Final: Australia v Sri Lanka, Statistical highlights

It was the 43rd match between the two sides.The record now reads: Australia 28,SriLanka 13,abandoned 2

02-Sep-1999

It was the 43rd match between the two sides.The record now reads: Australia 28,SriLanka 13,abandoned 2.
SriLanka registered its ninth win in a tournament consisting of three or more teams.

The details

Tournament/Trophy Year Venue Teams Matches Runners-up

2nd Asia Cup Apr 1986 SriLanka 3 4 Pakistan
Singer Champions Trophy Oct 1995 Sharjah 3 7 WestIndies
6th (Wills) World Cup Feb,Mar 1996 Ind/Pak/SL 12 35 Australia
Singer World Series Aug,Sep 1996 SriLanka 4 7 Australia
Singer-Akai Cup Apr 1997 Sharjah 3 7 Pakistan
Pepsi Independence Cup May 1997 India 4 8 Pakistan
6th (Pepsi) Asia Cup Jul 1997 SriLanka 4 7 India
Emirates Triangular Tournament Aug 1998 England 3 4 England
Aiwa Cup Aug,Sep 1999 SriLanka 3 7 Australia

With this loss,Australia failed to equal England's record of playing most consecutive matches without defeat. England did not lose a match from 24 May 1991 (v WestIndies,Birmingham) to 12 March 1992 (v South Africa,Melbourne).However England's sequence included a rain affected no result match against Pakistan at Adelaide on 01 March 1992.

The victory margin of 8 wickets is largest for SriLanka against Australia.The previous biggest win for SriLanka against Australia (batting second) was by 7 wickets at Lahore on 17 March 1996 (in World Cup final).

Umpires KT Francis and BC Cooray were officiating in their 56th and 41st match respectively.

Steve Waugh was playing his 273rd match.With this he equalled Allan Border's record of playing most matches for Australia. Now only India's Mohammad Azharuddin (323) and Pakistan's Salim Malik (283) and Wasim Akram (275) have played more ODIs than Steve Waugh.

Michael Bevan failed to open his account for the third time in his career (in his 119th match).His other two ducks came against South Africa at Durban on 05 April,1997 and against England at Melbourne on 05 February 1999.

It was 55th instance for Steve Waugh getting out 'bowled' in his career.He thus surpassed WestIndian Desmond Haynes' tally of 54 such dismissals.Now only countryman Allan Border has been dismissed by this mode on more occasions than him - 57 in 273 matches

The wicket of McGrath was Jayasuriya's 30th as 'stumped'.He thus surpassed Pakistan's Saqlain Mushtaq's tally of 29 such dismissals (in 108 matches).Now only Australian Shane Warne has taken more wickets than Jayasuriya in this mode - 36 in 130 matches.

Kaluwitharana's innings is the second highest by a SriLankan wicketkeeper after his own 100* against Kenya at Nairobi (Gymkhana) on 28 September 1996.It is also the second highest innings by a wicketkeeper against Australia after NewZealander Ken Wadworth's 104 at Christchurch on 31 March 1974.The following table lists the highest innings played by wicketkeepers in ODIs :

Score Wicketkeeper Countries Venue Date 154 AC Gilchrist Aus v SL Melbourne 07 Feb 1999 145 R Dravid Ind v SL Taunton 26 May 1999 144 K Otieno Ken v BD Nairobi Gym 10 Oct 1997 142 DL Houghton Zim v NZ Hyderabad 10 Oct 1987 131 AC Gilchrist Aus v SL Sydney 13 Jan 1999 120 K Otieno Ken v BD Dhaka 24 Mar 1999 118 AC Gilchrist Aus v NZ Christchurch 08 Feb 1998 116 AJ Stewart Eng v Ind Sharjah 11 Dec 1997 115* A Flower Zim v SL New Plymouth 23 Feb 1992 108 AC Parore NZ v SA Centurion 11 Dec 1994 104 KJ Wadsworth NZ v Aus Christchurch 31 Mar 1974 103 AJ Stewart Eng v Pak The Oval 22 May 1992 103 AC Gilchrist Aus v Pak Lahore 10 Nov 1998 100* RS Kaluwitharana SL v Ken Nairobi Gym 28 Sep 1996 100 AC Gilchrist Aus v SA Sydney 26 Jan 1998 96 AC Parore NZ v Ind Baroda 28 Oct 1994 95* RS Kaluwitharana SL v Aus Colombo RPS 31 Aug 1999 95 A Flower Zim v SL Sharjah 10 Nov 1998 91 AJ Stewart Eng v Ind Jaipur 18 Jan 1993

The second wicket stand of 110 runs between Kaluwitharana and Russel Arnold is SriLanka's best for this wicket against Australia on home soil.This obliterates the previous record stand of 101 between Chandika Hathurusinghe and Asanka Guru sinha at Colombo RPS on 05 Sep 1992.This is also the second highest stand for second wicket for SriLanka on home soil after the 166 run stand between Roshan Mahanama and Asanka Gurusinha against NewZealand at Colombo RPS on 13 December 1992.

Kaluwitharana won MoM award for the fifth time in his career.

Contributed by: Rajneesh Gupta (rgcricket@hotmail.com)