Pakistan 7, Bangladesh 0

Stats highlights from an eventful opening day in Dubai

23-Oct-2013

Graeme Smith took South Africa into the lead, Pakistan v South Africa, 2nd Test, 1st day, Dubai, October 23, 2013

Pakistan were bundled out for 99 on the opening day of the second Test, the second time they've been dismissed for under 100 in Tests in 2013, and the seventh such instance since the beginning of 2009. During this period, no other team has had even half as many sub-100 totals: Australia and New Zealand have three such totals. Bangladesh, India and West Indies haven't been bowled out under 100 at all during this period. These seven instances for Pakistan have spanned 39 Tests; in their first 338 Tests this happened only nine times.

Graeme Smith returned to form after his injury break with an unbeaten 67, and when he reached 61 he also went past Matthew Hayden's tally of 8625 Test runs as opener. Smith's tally of 8632 is the second-highest by an opener, next only to Sunil Gavaskar's 9607. The top four in the aggregate list all have averages between 49.60 and 50.80.

This is only the fifth time Pakistan have been bowled out for under 100 in the first innings after winning the toss and choosing to bat. All five instances have happened since 2002, and four of them since July 2009.

Before the start of play today, Imran Tahir's biggest claim to fame in Tests was being one of only four bowlers to concede more than 200 runs in a Test without taking a wicket - that happened in the last Test he played, against Australia in Adelaide almost a year ago. On his return to the national team, he took 5 for 32, the first five-for by a South African spinner in Tests since Paul Harris' 5 for 123 against England in Centurion in December 2009. It was the first by a South African spinner in the first innings of a Test match since Paul Adam's 5 for 37 against Bangladesh in Chittagong in April 2003.

Only three South African spinners have taken five-fors conceding fewer than 32 runs in a Test innings. The last of those instances was by Hugh Tayfield, the offspinner, when he took 6 for 13 against New Zealand in Johannesburg way back in 1954. Tayfield also took 7 for 23 against Australia in Durban in 1950.

While Smith returned to form, Jacques Kallis has been struggling for runs in 2013: in nine innings this year, he has scored 160 runs at an average of 17.77. Among years in which he has played more than one Test, this is easily his worst so far: he had averaged 28.25 from five Tests in 1997, and 31.66 from 15 Tests in 2008. In the next four years (2009 to 2012), the least he averaged in a calendar year was 48.36 in 2009. (Click here for his career summary.)

Graeme Smith Imran Tahir Jacques Kallis Pakistan South Africa Pakistan vs South Africa South Africa tour of United Arab Emirates

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