Stats highlights from the fifth day’s play between Australia and England at the WACA Ground
Shiva Jayaraman17-Dec-2013 This was only the third time that a team has regained the Ashes by the third Test of a series with three straight wins. The two previous instances were also by Australia – in 2006, when they regained the Ashes in the third Test with a win by a margin of 206 runs at the same venue and way back in 1920, when they won at Adelaide by a margin of 119 runs. On both these occasions Australia went on to whitewash England. With this series win, Australia have won the Ashes 32 times, once more than England have. Of the 68 Ashes series so far, five have ended in a draw. This ended England’s winning streak of three consecutive Ashes series, which is the maximum they have won in a row since 1900. They have had two other such streaks, in 1953-56 and 1977-1981. This was England’s seventh consecutive loss at the WACA Ground. They have lost nine of the 13 Tests they have played here. The last time they won a Test in Perth was back in 1978. The 150-run margin of defeat for England in this match, however, was the lowest at this venue in the Ashes for a team batting second. Ben Stokes’ maiden century was the first by an England No. 6 in the Ashes since Andrew Flintoff’s 102 at Trent Bridge in 2005. Click here for a list of centuries by England’s No. 6 in the Ashes. Stokes’ 120 in this innings was the highest fourth-innings individual score at the WACA Ground. Only six batsmen have managed to hit a century in the fourth innings at this venue. This century was also the first by an England batsman in the fourth innings of an Ashes Test since Cook hit 116 at the same venue in 2006. Brad Haddin took eight catches in this Test, which equals the highest taken by a wicketkeeper in a Test at the venue. West Indies’ Junior Murray and India’s MS Dhoni have also collected eight dismissals in a Test in Perth. Including the dismissals in this Test, Brad Haddin has collected 44 Ashes dismissals this year, which is the by far the most by a wicketkeeper in the Ashes in a calendar year. Haddin’s 44 dismissals are also the most by a wicketkeeper against an opposition in a calendar year. West Indies’ Jeff Dujon is the second and third wicketkeeper in that list – he collected 39 dismissals against Australia in 1984 and 35 against India in 1983. The catch of Stokes in England’s second innings was Haddin’s 15th dismissal of this series. Haddin has also contributed with the bat, scoring 325 runs so far. He’s the 22nd wicketkeeper to score 300 or more and take 15 or more dismissals in a Test series. This is the fifth time a wicketkeeper from Australia has achieved this, of which four instances have come in the Ashes. Rod Marsh, Ian Healy and Adam Gilchrist (twice) are the Australia wicketkeepers to achieve this. Click here for a list of wicketkeepers to hit 300 or more runs and collect 15 or more dismissals in a series in Tests. Mitchell Johnson took four wickets in England’s second innings to take his tally of wickets in the series up to 23. This is the most he has taken in any Test series, beating the 20 wickets he took in the 2009 Ashes. England’s batsmen haven’t managed to score too many runs in this Ashes – they average 22.03 with the bat, which at this stage, is the eighth lowest they have averaged in an Ashes series of minimum three Tests, and their lowest since 1998-99 Ashes. In contrast, Australia’s batsmen have averaged 46.28 in this series so far, which is their sixth-highest ever in an Ashes series. There have been 48 sixes in this series so far, 36 by the Australia batsmen, which is the third highest-ever in any Test series. This is only three less than the record for the highest number of sixes hit in a series, 51, which belongs to the 2005 Ashes series. Australia’s 36 sixes in this series are already the highest they have hit and the joint-second highest hit by a team in any Test series. England also hit 36 sixes in the 2005 Ashes series. With two Tests to go, Australia are likely to break the record for most sixes in a Test series – 37 by Pakistan against India in 2005-06.
