The dead-rubber dominators

Brian Lara celebrates his 400 in the fourth Test in Antigua in 2004. England had won the series 3-0 © AFP Enlarge

The dead rubber at the end of a Test series usually has little at stake apart from pride and individual scores to settle. This week we look at batsmen who have boosted their career records by scoring heavily in such matches, and those who haven't been able to perform as impressively in relatively inconsequential matches. If you're wondering why the tables are full of Australians and Englishmen, it's because other teams rarely take part in five-Test series and therefore have played fewer dead rubbers.

Australian middle-order batsman Dean Jones' Test average drops to below 40 if you exclude dead Tests. He averaged 87.54 and scored four centuries in eight of them while averaging 39.82 in live games. In fact, four of his top six Tests scores - 216 against West Indies, 184 versus England, 150 against India, and 122 against England - came in the final Tests after the series had been decided.

Both of Brian Lara's record-breaking innings - 375 and 400 against England in Antigua - came in Tests after West Indies had clinched the series in 1994 and England took it 3-0 in 2004. If you exclude the 18 dead games during Lara's career, his average drops from over 50 to 48.89. Another Trinidadian, Dwayne Bravo, also has a significantly higher batting average in five dead Tests - 384 runs at an average of 54.85 - compared to his 30.24 in live matches. Incidentally, Bravo hasn't been part of a Test win yet. West Indies have lost 16 and drawn seven of the 23 games he's played to date.

Click here for the bowlers' tables.

Justin Langer, the former Australian opener, scored eight hundreds in 19 dead Tests and averaged 67.25, compared to his career figure of 45.27. His long-term opening partner Matthew Hayden, however, averages much lower in dead rubbers - 40.18 with only four hundreds in 20 Tests, compared to his career average of 53.

Alastair Cook, the England opening batsman, has begun to follow in Hayden's footsteps when it comes to dead Tests. Cook has scored 1460 runs at an average of 50 in 17 live Tests while his record in Tests played after the series has been decided is far inferior - 198 runs at an average of 24.75.

Kevin Pietersen is another who thrives when the stakes are high but has performed below par in dead Tests. All of his ten Test centuries have come in matches with the series still up for grabs. He averages just over 57 in live games while in four dead rubbers - against Pakistan, versus Australia in Melbourne and Sydney, and against West Indies - he has scored only 216 runs at an average of 27.

Click here for the bowlers' tables.

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