Review of Australia-West Indies Tests-Part 2

Hope that you have read Part 1.

Continuing with individual performances in

Fielding:

Most dismissals (40 and above):

Led by Dujon (86 dismisals) and Healy (78). Dujon’s tally included 2 as a fielder.

The most stumpings are 9 by GRA Langley, and the most catches as a fielder are 45 by ME Waugh.

Most dismissals in an innings (5 and more):

RD Jacobs is the only one with 7 catches in an innings, followed by AT Carey with 6 more recently. No fielder has taken more than 4 catches in an innings.

Most dismissals in a match (7 and more):

DA Murray, Jacobs and Carey have all taken 9 in a match. However, no fielder has taken more than 6 in a match.

Dismissal rate (Minimum 20 innings, 0.700):

Led by Jacobs, with Gilchrist and Grout close behind. The best by a fielder is by RB Simpson, followed by ME Waugh.

All-round performances:

Career (see criteria in table):

Sobers, Worrell and Marshall have the best performances here.

Match (Minimum one 50+ and one 5wi):

A long list. Of special note are those with a century and 5wi: Atkinson and Miller.

And those with a 50 and 10wm: AK Davidson, and the non-regular bowlers Border and Bevan.

Davidson was the first to score over 100 runs and take 10 wickets in a match. Only 3 others (Botham, Imran and Shakib) have done this.

Review of Australia-West Indies Tests-Part 1

Australia won the two-Test series 2-0. This was the first series between these teams since 2015-16 in Australia. The West Indies has not hosted Australia since 2015.

Here is a summary of all Tests between these teams:

Total: 118 Tests, 60 won by Aus, 32 won by WI, 1 tie, 25 draws

In Aus: 68 Tests, 39 won by Aus, 18 won by WI,1 tie, 10 draws

In WI: 50 Tests, 21 won by Aus, 14 won by WI, 15 draws.

Going to individual scores, starting with

Batting:

Most runs, minimum 1000:

Led by Lara by a large margin.Next is Viv Richards. The most by an Aus player is by Steve Waugh. Lara and Richards also have the most centuries (9 each). Lara also has the most 50+ scores (20) followed by Haynes and Border with 19.

No current player here, partly because these teams have not met much in the recent past.

Highest individual scores, minimum 175:

Led by Lara, with what was his first Test century.Second is 269* by the already forgotten AC Voges less than a decade ago. The 242 by KD Walters is significant as he was the first of several to score a double century and century in the same Test. M Labuschagne also achieved this, and his 204 also appears above.

Highest batting averages (Minimum 20 innings and 40.00):

Headed by the somewhat unexpected pair of Ian Chappell and Larry Gomes. Greg Chappell is just after Gomes. No current player here.

Highest strike rates (Minimum 1000 balls faced and 50.00):

Data on balls faced is not fully available. But it is reasonable to assume that Viv Richards would have the highest strike rate. Next is the less disputable SR of Steven Smith..

Now for

Bowling:

Most wickets (Minimum 50):

Headed by the long-serving CA Walsh (135), Ambrose (128) and McGrath (110). Again, no one from recent years.

The most fivers are 8 by Ambrose and McGrath. Only McGrath has taken two tenners.

Best innings bowling (including all 7wi and better):

Nothing from recent years. The most recent entry is by WI’s J Lawson in 2003 (not the Australian GF Lawson).

Best match bowling (Including all 10wm and better):

Headed by the colourful MG Hughes. Nothing after 2012, which does include current player Kemar Roach.

Best bowling averages (Minimum 2000 balls bowled, maximum 30.00):

Headed by McGrath and Garner. We also see that the best economy rates were by Gibbs and Walker, and that the best strike rates were by B Lee and J Thomson). N Lyon represents the current players.

To be continued.

Records of “Ashes” T20I matches

The Australia-England match is due to take place on Oct 28. The prospects for play seem to be poor, considering that the match at this venue earlier in the day was washed out. Anyway, here are the records of T20I matches between Australia and England.

Overall team performance:

Total matches 23. 10 won by Aus, 11 by Eng, 0 ties, 2 no-result

In Aus: Aus 7, Eng 3, NR 1 (Total 11)

In Eng: Aus 2, Eng 6, NR 1 (9)

Neutral: Aus 1, Eng 2 (3)

Note the strong home advantage for both teams.

Looking at individual performances:

Batting:

Most runs-200 and above:

Finch leads, followed by Buttler. Finch and Maxwell have scored centuries.

The most 50+ scores are 5 by Buttler, followed by Finch with 4 including a century.

The most sixes are 55 by Finch and 51 by Buttler

The most 4s are 35 by Finch and 23 by Buttler.

Highest innings scores-60 and above:

Again, Finch is far ahead of the others.

Bowling:

Most wickets-8 and above:

Rashid has the most wickets (12) followed by MG Johnson and Jordan with 11.

No one has taken a 5wi. 4 players have taken a 4wi, as we can see below.

Best innings bowling (including all 4wi):

Watson has the best figures of 4-15 here, followed by J Lewis with 4-24.

Fielding:

Most dismissals-5 and above:

Buttler and Warner have each made 11 dismissals.

Buttler (11) and Wade (7) have the most dismissals as a keeper.

Warner (11) and Hales (9) have the most dismissals as a fielder.

No one has made more than 1 stumping.

All-round match performances:

20 runs and 2 wickets in a match, in chronological order:

While there is some subjectivity here, the best performances here seem to be by Maxwell (103* and 3-10) and Watson (59 and 4-15). The only English player here is Collingwood (46 and 2-8).

Note that the ground at Southampton figures in many places in the above tables. The city is also the birthplace of the UK’s new Prime Minister.

Review of Australia-India T20Is-Sep 2022

India won the series 2-1, just as they had won in Australia in 2020-21.

A summary of all T20Is between these teams:

India leads 15-10 overall, as well as 7-4 in Australia and 6-4 in India. They are level at 2-2 on neutral venues.

We now look at individual performances, starting with

Batting:

Most runs (200 and above):

Kohli leads by a large margin over Finch at # 2.

The first 5 batsmen in this list all played in the series just concluded

Watson and Maxwell are the only ones to have scored centuries. Kohli made 8 scores of 50+, while no one else made more than 3.

Highest innings (60 and above):

Note that the highest score in this series was 71* by Pandya. For Australia it was 61 by Green.

There is not enough data to get meaningful batting averages. However, we have some strike rates:

Highest strike rates (Minimum 250 balls faced, all instances):

Kohli and the next three are closely bunched together.

Now for Bowling:

Most wickets (6 and above):

Bumrah and Zampa lead here. Both of them played in the current series.

Best innings bowling (Includes all 3wi and above):

No one has a 5-for. Those with 4-fors did not play in this series.

The best in this series was 3-16 by Zampa and 3-17 by AR Patel.

Note that the best performance here (Ashwin’s 4-11) came in a World Championship match at a neutral venue.

We do not have enough data for proper estimation of bowling averages, economy rates and strike rates.

Now for Fielding:

Most dismissals (5 and above):

Dhoni is the only keeper here, with 10 catches and 5 stumpings. Kohli has the most catches by a fielder (10).

Most dismissals in an innings (3 and above):

Dhoni and Paine have the most dismissals by keepers, while Behrendorff took 3 catches as a fielder. No one took more than 2 dismissals in this series.

All-round match performance (Minimum 20 runs and 2 wickets):

Watson’s performance in 2012 is clearly the best. DR Sams achieved a modest 28* and 2-33 in this series.

Review of Australia-Sri Lanka Tests (July 2022)-Pt 2

Hope you have seen Part 1.

Continuing with individual performances in

Fielding:

Most dismissals (12 or more):

Headed by Gilchrist and Healy, with Sangakkara some distance behind. Kusal Mendis (14) has the most among current players.

The most stumpings, however, are 6 by Kaluwitharana. The most by a fielder are 20 by M Jayawardene.

Most dismissals in an innings (4 or more):

Only Carey among current players.

Most dismissals in a match (6 or more):

Gilchrist and Healy lead again. Hayden is one of several fielders to have taken 7 catches in a match, which was a world record until Rahane took 8, also against Sri Lanka.

The most stumpings in a match is 3.

Highest dismissal rate (Minimum 20 innings, 0.500)

Led by Sangakkara with a combination of dismissals as keeper and fielder. M Jayawardene has the best dismissal rate among fielders.

All-round performances:

Overall (see criteria in table):

Only C Vaas appears here, and his difference is not enough for a genuine all-rounder.

Match performance (minimum one 50+ and one 5+wi):

Only 2 instances here. MDK (Dilruwan) Perera made the double of 50 and 10wm.

Review of Australia-Sri Lanka Tests (July 2022)-Pt 1

The series was drawn 1-1, with sudden collapses on the final day of play in both Tests.

Summary of all Tests between these teams:

While Australia leads 20-5 overall, it leads only by 7-5 in Sri Lanka. And Sri Lanka trails 13-0 in Australia.

Coming to individual performances;

Batting:

Most runs (500 or more):

Headed by M Hussey with 994 with Ponting and M Jayawardene close behind. Mathews (692) and Chandimal (579) have the most runs among current players.

The most centuries are 5 by Hussey, and the most 50+ scores are 8 by Clarke, Ponting and Sangakkara.

Highest innings (125 or more):

Chandimal’s 206* in the second Test is the highest for SL v Aus, surpassing Sangakkara’s 192 in Aus in 2007 and Kusal Mendis’s 176 in SL in 2016. This was a reatively low-scoring series, with the only other score of note being 145* by SPD Smith.

Highest batting averages (Minimum 20 innings, all instances):

Headed by Ponting and Sangakkara. The current players have not played enough.

Highest strike rates (Minimum 1000 balls faced and 40.00):

Headed by ST Jayasuriya and Hayden. Chandimal and Mathews are the only current players here.

Bowling:

Most wickets (12 or more):

Headed by R Herath with 66, followed by the better-known Warne and Muralidaran. Starc and Lyon have the most among current players. Newcomer P Jayasuriya makes this list after only one Test. The most 5-fors are 6 by Herath and Starc, and 10wms 2 by Starc and Warne.

Best innings bowling (6wi or more):

Headed by Kasprowicz and R Herath. P Jayasuriya’s 6-59 and 6-118 came on his debut.

Best match bowling (9wm or more):

Headed by R Herath’s 13-wicket haul in 2016 and P Jayasuriya’s 12 on debut in the second Test here.

That was the best match figures for any Sri Lankan player on debut. This is covered in more detail here:

10 wickets on Test debut (July 2022)

Best bowling averages (Minimum 2000 balls bowled, all instances):

Headed by Herath and Warne, with Muralidaran just making the cut.

Herath has the best average and strike rate, while Vaas has the best economy rate. Muralidaran was relatively less successful against Australia.

To be continued.

10 wickets on Test debut (July 2022)

You know the veteran Sanath (ST) Jayasuriya.

You may know the lesser-known ODI player Shehan Jayasurya (whose initials are GSNFG)

Now there is Prabath Jayasuriya, whose name is almost as fearsome (initials NGRP):

https://www.espncricinfo.com/player/prabath-jayasuriya-422871

He took 6 + 6 =12 wickets on his Test debut at Galle in July 2022, bringing an innings victory and 1-1 result for his team.

Here we look at all those who took 10 or more wickets on Test debut:

Prabodh’s 12-177 is the 4th best match haul in all Tests on debut, and the best for Sri Lanka (surpassing P Jayawickrama’s 11-178 in 2021. Remember that Hirwani and Massie are still at the top.

We also look at the best innings figures for Sri Lanka in Tests on debut:

Prabodh’s 6-59 is the best for Sri Lanka on debut, surpassing P Jayawickrama’s 6-92 in 2021.

His 6-118 in the first innings is the third best for Sri Lanka.

Alex Carey’s records in the Brisbane Test

We now resume regular programming. Australia won at Brisbane, and England lost the first Test of an Ashes series. And “Goat” Lyon crossed 400 wickets. But it was the debutant wicket-keeper Alex Carey who wrote his name into the record books.

https://www.espncricinfo.com/player/alex-carey-326434

Here are the best innings fielding figures for those making their Test debut:

Carey was one of the few to make 5 dismissals in an innings on debut. Yajurvindra Singh is the only one to do so as a non-keeper. Also note Rishabh Pant’s 5 dismissals in an innings.

Now for match fielding figures on Test debut:

Here, Carey equaled the record of 8 dismissals in an match on debut, earlier held by HB Taber (Aus) and CMW Read (Eng). However, Carey is the only one with 8 catches, as the other two had 7 catches and 1 stumping.

Yajurvindra Singh also holds the record for the most catches (7) by a non-keeper on debut. Rishabh Pant is one of the keepers with 7 catches on debut.

Lowest T20I totals by major teams

Today (Aug 9) Australia reached a new low in T20Is by being dismissed for 62 by Bangladesh, who had won the series 4-1.

T20I statistics have now become quite meaningless with the advent of a large number of weak teams. This listing includes only matches between Test teams (and totals with 8 or more wickets down):

You can see that this 62 is Australia’s lowest T20I score. India is slightly better with 74 (though that was long ago).

Over to Fortress Brisbane

First we look at India’s performance at the Gabba ground in Brisbane, which has been holding Tests since 1931-32. India played its first Test here in 1947-48.

India has lost 6 of the 7 Tests here, with one being drawn.

Some points of interest:

The Test in 1947 was India’s first ever against Australia. India was dismissed for 58 and 98, thanks to left-arm paceman Ernie Toshack who took 5-2 (!) and 6-29. The match figures of 11-31 are the 4th most economical 10-wicket haul in all Tests.

India lost narrowly in 1977 against a weakened team led by RB Simpson, who was playing his first Test in 10 years. Gavaskar scored the first of his 3 second-innings centuries in this series.

The 2003 draw was significant as it was the first time that India had not lost the opening Test of a series in Australia. This was mainly due to captain Ganguly’s 144.

Australia has played 62 Tests at the Gabba. They have won 40, lost 8, drawn 13 and tied 1.

We look at their record since 1980:

Here we see that Australia has

won ALL 7 Tests in a row since Nov 2013.

and has not lost a test here since Nov 1988.

However, they had lost 3 Tests in a row from 1984 to 1986 before this.

So if India win (or even draw) this Test it would be a remarkable achievement-particularly as they may struggle to have 11 players fit in this match.

We also look at the Pant-Saha comparisons.

First, the dismissal rates for Indian players outside India since 2010 (when Saha made his debut).

Here we get Pant leading with 2.23 dis/innings, followed by Dhoni with 2.10 and Saha with 1.48

And batting averages for Indian players outside India for the same period:

First is Tendulkar with 57.03. Pant is 9th with 36.00 (2 centuries and one fifty), and Saha is 23rd with 27.28 (1 century and 3 fifties).

A pity that sloppy wicket-keeping is hidden by a higher career dismissal rate.

The Ashes since 1970

So the 2019 series was drawn 2-2, and Australia retained the Ashes which they held since winning the 2017-18 series.

Here we look at the history of the Ashes since the 1970-71 series, when England won the Ashes after a long gap-Australia had held them since 1958-59 so they were away from England throughout the 1960s. There were also longish droughts for England in the early 1920s and from the mid-1930s to the mid-1950s.

Similarly, Australia had held the Ashes from 1989 to 2005, so the 1990s also passed without England getting hold of them. However, Australia has had the better of the contests since then (especially in Australia).

A quick look at the list shows some captains who won the Ashes on two or more occasions, including Ian Chappell (2), Brearley (3), Border (3), Taylor (3), S Waugh (2), Strauss (2) and Cook (2).

Those who have lost the Ashes on two or more occasions are Border (3), Gooch (2), Atherton (2), Hussain (2), Ponting (3), Clarke (2) and Root (2).

Peter Siddle and the PJs

Peter Siddle has been in and out of the Australian team.

In 64 Tests before the start of the current Ashes series, he has scored 1080 runs and has taken 214 wickets. In the current Test, he was the second top-scorer and made 44 batting at number 10.

He has taken 8 fivers and a hat-trick, and also holds one batting record as he is the only  batsman to have scored two fifties in a Test while batting at No 9.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia/content/player/7898.html

Older cricket fans would remember Raju Bharatan and his horrible puns. He would have a field day with Peter Siddle, as his surname rhymes with many other words (not all of them polite): diddle, fiddle, middle, piddle, riddle, griddle etc.

The British media had this to say after one of his good performances: “Peter goes from second fiddle to fecund Siddle”.

Not quite up to the standard of Shashi Tharoor, but a good try.