in 2000.
- Dale Steyn bowled 23 overs in the innings without picking up a single wicket. This is the most overs bowled by Steyn in an innings without success. The only previous occasion when he went wicketless in a completed innings was against Bangladesh in Centurion in 2008.
- AB de Villiers became the sixth South Africa batsman to reach the 5000-run mark in Tests. His average of 47.71 is third behind those of Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith.
- South Africa's total of 168 is their lowest total against Sri Lanka. Their previous lowest of 169 came in the Test at the SSC in 2006 when they lost by an innings.
- The 170-run deficit is the fourth-highest for South Africa in Durban since their readmission. Click here for the highest deficits in home Tests when South Africa have batted first and here for the list of deficits when South Africa have batted second.
- Sri Lanka's total of 338 is their highest total in an innings in South Africa, going past their 323 in Centurion in 2002.