Four years, 16 defeats

Stats highlights from a compelling Test match in Hobart

12-Dec-2011

New Zealand's thrilling seven-run win in Hobart was their first Test victory in Australia in more than 26 years, and their first against them since March 1993. In all, it was only their eighth win in 52 Tests against Australia. Here are more highlights from the match.

This was Australia's 16th Test defeat since the beginning of 2008. Only West Indies and Bangladesh have lost more Tests during this period, though Australia's win-loss ratio is fourth during this period. These 16 losses have spanned 47 Tests, with Australia winning 21 of those. Australia's previous 16 defeats had spanned 118 matches, and they'd won 83 of those.

New Zealand won with a first-innings total of 150, which is their second-lowest in a Test win. The only instance when they made a lower first-innings total and won was against India in Hamilton in 2002, when they made 94.

David Warner became only the sixth batsman, and the third Australian, to carry his bat in the fourth innings of a Test. The earlier ones had been Bill Woodfull (twice, in 1928 and 1933), Glenn Turner (1969), Bill Lawry (1971), Geoff Boycott (1979) and Zimbabwe's Mark Dekker (1993). Warner's is thus the first such effort in the last 18 years. Warner is also the third batsman to carry his bat in any innings of a Test in 2011, after Rahul Dravid and Tino Mawayo. The last time three batsmen carried their bats in a year was in 1999. Click here for the full list of batsmen who have carried their bats in Tests.

Doug Bracewell's 6 for 40 are the second-best bowling figures by a New Zealander in Australia, next only to Richard Hadlee's unforgettable 9 for 52 at the Gabba in 1985. The list is dominated by Hadlee: ten of the 13 best figures are in his name.

This is Australia's sixth defeat by ten runs or fewer in Test cricket. They've had more than their fair share of close losses: of the 16 Tests that have been decided by fewer than 15 runs, Australia have been at the receiving end ten times.

This was the first time Australia had chosen to field after winning the toss since Edgbaston in 2005, which they lost by 2 runs: since then they'd chosen to bat after winning the toss on 32 successive occasions. The last time they won a Test after fielding first was way back in March 2005, in Christchurch against New Zealand. Between 1999 and March 2005, Australia won 12 successive times when they put the opposition in to bat.

The overall bowling average in the series was 22.40, which is the lowest in a series in Australia since the 1978-79 Ashes series (excluding the one-off Super Test).

Doug Bracewell David Warner Australia New Zealand Australia vs New Zealand New Zealand tour of Australia

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