Ashes 2017-18: 5th Test – Statistical Highlights

Australia clinched the Ashes series by 4-0 margin following an innings and 123-run win at the Sydney Cricket Ground against England. Centuries from Usman Khawaja and Marsh brothers helped the home team to post a huge 649/7 and take a 303-run first innings lead. After posting 346 in the first innings, England were bowled out for only 180. Their captain Joe Root, who suffered an injury on the fourth day, didn’t bat after Lunch on the final day.

All the cricket stats and numbers that were recorded during Australia’s innings win in the Sydney Test:

1 – Australia became the first team to have only four different wicket-takers in a 5-match Test series. Only Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon and Josh Hazlewood took wickets for Australia in this series. England are the only other team to have only four different wicket-takers in a four and more match Test series. They recorded it in the 4-match Test series at home against Pakistan in 2010.

2 – Steven Smith is the only the 2nd Australian captain to win the man of the series award in an Ashes series. Ricky Ponting won the series award in the 2006/07 home series. (Series awards came into existence from the 1980s).

7 – Nathan Lyon dismissed Moeen Ali seven times in this series. These are the joint most times a bowler dismissed a batsman in a Test series. Four other players dismissed a batsman on seven occasions in a Test series with the last one being Glenn McGrath dismissing Michael Atherton seven times in the 1997 Ashes series.

15 – Alastair Cook has been a part of 15 Test match losses on Australian soil. These are the most number of losses a player involved in an away country in this format. Len Hutton and Sachin Tendulkar were involved in 14 Test defeats in Australia.

25 – Number of catches for Tim Paine in this series. Only three other wicketkeepers took as many as 25 catches in an Ashes series. Paine’s 26 dismissals in this series are also the joint 4th most in an Ashes series.

111 – Steven Smith became the joint 2nd quickest to complete 6000 runs in Test cricket (111 innings) along with Sir Gary Sobers. Sir Donald Bradman completed this milestone in only 68 innings. Smith (28y 217d) also became the 4th youngest player and the youngest Aussie to reach 6000 Test runs.

193 – Mason Crane conceded 193 runs on his Test debut. These are the 5th most runs conceded in an innings and the most by an England player on Test debut. Only Ian Botham (217 v Pakistan, Oval 1987) and Ian Peebles (204 v Australia, Oval 1930) conceded more runs in a Test innings while playing for England.

12005 – Alastair Cook became the youngest (33 years 13 days) to complete 12000 runs in Test cricket and also the slowest (275 innings) to achieve the milestone.