When Sangakkara was faster than Bradman

During his unbeaten 199 in Galle, Kumar Sangakkara scored his 2000th Test run against Pakistan in his 26th innings against them. He was the fastest to that landmark against a particular team, quicker than even Don Bradman, who scored his 2000th run against England in his 29th innings. While Bradman had once held the record, it had been taken from him 33 years ago, when Sunil Gavaskar went past 2000 against West Indies in his 28th innings, a feat later matched by Brian Lara against England.

Lara had two record-breaking innings against England, but while his 375 at St John's in 1994 contributed to his first 2000 runs against them, his 400, also at St John's, was in 2004. He had passed the landmark by then. After scoring 798 in the home Tests against England in 1993-94, Lara made 765 in England in the summer of 1995 and had an aggregate of 1563 in 18 innings. He took another ten innings to score the remaining 437.

Gavaskar's contests against West Indies had the ideal start. His 774 runs in the Caribbean in 1970-71 remains the record for the most runs in a series by a debutant. He reached 2000 against West Indies with an average of 83.50 and ten centuries and six fifties.

Bradman wasn't done at 2000 runs against England. He wasn't done at 4000 either. He went on to make 5028 in 63 innings against them, averaging nearly 90. He is by far the highest run-scorer against a particular team.

The only batsman to score 2000 runs in 40 innings or less against two teams is Wally Hammond, who also ensured Bradman would never hold the record for the highest run-scorer in Tests. Hammond passed 2000 in 38 innings against Australia and 40 innings against South Africa.

Fewest innings to score 2000 runs against the same opposition - Tests

Player	Opp	Span	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	100	50
KC Sangakkara (SL)	v Pak	2002-2012	14	26	3	2029	230	88.21	8	7
SM Gavaskar (India)	v WI	1971-1979	16	28	4	2004	220	83.50	10	6
BC Lara (WI)	v Eng	1994-2000	18	28	2	2030	375	78.07	5	9
DG Bradman (Aus)	v Eng	1928-1934	17	29	2	2275	334	84.25	8	5
IVA Richards (WI)	v Eng	1976-1986	23	30	2	2019	291	72.10	7	7
H Sutcliffe (Eng)	v Aus	1924-1932	19	31	3	2191	194	78.25	8	10
L Hutton (Eng)	v Aus	1938-1953	19	34	6	2013	364	71.89	5	11
DCS Compton (Eng)	v SA	1947-1956	20	34	1	2000	208	60.60	7	9
GS Sobers (WI)	v Eng	1954-1966	20	34	3	2032	226	65.54	7	6
Javed Miandad (Pak)	v India	1978-1989	25	35	6	2027	280*	69.89	4	14
KF Barrington (Eng)	v Aus	1961-1968	21	36	5	2016	256	65.03	5	13
SR Tendulkar (India)	v Eng	1990-2008	23	36	3	2031	193	61.54	6	10
AR Morris (Aus)	v Eng	1946-1954	21	37	2	2010	206	57.42	8	8
JH Kallis (SA)	v WI	1998-2008	21	37	9	2073	177	74.03	7	11
RT Ponting (Aus)	v SA	1997-2009	20	37	3	2018	143*	59.35	8	10
DPMD Jayawardene (SL)	v Eng	1998-2012	21	37	3	2038	213*	59.94	8	8
WR Hammond (Eng)	v Aus	1928-1936	22	38	3	2069	251	59.11	8	3
CH Lloyd (WI)	v India	1966-1983	25	39	2	2042	242*	55.18	6	11
JB Hobbs (Eng)	v Aus	1908-1925	23	40	3	2151	187	58.13	8	8
WR Hammond (Eng)	v SA	1927-1939	23	40	7	2024	181	61.33	5	14
AD Nourse (SA)	v Eng	1935-1951	22	40	6	2016	208	59.29	7	9
S Chanderpaul (WI)	v India	1994-2011	23	40	9	2038	140	65.74	7	10

Everton Weekes did not play India enough, otherwise he might have got to 2000 against a team faster than anyone else. Weekes holds the record for hundreds in the most consecutive innings - five - and four of them were in his first four innings against India. He nearly had a fifth but was run out for 90 in Madras in 1949. Weekes went on to bring up his 1000th run against India in his ninth innings. No one has got there quicker.

Viv Richards got to 1000 Test runs against England in ten innings, second fastest after Weekes. He reached 2000 against them in 30 innings, the fifth fastest. In one-day cricket, however, Richards is the tops. He sprinted to 1000 runs against England in only 15 ODI innings, averaging 101 with three hundreds and six half-centuries. The closest anyone has come since is Dean Jones and Gary Kirsten, who needed 19 innings to pass 1000 ODI runs against New Zealand and India.

Fewest innings to score 1000 runs against the same opposition - ODIs

Player	Opp	Span	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	100	50
IVA Richards (WI)	v Eng	1976-1986	16	15	5	1009	189*	100.90	3	6
DM Jones (Aus)	v NZ	1986-1991	19	19	3	1005	107	62.81	2	9
G Kirsten (SA)	v India	1995-2000	19	19	2	1030	115*	60.58	3	7
BC Lara (WI)	v Aus	1991-1997	21	20	0	1019	139	50.95	2	9
SR Tendulkar (India)	v Aus	1991-1998	20	20	0	1119	143	55.95	4	6
SC Ganguly (India)	v SL	1996-1999	21	20	1	1001	183	52.68	4	4
ML Hayden (Aus)	v India	1994-2007	20	20	1	1040	126	54.73	3	5
ST Jayasuriya (SL)	v Ban	1990-2009	21	20	2	1030	130	57.22	4	5
IVA Richards (WI)	v Aus	1975-1984	21	21	4	1068	153*	62.82	2	9
GA Gooch (Eng)	v Aus	1979-1989	22	21	1	1080	136	54.00	4	7
SC Ganguly (India)	v SA	1996-2001	21	21	2	1071	141*	56.36	3	6
V Sehwag (India)	v NZ	2001-2009	21	21	1	1028	130	51.40	5	3
CG Greenidge (WI)	v India	1979-1989	23	22	3	1101	117	57.94	3	7
NJ Astle (NZ)	v India	1995-2002	22	22	0	1029	120	46.77	4	5
BC Lara (WI)	v SL	1992-2003	22	22	2	1093	169	54.65	2	9
Mohammad Yousuf (Pak)	v Zim	1998-2008	24	22	8	1033	141*	73.78	3	7
MS Dhoni (India)	v SL	2005-2009	28	22	6	1029	183*	64.31	1	8
JH Kallis (SA)	v NZ	1996-2002	24	23	6	1010	111	59.41	3	7
G Kirsten (SA)	v Pak	1994-2002	23	23	5	1042	118*	57.88	2	8
Shoaib Malik (Pak)	v India	2000-2006	23	23	1	1039	143	47.22	2	8
JH Kallis (SA)	v India	1996-2006	25	23	7	1100	119*	68.75	1	8
CH Gayle (WI)	v Zim	2000-2007	23	23	5	1044	153*	58.00	2	8
RR Sarwan (WI)	v India	2001-2009	23	23	7	1028	115*	64.25	1	8

While it's a surprise that Sangakkara is the quickest to 2000 Test runs against a team, it is less so that his former team-mate Muttiah Muralitharan is the quickest to 100 wickets against an opponent. And he's the second quickest as well. When Murali took 7 for 97 in the second innings against South Africa at the P Sara Oval in 2006, he broke a record that had stood since 1895.

Australia's Charlie Turner had gone past 100 wickets in his 17th Test against England, and now Murali had done it in 15 against South Africa. The next year, Murali claimed 9 for 140 in his 14th Test against England, in Kandy, and took his tally against them to 102.

Fewest matches to take 100 wickets against the same opposition - Tests

Player	Opp	Span	Mat	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	5	10
M Muralitharan (SL)	v Eng	1993-2007	14	5915	1976	102	9/65	16/220	19.37	7	4
M Muralitharan (SL)	v SA	1993-2006	15	5908	2311	104	7/84	13/171	22.22	11	4
A Kumble (India)	v Aus	1996-2008	16	5529	2831	103	8/141	13/181	27.48	10	2
CTB Turner (Aus)	v Eng	1887-1895	17	5179	1670	101	7/43	12/87	16.53	11	2
SF Barnes (Eng)	v Aus	1901-1912	17	5377	2166	101	7/60	13/163	21.44	11	1
TM Alderman (Aus)	v Eng	1981-1991	17	4717	2117	100	6/47	10/151	21.17	11	1
RJ Hadlee (NZ)	v Aus	1973-1986	18	4609	2104	101	9/52	15/123	20.83	10	2
MD Marshall (WI)	v Eng	1980-1988	18	4106	1746	100	7/22	10/92	17.46	6	1
SK Warne (Aus)	v SA	1993-2002	18	6130	2257	101	7/56	12/128	22.34	6	2
WJ O'Reilly (Aus)	v Eng	1932-1938	19	7864	2587	102	7/54	11/129	25.36	8	3
AV Bedser (Eng)	v Aus	1946-1953	19	6529	2616	100	7/44	14/99	26.16	7	2
DK Lillee (Aus)	v Eng	1971-1979	19	5391	2115	102	6/26	11/165	20.73	7	2
CEL Ambrose (WI)	v Eng	1988-1995	19	5075	1931	100	8/45	11/84	19.31	5	2
GD McGrath (Aus)	v Eng	1994-2002	19	4499	2087	106	8/38	9/103	19.68	7	0
R Peel (Eng)	v Aus	1884-1896	20	5216	1715	101	7/31	11/68	16.98	5	1
SK Warne (Aus)	v NZ	1993-2005	20	5770	2511	103	6/31	9/67	24.37	3	0
JR Thomson (Aus)	v Eng	1974-1985	21	4951	2418	100	6/46	9/105	24.18	5	0
SK Warne (Aus)	v Eng	1993-2001	21	6365	2357	106	8/71	11/110	22.23	6	1
GD McGrath (Aus)	v WI	1995-2005	21	4899	1941	101	6/17	10/27	19.21	8	2
CV Grimmett (Aus)	v Eng	1925-1934	22	9164	3439	106	6/37	11/82	32.44	11	2
IT Botham (Eng)	v Aus	1977-1982	22	5611	2591	100	6/78	11/176	25.91	7	2
CEL Ambrose (WI)	v Aus	1988-1996	22	5428	2202	102	7/25	10/120	21.58	6	1
M Muralitharan (SL)	v India	1993-2010	22	7020	3425	105	8/87	11/110	32.61	7	2

Sydney Barnes was quickest to 50 Test wickets against a team - he did it in five matches, taking 61 wickets at an average of 8.95 against South Africa between 1912-13. He finished his career with 83 wickets in seven Tests against them.

In one-day cricket, Waqar Younis needed only 20 matches against New Zealand to take 50 wickets at an average of 12.16. Bangladesh's Abdur Razzak is second quickest, having taken 53 wickets at 15 apiece in his first 24 matches against Zimbabwe.

Fewest matches to take 50 wickets against the same opposition - ODIs

Player	Opp	Span	Mat	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	Ave	5	4
Waqar Younis (Pak)	v NZ	1990-1996	20	993	608	50	6/30	12.16	4	2
Abdur Razzak (Ban)	v Zim	2005-2010	24	1311	811	53	5/29	15.30	3	3
CEL Ambrose (WI)	v Pak	1988-1993	25	1349	878	50	5/53	17.56	1	3
GD McGrath (Aus)	v NZ	1993-2005	26	1345	951	50	5/37	19.02	1	2
B Lee (Aus)	v Eng	2001-2009	26	1417	1104	50	5/30	22.08	3	1
CJ McDermott (Aus)	v WI	1985-1993	27	1356	950	50	4/34	19.00	0	2
IR Bishop (WI)	v Pak	1988-1997	27	1443	1103	50	5/25	22.06	2	3
SK Warne (Aus)	v WI	1995-2001	27	1504	1045	50	5/33	20.90	1	2
B Lee (Aus)	v NZ	2000-2009	27	1321	1062	51	5/42	20.82	1	0
Saqlain Mushtaq (Pak)	v India	1996-1999	28	1405	1057	51	5/45	20.72	1	2
Waqar Younis (Pak)	v SA	1993-2002	29	1585	1309	52	5/25	25.17	2	2
J Srinath (India)	v NZ	1992-2003	29	1538	1021	50	4/23	20.42	0	2
D Gough (Eng)	v SA	1994-2005	29	1699	1084	51	4/29	21.25	0	3
M Muralitharan (SL)	v Zim	1993-2008	29	1472	828	54	5/23	15.33	2	4
B Lee (Aus)	v India	2000-2009	29	1383	1035	50	5/27	20.70	4	0
J Garner (WI)	v Aus	1978-1987	30	1630	924	50	5/31	18.48	1	1
CEL Ambrose (WI)	v Aus	1988-1996	30	1577	919	50	5/17	18.38	3	0
Waqar Younis (Pak)	v SL	1989-1996	30	1463	1085	50	6/26	21.70	2	2
Wasim Akram (Pak)	v NZ	1984-2001	30	1421	847	51	5/19	16.60	1	2
M Muralitharan (SL)	v NZ	1994-2006	30	1716	1035	50	5/9	20.70	2	0