1st Test, Australia v England, Statistical Highlights

It was the 1550th Test match in cricket history

Rajneesh Gupta11-Jul-2001

It was the 297th match between these two sides. The record now reads : Australia 118, England 93 and drawn 86.

It was the 145th match between these two sides in England. The record now reads : Australia 44,England 40 and drawn 61.

It was the 37th match on this ground and 11th between these two sides. The record now reads : Australia 3,England 4,drawn 4.

Usman Afzaal, the Pakistan born left handed batsman and slow left arm bowler, was making his Test debut for England. He became 606th player to play for England.

Steve Bucknor and George Sharp were officiating in their 57th and 14th match respectively.

The 103 run-partnership between Alec Stewart and Andrew Caddick was the 15th century partnership for the tenth wicket in Test cricket. It was the fourth century partnership for England in all Tests. It was also the best for England against Australia at home soil.

Mark Waugh when reached 30,became fifth leading run scorer for Australia surpassing Greg Chappell's run-aggregate of 7110 from 87 Tests. Mark at the end of this match has aggregated 7130 runs from 112 matches.

Steve Waugh (105) when reached 35,completed his 9000 runs in his 136th Test and 216th innings. He became only the third batsman in Test history to reach this milestone after Indian Sunil Gavaskar (10122 runs in 125 Tests) and former team mate Allan Border (11174 runs in 156 Tests).

The century was Steve's 26th in 136th Test and eighth against England. This puts him on the third place alongwith Allan Border and Arthur Morris for Australia. Now only incomparable Don Bradman (19) and Greg Chappell (9) are ahead of Steve in scoring hundreds against England.

The hundred was Steve's sixth in England which puts him ahead of Allan Border and Mark Taylor who each has scored five hundreds. Only Don Bradman (11) have scored more hundreds in England for Australia.Steve has now scored the most hundreds among the contemporary batsmen moving ahead of India's Sachin Tendulkar who has 25 centuries from 84 Tests to his credit.

Damien Martyn (105) scored his maiden Test hundred in his 12th Test. His previous highest was 89* against New Zealand at Hamilton in 1999-00.

Martyn became the 20th Australian to score a century in his debut Test against England. He also became the 13th Australian to do so in first innings of his debut Test against England. Later Gilchrist emulated Martyn to become 21st Australian to score a hundred in his first Test against England.

Adam Gilchrist (152) on 6 completed his 1000 runs in Test cricket. He was playing his 18th Test and 26th innings. He became 364th batsman in Test cricket and 79th Australian to do so. Gilchrist is also the fourth Australian wicketkeeper to reach this milestone after Ian Healy (4356 runs in 119 matches), Rod Marsh (3633 runs in 93 Tests) and `Bert' Oldfield (1427 runs in 54 matches).

Gilchrist's batting average of 52.09 is the highest among the 32 wicketkeepers who have aggregated 1000 or more runs in a career. The previous record was on the name of Zimbabwean Andy Flower who has scored 3760 runs in 48 matches at an average of 51.51.

Gilchrist's innings is the highest by an Australian keeper against England in all matches. He obliterated Ian Healy's 134 at Brisbane in 1998-99. Interestingly the previous record of highest score by an Australian keeper on English soil was also held by Ian Healy. Healy had made 102* at Manchester in 1993. Gilchrist's innings is also the third highest by any keeper against England after India's Budhi Kunderan (192,Madras,1963-64) and West Indies' Clyde Walcott (168*,Lord's,1950).

Gilchrist's innings is the second highest by an Australian keeper in all matches after Ian Healy's alltime highest 161* against West Indies at Brisbane in 1996-97.

Gilchrist's five sixes equalled the existing record of most sixes in an innings for Australia against England. Sam Loxton at Leeds in 1948 had also hit five sixes. Joe Darling at Manchester in 1902 and 1905 had five hits into the crowd but before 1910 these hits were only worth four each as a player had to hit a ball out of the ground to record a six.

Gilchrist scored 22 runs off Mark Butcher's ninth over (128th over of Australian innings). The sequence : 6 0 6 4 6 0. Gilchrist now holds the Australian record of scoring most runs in a single over. The previous record was of 21 runs scored made on six occasions . However five of these instances came in eight ball overs. The only instance of 21 runs scored in a six ball over for Australia came in the match against England at Lord's in 1948 when Don Bradman and Sid Barnes scored off Jim Laker.

The three centuries in Australia's only innings equalled the record of most centuries by a team in an innings against England. This was the 15th such occasion against England . Australia has done so against England on as many as seven occasions. The last time three centuries were scored in an innings against England was way back in 1993 at Leeds also by Australia.

Nasser Hussain (in second innings) was getting retired hurt for the third time in his career. The other such occasions for him were against India at Nottingham in 1996 when he was hit by a Srinath delivery and against Pakistan at Lahore in 2000-01 when he failed to connect a hook off Wasim Akram.

Darren Gough bagged a pair of spectacles (duck in each innings) for the second time in his career. Interestingly his only other pair had also come against Australia at Leeds in 1997.

When Shane Warne dismissed Gough in second innings, it was the 50th instance for him of dismissing a batsman without letting him open his account. Warne became second Australian after Glenn McGrath and 12th bowler in Test annals to do so. The record is jointly held by West Indian Courtney Walsh and Pakistani Wasim Akram. Walsh and Akram have dismissed 79 batsmen each on zero.

Steve Waugh has now appeared in 63 matches which Australia has won. With this he equalled West Indian Viv Richards' Test record of most appearances in `won' matches. Incidentally Steve already holds the record of aggregating most runs in `won' matches. The following table lists the players with most appearances in `won' matches :

Player

For