• This was the 1663rd Test in cricket history.
• The catch of Tatenda Taibu in first innings was 200th wicketkeeping dismissal for Adam Gilchrist. He became third Australian after Ian Healy (395 dismissals in 119 Tests) and Rodney Marsh (355 dismissals in 96 Tests) and tenth keeper overall to reach this milestone.
• By taking 47 Tests to accomplish this feat, Gilchrist became the quickest to aggregate 200 dismissals in Test cricket. The previous record was held by South Africa’s Mark Boucher who achieved this landmark in his 52nd Test.
• Ray Price’s figures of six for 121 were the best for Zimbabwe against Australia. He obliterated the previous best of five for 93 by Heath Streak at Harare in 1999-00.
• Matthew Hayden after scoring world record 380 in the first Test, scored 20 & 101 in this Test to take his aggregate to 501 in the series. He became third Australian after Don Bradman and Doug Walters and 11th batsman in Test history to aggregate 500 runs in two consecutive Tests.
• Hayden also became only the fourth batsman in Test chronicles to aggregate 500 runs in a two-match Test series after Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya, England’s Wally Hammond and Zimbabwean Andy Flower. The details :

  Runs  Batsman         For    Vs    Series    Inns   NO       Ave   Hs  100 50
  571   ST Jayasuriya   SL*    Ind   1997-98   3	0   190.33   340   2   0   0
  563   WR Hammond      Eng    NZ*   1932-33   2	1   563.00   336*  2   0   0
  540   A Flower        Zim    Ind*  2000-01   4	2   270.00   232*  2   2   0
  501   ML Hayden       Aus*   Zim   2003-04   3	1   250.50   380   2   0   0
  * Series venue
  

• Hayden completed his hundred with a six off Ewing in second innings. This was the second occasion Hayden was reaching the three figure mark with a six. The earlier occasion was against Pakistan at Sharjah in last season when Hayden lifted leg-spinner Danish Kaneria for a mighty six to complete his hundred. Hayden became first Australian and eighth batsman in Test cricket history to reach his hundred with a six on more than one occasion. The list is headed by England’s Ken Barrington and India’s Sachin Tendulkar with four such instances, followed by Sri Lanka’s Aravinda de Silva (thrice) and England’s Ian Botham, Pakistan’s Imran Khan, West Indies’ Desmond Haynes and Ridley Jacobs and ….Australia’s Matthew Hayden.

  Australian batsmen reaching hundred with a six
   
  Batsman (Score)         Bowler            Vs    Venue      Season
  Joe Darling (178)       Johnny Briggs     Eng   Adelaide   1897-98
  John Benaud (142)       Intikhab Alam     Pak   Melbourne  1972-73
  Keith Stackpole (142)   Maurice Foster    WI    Kingston   1972-73
  Doug Walters (103)      Bob Willis        Eng   Perth      1974-75
  Ian Davis (105)         Salim Altaf       Pak   Adelaide   1976-77
  Rick McCosker (107)     Bob Willis        Eng   Nottingham 1977
  Greg Matthews (115)     Vaughan Brown     NZ    Brisbane   1985-86
  J Langer (115)          Claude Henderson  SA    Adelaide   2001-02
  R Ponting (100*)        Paul Adams        SA    Cape Town  2001-02
  ML Hayden (119)         Danish Kaneria    Pak   Sharjah    2002-03
  RT Ponting (150)        Saqlain Mushtaq   Pak   Sharjah    2002-03
  SR Waugh (103*)         Danish Kaneria    Pak   Sharjah    2002-03
  ML Hayden (101*)        Gavin Ewing       Zim   Sydney     2003-04
  

• At the end of the series :
  Australia’s overall Test record : played 644, won 289, lost 174, drawn 179 and tied 2.
  Zimbabwe’s overall Test record : played 69, won 7, lost 39, drawn 23.
  Steve Waugh’s captaincy record : played 53, won 40, lost 8, drawn 5.
  Heath Streak’s captaincy record : played 17, won 3, lost 10, drawn 4.
  

(Article: Copyright © 2003 Rajneesh Gupta)