Statistical Review: Australia vs South Africa – Day 4 Of First Test 1
Australia vs South Africa - Day 4 (1st Test)

At the stumps of Day 4 of the first Test at Perth, Steven Smith’s Australia are in a spot of bother while South Africa look all set to go 1-0 up. The visitors began the day from their overnight score 390/6 and scored 540/8 before declaring their innings with an overall lead of 538.

In reply, Australia were 169/4 at the end of the day.

Brief Scores: South Africa 242 (Quinton de Kock 84, Temba Bavuma 51, Mitchell Starc 4/71) & 540/8 decl. (JP Duminy 141, Dean Elgar 127, Peter Siddle 2/62)

Australia – 244 (David Warner 97, Shaun Marsh 63, Vernon Philander 4/56) & 169/4 (Usman Khawaja 58*, David Warner 35, Kagiso Rabada 3/49)

Here are some of the statistical highlights of Day 4 of the First Test:

  1. On Day 4, South Africa declared their second innings on 540/8. It was South Africa’s third highest Test innings total on the Australian soil and second highest Test innings total at Perth.

 

  1. Australia conceded 41 extras during South Africa’s second innings in this Test. It was the highest extras runs conceded by Australian bowlers against South Africa in a Test innings. The previous highest was 39-runs extras (at Durban in 1970).

 

  1. South Africa hit 64 fours during their second innings. It proved be the fourth highest no. of fours hitting in a Test innings on the Australian soil.

 

  1. A total of three Australian bowlers conceded over 100+ runs during South Africa’s second innings in this Test. Those Australian bowlers were: Mitchell Starc (1/114), Josh Hazlewood (2/107) and Nathan Lyon (0/146). It was the fifth time where three or more Australian bowlers conceded 100+ runs in the same innings of a Test match against South Africa on the Australian soil.

 

5. Australia need to score 539 runs to win this Test. Only once a team has been able to score 500+ runs in the 4th innings of a Test match. England had scored 654/5 in the fourth innings against South Africa at Durban in 1939, where England had to score 696 runs to win that Test. That Test ended in a draw.

However, the highest fourth innings Test total in a winning cause is 418/7 by West Indies against Australia at St. John’s in 2003.