Ashes 2017-18: 4th Test, Day 1 – Statistical Highlights

David Warner brought an end to his lean patch in the Ashes series with a brink hundred on the opening day of the Boxing Day Test match. The left-handed opener struck 101 off 153 balls before getting out in the 2nd session. He struck 83 runs in the opening session itself to give a perfect start to Australia after winning the toss for the first time in the series. Steven Smith struck an unbeaten 65 along with Shaun Marsh (31*) to take his side’s total to 244/3 at stumps.

Here are all the stats and numbers that were created on the Boxing Day’s play:

2 – This Test match is only the 2nd in the history to feature five sons of International cricketers. Tom Curran (son of Kevin Curran), Jonny Bairstow (son of David Bairstow), Stuart Broad (son of Chris Broad) and Marsh brothers (Shaun and Mitch are sons of Geoff Marsh) featured in this Test match.

The 1999 Test cricket match between England and New Zealand in Manchester included England’s Mark Butcher (son of Alan Butcher), Alec Stewart (son of Micky Stewart), Dean Headley (son of Ron Headley) and New Zealand’s Chris Cairns (son of Lance Cairns), Chris Harris (son of Zin Harris).

4 – Tom Curran became the 4th England player to make his Test debut on Boxing Day. Phil Tufnell in 1990 and Warren Hegg in 1998 also made their debut in the Ashes at the MCG while Alex Hales made his debut on Boxing Day in 2015 in Durban.

69 – Stuart Broad bowled 69 overs between Mitchell Starc’s wicket in Adelaide and Usman Khawaja’s wicket in this Test. This is the Broad’s longest streak in his Test career without a wicket. Broad bowled 66.5 overs without taking a wicket in 2012 between Windies Test at Trent Bridge and South Africa Test at The Oval.

100 – James Anderson became the 7th England player and the 18th overall to take 100 wickets in the Ashes. Overall, Anderson is the 8th player from England and the 13th to bag 100 Test wickets against Australia. However, his bowling average of 34.74* is the worst among both the lists.

126 – David Warner scored his 21st hundred as an opener in Test cricket in his 126th innings. Only Sunil Gavaskar (97 innings) needed fewer innings to score 21st Test ton as an opener. Matthew Hayden also scored his 21st ton as an opener in 126th innings.

129 – Innings David Warner needed for completing 6000 runs in his Test cricket. He is the 4th quickest among Australians to reach the milestone after Sir Donald Bradman (68 innings), Ricky Ponting (125 innings) and Matthew Hayden (126 innings).

2002 – The last instance of a player scoring a hundred in the first innings of a Boxing Day Test in the Ashes before David Warner was back in 2002. Justin Langer (250) and Matthew Hayden (102) scored centuries in the 2002 Ashes Boxing Day Test played in Melbourne.