Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe 2017: One-off Test, Day 4 – Statistical Highlights

Zimbabwe will need to bring out the best with the ball on the final day to register their maiden Test victory against Sri Lanka as they are 7 wickets away with 217 more runs to defend. Sikandar Raza’s century and Graeme Cremer’s valiant contribution of 48 batting with the tail extended their 2nd innings total to 377. The home side batted with positivity in quest of the 388-run target as they scored 170 for the loss of 3 wickets in the 48 overs.

Here we look at all the stats and records created during the day’s play.

1 – For the first time in Test cricket, Zimbabwe opened the bowling with two spinners in the innings. Previously, they opened with a spinner on 6 occasions in Tests but never opened with spinners from both ends.

2 – Dinesh Chandimal became the 2nd Sri Lankan captain to be dismissed twice to opposition captain in a Test match. Chandimal got out twice to Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer in this game. Mahela Jayawardene was dismissed twice in 2006 Lord’s Test by Andrew Flintoff.

2 – Only the 2nd time in their Test history, Zimbabwe have scored 350+ in both the innings of a Test match. The previous instance was against India in 2000 at Nagpur.

5 – Number of times Sri Lanka conceded 350+ in both innings of a Test including this game. Their previous 4 were against Australia and India with two of those in Sri Lanka.

6 – Number of fifty-plus stands for Zimbabwe in this Test match after losing their 4th wicket; the joint 2nd most for any team in a Test. Australia had 7 such stands in 1997 against New Zealand.

7 – Number of 10-wicket match hauls at home for Rangana Herath; the joint 2nd most by any player at home in Tests. Muttiah Muralitharan has taken 15 ten-wicket match hauls at home while Anil Kumble also has taken 7 ten-wicket match hauls.

8 – Number of players including Rangana Herath who have taken 5-wicket haul in both innings of a Test match conceding over 100 runs. The last one was Nathan Lyon in 2014 against India at Adelaide.

25 – Number of 5-wicket hauls at home for Rangana Herath; the joint 2nd most by any player in Tests. Muralitharan has 45 five-fers at home while Ravichandran Ashwin also has 25 five-fers.

127 – Sikandar Raza’s 127 is the 8th century by a No.6 player in Test cricket coming to bat with his team lost 4 wickets before 25 runs on the board.

249 – Runs conceded by Rangana Herath in this Test; the most by him in a Test match. He conceded 240 runs vs India in 2009 at Mumbai where he bowled in only one inning.

640 – Runs Zimbabwe aggregated in this Test match after losing their 4th wicket; the 3rd most by any team in a Test. New Zealand scored 740 runs vs India in 2014 at Wellington after losing their 4th wicket.