NZ-SL Test review (Aug 2019)-2

Continuing from Part 1

Bowling:

Most Wickets (15 or more):

Muralitharan dominates, but current players such as Southee and Boult are slowly catching up. Southee overtook Vettori as top wicket-taker for NZ during this series.

Best innings bowling (6wi or more):

Vettori has the only 7-wicket haul here. Boult and Southee did well in the 2018 series.

Best match bowling (9wm or more):

While there are several 10-wicket hauls, the only recent good performance was 9-107 by Boult in 2018. Sir Richard Hadlee is here from the early days.

Bowling averages (Minimum 2000 balls, all instances):

For once, Southee is ahead of Muralitharan in bowling average. We can also see that the best economy rates are by Murali followed by Southee, and that the best strike rates are by Southee followed by Boult.

Fielding:

Most dismissals (10 or more):

Here Watling leads although he has played relatively fewer matches. P Jayawardene has the most stumpings.

The next two places go to Tillakratne and Mc Cullum who were not keepers in all their matches. The most by a non-keeper is 23 by Fleming. Current players including Williamson and Taylor can also be seen here.

Innings dismissals (5 or more):

While IDS Smith has 7 catches in an innings, no non-keeper has reached 5.

Match dismissals (6 or more):

Watling is the only one with 9 dismissals. The most by a non-keeper is 7 by Tillakratne, which was a share in the world record for some years. He also took 7 catches as a keeper on another occasion.

Best dismissal rate (Minimum 20 innings, all instances):

Tillakratne heads this table, with dismissals both as a keeper and non-keeper. Next is McCullum, another “hybrid”. The best figures by a non-keeper are by SP Fleming.

Watling is not here as he has not played enough. Williamson and Taylor have the best figures among current players.

All-round performance:

Overall (see criteria in table):

The only true all-rounders Vettori and Vaas can be seen here.

Match performance (50 and 5wi):

Vettori and Vaas again. Vettori has the relatively rare feat of a fifty plus 10 wickets.

 

Review of New Zealand – Bangladesh Tests

With the 3rd Test at Christchurch being called off due to violent incidents, New Zealand won the 2-Test series 2-0.

As you can see below, New Zealand has won all 9 Tests against Bangladesh at home. In Bangladesh, New Zealand have won 3 Tests and 3 were drawn.

We proceed to individual performances. As the number of matches played is small, no meaningful averages can be found.

Batting:

Most runs (250 and above):

Most of the top scorers such as Tamim and Williamson are still playing.

The most centuries are 3 by Williamson, and the most 50+ scores are 9 by Tamim (including 8 scores between 50 and 99).

Highest innings scores (90 and above):

Two double centuries were made by NZ batsmen in this series. Williamson’s 200* was the highest for NZ against BD at home, surpassing Taylor’s 200 in the same series and Guptill’s 189 in 2010.

Bowling:

Most wickets (10 and above):

Vettori is far ahead of Wagner and the rest. Vettori has 5 fivers and Wagner 3. Vettori also has the only tenner.

Best innings bowling (all instances of 5wi):

Best match bowling (all instances of 6wm):

Wagner’s 9-73 in this series is the best for NZ vs BD at home, surpassing CL Cairns’s 8-108 in 2001.

Fielding:

Most dismissals (8 and above):

Watling has the most catches by a keeper, McCullum the most stumpings and Taylor the most catches by a non-keeper. Mushfiqur leads the Bangladesh players.

Most innings dismissals (3 and above):

Kayes has the most dismissals (5). Several non-keepers have taken 3 catches.

Most match dismissals (5 and above):

Watling has the best figures for a match, while Sinclair has the most by a non-keeper.

All-round performance (match):

DL Vettori’s effort is the best here. It can be termed as one of the finest all-round efforts in all Tests, as he scored two fifties as well as a fiver and a “fourer”.

He is the only one to do this in all Tests. The “counterpart” would be AK Davidson who made 44, 80 and a fiver and a “sixer” in the Tied Test of 1960.