Misbah and Akmal stand tall

Stats highlights from the third day of the India-Pakistan Test in Kolkata

02-Dec-2007

Stats highlights from the third day of the India-Pakistan Test in Kolkata.

Kamran Akmal has struggled behind the stumps, but has been in superb form with the bat © AFP

The 207-run stand between Misbah-ul-Haq and Kamran Akmal equals Pakistan's record for the sixth wicket in Tests against India. Saleem Malik and Imran Khan had added 207 in Faisalabad in 1982-83. It's also the highest sixth-wicket stand at Eden Gardens.

Akmal has been struggling behind the stumps, but with the bat he has done little wrong in the last couple of months. This was his third 50-plus score in his last five Test innings. His 119 is his fifth Test century, and his second-highest, next to the 154 he scored against England in Lahore in 2005-06.

Akmal has has scored five Test hundreds, which is a record for a Pakistan wicketkeeper. Moin Khan is next in line with four.

This was Akmal's fourth century versus India, against whom he averages 47.64 in ten Tests. No other wicketkeeper has scored as many hundreds against India; Andy Flower has three.

Misbah-ul-Haq has been on a roll as well. Since returning to the Test team in October, Misbah has notched up scores of 23, 23, 41, 82, 45, and 108 not out - 322 runs in five completed innings at an average of 64.40.

This is only the third time that five centuries have been scored in a Test in Kolkata. The India-South Africa Test in 1996-97 and the India-West Indies match in 2002-03 had also seen as many hundreds.

Kamran Akmal Misbah-ul-Haq India Pakistan India vs Pakistan Pakistan tour of India