Flintoff's Australian fetish

Stats highlights from England's historic 115-run win against Australia at Lord's

20-Jul-2009

England's historic 115-run win was their first against Australia at Lord's since 1934. Cricinfo looks at other stats highlights from the game.

England's record against Australia at Lord's has been quite dismal, but their overall record here since 2000 is pretty impressive: in 20 Tests during this period they've won ten and lost only three. The only teams to beat them have been Australia (twice) and South Africa. The win also helps England improve their home win-loss record against Australia to 44-46.

The result was bitterly disappointing for Australia, but they managed their highest fourth-innings score in Tests, surpassing the 404 for 3 they scored in that historic run-chase at Leeds in 1948. They also became the first team to touch 400 in the fourth innings of a Test at Lord's. The previous highest here had been 397, by India in 2002, in a match they lost by 170 runs. Australia's highest here had been 329 for 3 in a drawn game in 1975.

Andrew Flintoff's 5 for 92 is only his third five-wicket haul in 77 Tests, but two of those have come versus Australia, a team against whom he has now taken 49 wickets in 13 games, at an average of 30.40. Thirty-one of those wickets have come in seven matches in England, at an average of 29.09. In Australia, Flintoff has 18 wickets from six games at 32.66.

It's Flintoff's first five-for since his 5 for 78 at The Oval against Australia in 2005, a game which England drew to win the series. Since that Test, Flintoff had bowled in 40 innings without taking a five-for, taking only 76 wickets in 24 matches during this period.

The 185-run stand between Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin is the second-highest in the fourth innings of a lost Test. It fell just two runs short of the record, which Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers had set against Australia in Durban earlier this year. That match was quite similar to the Lord's Test, with South Africa staging a comeback after falling behind by a huge margin in the first innings. Australia eventually dismissed South Africa for 370 in the fourth innings to win by 175 runs.

Clarke's superb century also pushed his overseas average to 41.12. It was his fourth hundred abroad, but his home record is still a lot better - seven centuries, and an average of 58.70.

The last time Australia lost at Lord's, they went on to win the series 2-1. Of the last three Ashes contests in England, two - in 1997 and in 2005 - were won by the team which fell behind in the series.

Michael Clarke Andrew Flintoff Australia England England vs Australia Australia tour of England and Scotland

S Rajesh is stats editor of Cricinfo