da bet nacional： A stats review of the two Tests so far

da premier bet： S Rajesh02-Aug-2011Mind the gapThe average runs per wicket says quite eloquently how much better than India England have been: the difference in runs per wicket is almost 20. The difference is balls faced per dismissal is also almost that much, which indicates that England have scored at a much quicker than India in this series. England’s batsmen have scored at a rate of 61.02 runs per 100 balls, compared to India’s rate of 46.66.

TeamRunsDismissalsBat aveBalls per wkt100s/ 50s4s/ 6sEngland15083444.3569.213/ 8171/ 6India9934024.8250.152/ 5130/ 1England’s mighty lower orderThe big difference between the two teams has been the strength of England’s lower order. As the table below shows, there isn’t too much to separate the top six: England’s specialist batsmen average about six runs more per dismissal than India’s. Four of England’t top six – the openers, Jonathan Trott and Eoin Morgan – average less than 26; Alastair Cook has scored all of 20 runs in four innings, at an average of 5.00. (Click here for England’s series averages so far, and here for India’s.)None of that has mattered, though, due to the stunning displays by their lower order. Matt Prior has scored a hundred and two fifties and averages 82.67, Stuart Broad has 182 runs in four innings, while Tim Bresnan scored 101 in the Trent Bridge Test. Thanks to those numbers, England’s last five batsmen average average almost 48 runs per dismissal, which is about 20% better than their top six. India’s last five, on the other hand, average ten runs per dismissal, and haven’t managed a single half-century yet, compared to England’s four fifties and a hundred. Not only have England scored quickly, they’ve also done so at a frenetic pace, managing a strike rate of more than 78.India, on the other hand, have relied on the top order for almost all their runs, and they haven’t been anything near prolific either: Rahul Dravid is the only one to average more than 35. India’s top order has scored one half-century more than England’s, but their lower order has been blown away completely – the difference between the runs scored by the two lower orders is 356.

TeamInningsRunsAverageBalls per dismissal100s/ 50sStrike rateEngland top 62491039.5673.172/ 454.07India top 62476633.3071.742/ 546.42England bottom 51652647.8160.911/ 478.50India bottom 52017010.0020.940/ 047.75England’s bowling firepowerIndia’s pace attack has fought hard, but the absence of their leader Zaheer Khan has meant they’ve been clearly outbowled by Broad, James Anderson, Bresnan and Chris Tremlett. Broad’s 15 wickets have cost him 11.33 runs each, which are easily his best bowling stats in a series so far. His Trent Bridge match figures of 8 for 76 and 108 runs made him only the fifth England allrounder to take eight wickets and score 100 or more runs in a Test. It’s a feat Ian Botham achieved four times, but Andrew Flintoff never managed. With two Tests to go, Broad has an excellent chance to register the double of 250 runs and 20 wickets in a series – a feat that has been achieved only seven times, and by five players, in England’s Test history.In fact, both Broad and Bresnan scored a half-century and took a five-for, which is a rarest of rare feats in Test cricket: only once before have two players from the same team performed so well with bat and ball in a Test. It happened way back in January 1895, in a Test between Australia and England in Sydney.If Broad has been outstanding with bat and ball, then Anderson the swing bowler hasn’t been far behind. He had a slow start to the series, but has racked up 12 wickets at 23.58, including the scalp of Sachin Tendulkar twice. (His overall Test stats against Tendulkar read: 144 runs in 263 balls for seven dismissals, at an average of 20.57. Only Muttiah Muralitharan, with eight dismissals, has nailed Tendulkar more often.)The one England bowler who has struggled to make any sort of impact in this series in Graeme Swann. Series stats of 2 for 211 in 56 overs show how easily India’s batsmen have handled him. It easily his poorest series so far, both in terms of averages and economy rates. His figures of none for 76 in India’s first innings at Trent Bridge are his most expensive in an innings in which he has bowled at least five overs.If England’s problem in this series has been the form of their spinner, then India’s has been finding enough fit bowlers, and the form of their spinner. The fast bowlers have worked hard, but their overall average is much worse than England’s. Praveen Kumar has so far been their standout bowler with 13 wickets at 26.53, while Sreesanth and Ishant Kumar have shone in patches. Harbhajan Singh has perhaps been even more disappointing than Swann, with figures of 2 for 287 in 69.4 overs.

Team and TypeWicketsAverageStrike rateEcon rate5WI/ 10WMEngland – pace3818.7842.02.683/ 0India – pace2934.4160.63.401/ 0England – spin2123.00195.03.780/ 0India – spin4112.25147.54.560/ 0Overall, spin has had little impact in the series so far. What’s had the maximum impact is England’s pace attack, and England’s lower-order batting. The batting stats of the two wicketkeepers sums it up: Prior has scored 248 at an average of 82.67; MS Dhoni has 49 runs at 12.25. It’s clear which team, and which wicketkeeper, needs to lift his game in the second half of the series.