D Elgar of South Africa completed 4000 runs when he was on 17 during the course of his knock of 127 against Sri Lanka in the ongoing test at Johannesburg. At the end of South Africa’s first innings, D Elgar’s run aggregate read 4110.

D Elgar made his test debut against Australia at Perth in November 2012. Batting at number six, he failed to score in the first innings having faced 12 deliveries. He was destined for a pair on his debut test as he failed to score in South Africa’s second innings. In the second innings he faced four deliveries. In the first innings he was caught at the wicket by MS Wade of MG Johnson and in the second innings he was leg before wicket to MG Johnson. D Elgar was one of the ten South African batsmen who have collected a pair on test debut. D Elgar’s career summary read thus

Opp	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	C	HC	0
Aus	10	19	1	604	141*	2	3	4
Ban	4	5	1	405	199	2	0	0
Eng	12	23	1	819	136	2	3	2
Ind	10	19	2	576	160	1	2	2
NZl	6	9	1	408	140	2	1	0
Pak	7	11	2	217	50	0	1	0
Srl	11	19	0	751	129	3	3	2
Win	3	4	1	217	121	1	1	0
Zim	2	3	0	113	61	0	1	0
overall	65	112	9	4110	199	13	15	10

D Elgar became the tenth South African batsman to aggregate 4000 plus runs in tests. The following table lists all these ten batsmen.

No	Player	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS
1	JH Kallis	165	278	39	13206	224
2	HM Amla	124	215	16	9282	311*
3	GC Smith	116	203	13	9253	277
4	AB de Villiers	114	191	18	8765	278*
5	G Kirsten	101	176	15	7289	275
6	HH Gibbs	90	154	7	6167	228
7	MV Boucher	146	204	24	5498	125
8	DJ Cullinan	70	115	12	4554	275*
9	D Elgar	65	112	9	4110	199
10	F du Plessis	67	114	14	4108	199

CA Pujara has an aggregate of 5903 runs prior to the start of the Sydney Test. He requires 97 more runs for his 6000 runs. If he scores them, then he would become the eleventh Indian batsman to total 6000 plus runs in tests.  The following table lists them.

No	Player	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave
1	SR Tendulkar	200	329	33	15921	248*	53.78
2	R Dravid	163	284	32	13265	270	52.63
3	SM Gavaskar	125	214	16	10122	236*	51.12
4	VVS Laxman	134	225	34	08781	281	45.97
5	V Sehwag	103	178	06	08503	319	49.43
6	V Kohli	087	147	10	07318	254*	53.41
7	SC Ganguly	113	188	17	07212	239	42.17
8	DB Vengsarkar	116	185	22	06868	166	42.13
9	M Azharuddin	099	147	09	06215	199	45.03
10	GR Viswanath	091	155	10	06080	222	41.93
11	CA Pujara	079	132	08	05903	206*	47.60

RR Pant has effected 24 dismissals against Australia prior to the start of the Sydney Test. He needs one more dismissal which would fetch him 25 dismissals. If he effects it, he would then become the third Indian wicket keeper to effect 25 plus dismissals against Australia. Others are – MS Dhoni {71} and SMH Kirmani {41}

RR Pant has effected 24 dismissals against Australia in Australia prior to the start of the Sydney Test. He needs one more dismissal which would fetch him 25 dismissals. If he effects it, he would then become the third Indian wicket keeper to effect 25 plus dismissals against Australia in Australia. Others are – MS Dhoni {35} and SMH Kirmani {27}

RR Pant has effected 58 dismissals on away soil prior to the start of the Sydney Test. He needs two more dismissals which would fetch him 60 dismissals. If he effects it, he would then become the fourth Indian wicket keeper to effect 60 plus dismissals on away soil. Others are – MS Dhoni {167}, SMH Kirmani {90} and KS More {81}

RR Pant has pouched 58 catches on away soil prior to the start of the Sydney Test. He needs two more catches which would fetch him 60 catches. If he catches them, he would then become the fourth Indian wicket keeper to pouch 60 plus catches on away soil. Others are – MS Dhoni {154}, KS More {77} and SMH Kirmani {71}

RA Jadeja has an aggregate of 1926 runs prior to the start of the Sydney Test. He requires 74 more runs for his 2000 runs. If he scores them, then he would become the 41sr Indian batsman to total 2000 plus runs in tests.  RA Jadeja has already taken 216 wickets in tests. If he scores 2000 runs, then he would become the fifth Indian all rounder to score 2000 runs and capture 200 plus wickets.

No	Player	Mat	Runs	Wkts
1	A Kumble	132	2506	619
2	N Kapil Dev	131	5248	434
3	Harbhajan Singh	103	2224	417
4	R Ashwin	073	2418	375
5	RA Jadeja	050	1926	216

If he scores 74 runs, then he would become the 21^st all rounder in the history of test cricket to score 2000 plus runs and capture 200 plus wickets. The following table lists all the 21 cricketers.

No	Player	Team	Mat	Runs	Wkts
1	SK Warne	Aus	145	3154	708
2	A Kumble	Ind	132	2506	619
3	SCJ Broad	Eng	143	3335	514
4	N Kapil Dev	Ind	131	5248	434
5	RJ Hadlee	NZl	086	3124	431
6	SM Pollock	SAF	108	3781	421
7	Harbhajan Singh	Ind	103	2224	417
8	Wasim Akram	Pak	104	2898	414
9	IT Botham	Eng	102	5200	383
10	R Ashwin	Ind	073	2418	375
11	Imran Khan	Pak	088	3807	362
12	DL Vettori	NZl	113	4531	362
13	WPUJC Vaas	Srl	111	3089	355
14	MG Johnson	Aus	073	2065	313
15	JH Kallis	SAF	166	13289	292
16	R Benaud	Aus	063	2201	248
17	GS Sobers	Win	093	8032	235
18	A Flintoff	Eng	079	3845	226
19	CL Cairns	NZl	062	3320	218
20	RA Jadeja	Ind	050	1926	216
21	Shakib Al Hasan	Ban	056	3862	210

NM Lyon has an aggregate of 195 wickets on home soil prior to the start of the Sydney Test. He requires five more wickets for his 200 wickets. If he gets them, then he would become the fourth Australian bowler to capture 200 test wickets on home soil. Others are – SK Warne {319}, GD McGrath {289} and DK Lillee {231}.

NM Lyon has an aggregate of 195 wickets on home soil prior to the start of the Sydney Test. He requires five more wickets for his 200 wickets. If he gets them, then he would become the 20^th bowler in the annals of test cricket to capture 200 test wickets on home soil.

NM Lyon has an aggregate of 89 wickets against India prior to the start of the Sydney Test. He requires one more runs for his 90 wickets. If he gets them, then he would become the first Australian bowler to capture 90 test wickets against India.

R Ashwin has an aggregate of 87 wickets against Australia prior to the start of the Sydney Test. He requires three more runs for his 90 wickets. If he gets them, then he would become the third Indian bowler to capture 90 plus test wickets against Australia. Others are – A Kumble {111} and Harbhajan Singh {95}.

R Ashwin has an aggregate of 37 wickets against Australia in Australia prior to the start of the Sydney Test. He requires three more runs for his 40 wickets. If he gets them, then he would become the third Indian bowler to capture 40 plus test wickets against Australia in Australia. Others are – N Kapil Dev {51} and A Kumble {49}.

NM Lyon has pouched 49 catches prior to the start of the Sydney Test. He requires one more catch for his 50 catches. If he catches it, then he would become the 21^st Australian fieldsman, other than the wicket keepers to catch 50 plus catches.

SPD Smith has pouched 119 catches prior to the start of the Sydney Test. He requires one more catch for his 120 catches. If he catches it, then he would become the ninth Australian fieldsman, other than the wicket keepers to catch 120 plus catches.

SPD Smith has pouched 18 catches against India prior to the start of the Sydney Test. He requires two more catches for his 20 catches. If he catches it, then he would become the seventh Australian fieldsman, other than the wicket keepers to catch 20 plus catches against India. Others are – RT Ponting {36}, MJ Clarke {29}, ME Waugh {29}, ML Hayden {23}, RB Simpson {21} and MEK Hussey {20}

TM Paine has effected 27 dismissals against India prior to the start of the Sydney Test. He requires three more dismissals for his 30 dismissals. If he effected them, then he would become the third Australian wicket keeper to catch 30 plus dismissals against India. Others are – AC Gilchrist {46} and BJ Haddin {40}

SPD Smith has a run aggregate of 1439 runs against India prior to the start of the Sydney Test. He requires 61 more runs for his 1500 runs. If he scores them, then he would become the fifth Australian batsman to score 1500 plus runs against India. Others are – RT Ponting {2555}, MJ Clarke {2049}, ML Hayden {1888} and AR Border {1567}.

DA Warner has a run aggregate of 4484 runs on home soil prior to the start of the Sydney Test. He requires 16 more runs for his 4500 runs. If he scores them, then he would become the eighth Australian batsman to score 4500 plus runs on home soil. The following table lists all the eight batsmen.

No	Player	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS
1	RT Ponting	92	154	21	7578	257
2	AR Border	86	145	20	5743	205
3	SR Waugh	89	140	20	5710	170
4	ML Hayden	56	098	08	5210	380
5	MJ Clarke	53	086	11	4654	329*
6	DC Boon	60	108	10	4541	200
7	GS Chappell	55	096	13	4515	204
8	DA Warner	43	075	07	4484	335*

DA Warner has a run aggregate of 4473 runs as an opening batsman on home soil prior to the start of the Sydney Test. He requires 27 more runs for his 4500 runs. If he scores them, then he would become the second Australian opening batsman to score 4500 plus runs on home soil after ML Hayden. ML Hayden has an aggregate of 5210 runs.

DA Warner has a run aggregate of 4473 runs as a left hand opening batsman on home soil prior to the start of the Sydney Test. He requires 27 more runs for his 4500 runs. If he scores them, then he would become the second Australian left hand opening batsman to score 4500 plus runs on home soil after ML Hayden. ML Hayden has an aggregate of 5210 runs.

DA Warner has a run aggregate of 4484 runs as a left hand batsman on home soil prior to the start of the Sydney Test. He requires 16 more runs for his 4500 runs. If he scores them, then he would become the third Australian left hand batsman to score 4500 plus runs on home soil. The following table lists all the three batsmen.

No	Player	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS
1	AR Border	86	145	20	5743	205
2	ML Hayden	56	098	08	5210	380
3	DA Warner	43	075	07	4484	335*

AM Rahane has a run aggregate of 2891 runs on away soil prior to the start of the Sydney Test. He requires 109 more runs for his 3000 runs. If he scores them, then he would become the tenth Indian batsman to score 3000 plus runs on away soil. The following table lists all the ten batsmen.

No	Player	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS
1	SR Tendulkar	106	176	17	8705	248*
2	R Dravid	093	164	21	7667	270
3	SM Gavaskar	060	106	09	5055	221
4	VVS Laxman	077	134	16	5014	178
5	SC Ganguly	063	104	07	4032	147
6	V Sehwag	051	089	03	3847	309
7	V Kohli	048	087	02	3760	200
8	DB Vengsarkar	062	105	09	3143	157
9	M Amarnath	037	063	05	3008	138
10	AM Rahane	040	071	08	2891	147

AM Rahane has a run aggregate of 797 runs against Australia on away soil prior to the start of the Sydney Test. He requires three more runs for his 800 runs. If he scores them, then he would become the seventh Indian batsman to score 3000 plus runs on away soil against Australia. Others are – SR Tendulkar {1809}, V Kohli {1352}, VVS Laxman {1236}, R Dravid {1143}, V Sehwag {948} and SM Gavaskar {920}.

AM Rahane has scored 23 fifties on away soil prior to the start of the Sydney Test. He requires two more fifties for his 25 fifties. If he scores them, then he would become the eighth Indian batsman to score 25 plus fifties on away soil. The following table lists these eight batsmen.

No	Player	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	C	HC	50+
1	SR Tendulkar	106	176	17	8705	29	36	65
2	R Dravid	093	164	21	7667	21	36	57
3	VVS Laxman	077	134	16	5014	09	32	41
4	SM Gavaskar	060	106	09	5055	18	22	40
5	SC Ganguly	063	104	07	4032	08	22	30
6	V Kohli	048	087	02	3760	14	13	27
7	M Amarnath	037	063	05	3008	09	17	26
8	AM Rahane	040	071	08	2891	08	15	23

AM Rahane has pouched 47 catches on away soil prior to the start of the Sydney Test. He requires three more catches for his 50 catches. If he pouches them, then he would become the sixth Indian fieldsman other than the wicket keepers to pouch 50 plus catches on away soil. Others are – R Dravid {111}, VVS Laxman {74}, SR Tendulkar {68}, SM Gavaskar {57} and M Azharuddin {53}

AM Rahane has pouched 17 catches against Australia prior to the start of the Sydney Test. He requires three more catches for his 20 catches. If he pouches them, then he would become the sixth Indian fieldsman other than the wicket keepers to pouch 20 plus catches against Australia. Others are – R Dravid {46}, VVS Laxman {36}, SR Tendulkar {23}, V Sehwag {22} and V Kohli {20}

KS Willamson of New Zealand scored his  24^th  century when he  made 112 not out  against Pakistan on the first day of the ongoing Christchurch test. All his 24 centuries are tabulated below

He made his test debut against India at Ahmedabad in Nov 2010 and scored 131 on his debut. It was a memorable debut for him  as he and JD Ryder put on 194 runs for the fifth wicket. JD Ryder also scored a century – 103. KS Williamson  made his test debut under the captaincy of DL Vettori. All his  centuries are tabulated below.

No	Runs	I	Opp	Ground	Start Date
1	131	2	Ind	Ahmedabad	04 Nov 2010
2	102*	4	SAF	Wellington	23 Mar 2012
3	135	1	Srl	Col-PSS	25 Nov 2012
4	114	1	Ban	Chattogram	09 Oct 2013
5	113	1	Ind	Auckland	06 Feb 2014
6	113	1	Win	Kingston	08 Jun 2014
7	161*	3	Win	Bridgetown	26 Jun 2014
8	192	2	Pak	Sharjah	26 Nov 2014
9	242*	3	Srl	Wellington	03 Jan 2015
10	132	2	Eng	Lord’s	21 May 2015
11	140	2	Aus	Brisbane	05 Nov 2015
12	166	2	Aus	Perth	13 Nov 2015
13	108*	4	Srl	Hamilton	18 Dec 2015
14	113	1	Zim	Bulawayo	06 Aug 2016
15	104*	4	Ban	Wellington	12 Jan 2017
16	130	2	SAF	Dunedin	08 Mar 2017
17	176	2	SAF	Hamilton	25 Mar 2017
18	102	2	Eng	Auckland	22 Mar 2018
19	139	3	Pak	Abu Dhabi	03 Dec 2018
20	200*	2	Ban	Hamilton	28 Feb 2019
21	104*	3	Eng	Hamilton	29 Nov 2019
22	251	1	Win	Hamilton	03 Dec 2020
23	129	1	Pak	Mt Maunganui	26 Dec 2020
24	112*	2	Pak	Christchurch	03 Jan 2021

His 112 not out at Christchurch represent his fourth century against Pakistan. He is the only New Zealand batsman to score centuries in four test innings against Pakistan.  All his four centuries are tabulated below

No	Runs	I	Opp	Ground	Start Date
1	192	2	Pak	Sharjah	26 Nov 2014
2	139	3	Pak	Abu Dhabi	03 Dec 2018
3	129	1	Pak	Mt Maunganui	26 Dec 2020
4	112*	2	Pak	Christchurch	03 Jan 2021

His 112 not out at Christchurch represent his eleventh century while leading New Zealand. He is the only New Zealand captain to score ten or more centuries.  All his eleven centuries are tabulated below

No	Runs	I	Opp	Ground	Start Date
1	113	1	Zim	Bulawayo	06 Aug 2016
2	104*	4	Ban	Wellington	12 Jan 2017
3	130	2	SAF	Dunedin	08 Mar 2017
4	176	2	SAF	Hamilton	25 Mar 2017
5	102	2	Eng	Auckland	22 Mar 2018
6	139	3	Pak	Abu Dhabi	03 Dec 2018
7	200*	2	Ban	Hamilton	28 Feb 2019
8	104*	3	Eng	Hamilton	29 Nov 2019
9	251	1	Win	Hamilton	03 Dec 2020
10	129	1	Pak	Mt Maunganui	26 Dec 2020
11	112*	2	Pak	Christchurch	03 Jan 2021

KS Williamson is one of the six batsmen who have scored 20 plus centuries in the annals of test cricket while batting at number three. KC Sangakkara {37}, RT Ponting {32}, R Dravid {28}, HM Amla {25}, KS Williason {22} and DG Bradman {20} are the six batsmen.  KC Williamson’s 22 centuries are tabulated below

No	Runs	I	Opp	Ground	Start Date
1	135	1	Srl	Col-PSS	25 Nov 2012
2	114	1	Ban	Chattogram	09 Oct 2013
3	113	1	Ind	Auckland	06 Feb 2014
4	113	1	Win	Kingston	08 Jun 2014
5	161*	3	Win	Bridgetown	26 Jun 2014
6	192	2	Pak	Sharjah	26 Nov 2014
7	242*	3	Srl	Wellington	03 Jan 2015
8	132	2	Eng	Lord’s	21 May 2015
9	140	2	Aus	Brisbane	05 Nov 2015
10	166	2	Aus	Perth	13 Nov 2015
11	108*	4	Srl	Hamilton	18 Dec 2015
12	113	1	Zim	Bulawayo	06 Aug 2016
13	104*	4	Ban	Wellington	12 Jan 2017
14	130	2	SAF	Dunedin	08 Mar 2017
15	176	2	SAF	Hamilton	25 Mar 2017
16	102	2	Eng	Auckland	22 Mar 2018
17	139	3	Pak	Abu Dhabi	03 Dec 2018
18	200*	2	Ban	Hamilton	28 Feb 2019
19	104*	3	Eng	Hamilton	29 Nov 2019
20	251	1	Win	Hamilton	03 Dec 2020
21	129	1	Pak	Mt Maunganui	26 Dec 2020
22	112*	2	Pak	Christchurch	03 Jan 2021

KA Jamieson of New Zealand captured five for 69 against Pakistan in the ongoing test at Christchurch to provide the 216^th occasion of a New Zealand bowler capturing five or more wickets in a test innings. It also provides the 23^rd occasion of a New Zealand bowler capturing five or more wickets in a test innings against Pakistan. All such occasions are tabulated below.

No	Player	W-R	I	Opp	Ground	Mon/Yr
1	FJ Cameron	5-034	3	Pak	Auckland	Jan 65
2	HJ Howarth	5-080	1	Pak	Karachi	Oct 69
3	RJ Hadlee	5-121	1	Pak	Lahore	Oct 76
4	RJ Hadlee	5-062	1	Pak	Christchurch	Feb 79
5	RJ Hadlee	5-104	2	Pak	Auckland	Feb 79
6	SL Boock	7-087	2	Pak	Hyd-Pak	Nov 84
7	SL Boock	5-117	2	Pak	Wellington	Jan 85
8	RJ Hadlee	6-051	1	Pak	Dunedin	Feb 85
9	W Watson	6-078	2	Pak	Lahore	Oct 90
10	C Pringle	7-052	1	Pak	Faisalabad	Oct 90
11	ML Su’a	5-073	1	Pak	Hamilton	Jan 93
12	DK Morrison	5-041	3	Pak	Hamilton	Jan 93
13	SB Doull	5-066	2	Pak	Auckland	Feb 94
14	SB Doull	5-046	2	Pak	Lahore	Nov 96
15	CL Cairns	5-137	2	Pak	Rawalpindi	Nov 96
16	DR Tuffey	5-087	2	Pak	Hamilton	Dec 03
17	IG Butler	6-046	2	Pak	Wellington	Dec 03
18	SE Bond	5-107	2	Pak	Dunedin	Nov 09
19	MD Craig	7-094	1	Pak	Sharjah	Nov 14
20	C de Grandhomme	6-041	1	Pak	Christchurch	Nov 16
21	TG Southee	6-080	2	Pak	Hamilton	Nov 16
22	AY Patel	5-049	4	Pak	Abu Dhabi	Nov 18
23	KA Jamieson	5-069	1	Pak	Christchurch	Jan 21

The WTC league standings are being determined by the percentage of points earned instead of absolute points, with top two teams qualifying for the final. The current WTC cycle ends on March 31, 2021 followed by the final in June. Written by Shamik Chakrabarty , in Explained – Indian Express online portal

New Zealand’s win in the first Test against Pakistan have made them serious contenders to qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC) final, to be played in June 2021 at Lord’s. With a percentage point (PCT) of 0.667, the Kiwis are now snapping at the heels of Australia and India.

What is New Zealand’s current standing in the WTC table?

New Zealand are now placed third with 360 absolute points and 0.667 percentage points (66.7%).

Absolute points are the total points earned from a Test series. Each series is allotted 120 points. So for a two-Test series, which is the minimum requirement, points earned per Test for a win is 60. New Zealand and Pakistan are playing a two-Test series.

What is PCT then?

PCT is the percentage of points won out of total number of points contested. For example, India are playing a four-Test series in Australia and the two teams are contesting for 120 points. For a four-Test series, points allotted per Test are 30, 15 and 10 for a win, tie and draw respectively. The series is tied at 1-1 at the moment which means that both Australia and India have secured 25 per cent each of the total points on offer.

Why is PCT so important?

Last month, the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Cricket Committee headed by Anil Kumble decided to make the Covid-forced cancelled matches null and void and determine the WTC league standings only from the matches played. Under the changed system, the WTC league standings are being determined by the percentage of points earned instead of absolute points, with top two teams qualifying for the final. The current WTC cycle ends on March 31, 2021 followed by the final in June.

How are India placed at the moment?

India still have the highest absolute points, 390, followed by New Zealand, 360, and Australia, 322. And yet, India are placed second because their PCT, 0.722 (72.2%), is lower than that of Australia’s, 0.766 (76.6%).

Simply put, India will play six more Tests in this WTC cycle — two in Australia and four at home against England. Four wins, or three wins and three draws will secure their qualification for the final.

Why is that?

Because, if New Zealand win the second Test against Pakistan and finish the series with 120 points, they will finish their WTC assignments with 420 absolute points from five series played, or a total of 600 points contested. Their series in Bangladesh was cancelled due to the pandemic. So a clean sweep against Pakistan will take New Zealand’s PCT to 0.700 (70%).

As for India, they didn’t have any series cancelled. They will have six series under their belt and 720 points contested. India need to take their absolute points to 504 to have a PCT of 0.700 (70%). As they can have just 30 points from each win (four-Test series), four more victories will take them 510 absolute points, and beyond New Zealand’s PCT.

What about Australia?

They can afford a 2-2 draw, for example, in the ongoing series to retain their PCT-based lead. Their PCT in that case will be 0.741. But if they lose the series to India, they will drop down the order. The Aussies, however, are scheduled to play a three-Test series in South Africa and they will finish the cycle with five series.

Does the PCT-based system offer confusion?

If Virat Kohli finds the changed qualification structure “confusing”, then fans probably are struggling even more. Kohli was asked about the changed structure ahead of India’s first ODI against Australia. He wasn’t impressed at all.

“It is definitely surprising because we were told that points are a matter of contention for the top two teams qualifying in World Test championships and now suddenly it has become percentage out of nowhere, so it is confusing and difficult to understand why,” he had said.