Benedict Bermange explains how Andrew Strauss and Ricky Ponting could make history at the MCG.
Benedict's back to bring you the very best Ashes stats and facts
The latest instalment in cricket's most prestigious series - the Ashes - is here.
As well as keeping the lads bang up-to-speed in the commentary box,
Sky Sports statistician Benedict Bermange will have every angle of the series covered here on
skysports.com...
So if you think you know your stats, think again, because Benedict is bound to have something to amaze you. If you want to ask him a question then simply fill out the feedback form below.
So, without further ado, here are some statistics for the fourth Test in Melbourne...
History
The first Test at Melbourne involving play on Boxing Day was in 1950, against England. The first Test to start on
Boxing Day at the MCG was in 1968 against the West Indies. This is the 16th consecutive Boxing Day to be Day one of a Test in Melbourne.
The
last twelve Tests at the MCG have all produced results with Australia winning 10 of them. In addition, the last 11 meetings between Australia and England at the ground have produced results.
England's second innings at Brisbane and only innings at Perth comprised 1137 runs for six wickets (
189.50 runs per wicket). At Perth their two innings comprised 310 runs for 20 wickets (
15.50 runs per wicket).
Over the last three series between the sides, 10 Tests have produced results. None of those results have been closer than
115 runs or six wickets.
Four years ago 89,155 people attended Day one of the Boxing Day Test followed by 75,770 and 79,426 on the other two days. The average of 81,450 is probably a world record for any Test with numbers in Kolkata usually just estimated.
The record attendance for cricket at the ground is
90,800 on February 11, 1961 for the second day of the fifth Test of the Australia-West Indies 1960/61 series. The highest total match attendance record is
350,534 spectators over a six-day Test in January 1937. The five days of the 2009 Lord's Ashes Test saw 142,945 people attend - the highest aggregate attendance for a Test in England since 1953.
Batting
So far in the series,
Mike Hussey has batted for 1350 minutes, faced 896 deliveries and been dismissed five times at an average of 270 minutes and 179 balls faced per dismissal. The combined figures for the rest of Australia's top six so far are 75 minutes and 55 balls faced per dismissal.
In his last nine Tests
Ricky Ponting has averaged just 29.62 with the bat without a century. This is his worst nine-match stretch since averaging 21.00 with just two fifties between Dec 2000 and Aug 2001.
However, if Australia win this Test, Ponting will become the first player to
win 100 Tests as a player. Shane Warne won 92 of his 145 Tests, while Steve Waugh chalked up 86 wins out of 168 Tests. The leading non-Aussie is Mark Boucher with 70 wins in joint eigth place.
Andrew Strauss needs 45 runs to be the fastest batsman in terms of time to reach 6000 in Test cricket.
On Day one he will have been a Test player for six years 220 days, 64 fewer than Graeme Smith needed. Of the 61 batsmen to reach the landmark, Don Bradman took the longest (19 years 32 days) but the fewest innings (69).
In his last eight Tests,
Paul Collingwood has averaged just 16.45 with one fifty. This is comfortably his worst stretch of that length in Test cricket, surpassing his average of 26.00 between Dec 2007 and Jul 2008.
Only one
finger-spinner has taken a five-wicket haul in the last 29 Melbourne Tests. That was Nathan Hauritz who took 5-101 against Pakistan last year.
