• This was the 1648th Test match in cricket history.
• This was the seventh Test match between these two sides. The record now reads : West Indies 1, Sri Lanka 3, drawn 3.
• Beausejour Stadium in Gros Islet (St. Lucia) became the 88th ground to host a Test match. This also became the eighth ground in the Caribbean to host a Test match.
• Jerome Taylor (right handed batsman and right-arm fast bowler) was making his debut. He became 252nd player to represent West Indies in Test cricket.
• Corey Collymore was making a comeback into West Indian side after a gap of more than four years. He had last appeared for West Indies against Australia at St. John’s in 1998-99.
• Ridley Jacobs was playing his 50th Test. He became 26th West Indian and 187th player overall to do so.
• At 18 years 363 days, Taylor became the seventh youngest to represent West Indies in a Test match. The following table lists the youngest debutants for West Indies :

  Yrs-Days    Player         Vs    Venue           Series
  17-122      JED Sealy      Eng   Bridgetown      1929/30
  17-245      GS Sobers      Eng   Kingston        1953/54
  18-31       MR Bynoe       Pak   Lawrence Gdns   1958/59
  18-74       JB Stollmeyer  Eng   Lord's          1939
  18-173      AT Roberts     NZ    Auckland        1955/56
  18-242      APH Scott      Ind   Kingston        1952/53
  18-363      JE Taylor      SL    Gros Islet      2003/04
  

• Marvan Atapattu (118) scored his 11th hundred of his career and first against West Indies. His previous highest against West Indies was 84 in the second Test at Kandy in 2001-02 series.
• Atapattu’s innings is the highest by a Sri Lankan batsman in the Caribbean obliterating the previous highest of 90 by Sanath Jayasuriya at St. Vincent in 1996-97.
• Kumar Sangakkara, on 22, completed his 2000 runs in Test cricket. He was playing his 29th Test and 46th innings. He became ninth Sri Lankan and 220th batsman in the world to do so.
• Sangakkara is now the fastest to reach 2000 runs in a Test career for Sri Lanka in terms of least innings taken to accomplish this feat. He obliterated the record of fellow teammate Sanath Jayasuriya who needed 47 innings for his 2000 runs. Jayasuriya, however holds the record of aggregating 2000 runs in least number of matches for Sri Lanka reaching the milestone in 28 Tests.
• The catch of Kaushal Lokuarachchi was 123rd for Brian Lara in 95 Tests. With this he surpassed the tally of former skipper Viv Richards (122 in 121 matches) to become the leading fielder for West Indies.
• The tenth wicket partnership of 28 runs between Chaminda Vaas and Prabath Nissanka is Sri Lanka’s best for this wicket against West Indies erasing the previous best of unbroken 16 between Tillakaratne and Muralitharan at Colombo SSC in 2001-02
• Wavell Hinds (113) became second West Indian batsman to score a hundred against Sri Lanka after Brian Lara.
• Brian Lara (209) scored his 21st hundred in 95th Test and fifth in seventh Test against Sri Lanka. This was his fifth double hundred in Test cricket. He became only fifth batsman to score five or more double hundreds. Don Bradman (12), Wally Hammond (7), Javed Miandad (6) and Marvan Atapattu (5) are the others to achieve this feat.
• This was Lara’s second double century against Sri Lanka. He had also made 221 at Colombo SSC in 2001-02.
• Lara has now converted 11 of his centuries past 150. Only Don Bradman (18), Steve Waugh (14), Sunil Gavaskar (12) and Sachin Tendulkar (12) have made more scores over 150.
• Lara also completed his 1000 runs against Sri Lanka in just seven Tests. He became fourth batsman after Pakistan’s Inzamam-ul-Haq (1313 runs in 16 Tests), India’s Mohammad Azharuddin (1215 in 17) and Sachin Tendulkar (1124 in 13).
• The seventh wicket partnership of 136 runs between Brian Lara and Omari Banks is a record for West Indies for this wicket against Sri Lanka, streaking far ahead of the modestly useful stand of 59 between Marlon Samuels and Mervyn Dillon at Kandy in 2001-02 series
• The tenth wicket unbroken partnership of 29 runs between Banks and Jerome Taylor is West Indies’ best for this wicket-position against Sri Lanka, making a improvement on the previous best of 10 between Brian Lara and Colin Stuwart at Kandy in 2001-02 series.
• West Indies’ total of 477-9d is their highest ever against Sri Lanka – home or away - erasing the previous highest of 448 at Galle in 2001-02.
• Sanath Jayasuriya, when on 62, completed his 5000 runs in Test cricket. He was playing his 79th Test and 133rd innings. Jayasuriya became third Sri Lankan after Aravinda de Silva (6361 runs in 93 Tests) and Arjuna Ranatunga (5105 runs in 93 Tests) and 52nd batsman in the world to do so.
• The first wicket unbroken partnership of 126 runs between Atapattu and Jayasuriya (in second innings) is a record for Sri Lanka’s highest opening stand against West Indies, leaving behind the previous best of 89 between the same pair in the Kandy Test in 2001-02 series.

(Article: Copyright © 2003 Rajneesh Gupta)