SL vs ENG 1st Test: Stat Update

After early moments of scare in the 4th innings while chasing a paltry 74, England registered its 5th consecutive win on the Lankan soil with major contribution coming from Joe Root whose 228 set a big lead for them. He was adjudged Man of the Match for the 2nd time in SL, which is most by an Englishman.

Let's look at some stats below:-

4 – Kusal Mendis produces the fourth instance of a Sri Lankan cricketer getting out for ducks in four consecutive Test innings, and the first Sri Lankan to do it while batting in top-9 in the batting order. The other Sri Lankans with the dubious feat are the tail-enders Nuwan Pradeep (two separate streaks) and Guy de Alwis.

10.2 – Overs taken by Dom Bess while taking a five-wicket haul, which is the second-lowest number of overs bowled by any visiting player who took a five-wicket haul in Sri Lankan soil. Only Stephen Boock for New Zealand did better, with figures of 5/28 at Kandy in 1994.

6 – Sri Lanka’s 135 all-out is their sixth-lowest first innings score in a completed Test innings, and their fourth-lowest at home. It is also the lowest first innings score by any team at Galle. Since 2002, only once Sri Lanka was bowled out at a lower first innings total when they were 117 all-out against Australia in 2016. But they went to win that match against Australia by over a hundred runs.

Lowest first innings scores for Sri Lanka

71 – vs PAK at Kandy, 2004

95 – vs SA at Cape Town, 2001

109 – vs PAK at Kandy, 1986

117 – vs AUS at Pallekele, 2016

119 – vs IND at Ahmedabad, 1994

135 – vs ENG at Galle, 2021

4 – Joe Root scores his fourth Test double century, as he overtakes Kevin Pietersen and is now tied at Len Hutton in the list of most Test double centuries for England. Only Wally Hammond (7) and Alastair Cook (5) have scored more Test double centuries than Root.

1982 – Before Dom Bess and Jack Leach in this match, the last time when multiple spinners took five-wicket hauls for England in a Test match was back in 1982. It was when Derek Underwood and John Emburey shared five-wicket hauls against Sri Lanka at Colombo in 1982. Incidentally, both the matches are against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka.

1 – By dismissing Dilruwan Perera to produce Sri Lanka’s final wicket in their second innings, Jos Buttler took his first stumping of his Test career in his 28^th Test. The record for most matches as a designated keeper without affecting a stumping now belongs to Australia’s Wayne Phillips with 18 Tests.

2014 – Despite being out for a small total in the first innings, Sri Lanka had a great comeback by scoring 359 in 136.5 overs in their second innings. The last time they batted as many or more overs in their second innings was against New Zealand at Christchurch in 2014.

5 – Since losing by 75 runs at Galle in 2012, England won all their next five matches. They become the first non-Asian visiting team to win five consecutive Test matches in Sri Lanka. India is the only other team to win five consecutive matches in Sri Lanka, as they have been on an unbeaten winning streak of five Tests in a row after the defeat at Galle in 2015. Previously Australia was the only team to win four consecutive Tests in Sri Lanka (from 2004 to 2011).