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29-Feb-2008

Neil McKenzie and Graeme Smith after a hard day’s work
© Getty Images
  • Graeme Smith couldn’t have asked for a better start to his record 54th Test as captain. Smith surpassed the South African mark of 53 held by Hansie Cronje, and celebrated in style, scoring an unbeaten 222 in the city where he made his debut as Test captain.
  • At the end of the day’s play, Smith and his opening partner Neil McKenzie had put on 405 for no loss, eight shy of the world record first-wicket stand – Vinoo Mankad and Pankaj Roy’s 413 against New Zealand in Chennai in 1956. It’s also the most runs scored in a day’s play without a wicket falling.
  • Smith’s 222 not out was his fourth double-hundred, a South African record. He was previously level on three scores of 200-plus with Gary Kirsten. He also went past 5000 runs, the second-youngest player after Sachin Tendulkar to reach the mark. Smith achieved it aged 27 years and 28 days; Tendulkar was 25 years and 301 days old.
  • Smith and McKenzie’s effort was the 21st occasion on which no wicket has fallen in a full day’s play in Test cricket. They are the 15th pair to bat through a full day – the other occasions involved innings changes or retired hurts – and the fourth opening pair to do so. Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya and Roshan Mahanama batted through two consecutive days for Sri Lanka against India in Colombo in 1997.
  • Smith and McKenzie were only the second South African pair to accomplish the feat. In South Africa’s previous Test in Chittagong, Jacques Rudolph and Boeta Dippenaar’s unbroken 429-run third-wicket partnership saw them bat through an entire day’s play. South Africa have now scored 834 runs in Tests in Chittagong without losing a wicket.
  • Smith became the third player to be involved in four triple-century partnerships in Tests, equal with Herschelle Gibbs, and one behind Don Bradman. Smith is the first player to be involved in fours stands of over 300 for the first wicket.
  • With his double-hundred, Smith also went past Sunil Gavaskar as the opener with most hundreds while also captaining his team.
  • The last time Neil McKenzie scored a Test century was seven years and 40 days ago, when he made 103 against Sri Lanka in Centurion. Four South Africans – Herbie Taylor, Bruce Mitchell, Dudley Nourse and Alan Melville – have waited longer between Test centuries; however, all their careers were interrupted by the World Wars.
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