Chanderpaul's Barbados run-fest

There were several highs for West Indies after their batsmen, led by Shivnarine Chanderpaul, resisted Australia's attack for 153 overs in scoring 449 for 9 declared. Here are the stats highlights from that performance

S Rajesh

09-Apr-2012

Shivnarine Chanderpaul pulls the ball, West Indies v Australia, 1st Test, Barbados, 2nd day, April 8, 2012

For the first time in West Indian Test history, all 11 of their batsmen touched double figures in an innings. The scores ranged from Chanderpaul's unbeaten 103 to Fidel Edwards' 10. West Indies had come close on nine previous occasions, when ten of their batsmen reached double figures in an innings, but they'd never quite managed the full set. In fact, this is only the 12th time in Test history that this has happened; India lead the way with four such instances, followed by England's three, and two each for Australia and South Africa.

For the first time in nearly 20 years, West Indies played 150-plus overs in a Test innings against Australia - the last time this happened was in January 1993, when West Indies scored 606 in 184.4 overs in a drawn game in Sydney, with Brian Lara scoring an unbeaten 277. During this period, West Indies have played 33 Tests against Australia without getting to the 150-over mark. In all, West Indies have played 150-plus overs ten times against Australia, while Australia have done the same against West Indies 29 times.

Chanderpaul's unbeaten 103 is his 25th Test century - among West Indies players, only Lara (34) and Garry Sobers (26) have more hundreds. Chanderpaul's hundred is also his fifth against Australia, all of which have come at home - no West Indies batsman has scored more Test centuries at home against Australia. In seven home Tests against Australia, Chanderpaul averages 89.11; in 11 Tests in Australia, his average drops to 30.20.

Chanderpaul also became the highest run-getter in Tests at the Kensington Oval in Barbados. Chanderpaul has scored 1374 runs there in 16 Tests, at an average of 68.70, with Lara in second place at 1339 runs at 53.56. This was Chanderpaul's fourth Test hundred at the ground, which equals the record for this venue, jointly held by Desmond Haynes and Clive Lloyd.

There were four 50-plus scores in the West Indies innings - the last time they achieved this against Australia was more than a decade back, in the second innings of the Sydney Test in 2001. West Indies still ended up losing that Test, due to their poor first-innings performance. The last time they managed four or more 50-plus scores in the first innings against Australia was 21 years ago, in Guyana, when Haynes and Richie Richardson both scored hundreds. West Indies won that Test by ten wickets.

When Darren Sammy called back the West Indies batsmen after Chanderpaul's century, it was the first time in 21 years that West Indies had declared an innings against Australia. The last time that happened was also in Barbados, but in April 1991, when West Indies declared at 536 for 9 in their second innings after both teams were dismissed cheaply in the first.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul Australia West Indies West Indies vs Australia Australia tour of West Indies

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