Younis second quickest to complete 1000 runs against India

* Younis Khan completed his 1000 runs against India when he reached 16 during his unbeaten knock of 25 on the second day of the Karachi Test. Younis became the sixth Pakistani batsman to achieve this feat against the arch-rivals. See Table 1

* Younis Khan’s took just 11 innings to knock 1000 runs against India. He thus became the second fastest after Everton Weekes to aggregate 1000 runs against India in Test cricket. At the age of 28 years and 62 days he also became the seventh youngest cricketer to do so against India. See Table 2 & 3.

* Younis Khan when reached 24, crossed another significant milestone. This was his 500th run in the current series. He had also scored 508 runs in his previous series against India in their backyard last year. He thus became only the fourth batsman to score 500 or more runs in a series against India on two or more occasions. See Table 4.

* Muhammad Yousuf crossed the 5000 career run-mark when he reached 22 on the second days play. He became only the fifth Pakistani to reach this milestone. He is also the second quickest Pakistani in terms of innings to accumulate 5000 runs. See Table 5.Click to see the tables

Of hat-tricks, batting recoveries and most sixes in a series

* Irfan Pathan became only the second Indian after Harbhajan Singh to perform a Test hat-trick. This provided the very first instance of a bowler claiming three wickets off successive balls in the first over of a Test match. However, there have been three instances where the show began in the first over of an innings and was completed in the third - Merv Hughes first did so against West Indies at Perth in 1988-89, Wasim Akram against Sri Lanka at Dhaka in 1999, and Jermaine Lawson against Australia at Barbados in 2003. Nuwan Zoysa of Sri Lanka still remains the only bowler to take a hat-trick off the first three balls he bowled in a Test match - against Zimbabwe at Harare in November 1999. Overall it was the 36th hat-trick by the 33rd bowler and the fifth against Pakistan, all of which have been on Pakistan sol.

* Only for the fourth time in a Test innings a team lost its first three wickets without disturbing the scorers. The worst ever start to a Test innings, in terms of most wickets fallen without a run, belongs to India when they collapsed to 0 for 4 against England at Leeds in 1952. Pakistan’s eventual recovery today to 245 all-out is now the highest innings total by a side after such a start. It was also the second such instance on the first day of a Test match. See Table 1.

* Pakistan created a new world record of most runs added by a side after being six wickets down for 40 or less runs. The previous record in this regard was held by Australia against England when Aussies were six down for 38 before being bundled out for 184. Pakistan’s total of 245 is also the highest by any side after such a collapse. See Table 2.

* Kamran Akmal has now scored four hundreds as a wicketkeeper. He now equalled Moin Khan’s record of most hundreds by a Pakistani wicketkeeper in Tests. He also became only the 12th keeper to score four or more hundreds in Test cricket.

* Akmal crossed the 1000 Test career runs mark when he reached 45 during his splendid innings of 113. It was the 35th innings of his 21st Test. He thus became the second quickest Pakistani glove-man, after Imtiaz Ahmed who did so in 31 innings, to reach 1000 runs. Overall he is the sixth Pakistani keeper to reach this milestone. At the age of 24 years and 16 days, Akmal also became the youngest Pakistani and only the third youngest keeper overall to do so. See Table 3 & 4.

* Akmal equalled Kumar Sangakkara’s world record of most Test 100s by a wicketkeeper before his 25th birthday. Sangakkara had scored four centuries before crossing the silver jubilee of his life. Akmal was aged 24 years and 16 days on the first day of the Karachi Test. See Table 5.

* The 115-run partnership between Kamran Akmal and Abdur Razzaq is now the highest ever by any side for the seventh wicket after being six down for 50 runs or less. The previous record in this regard was of 84 runs between Salim Malik and Moin Khan, in quite a same situation as it was today, against India at Calcutta in 1999. See Table 6.

* Shoaib Akhtar’s solitary six today created a new world record of most sixes in a three-match series by both sides. This was actually the 41st hit over the ropes in the on-going series. It broke the previous record of 40 sixes set by England and New Zealand during the three Test series in 2001-02 season. See Table 7.

* India left out Harbhajan Singh for the third Test. This means the world record of most balls bowled without a wicket in a Test series is still intact. Harbhajan had bowled 486 balls in the first two Tests of the series without a solitary success. This is now the second worst effort without a wicket, in terms of balls bowled, in two matches of a series by a bowler. John Emburey of England holds the world record of bowling 642 balls without a wicket in any Test series. Just for record, Harbhajan has already earned the dubious distinction conceding most runs (355) in a Test series without a wicket. See Table 8.

* Pakistan is playing a Test without Inzamam for the first time since last May when they were thrashed by West Indies at Bridgetown by 276 runs. Without Inzamam, Pakistan has a 50-50 win-loss record ever since the giant has made his Test debut in June 1992. In 14 matches without Inzamam during that period Pakistan has won 6, lost 6 and drew 2.Click to see the tables

Drawing every match of a series and the sixes blitz

* If Karachi Test is also drawn then it would be the first occasion in the last four years and the third in the last 10 years when every match of a three-Test rubber is drawn. It would also be the fifth such instance involving India-Pakistan and overall the sixth on Pakistan soil. So far in the history of Test cricket there have been 20 instances when all the matches of a three or more Test rubber were drawn.

* 40 sixes have been smashed so far in the two India-Pakistan Tests. This has now equalled the world record of most sixes in a three-match series (by both sides). Curiously enough, it is now just 18 short of the world record of most sixes in any Test series (by both sides). Of these 40, Shahid Afridi has alone hit 13, just one less than Wasim Raja, Mathew Hayden, Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Peterson's tally of 14 sixes, the most by any batsman in a Test series.

* Of the 37 Tests at Karachi’s National Stadium 17 have been draws. Pakistan only loss here, apart from 19 wins, was against England in 2000-01. While India’s last Test here was 16 years ago, a match in which Waqar Younis and Sachin Tendulkar made their Test debuts. Overall, Indians are yet to win here. They have lost twice and drew thrice in the five games at the venue.

* Teams winning the toss and electing to bat first have met a poor fate – winning only three times, whereas teams batting second have won 17 times. Teams bowling first have won five matches and lost once.

* The highest individual innings still remains of 211 by Javed Miandad against Australia in 1988-89. While Imran Khan has the best bowling analysis in an innings - 8/60 against India in 1982-83. Fazal Mahmood’s tally of 14 wickets for 114 runs in 1956-57 against Australia are the best match bowling analysis.

* The highest team total is 565-9 dec by Pakistan against New Zealand> The lowest is 80 by Australia in 1956-57. The highest run chased achieved in the fourth innings is 315 for 9 by Pakistan against the Aussies in 1994, a match where Inzamam and Mushtaq Ahmed shared a breathtaking partnership of 57 runs for the last wicket to take Pakistan home. Click to see the tables

Inzamam, Afridi make merry

* Shahid Afridi smashed a brilliant 156 studded with 20 fours and six sixes. He became only the fourth Pakistani batsman to score two more hundreds in successive innings against India. See Table 1

* By reaching his century with a huge six off Irfan Pathan, Afridi became the ninth Pakistani batsman to reach three-figures with a six. It was also the 13th such instance against India. See Table 2

* The 251-run partnership between Inzamam-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq is now the highest against India and the third highest for Pakistan for the fifth-wicket in Test cricket. Inzamam and Afridi had put on 163 overnight, but at the start of second day’s play Afridi was joined by Razzaq after Inzamam was injured and the two added a further 88 runs. See Table 3

* Inzamam-ul-Haq scored his 25th century. He is now only the tenth player to score 25 or more Test hundreds. This was also Inzi’s fifth three-figure knock as captain after turning 35. He became only the eighth captain in Test cricket to score five or more tons after his 35th birthday. Just for record, Graham Gooch holds the record of scoring most hundreds in this regard. See Table 4 & 5.

* Inzamam’s brilliant hundred was his third against India as captain. He has now equalled Imran Khan as the most by a Pakistani captain against India. Now only Clive Lloyd and Don Bradman have scored more centuries while leading the side against India. See Table 6

* This was also Inzi’s fourth ton in his post 100th Test match. He joined Allan Border with four or more tons after the 100th Test match of the player career. Interestingly, Steve Waugh has scored an astonishing 15 centuries when he got past his centenary Test. See Table 7

* Pakistan by being bundled out for 588, just missed chance of becoming the first side in Test cricket to score three consecutive 600 plus scores in as many innings. They have now equalled Sri Lanka’s record of most 550-plus scores in consecutive innings. Sri Lanka had registered three scores of above 550 against India, Bangladesh and West Indies in 2001-02 season. See Table 8. Click to see the tables

Younis’ record run and consecutive 600 totals

* Pakistan’s total of 379 for four at stumps is now its second highest on the opening day of a Test match after their 388 for 3 against England at Manchester way back in 1992. It is also the highest for Pakistan and the fourth highest by any side on the first day against India. See Table 1, 2 & 3.

* The total of 370/4 also surpassed the highest first day score on Pakistan soil by India [356/2] at Multan in 2004.

* Younis Khan has now scored 633 runs in his last four Test innings against India. In his last match in India in March 2005 against the arch-rivals, the Pakistan vice-captain smashed 267, 84*, 199 at Lahore and 83 today on the first day of Faisalabad Test. His tally of 633 runs are the third most by any batsman against India and second most by a Pakistani batsman in four or more successive (fifty plus) innings. See Table 4 & 5.

* Younis Khan has now added 863 runs for the third wicket in his last four innings against India. This includes two triple century (324 with Inzamam-ul-Haq at Bangalore – 2004-05, 319 with Muhammad Yousuf at Lahore 2005-06), one century (142 with Muhammad Yousuf at Faisalabad 2005-06) and one fifty-plus (with Inzamam-ul-Haq at Bangalore – 2004-05) stand.

* Pakistan have now accumulated 1694 runs for the loss of 19 wickets in its last three Test innings. If Pakistan go on to reach 600 tomorrow, it would become the first side in the annals of Test cricket to score three consecutive 600 plus scores in as many as innings. Just for record, there have been three occasions when a side totaled 600 or more runs in two successive innings while there are two other occasions when 600 runs in an innings were achieved in two successive Test matches by the same side. Scores: (636/8 v England 3rd Test at Lahore 2005, 679/7 v India 1st Test at Lahore 2006 and 379/4 overnight v India 2006 2nd test at Faisalabad.

* With three more sixes Shahid Afridi has now smashed 44 sixes in his 22-match Test career. Since January 01, 2005 he has hit 66 sixes, the most by any batsman during the same period in international cricket (ODIs sixes: 37, Tests sixes: 29). The next batsman on the list is Adam Gilchrist 43 sixes (ODIs 19, Tests 24) followed by Kevin Peterson 42 sixes (ODIs 22, Tests 19, Twenty-20 1).

* The fifth-wicket unbroken partnership of 163 runs between Inzamam-ul-Haq and Shahid Afridi is now the second highest for the fifth wicket for Pakistan against India. The best still remains of 213 between Zaheer Abbas and Mudassar Nazar at Karachi in 1982-83.Click to see the tables

Afridi and Akmal make India bleed

It was murder at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore. The executioner was Pakistani hero Shahid Khan Afridi and the sufferers were Indian bowlers. The savage assault on the hapless Indian bowlers has to be seen to be believed. They were smashed all over the park to the delight of a boisterous crowd.

With Eid-ul-Azha just passed, Afridi must not have completed his religious rites so brutally by slaughtering the sacrificial animal as he butchered the Indian bowling three days later. The manner in which Afridi has maltreated the Indian bowlers he is liable to be reported to Human Rights Commission for violating the rights of Harbhajan, Kumble, Agarkar and Pathan. Surely, he is man who can hit any ball out of the planet.

* Inzamam-ul-Haq had a rare failure yesterday and still Pakistan went past 650-mark. It was for the first time since Inzi’s Test debut (in 14 years) that Pakistan have made 600 or more runs in a Test innings without having the giant contributing a significant score. It was also only the fourth instance of Pakistan making above 500 during the same period with Inzamam not getting a major score. The previous three occurrences are: Pak 505 v Eng, Old Trafford 1992 - Inzamam 26; Pak 537 v Aus, Rawalpindi 1994- Inzamam 0; Pak 521 v Eng, The Oval 1996- Inzamam 35. There have been 10 other 500-plus scores by Pakistan since Inzi’s debut and the lowest contribution he made in those totals was 97 against Australia at Peshawar in 1998.

* The third-wicket partnership of 319 runs between Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf is the eighth highest for any wicket for Pakistan and the best at Lahore. It is also the third-highest partnership for the third wicket against India by any side. The 451-run stand between Javed Miandad and Mudassar Nazar at Hyderabad still remains the best.

* Younis Khan became the first batsman in Test annals to be run-out on 199. He however provided the sixth instance of a player being dismissed in nervous 199s with Andy Flower the only one who left-stranded at the same score. Younis also became the third Pakistani after Mudassar Nazar and Muhammad Wasim to be dismissed in 190s.

* Younis also became the first Pakistani to share a century and a triple century partnership in the same innings of a Test match. He first shared 124-run stand with Shoaib Malik for the second wicket before putting on 319 for the third wicket with Yousuf. There have been 17 other occurrences of a century and a triple-century stand by one player in the same Test innings.

* Afridi crushed Harbhajan to pulp. He accumulated 27 runs from off-spinner’s over which included a four sixes, a double and a single. Only Brian Lara has now scored more runs in an over Test cricket (28 off Robin Peterson at Johannesburg in 2003-04). Afridi though became the first batsman on the planet to smash four sixes off the first four balls of an over in Test cricket. He is also only the second man after India’s Kapil Dev to score 24 runs from sixes alone in an over. Kapil hit the last four balls of EE Hemmings over for sixes at Lord’s in 1990.

* Afridi's hundred off 78 balls was the joint ninth-fastest in the annals of Test cricket and the second fastest by a Pakistani after Majid Khan’s 74 ball ton against New Zealand at Karachi in 1976-77. Afridi had scored a century off the same number of balls against West Indies at Bridgetown last year.

* Kamran Akmal created a new world record for the fastest century by a wicketkeeper in Test cricket. His magnificent ton came off 81 balls which bettered Adam Gilchrist’s record of two separate hundreds off 84 balls each, against India at Mumbai (2000-01) and Zimbabwe at Perth (2003-04) respectively. Curiously enough, this was also the 12th fastest by any batsman in the longer version of the game.

* Shahid Afridi has now smashed 41 sixes in his 21-match Test career. He is now only the fifth Pakistani batsman to hit 40 or more Test sixes after Wasim Akram (57), Imran Khan (55), Javed Miandad (48) and Inzamam-ul-Haq (46).

* The total of 679 for 7 is now the second highest by any side on Pakistan soil after Pakistan’s 699-5 dec against India at Lahore in 1989-90. Since then, in 16 years upto to this day, no side has plundered such a huge total against India (except Sri Lanka’s mammoth 952-6 at Colombo in 1997-98) then Pakistan did yesterday.Click to see the tables

A day of two Y's

* Pakistan’s total of 326 for two at stumps was its highest on the opening day of a Test match for the loss of just two wickets. The previous best opening day score losing the same number of wickets was also against India at Bangalore (in the last Test between the two sides). See Table 1.

* It was also the ninth highest by Pakistan in all Test cricket on the first day’s play. The best still remains of 388 for 3 against England at Manchester in 1992. Table 2 has the details.

* Younis Khan has now scored 498 runs in three successive Test innings against India. In his last match at Bangalore in March 2005 against the arch-rivals, the Pakistan vice-captain smashed 267, 84* and now an unbeaten 147 at the end of first day’s play. His tally of 498 runs are the ninth most by any batsman against India in three or more successive innings. See Table 3.

* Younis Khan’s last three Tests against India has now yielded 645 runs in five innings. It thus broke the 57-year old record of most runs by any batsman against India in three or more successive Tests including atleast a century in each of them. Everton Weekes scored 585 runs in three Tests against India between November 1948 and Jan 1949. See Table 4.

* Younis has now made ten hundreds and 11 fifties in the 70 innings of his Test career. His fifty to hundred conversion rate of 47.62 % is now the third best by any Pakistani with atleast 10 centuries in Test cricket. See Table 5.

* Muhammad Yousuf was unbeaten on 95 at stumps on first day. He became only the sixth Pakistani batsman for the ninth time to be not out in 90s overnight against India. Mudassar Nazar has achieved this feat four times while Javed Miandad holds the world record of adding most runs to a nervous-ninety overnight score. See Table 6.Click to see the tables