Ashes 2019 3rd Test, statistical preview: Lyon a wicket away from history

Australia had won the first Test of the 2019 Ashes, at Edgbaston, by 251 runs, while the second, at Lord’s, ended in a draw after five sessions were lost to rain. The third Test will commence at Headingley on August 22. Ahead of the clash, here is a statistical preview.

Statistical preview

0.745 win-loss ratio of England against Australia (108 wins, 145 defeats), their worst against any team. Barring Australia, they have lost more than won only against West Indies (49 wins, 51 defeats).

1 wicket needed by Nathan Lyon (355) to go past Dennis Lillee (355) and become the 4th-highest wicket-taker among Australians. Only Shane Warne (708) and Glenn McGrath (563) have more.

1 Ashes Test at Headingley since 2001. Australia had won by an innings and 80 runs in 2009. However, Australia played here in 2010 as well, when they lost by 3 wickets against Pakistan.

1.125 win-loss ratio of Australia at Headingley (9 wins, 8 defeats).

1.32 win-loss ratio of England at Lord’s (33 wins, 25 defeats). At home, they have a worse ratio only at Trent Bridge (1.222), apart from losing their only Test at Bramall Lane.

2 wickets needed by Peter Siddle (48) to become the 12th Australian (and the 1st from the current squad) to take 50 Test wickets on English soil. Of the other 11, Bill O’Reilly and Merv Hughes have exactly 50 wickets apiece.

8 wickets needed for Stuart Broad (292) to reach the 300-wicket mark on English soil. Muttiah Muralitharan (493 wickets in Sri Lanka), James Anderson (368 in England), Anil Kumble (350 in India), and Shane Warne (319 in Australia) are the only ones to have taken 300 wickets at home.

9 wins for Australia at Headingley, in 25 Tests, their 3rd-most at any overseas ground. Australia have won 17 Tests at Lord’s (out of 39) and 10 at Newlands (out of 14).

18 years since Australia had last won an Ashes series on English soil. Since then they have lost in 2005, 2009, 2013, and 2015.

32 runs needed by Joe Root (1,468) to become the 27th Englishman and 58th overall to reach the 1,500-run mark in Ashes.

42 wickets for Broad at Headingley, the 2nd most at the venue. Broad needs 3 wickets to past Fred Trueman (44) and 8 to become the first to take 50 wickets at Headingley.

59 runs needed by Lyon (941) and 66 by Peter Handscomb (934) to reach 1,000 Test runs. Whoever reaches there first will be the 106th Australian and 545th overall to the milestone.

90 runs needed by Jonny Bairstow (2,910) to become the 4th Englishman, after Alec Stewart (4,540), Alan Knott (4,389), and Matt Prior (4,099) and 14th overall to score 3,000 Test runs as a wicketkeeper.

98 runs needed by Bairstow (3,902) to become the 34th Englishman and 131st overall to score 4,000 Test runs.

105 wickets for Broad against Australia, the joint 5th for England. Derek Underwood also has 105. However, 5 more wickets will help him reach 3rd spot, behind only Ian Botham (148) and Bob Willis (128). In the process Broad will go past Syd Barnes (106) and Wilfred Rhodes (109).

878 runs for Stuart Broad against Australia, along with 105 wickets. He needs 122 runs to become the 3rd Englishman and 6th overall to do the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets against a single opposition. The others are Botham (1,673 and 148) and Rhodes (1,706 and 109), for England against Australia; Monty Noble (1,905 and 115) and George Giffen (1,131 and 101), for Australia against England; and Garry Sobers (3,214 and 102) for West Indies against England.