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Statistical Highlights Zimbabwe v South Africa at Harare (2nd Test) from 11-14 November, 1999

Mohandas Menon

• It was the 1468th Test match.

• It was South Africa's 235th and Zimbabwe's 36th Test match

• It was the third Test match between the two sides.

• Zimbabwean umpire Russell Tiffin was umpiring in his 11th match, while Australian Daryll Hair was appearing in his 29th match as umpire.

• Andy Flower was captaining Zimbabwe in his 13th Test match. He was making a come-back after missing 19 Tests in between as captain. He last captained against New Zealand at Auckland in January, 1996.

• Daryll Cullinan became the fifth South African and 154th player to appear in 50 or more Tests.

• Zimbabwe's total of 102 was its lowest ever in Tests. Its previous lowest was the 127 against Sri Lanka at Colombo (Premadasa) in 1996-97. It was also Zimbabwe's lowest in a home Test, the previous lowest being the 137 against New Zealand at this same venue in 1992-93.

• The wicket of Whittall in the first innings was the 50th for Lance Klusener in 22 matches. He becomes the 22nd South African and the 252nd bowler in Test history to do so.

• Hansie Cronje's 3-14 was his best figures of his Test career. It betters the previous best of 3-19 against the West Indies at Durban in 1998-99.

• Incidentally Cronje became the third captain to capture three or more wickets against Zimbabwe. The best remains as 7-91 and 6-44 by Pakistani Waqar Younis at Karachi (Defence Stadium) in 1993-94 and Wasim Akram's 6-48 (at Faisalabad in 1996-97) and 5-65 (at Rawalpindi in 1993-94).

• Cronje's figures are now the best figures by a visiting captain in Zimbabwe. Curiously Cronje remains the only captain to capture wickets (four) in Zimbabwe. None of the other captains (Zimbabweans Dave Houghton & Alistair Campbell, New Zealander Martin Crowe, Sri Lankan Arjuna Ranatunga, Pakistani Salim Malik and Australian Steve Waugh) who have bowled in Zimbabwe have captured any wickets.

• Cullinan's duck (of the first ball) was his 10th of his career. Among South African's now only Roy McLean and Allan Donald with 11 each - have more ducks.

• The partnership of 100 runs between Jacques Kallis and Cronje was South Africa's best against Zimbabwe for the fourth wicket obliterating the previous best of 90 between the same pair at Bloemfontein just 10 days ago.

• Mark Boucher's 125 was now the highest score by a night-watchman in Test cricket. The previous highest was the 105 by Australian Tony Mann against India at Perth in 1977-78. It was also the highest by a wicket-keeper/night-watchman in Tests bettering the unbeaten 101 by India's Syed Kirmani against Australia at Bombay in 1979-80. The only other hundred by a night-watchman was the 101 by Pakistani Nasimul Ghani against England at Lord's in 1962. Just for the record the previous highest score by a South African night-watchman was the 55 by Pat Symcox against Pakistan at Faisalabad in 1997-98.

• Boucher's 125 was the only third hundred by a keeper against Zimbabwe. It was also the highest score by a keeper against Zimbabwe. The other two hundreds are 116 by Sri Lankan Hashan Tillekeratne in 1994-95 and the 101* by Englishman Alec Stewart in 1996-97. Interestingly all the three hundreds have came at this same venue.

• The partnership of 148 runs between Boucher and Shaun Pollock was South Africa's all time best for the 8th wicket in Tests. The pair just nosed ahead of the previous best of 147 (unbeaten) between Brian McMillan and Lance Klusener against India at Cape Town in 1996-97. Incidentally it was the second highest partnership for the 8th wicket against Zimbabwe after the record partnership of 313 runs between the Pakistani pair of Wasim Akram and Saqlain Mushtaq at Sheikhupura in 1996-97. Just for the record, the previous partnership for this wicket in a Test match in Zimbabwe was the 114 between Australians Steve Waugh and Damien Fleming at Harare just last month.

• The Boucher-Pollock partnership of 148 was South Africa's highest for any wicket against Zimbabwe. It betters the previous best of 101 between Andrew Hudson and McMillan for the sixth wicket at this same venue in 1995-96.

• South Africa's total of 462-9d was the fourth highest by any team against Zimbabwe. However it was the highest by any visiting team in Zimbabwe. The previous highest of 422 was achieved just last month at this same venue by Australia.

• The 360 runs lead conceded by Zimbabwe was its largest. The previous highest was the 329 runs lead it conceded against Sri Lanka at Kandy in 1997-98.

• Pollock's third wicket (of Strang) in the second innings equals the record of the maximum Test wickets by a father-son combination. The Pollocks (Peter and Shuan) now have a combined tally of 263 wickets which equals the tally of the Lance and Chris Cairns of New Zealand.

• The defeat by an innings and 219 runs was Zimbabwe's worst against any team in its Test history. Its previous worst was the innings and 77 run defeat inflicted by Sri Lanka at Colombo (Premadasa) in 1996-97.

• It was South Africa's best ever Test win in terms of margin of victory. The previous was by the innings and 208 runs against Sri Lanka at Colombo (SSC) in 1993-94.