• This match was the 1668th in Test cricket .
• This match was the fifth between these two sides. The record now reads : West Indies three, drawn two.
• This match was 400th for West Indies and 70th for Zimbabwe. West Indies became third team after England (813) and Australia (644) to play in 400 Tests.
• Vusimuzi Sibanda and Stuart Matsikenyeri were making their Test debut for Zimbabwe. They became 59th and 60th player to represent Zimbabwe in Test cricket.
• Umpires Billy Bowden and Simon Taufel were officiating in their ninth and eighth Test respectively.
• Heath Streak scored his maiden hundred in his 56th Test and 91st innings. He now holds the world record of taking most Test matches (and innings) from debut before scoring first century. The previous record for most Tests was on the name of South Africa’s Shaun Pollock who scored his maiden Test hundred in his 51st Test. The record of most innings was previously held by another Zimbabwean Alistair Campbell who scored his maiden hundred while playing his 83rd innings (and 47th Test).
• In Zimbabwe’s first innings, the last five wickets added 353 runs after first five contributed only 154. This provided the 14th instance in Test history when lower half of the batting order contributed 350 or more runs in an innings.
• Streak’s innings was the highest by a Zimbabwean at number eight putting in to shade Paul Strang’s 106* against Pakistan at Sheikhupura in 1996-97.
• Streak’s innings was also the highest by a batsman at number eight against West Indies beating New Zealand’s Bruce Taylor’s 124 at Auckland in 1968-69.
• Andy Blignaut’s innings of 91 was the highest by a Zimbabwean at number nine obliterating Travis Friend’s 81 against Bangladesh at Dhaka in 2001-02.Blignaut’s innings was also the third highest by a number nine batsman against West Indies after England’s JT Murray’s 112 (at the Oval in 1966) and South Africa’s Shaun Pollock’s 106* (at Bridgetown in 2000-01).
• The eighth wicket stand of 168 between Streak and Blignaut was the highest for this wicket for Zimbabwe against all countries. The pair obliterated the previous record stand of 110 between Guy Whittall and Bryan Strang against Pakistan at the same venue in 1997-98. Incidentally Zimbabwe’s previous highest ninth wicket stand against West Indies was a paltry 23 between Guy Whittall and Tatenda Taibu at Harare in 2001.
• Zimbabwe’s total (507-9d) was their fourth highest in all Tests. Zimbabwe’s highest against West Indies still remains 563-9d at this same venue in 2001 which incidentally happens to be Zimbabwe’s highest ever against all countries.
• Ray Price’s first innings analysis of six for 73 was the second best bowling analysis by a Zimbabwean in all Tests. Only Paul Strang (8-109 v New Zealand at Bulawayo in 2000-01) enjoys the better figures.
• Price’s match analysis of ten for 161 was the third best by a Zimbabwean after Adam Huckle’s 11 for 257 (v New Zealand at Bulawayo in 1997-98) and Paul Strang’s 10 for 158 (v New Zealand at Bulawayo in 2000-01).
• The wicket of Ganga in second innings was 50th for Ray Price in his 15th Test. He became sixth Zimbabwean and 278th bowler overall to do so.
• Daren Ganga completed his 1000 runs in Test cricket when his scored reached 44 on the third day. He was playing his 23rd Test and 39th innings. Ganga became 44th West Indian and 390th batsman overall to do so.
• The match provided the 12th instance in Test history when a Test was drawn after nine wickets were down in the fourth innings of the match.
• The draw also brought Zimbabwe’s losing streak to an end. Before this Zimbabwe had lost 11 matches at a trot.

(Article: Copyright © 2003 Rajneesh Gupta)