South Africa vs Australia 2014: Stats

Australian players celebrate with Ryan Harris after he got the wicket of Dale Steyn

After two years, Australia won their first Test series overseas. Australia’s previous overseas win was in West Indies in 2012. Subsequently they lost in India 0-4 and in England 0-3.

Since November 2012, Australia’s triumph in South Africa was the first overseas victory by a Test side except Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. England’s 2-1 win in India and South Africa’s 1-0 win in Australia were the previous overseas wins by a Test side.

Australia are the second team to have won a Test series in South Africa since 1992. Another team which has won a series in South Africa was England in 2004-05. Australia, however, have not lost a series in South Africa.

South Africa lost their first series at home after five years. They were previously defeated by Australia in 2008-09. Since then South Africa didn’t lose a single series.

South Africa’s batsmen average was 14.54 lesser than the Australian batsmen in this series. This is the second biggest difference in average among South Africa batsmen and the opponents in a home Test series after 1992.

Graeme Smith became the 13^th captain to lose his final Test. Hansie Cronje, Ali Bacher and Peter van der Merwe are the three South African captains to have won their last Test as captain and two South Africa captains Nummy Deane and Henry Taberer managed to draw their last Test.

Since George Lohmann’s 35 wickets in a three Test-series in South Africa in 1895-96, Mitchell Johnson’s 22 wickets is the second highest in a three match Test series in South Africa.

South Africa’s AB de Villers broke Australia’s Ian Redpath’s record of facing most number of deliveries in fourth innings at Newlands. AB de Villers faced 228 deliveries in the fourth innings, while Ian Redpath faced 216 deliveries in his innings of 47 in 1970.

De Villers’ innings in the third Test was the second slowest innings in South Africa. The other cricketer who played the slowest innings was Jack Russell. He faced 235 balls in his innings of 29 against South Africa in Johannesburg in 1995.

AB de Villers stayed at the crease for 326 minutes which is the longest stay by any batsman at Newlands in the fourth innings.

Kyle Abbott took 89 balls to score seven runs. Geoff Miller off South Africa is the other cricketer to have taken more number of balls to score seven runs. He took 101 balls for his seven runs against Australia in 1979 at Melbourne.

South Africa’s batsmen have been dominant in Tests at home after 2011. The top seven batsmen averaged 40.51 per wicket. However South Africa’s top seven failed in three innings against Australia. Out of the three, two of them came in the final Test at Newlands.