Records galore

Stats highlights from a batsman-dominated Test at the Gabba

29-Nov-2010

The fifth day of the first Ashes Test was one for the record books, as England's batsmen ensured several new landmarks were achieved. Here's a look at the stats highlights from the Gabba Test.

The match average of 62.04 runs per wicket is the highest ever in a Test at the Gabba. It beat the previous record by a long way: in 1965, the same teams had played out a draw in which the match average was 47.84.

For only the sixth time, a team went past 500 for the loss of a solitary wicket. The last time it happened was in February 2008, when Bangladesh were at the receiving end against South Africa. In fact, of those six instances, three have happened in the last seven years.

The last time a Test was drawn at the Gabba was in the 2003-04 season, when Sourav Ganguly's century helped India take the first-innings lead. Since 1990, only five out of 21 Tests at this venue have been drawn.

It's the first time five centuries have been scored in a Test at the Gabba. Four hundreds have been scored three times, all of them before 2000.

The 329-run stand between Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott is the highest by an England pair in Australia, and only the third instance of a 300-plus partnership for them in this country. It's also the highest partnership at the Gabba, going past the 307-run stand that Michael Hussey and Brad Haddin had put together only a couple of days back.

England's top three all scored centuries for only the second time in their Test history: the only previous occasion was at Lord's in 1924 against South Africa, when Jack Hobbs, Herbert Sutcliffe and Frank Woolley made hundreds in a match England won by an innings and 18 runs. Overall, this feat has only been achieved 11 times - three times each by Australia and India, twice by South Africa and England, and once by New Zealand. Of these 11 instances, six have happened since 2000.

Cook's unbeaten 235 is the highest Test score by any batsman at the Gabba, and first double-century by a visiting batsman at the ground. The previous-best by an overseas player was Martin Crowe's 188 in 1985. In fact, of the 25 scores of 150 or more at the Gabba, only four have been scored by visiting batsmen.

For the first time in 39 Tests, Mitchell Johnson went wicketless in a Test. It was also the eighth time he went at more than four runs per over, but even more worryingly for Australia, seven of those performances have come in his last 17 Tests.

Jonathan Trott Alastair Cook England Australia Australia vs England England tour of Australia

S Rajesh is stats editor of Cricinfo