1Higher partnerships for Australia for any wicket in Tests in Sri Lanka than the 246-run stand between Shaun Marsh and Steven Smith. Marsh was involved in the highest partnership as well - 258 runs with Mike Hussey in Pallekele in 2011. This was the first double-century partnership for Australia for the second-wicket against Sri Lanka. The previous highest was 170 between Kepler Wessels and Graham Yallop in Kandy way back in 1983.
37.85 Average runs per wicket for Australia in Tests at SSC - their best at any venue in Sri Lanka. They have made totals of 300 or more in seven of their eight innings here. Incidentally, they haven't made more than two 300-plus totals at any other venue in Sri Lanka.
1998 Last time two of Australia's top three batsmen scored centuries in a Test innings in Asia - against Pakistan in Peshawar. The tons by Marsh and Smith is just the fourth such instance for Australia in Asia and first in Sri Lanka.
129 Runs accumulated by Australia openers, apart from Marsh, in this series in 11 innings. Marsh scored more than that aggregate in his single innings. There was no half-century by any other Australia opener before Marsh in this series.
92.50 Marsh's average in Tests in Sri Lanka, in four innings, with two centuries and a half-century. Before his 130 in this Test, he had made 141, on his Test debut, in Pallekele and 81 & 18 at SSC in the 2011 series. Apart from Sri Lanka, Marsh hasn't played in any other country in Asia.
0 Test centuries for Smith in Asia before scoring 119 in this match. In 12 innings in the continent, he had made four half-centuries including two scores in nineties. With this century, his average in Asia has increased to 44.15 from 37.91. He has now scored centuries against six of the seven teams he has played against; his best against Pakistan is 97.
10.15 Average partnership of Australia's last four wickets in this series, their second-lowest in any series with 20 or more partnerships in the last 100 years. In their first innings of this match, the last four wickets could add only 26 runs. In the last Test's first innings also their last four wickets added just 26 and in the second innings of the first Test of this series, they aggregated 21 runs.
64.90 Percentage of runs in Australia's innings that came from the second wicket alone, which is the highest share from a single partnership when Australia have been bowled out by Sri Lanka. The previous highest was 60.53% in Galle in 1999 in which their opening stand added 138 out of 228 runs in the innings. In Sri Lanka's first innings of this match, 59.43% runs came from the sixth-wicket partnership between Dinesh Chandimal and Dhananjaya de Silva.
6/81 Rangana Herath's figures in the first innings - second-best by a Sri Lanka spinner in the first innings against Australia. Muttiah Muralitharan took 6 for 59 in Galle in 2003-04. These are Herath's second-best figures against Australia behind his 7 for 157 at this same venue in 2011. This is the fourth consecutive Test against Australia in which Herath has taken four or more wickets in the opponent's first innings.
25 Five-wicket hauls for Herath in Tests - joint seventh-most by a bowler. Wasim Akram, Harbhajan Singh and Dale Steyn also have 25 five-fors. All these five-wicket hauls for Herath have come since 2009. In this period, no other bowler has taken even 20 such hauls.
48 Marsh's average in Tests outside Australia which is about 43% better than his average in Australia. He has made 720 runs in 16 innings away and 504 in 15 innings at home. Three of his four centuries have also come outside Australia.