Pakistan vs Sri Lanka stats: Misbah-ul Haq and Co. record fastest 300-plus chase in Test history

Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 5 wickets in the third and final Test at Sharjah to level the three-match series 1-1. Set a daunting 302 on the final day, Pakistan romped home in 57.3 overs thanks to Azhar Ali's 103 and Misbah-ul Haq's unbeaten 68. Here are some of the other highlights from the final day's play: (Match Scorecard)

# Pakistan's 302 for 5 (57.3 overs) is their second total of 300 or more in a winning cause in the fourth innings of a Test match, next only to the 315 for 9 vs Australia at Karachi in September 1994.

# Pakistan chased the total at 5.25 runs per over - the quickest in Test history in the fourth innings (minimum 300). obliterating the 5.19 recorded by the West Indies, during their total of 344 for one off 66.1 overs vs England at Lord's in June 1984.

# Pakistan have won their first Test in two games vs Sri Lanka at Sharjah.

# Overall, Pakistan have won three (two vs West Indies and one vs Sri Lanka), lost two (both to Australia) and drawn one (vs Sri Lanka) out of six Tests played at Sharjah.

# Azhar Ali (103) has registered his fifth Test century - his fourth vs Sri Lanka.

# Azhar has recorded three hundreds in successive Tests vs Sri Lanka - 157 vs Sri Lanka (SSC) and 136 at Pallekele - both in June/July 2012 and 103 at Sharjah in 2014.

# Azhar is averaging 61.27 in seven Tests vs Sri Lanka - his tally being 674 runs, including four hundreds and two fifties.

# Azhar is the first Pakistani batsman to make a hundred in the fourth innings of a Test in a winning cause vs Sri Lanka. Overall, seven hundreds have been recorded in a winning cause for Pakistan in the fourth innings in Tests.

# Inzamam-ul-Haq was the last Pakistani batsman before Azhar to post a hundred in a winning cause in the fourth innings of a Test match - 138 not out vs Bangladesh at Multan in September 2003.

# Azhar's first Man of the Match award vs Sri Lanka is his second in Tests.

# Rangana Herath has recorded a PAIR in the just concluded Test - his second in Tests - the first being vs Pakistan at Galle in June 2000.  The Sri Lankan record (unwanted) for most PAIRS in Tests is jointly held by Marvan Atapattu and Muttiah Muralitharan.

# Herath, for the first time, has recorded a KING PAIR in a Test match.  He has registered seven golden ducks in Tests.

# Herath's 14th duck in Tests is his eighth in 23 innings vs Pakistan.  He has posted four ducks in ten Test innings in UAE.

# Abdur Rehman (4/56) has produced his best bowling performance vs Sri Lanka in Tests, bettering the 4 for 78 at Colombo, SSC in 2012.

# Rehman's bowling record in UAE is splendid, claiming 38 wickets (ave.30.47) in eight Tests, including two five-wicket hauls - both vs England.

# Mohammad Talha (3/65) has produced his best bowling figures in a Test innings.

# Saeed Ajmal took his tally of wickets to 67 (ave.26.46) in twelve Tests in UAE, including three five-wicket hauls.  His tally is the highest by any bowler in Tests in UAE.

# Younis Khan took his tally to 1800-plus vs Sri Lanka in Tests - his aggregate being 1808 (ave.50.22) in 24 Tests, including six hundreds and six fifties - a record by a Pakistani batsman vs Sri Lanka in Tests.

# Prasanna Jayawardene has effected 18 dismissals - his best performance in a Test series.  The said tally is a record by any wicketkeeper in a Test series involving Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

# Sarfraz Ahmed (48 off 46 balls) has registered his second highest score in Tests, next only to the 74 vs Sri Lanka at Dubai (DSC) in January 2014.

# Sarfraz's strike rate of 104.34 is his highest in a Test innings, eclipsing the 88.88 during his innings of 40 off 45 balls vs South Africa at Centurion in February 2013.

# Azhar Ali and Misbah-ul-Haq were involved in a fifth-wicket stand of 109 off 119 balls at a run-rate of 5.49 - their second highest run-rate (minimum 100-run partnership) in a winning cause in Tests - the highest being 5.65 (180 for the third wicket off 191 balls) between Inzamam-ul-Haq and Taufeeq Umar vs Zimbabwe at Harare in November 2002.

# The 109-run fifth-wicket partnership is Pakistan's highest in a winning cause vs Sri Lanka in Tests.

# Misbah-ul-Haq (68 not out off 72 balls) has posted his 25th fifty in Tests - his seventh vs Sri Lanka.

# Misbah's strike rate of 94.44 is his career-best in a Test innings (minimum fifty).

# Misbah is averaging 52.35 in a winning cause in Tests - his tally being 1047 in 25 innings, including two hundreds and nine fifties.

# As captain, Misbah enjoys an outstanding record in Tests - his aggregate being 2210 (ave.61.38), including three hundreds and 21 fifties in 27 Tests.

# Angelo Matthews, for the first time in a Test series, has managed 400 runs - 412 (ave.103.00), including a hundred and two fifties, in five innings.

# Matthews' aforesaid performance earned him his first Player of the Series award in Tests.

 

(Stats courtesy Rajesh Kumar)