England up against their 'worst venue'

There's been a lot of fuss about Muttiah Muralitharan's controversial run-out in the first Test between New Zealand and Sri Lanka ... but this isn't about that. New Zealand's five-wicket win at Christchurch ended a victory-drought at the Jade Stadium, formerly known as Lancaster Park. A stirring run-chase against Pakistan in February 1994 was the last time New Zealand won a Test at Christchurch and in the 12 years since; they had lost four and drawn three.

The Jade Stadium, however, isn't New Zealand's most barren home venue. Napier's McLean Park takes that honour because New Zealand haven't won a Test there yet. Rain played the lead role in three of the four draws and the only result has been Sri Lanka's 241-run triumph in 1995. This week's List is on how teams have fared at particular home and away venues and we've calculated the ground percentages by excluding drawn Tests.

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The Ashes caravan rolls into Perth on Thursday and England have to win - or at least draw - the third Test to keep the Ashes alive. The odds are stacked against them, for among grounds at which they've played a minimum of five Tests, Perth is their worst venue. England have played ten Tests at the WACA, lost six and won only one. The loss percentage of 60 is their highest among all grounds. Moreover, England have lost their last four matches at the WACA by nine wickets , 329 runs , seven wickets and an innings and 48 runs.

As for Australia, the National Stadium in Karachi is their worst touring destination where they've lost five of their eight Tests. They did come within a wicket of winning in 1994 but Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mushtaq Ahmed added 57 runs for the last wicket to snatch victory.

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Karachi, in fact, has been a Pakistani fortress over the decades. Of the first 34 Tests played at the National Stadium, Pakistan won 17 and lost none. England inflicted their first defeat - by six wickets - in the fading light in December 2000 and won their first series in Pakistan for nearly 40 years. However, normal service has resumed since then with Pakistan winning the next four matches at Karachi.

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West Indies had an outstanding record at the WACA when it was fast and furious. They won their first five Tests by massive margins- the smallest being 169 runs - during the peaks of their pace-bowling prowess. Considerably weakened at the turn of the 21st century, West Indies lost their first Test at Perth in December 2000.

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