*Stats highlights from the third day of the third Test between Pakistan and New Zealand at Sharjah
4 Number of players who have scored three double-centuries in a calendar year; Don Bradman, Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and McCullum. McCullum has scored a triple hundred and two double hundreds this year.
186 Balls in which Brendon McCullum got to his double hundred, the fourth-fastest of all time.
297 The partnership between McCullum and Kane Williamson during New Zealand’s first innings. This is New Zealand’s highest second-wicket stand in Tests, and their fifth-highest for any wicket. This is New Zealand’s only 200-plus run stand against Pakistan, for any wicket.
637 New Zealand’s score at the end of the third day, their highest in a Test against Pakistan, and third highest ever. New Zealand’s previous highest score against Pakistan was 563 at Westpac Park, Hamilton in 2003.
19 Number of sixes that New Zealand hit in their first innings, a record for the most sixes hit by a team in a Test innings. The previous record was 17 sixes, by Australia against Zimbabwe in 2003.
5 Number of New Zealand players who have scored 1000 Test runs and taken 100 wickets; Tim Southee is the fifth. He has taken 128 wickets and scored 1009 runs.
4.9 New Zealand’s run-rate during their first innings. This is the second highest rate for a 600-plus score in Tests. The highest is 5.01, by Australia against Zimbabwe in 2003.
11 Sixes hit by McCullum during his innings of 202. The only player to hit more sixes in an innings is Wasim Akram, 12 sixes, during his innings of 257 not out against Zimbabwe in 1996.
1 Number of New Zealand batsman who have hit four double-centuries; McCullum is the only one. Stephen Fleming had made three scores of 200 or more.
33 McCullum’s age, making him New Zealand’s oldest double centurion. The oldest double-centurion across countries is South Africa’s Eric Rowan, who scored a double hundred against England in 1951, at the age of 42.
3 Batsmen who have scored 200-plus runs in a Test innings at a 100-plus strike rate – McCullum, Nathan Astle and Virender Sehwag (thrice). McCullum scored 202 off 188 balls (SR – 107.4).
8 Number of Test hundreds for Kane Williamson, the most for a New Zealand batsman at the age of 24. Martin Crowe had seven hundreds at the age of 24.
6 Instances of two New Zealand batsmen making 150-plus scores in the same Test innings. The last time was four years ago, versus Bangladesh. If Williamson had scored eight more runs, it would have been the first time two New Zealand batsmen scored double hundreds in an innings.
