Ashes 2019 4th Test, statistical preview: England come to Old Trafford, their venue of mixed fortune

Thanks to Steven Smith’s twin tons, Australia had won the first Test of the 2019 Ashes comfortably, at Edgbaston. England had the better of the second, at Lord’s, despite five sessions being lost to rain. Then Ben Stokes pulled off a near-miracle at Headingley to help level the series. The fourth Test will commence at Old Trafford on August 4. Ahead of the clash, here is a statistical preview.

Statistical preview

0.751 win-loss ratio of England against Australia (109 wins, 145 defeats), their worst against any team. Barring Australia, they have lost more than won only against West Indies (49 wins, 51 defeats).

1.142 win-loss ratio of Australia at Old Trafford (8 wins, 7 defeats).

2 win-loss ratio of England at Old Trafford (28 wins, 14 defeats). At home, they have a better ratio only at Edgbaston (3.111) with a 7-Test cut-off.

2 wickets needed by Peter Siddle (48) to become the 12th Australian (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.

2 Ashes Tests at Old Trafford since 2001. Both were drawn.

4 wickets needed for Stuart Broad (296) 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.

18 years since England last lost at Old Trafford. Since their last defeat here, against Pakistan in 2001, they have won 9 Tests here and drawn 2, both against Australia.

25 runs needed by Joe Root (3,975) to become the 11th Englishman to score 4,000 Test runs at home.

38 years since England had beaten Australia at Old Trafford. Since that win in 1981, they have drawn in 1985, 2005, and 2013, and lost in 1989, 1993, and 1997.

49 runs needed by Nathan Lyon (951) 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.

50 runs needed by Jonny Bairstow (2,950) 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.

58 runs needed by Bairstow (3,942) to become the 34th Englishman and 131st overall to score 4,000 Test runs.

96 runs needed by Steven Smith (2,404) to become the 6th Australian – after Don Bradman (5,028), Allan Border (3,548), Steve Waugh (3,200), Clem Hill (2.660), and Greg Chappell (2,619) – and 11th overall to reach the 2,500-run mark against England. En route, Smith will have to go past Neil Harvey (2,416), Ricky Ponting (2,476), and Mark Taylor (2,496).

109 wickets for Broad against Australia, joint 3rd most for England. One more will take him past Wilfred Rhodes, who is also on 109. Only Ian Botham (148) and Bob Willis (128) have more wickets for England against Australia.

106 runs needed by Root (6,894) to become the 12th Englishman and 48th overall to score 7,000 Test runs.

113 runs needed by Usman Khawaja (2,887) to become the 38th Australian and 196th overall to score 3,000 Test runs.

882 runs for Broad against Australia, along with 109 wickets. He needs 118 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), both for England against Australia; Monty Noble (1,905 and 115) and George Giffen (1,131 and 101), both for Australia against England; and Garry Sobers (3,214 and 102) for West Indies against England.