South Africa's Dean Elgar breaches 5,000-run mark in Tests: Stats
South African skipper Dean Elgar steered past the 5,000-run mark in the longest format in the ongoing Boxing Day Test against Australia. The opening batter looked well-set but was run out by Marnus Labuschagne on 26 (4s: 2). The effort was enough to unlock the milestone. He has become only the eighth Protea batter to breach the landmark in Tests. We decode his stats.
Decoding Elgar's Test numbers
Elgar made his debut against the Aussies in 2012. He has since amassed 5,002 runs across 81 matches. He averages a modest 38.18. He has struck 13 hundreds and 22 fifties. At home, Elgar has racked up 3,159 runs at a stellar 47.14 (100s: 8, 50s: 16). He owns 1,820 and 23 runs at away and neutral venues, respectively.
5,000 runs and counting!
Elgar (5,002) has become the eighth batter to surpass the 5,000-run mark for South Africa in red-ball cricket. He ranks behind Jacques Kallis (13,206), Hashim Amla (9,282), Graeme Smith (9,253), AB de Villiers (8,765), Gary Kirsten (7,289), Herschelle Gibbs (6,167), and Mark Boucher (5,498).
Elgar's numbers against Australia
Elgar averages merely 30.23 against the Kangaroos in the format. The southpaw has aggregated 635 runs in 12 matches. He has two tons and three fifties (HS: 141*). Meanwhile, his average drops to 19.20 in Australia. He has scored only 192 runs in six Tests, with the best score of 127. That's also his only fifty-plus score in the Aussie nation.
How has SA's innings panned out?
Put to bat, SA were brought to crutches in the first session itself (58/4). Sarel Erwee departed soon. SA were then struck with double blows as both Elgar and Temba Bavuma were dismissed on back-to-back deliveries in the 23rd over. Khaya Zondo followed sometime later. Kyle Verreynne and Marco Jansen put SA back on track with a 100-plus stand for the sixth wicket.
