• This was the 2022nd match in One-day international cricket history.
• This was West Indies’ 474th and Sri Lanka’s 427th match.
• This was the 37th match between these two sides. The record now reads : West Indies 22, Sri Lanka 14, abandoned one.
• Sanath Jayasuriya was getting dismissed without scoring for the 23rd time in his career. He has now equalled the tally of fellow teammate Romesh Kaluwitharana. Now only Pakistan’s Wasim Akram has aggregated more ducks in a career then these batsmen. Akram has 28 ducks to his (dis)credit.
• The catch of Ridley Jacobs (off the bowling of Muralitharan) was 100th for Sanath Jayasuriya. He became second Sri Lankan after Roshan Mahanama and ninth fielder in ODI history to do so. However by taking 305 matches, Jayasuriya became the slowest to reach this landmark. The previous record was held by Australian Steve Waugh who completed his century of catches in his 290th match.
• Both West Indian openers were dismissed without scoring. This provided the 17th such instance in ODI history and fourth for West Indies. The following table lists the instances when none of the two West Indian openers could manage to open his account :

  Batsmen                   Opponents    Venue       Date         Stand
  SL Campbell & JR Murray   v Pakistan   Sydney      20-01-1997   3
  SL Campbell & RD Jacobs   v India      Toronto     14-09-1999   0
  D Ganga & RD Jacobs       v Australia  Sydney      07-02-2001   0	
  CH Gayle & WW Hinds       v Sri Lanka  Bridgetown  07-06-2003   2
  

• Brian Lara scored his 68th fifty plus score in 217th match. However his scoring rate of 49.23 in this innings is his worst ever in all 50-plus innings. His previous worst performance had come against England at Chester-le-Street on 15-07-2000 when he made 54 off 101 balls at a scoring rate of 53.47.
• Muralitharan has now taken 44 wickets in 21 matches played this year. This makes him the most successful bowler in the year 2003. He moved ahead of Australia’s Brett Lee who has taken 42 wickets from 22 matches.
• Muralitharan was winning his eighth Man of the Match award.

(Article: Copyright © 2003 Rajneesh Gupta)