Headed by Muralidaran, while current player Southee has the most for NZ.
Best innings bowling (6wi or better):
Headed by Vettori, but no good performances since 2018.
Best match bowling (includes all 9wm or more):
Herath has the best figures here, though there are no good performances since 2018.
Bowling averages (Minimum 2000 balls, all instances):
Southee has the best bowling average and strike rate. Muralidaran has the best economy rate.
Now for Fielding:
Most dismissals (15 and above):
Headed by Watling. Williamson has the most dismissals among current players. P Jayawardene has the most stumpings, and SP Fleming the most catches as a fielder.
Best innings figures (5 dismissals or more):
Headed by IDS Smith and Watling.
Best match figures (6 dismissals or more):
Headed by Watling, followed by Lees and IDS Smith.
Best dismissal rate (Minimum 20 innings and 0.600):
Headed by Tillakratne and the Bazball Man.
All-round performances:
No one has a good overall record.
Match performances:
Vettori has the best performance, followed by Vaas.
Shakib leads by a large margin over Shahid Afridi (the original one). From India, the best is 32 by Ashwin.
Best innings bowling (including all 5wi and over):
BAW Mendis and Herath have much better innings analyses than others including Umar Gul and Sam Curran. Curran’s 5-10 was the best in 2022. For India, the best is 4-11 by Ashwin in 2014
Best bowling averages (Minimum 500 balls bowled, all instances):
Only 7 bowlers have bowled enough to qualify. S Ajmal is closely followed by Ashwin, who is the only Indian player here. Next is Shakib.
Summing up this table:
Best averages: Ajmal, Ashwin
Best economy rates: Ashwin, S Afridi
Best strike rates: Ajmal, Ashwin.
Next we come to Fielding statistics:
Most dismissals (12 and above):
The most dismissals are 32 by ABD and Dhoni. AB de Villiers has 9 dismissals as a keeper and 23 as a fielder, while all of Dhoni’s 32 dismissals are as a keeper.
Kamran Akmal is next with 30 dismissals as a keeper, including the most stumpings at 18.
de Villers has the most catches as a fielder (23) followed by DA Warner with 20.
Most dismissals in an innings (4):
Nobody reached this level in 2022. Dhoni is the only one from India, and the only one to appear here twice. Also note the 4 stumpings by Kamran Akmal and Ramdin. DJG Sammy is the only fielder here.
Best dismissal rate (Minimum 20 innings and 0.600):
The best here is by the “hybrid” AB de Villiers with 1.066. Next are Dhoni and Kamran Akmal with 1.000.
The best by a “pure” fielder is 0.678 by MJ Guptill followed by current player GJ Maxwell (0.666)
Finally, we come to all-round performances:
Overall: Minimum 20 innings batted and 500 balls bowled:
Only 3 qualify here, with only Shakib having a creditable performance.
However, we get another viewpoint here:
Best match performance (Minimum 30 runs and 3 wickets):
The best performances here would be by DJ Bravo (66* and 4-38), followed by SR Watson’s 72 and 3-34 and Shakib’s 46 and 4-9. The best for India is by HH Pandya in 2022. Also note CR Brathwaite’s 34* which included 4 successive 6s in the 2016 final.
At the start of the 2nd Test between England and South Africa at Manchester, it was mentioned that JM Anderson was the first to play 100 Tests at home.
This is true. Let us also look who has played the most Tests overall, away and neutral.
These figures include all those playing in the Manchester Test of 2022, and do not include the ICC XI v Aus Test of 2005.
Most Tests (125 or more):
Tendulkar (200) is followed by Anderson (174) and SR Waugh (168). The next from India is Dravid (163).
Also: Anderson (174), Broad (158), Warne (144) and VVS Laxman (134) have played the most Tests without ever captaining their sides.
Most Tests at home (60 or more):
Anderson leads with 100, followed closely by Tendulkar (94), Broad and Ponting (91 each). the next from India is again Dravid (70).
Most Tests away (other than neutral venues), 60 or more.
Tendulkar leads with 106, followed by Dravid with 93. Next is Chanderpaul with 81. Ponting, Anderson and Broad are further down.
And finally,
Most Tests at neutral venues (7 or more):
As you may guess, Pakistani players dominate this list starting with Asad Shafiq (30), Azhar Ali (29) and Younis Khan (28).
The highest by a non-Pakistani player is 8 by R Herath, followed by several others with 7. These include some NZ players who played in the WTC final against India in England in 2021.
Here Muralitharan has the second spot after Herath, while Saeed Ajmal has the most for Pakistan. Yasir Shah is the only current player.
Best innings bowling (6wi or more):
Herath again, overshadowing Imran Khan. No recent players except for Yasir Shah.
Best match bowling (including 9wm or more):
Here, Imran Khan has better figures than Herath. R Mendis, P Jayasuriya and Yasir Shah represent the current players.
Best bowling averages (Minimum 2000 balls bowled, all instances):
Here, the two Ws have the top spots. Wasim also has the best economy rate, and Waqar the best strike rate.
Fielding:
Most dismissals (15 or more):
Led by Moin Khan and the fielder M Jayawardene. Current players include Dickwella, Chandimal and M Rizwan.
Most innings dismissals (4 or more):
Chandimal has most (6), while two fielders have taken 4 catches.
Most match dismissals (6 or more):
This time it is led by the lesser-known P Jayawardene with 9 dismissals. However, the better-known Jayawardene has the most (6) by a fielder.
Best dismissal rate (Minimum 20 innings, 0.500):
Headed by Moin Khan by a large margin over the second-placed Chandimal. M Jayawardene has the best rate for a fielder. Chandimal represents the current players.
All-round performances:
Overall (see criteria in table):
Wasim has the best figures here, while Vaas does not really qualify as an all-rounder.
Match performances (50+ and 5wi):
The three performances have little to choose between them.
The series was drawn 1-1, with sudden collapses on the final day of play in both Tests.
Summary of all Tests between these teams:
While Australia leads 20-5 overall, it leads only by 7-5 in Sri Lanka. And Sri Lanka trails 13-0 in Australia.
Coming to individual performances;
Batting:
Most runs (500 or more):
Headed by M Hussey with 994 with Ponting and M Jayawardene close behind. Mathews (692) and Chandimal (579) have the most runs among current players.
The most centuries are 5 by Hussey, and the most 50+ scores are 8 by Clarke, Ponting and Sangakkara.
Highest innings (125 or more):
Chandimal’s 206* in the second Test is the highest for SL v Aus, surpassing Sangakkara’s 192 in Aus in 2007 and Kusal Mendis’s 176 in SL in 2016. This was a reatively low-scoring series, with the only other score of note being 145* by SPD Smith.
Highest batting averages (Minimum 20 innings, all instances):
Headed by Ponting and Sangakkara. The current players have not played enough.
Highest strike rates (Minimum 1000 balls faced and 40.00):
Headed by ST Jayasuriya and Hayden. Chandimal and Mathews are the only current players here.
Bowling:
Most wickets (12 or more):
Headed by R Herath with 66, followed by the better-known Warne and Muralidaran. Starc and Lyon have the most among current players. Newcomer P Jayasuriya makes this list after only one Test. The most 5-fors are 6 by Herath and Starc, and 10wms 2 by Starc and Warne.
Best innings bowling (6wi or more):
Headed by Kasprowicz and R Herath. P Jayasuriya’s 6-59 and 6-118 came on his debut.
Best match bowling (9wm or more):
Headed by R Herath’s 13-wicket haul in 2016 and P Jayasuriya’s 12 on debut in the second Test here.
That was the best match figures for any Sri Lankan player on debut. This is covered in more detail here:
We now continue with individual performances in Bowling.
Most wickets (20 or more):
Shakib Al Hasan took over the record from Shahid Afridi in this edition.
Bravo, Ashwin and Starc are the next among current players. Ashwin and Jadeja are the only Indian players here.
Best innings bowling (includes all 5wi and above):
None of the top performance were from this edition, the best being A Zampa’s 5-19 and Mujeeb’s 5-20. Adil Rashid’s 4 wickets for 2 runs against the West Indies is almost as startling as Rangana Herath’s 5-3 against New Zealand in 2014. Also note 4-9 both by Shakib and Rashid Khan
Best bowling averages (minimum 500 balls bowled, all instances):
Shakib and Bravo are the only current players here.
S Ajmal and Shakib have the best averages.
Shakib and Afridi have the best economy rates.
S Ajmal and Shakib have the best strike rates.
As you can see, Indian players do not figure in the last two lists.
Now for Fielding.
Most dismissals (12 and above):
de Villiers and Dhoni share the top position here, while Mushfiqur, Guptill and Warner have the most dismissals among current players.
Some points of interest: de Villiers’s dismissals came both as keeper and non-keeper (7 catches as keeper, 2 stumpings and 23 catches as non-keeper).
Dhoni’s 32 dismissals is the most for a keeper (including 21 catches and 11 stumpings). However, Kamran Akmal (18) and Sangakkara (14) have more stumpings).
de Villers has the most (23) catches as a non-keeper. Next are Guptill and Warner.
Most dismissals in an innings (4 and above):
12 players have made 4 dismissals in an innings, MH Cross of Scotland being the only one in 2021.
Note the 4 stumpings by Kamran Akmal and D Ramdin.
D Sammy is the only one with 4 catches as a non-keeper.
Best dismissal rate (Minimum 20 innings, 0.60 and above):
Mushfiqur has the best by a current player.
The “hybrid” de Villiers has the best average here.
Dhoni and Kamran Akmal share the best average for a keeper.
GJ Maxwell, Guptill and Warner have the best averages for non-keepers. They all played in the final of the 2021 edition.
Finally, All-round performance:
Overall (note the conditions in the table):
Shakib has by far the best performance here, with Shahid Afridi a distant second.
Bravo and Mohammad Nabi also represent the current players.
Match performance (30 runs and 3 wickets):
The best performances would be by Bravo, Watson (28 Sep 2012) and Shakib (21 Oct 2021).
There is also Hasaranga de Silva among current players.
No good performances by Indian players in this category.
We now look at the bowlers who have been most successful in winning matches in the fourth innings.
Most wickets (35 and above):
Warne leads with 103, followed by late developer Herath and McGrath.
Herath has the most five-fors (11) followed by Muralitharan (7)
Current players are headed by Lyon (68 wickets), Broad and Ashwin.
The most wickets by Indian players are by Ashwin (65), Kumble (51) and Ishant Sharma (45).
Best innings bowling (including all 8wi and above):
The best here is 10-74 by Kumble. (Laker’s 10-wicket haul was in the third innings). Then there is 9-86 by Sarfraz Nawaz which included a spell of 7-1.
The best innings figures in recent times include 8-60 by RL Chase in 2019 and 8-63 by R Herath in 2016.
India is represented by Kumble and debutant Hirwani. (Another famous debutant Bob Massie had bowled in the third innings).
Finally we look at career figures for bowling in the fourth innings of wins:
Best bowling averages in wins in the 4th innings (Minimum 1500 balls bowled):
These are all the 25 bowlers who crossed the cutoff of 1500 balls bowled.
McGrath leads here with 14.24, followed by Herath, Ashwin and Kumble.
The best by current players are Ashwin (16.03), MM Ali, Starc , Ishant Sharma, Broad, Anderson and a few more with 1500+ balls bowled.
The best averages for India are by Ashwin, Kumble, Ishant Sharma, Jadeja and Harbhajan.
The best economy rates are by Illingworth (1.70) and Jadeja
The best strike rates are by Waqar Younis and MM Ali (32.9 with Waqar slightly ahead).
Here we look at captains with no wins, no losses and no draws.
No Wins:
These are captains in 4 or more Tests with no wins.
Headed by M Ashraful of Bangladesh with 13 (12 losses and 1 draw). The next (IT Botham) is more surprising. Another Bangladeshi Khaled Mashud also has 12.
In recent years there are AG Cremer (8) and KC Brathwaite (5).
From India there are MH Mankad (6), S Venkataraghavan (5) and others with 4.
No losses:
These are captains in 2 or more Tests with no losses.
WW Armstrong with 10 heads this list, with 8 wins and 2 draws.
Next are DB Close and FG Mann with 7.
In recent years there is only AM Rahane with 2; both of these wins were when he was standing in for Kohli.
From India we also have Srikkanth with 4 (all draws).
No draws:
These are captains in 3 or more Tests with no draws.
Headed by Waqar Younis (17, 10 wins and 7 losses). The next is Shakib with 14 (3 wins and 11 losses).
Others from recent times (other than Shakib) include R Herath, KC Brathwaite and RAS Lakmal with 5.
Brathwaite has 5 losses out of 5.
From India there is DK Gaekwad with 4 (all losses). He is presently India’s oldest living Test player.
Sri Lanka won the series 1-0 with 1 draw. Zimbabwe put on a somewhat stronger challenge than expected, almost drawing the first Test and putting Sri Lanka under some pressure in the second.
Summary of matches between these teams:
Zimbabwe is yet to win a Test in this series. They have lost all 8 Tests which they played in Sri Lanka.
This series was not part of the World Test Championship. Zimbabwe is not part of the championship in this cycle. Perhaps they will be in the top 9 and qualify for the next cycle.
We now look at individual performances, starting with
Batting:
Most runs (250 and above):
Atapattu leads by a large margin. He has the most centuries (5). A Flower has the most 50+ scores (7), including 2 centuries.
Karunaratne and CR Ervine have the most runs among current players.
Highest innings (125 and above):
Note Atapattu’s 3 double centuries. The highest score in this series was 200* by AD Mathews. No one else crossed 125.
Highest strike rate (Min 1000 balls faced, all cases):
Jayasuriya predictably leads here, while Atapattu also has a strike rate considerably higher than that of the others.
Now for
Bowling:
Most wickets (10 and above):
Muralitharan and Vaas have done much better than others. Murali and Herath both have 2 ten-fors, while Murali also has the most five-fors (6).
Lakmal and Kumara have the most wickets among current players.
Best innings bowling (includes all instances of 5wi and above):
While Muralitharan and Herath are at the top of this list, Sikandar Raza’s 7-113 was the best for Zimbabwe against Sri Lanka. The previous best was 5-106 by PA Strang back in 1996. The previous best for Zimbabwe at home was 4-50 by CT Mumba in 2016.
Embuldeniya is the only other bowler with a five-for in the current series.
Best match bowling (includes all instances of 8wm and above):
Muralitharan and Herath again. However, Sikandar Raza’s 8-176 is the best for Zimbabwe at home. AG Cremer’s 9-275 at Colombo (RPS) in 2017 remains the best for Zimbabwe in Sri Lanka.
Best bowling average (Min 2000 balls, all instances):
Muralitharan expectedly heads this list as well. Herath did not bowl enough.
The first question we asked was “Who is the best opening bowler of the 2010s?”
Here we set the bowling position as #1 or #2, and a minimum of 50 wickets.
You may have thought of someone like Steyn or Mitchell Johnson or Morkel.
In Dec 2015, R Ashwin had the best average, BW Hilfenhaus the best economy rate, and Ashwin again with the best strike rate.
When we consider the entire 2010s:
There is another unexpected result with the burly Rangana Herath having the best bowling average here. He is followed by Bumrah (expected) and Rabada (also expected). Ashwin is 4th.
Other spinners here are MDK (Dilruwan) Perera, and MH Miraz.
This time Mohammad Abbas has the best economy rate and K Rabada the best strike rate.
Next, who is India’s best opening bowler? Surely Kapil or Srinath?
In 2015 we got Ashwin again (followed by Srinath and Kapil). Phadkar had the best economy rate and Ashwin the best strike rate.
Again in 2020, we consider all those who bowled at 1 or 2 for India and took at least 50 wickets up to the end of 2019.
This time Bumrah leads, followed by his contemporaries Ashwin and B Kumar. The first 4 places are held by current players.
Phadkar still has the best economy rate and is now followed by Bumrah. Bumrah has the best strike rate while Ashwin is second.
Finally, who was India’s best all-rounder? We consider all those who scored at least 1000 runs and took 100 wickets up to the end of 2019.
In 2015, it was Ashwin followed by Kapil and Pathan.
In 2020, the topper was not Ashwin but one of his contemporaries.
Indeed, this is led by Jadeja who is followed by Ashwin and Kapil. Of course, anyone below Shastri in this table should not really be called an all-rounder.
With the premature conclusion of the 2nd Test at Mirpur (Dhaka), Sri Lanka won the 2-Test series 1-0. The last series between these teams was less than a year ago when Bangladesh drew 1-1 in Sri Lanka.
20 Tests have been played between these teams. Sri Lanka leads 16-1 with 3 draws.
In Bangladesh, Sri Lanka has played 8 Tests and lead 6-0 with 2 draws.
In Sri Lanka, the 12 Tests have resulted in the hosts leading 10-1 with 1 draw.
Batting records:
Most runs (500 and above):
Sangakkara has the most centuries (7) followed by M Jayawardene and Ashraful with 5 each. For scores of 50+, Sangakkara again leads with 14, followed by Dilshan (8) and M Jayawardene, Mushfiqur and Samaraweera with 7 each.
Highest individual scores (125 and above):
Sangakkara scored 319 and 105 in the same Test, becoming only the second (after Gooch) to score a triple century and century in the same Test. In this series we also saw Mominul Haque scoring 176 and 105, becoming the first from Bangladesh to score centuries in both innings of a Test. His 176 was the highest by Bangladesh against Sri Lanka at home, surpassing the 136 by Ashraful in 2006. However Mushfiqur’s 200 at Galle in 2013 remains the highest for Bangladesh against Sri Lanka.
Batting averages (Minimum 20 innings):
Sangakkara has an average more than double that of runner-up Ashraful.
Batting strike rate (Minimum 1000 balls faced):
However, Dilshan and M Jayawardene have the highest strike rates, with Dilshan having a much higher figure than the runner-up.
Bowling figures:
Most wickets (15 and above):
Muralitharan leads followed by Herath and then Shakib, with the first two far ahead of the rest. MDK (Dilruwan) Perera and a few other current players also figure on this list.
As you may expect, Muralitharan has the most 10-fors (4) and 5-fors (11). Herath is the only other one with a 10-for.
Best innings bowling ( 5wi and above):
Note Muralitharan’s dominance here. From the current series we only have Dananjaya who was making his debut.
Best match figures (7wm and above):
Muralitharan dominates this list as well, while Dananjaya has the best match figures by a debutant for Sri Lanka. Taijul’s 8-159 is the best for Bangladesh against Sri Lanka, surpassing the 6-154 by Shakib at Colombo in March 2017. The best for Bangladesh in Bangladesh was 6-204 by Shakib at Chittagong in Dec 2008. His absence in this series seems to have made a lot of difference.
Bowling averages (Minimum 2000 balls):
Muralitharan has the best bowling average, economy rate and strike rate. Herath and Shakib follow at a distance.
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