Ashes 2013-14 and India in SA: head-to-head analysis

First, some background information. The Ashes segment of this article is being written during the few days sandwiched between my two cataract surgeries. The right eye, just operated, has 20-20 vision but cannot be used to work on the computer. The left eye has high-power-cataract-damaged vision but can be used for working. So, armed with an improvised pirate-like eye-patch to cover the right eye, I have put on my old pair of spectacles and completed this article. Maybe not like facing Michael Holding, Andy Roberts and Joel Garner in Kingston, without helmet and paraphernalia, but somewhat difficult. The comments are not as extensive as I normally provide. Also, there might be errors. And the organisation has gone a little awry. Hence apologies in advance. But the tables are complete. I request the readers to come out with their own reading of the Ashes confrontations.

Now that the background is out of the way, let us look at the head-to-head data for the two recent series.

The Ashes series has extensive coverage on ESPNcricinfo and S Rajesh has a concise but very well-compiled summary of the series. Here, I am going to provide my own take on the cleansweep. All the Australian players contributed. George Bailey did not do much but took some fine catches. For England, only Stuart Broad and Ben Stokes, and to a lesser extent, Michael Carberry did something of note. George Dobell, in his piece on rating of England players' performance in the Ashes, has placed Graeme Swann, capturer of seven wickets at 80.0 and one who quit before the end of the tour, at 5.5 and Carberry, who played with grit and courage for well over 17 hours, at 4.0. I disagree with the Swann rating - it seems almost as if Swann is being given a few points for what he did earlier. But that is not the purpose of rating players for the series.

The following table provides the comparisons of the key measures that led to the 5-0 win for Australia.

A random list of key measures compared

Australia	Measure	England
9	Hundred+ partnerships	1
7	250+ scores	3
0	Sub-200 scores	6
41.40	Series Avge	21.57
260	Avge score at fall of 6th wkt	159
11	Number of players used	17
2697	Top-7 Batsmen Runs	1683
44.95	Top-7 Batsmen Avge	26.30
6	Batsmen with 300+ aggregates	0
10	Hundreds	1
5	5-wkt hauls	2
17	Bowled dismissals	12
10	Lbw dismissals	2
Haddin	X-Factor	None currently (Stokes???)
42	Sessions won	16
5	And no wonder the score line was	0

Ashes Session analysis details

The Session Analysis is an intriguing topic. Back in 2001, I was the first one to do an objective session analysis for television presentation. This was not just a won/lost/shared concept, but enabled us to come out with the conclusion that Australia won the session 6.48-3.52 (points won out of ten), based on a number of factors, including the batsmen at crease and the length of the current partnership. However, this time I have reverted to the simple won/lost/shared approach. Fortunately, I had jotted down the scores as the Tests unfolded and it was easy for me to transfer the numbers and complete this work in the 75% condition of mine.

Australia bulldozed the sessions in the five Tests by 42-16. They won the first three Tests very comfortably. England competed better at the WACA, Perth. However the Test at the MCG was the biggest letdown for England. They won the first seven sessions 6.5-0.5 and would have won the Test if they had won the next session. However they lost the next four and lost the Test even though they were ahead in sessions 6.5-4.5. England won the first session at the SCG but lost the next seven.

Before anyone goes overboard, let me bring out one important set of numbers. If we exclude South Africa as the undisputed No. 1 team, three teams are competing for the second place. During the past three years, England, Australia and India have played each other often. Let me consider only the seven series played between these three. England is 4-1, Australia 2-3 and India 1-3. So England is still the leader of this pack. If India think that they will roll over England in England, they will be mistaken. England are very tough to beat at home, especially after this huge defeat.

Now let us look at the head-to-head confrontations.

Australia bowlers - ordered on balls bowled

BowTeam	Bowler	BatTeam	Batsman	Balls	Runs	Wickets	Avge	BpW	S/R
Aus	MG Johnson	Eng	JE Root	226	59	2	29.5	113.0	26.1
Aus	PM Siddle	Eng	KP Pietersen	218	72	3	24.0	72.7	33.0
Aus	NM Lyon	Eng	BA Stokes	187	97	2	48.5	93.5	51.9
Aus	RJ Harris	Eng	MA Carberry	180	54	2	27.0	90.0	30.0
Aus	NM Lyon	Eng	MA Carberry	176	70	0	70.0	176.0	39.8
Aus	RJ Harris	Eng	AN Cook	156	60	3	20.0	52.0	38.5
Aus	PM Siddle	Eng	MA Carberry	152	76	2	38.0	76.0	50.0
Aus	NM Lyon	Eng	IR Bell	152	71	2	35.5	76.0	46.7
Aus	MG Johnson	Eng	MA Carberry	146	66	3	22.0	48.7	45.2
Aus	RJ Harris	Eng	IR Bell	132	64	3	21.3	44.0	48.5
Aus	MG Johnson	Eng	AN Cook	128	73	4	18.2	32.0	57.0
Aus	MG Johnson	Eng	BA Stokes	122	61	3	20.3	40.7	50.0
Aus	RJ Harris	Eng	KP Pietersen	114	52	3	17.3	38.0	45.6
Aus	PM Siddle	Eng	AN Cook	114	47	1	47.0	114.0	41.2
Aus	NM Lyon	Eng	KP Pietersen	104	79	2	39.5	52.0	76.0
Aus	MG Johnson	Eng	KP Pietersen	104	55	2	27.5	52.0	52.9
Aus	PM Siddle	Eng	IR Bell	102	31	3	10.3	34.0	30.4
Aus	RJ Harris	Eng	BA Stokes	100	45	2	22.5	50.0	45.0

Australia batsmen - Runs scored

BowTeam	Bowler	BatTeam	Batsman	Balls	Runs	Wickets	Avge	BpW	S/R
Eng	GP Swann	Aus	DA Warner	205	140	2	70.0	102.5	68.3
Eng	SCJ Broad	Aus	DA Warner	153	136	4	34.0	38.2	88.9
Eng	BA Stokes	Aus	CJL Rogers	169	124	1	124.0	169.0	73.4
Eng	JM Anderson	Aus	BJ Haddin	126	108	1	108.0	126.0	85.7
Eng	JM Anderson	Aus	DA Warner	161	106	2	53.0	80.5	65.8
Eng	JM Anderson	Aus	CJL Rogers	262	98	1	98.0	262.0	37.4
Eng	BA Stokes	Aus	BJ Haddin	107	96	2	48.0	53.5	89.7
Eng	SCJ Broad	Aus	CJL Rogers	149	93	2	46.5	74.5	62.4
Eng	GP Swann	Aus	MJ Clarke	110	79	2	39.5	55.0	71.8
Eng	BA Stokes	Aus	SPD Smith	120	78	2	39.0	60.0	65.0
Eng	SCJ Broad	Aus	BJ Haddin	126	76	1	76.0	126.0	60.3
Eng	GP Swann	Aus	BJ Haddin	109	76	0	76.0	109.0	69.7
Eng	GP Swann	Aus	MG Johnson	119	72	1	72.0	119.0	60.5
Eng	JM Anderson	Aus	SR Watson	130	71	4	17.8	32.5	54.6
Eng	JM Anderson	Aus	MJ Clarke	123	68	1	68.0	123.0	55.3
Eng	JM Anderson	Aus	SPD Smith	156	63	1	63.0	156.0	40.4
Eng	SCJ Broad	Aus	MJ Clarke	107	60	2	30.0	53.5	56.1
Eng	GP Swann	Aus	SR Watson	59	56	0	56.0	59.0	94.9
Eng	TT Bresnan	Aus	SR Watson	60	54	0	54.0	60.0	90.0
Eng	BA Stokes	Aus	SR Watson	64	50	1	50.0	64.0	78.1

Australia bowlers- Wickets captured

BowTeam	Bowler	BatTeam	Batsman	Balls	Runs	Wickets	Avge	BpW	S/R
Aus	MG Johnson	Eng	AN Cook	128	73	4	18.2	32.0	57.0
Aus	MG Johnson	Eng	SCJ Broad	56	25	4	6.2	14.0	44.6
Aus	MG Johnson	Eng	JM Anderson	32	12	4	3.0	8.0	37.5
Aus	PM Siddle	Eng	KP Pietersen	218	72	3	24.0	72.7	33.0
Aus	MG Johnson	Eng	MA Carberry	146	66	3	22.0	48.7	45.2
Aus	RJ Harris	Eng	IR Bell	132	64	3	21.3	44.0	48.5
Aus	MG Johnson	Eng	BA Stokes	122	61	3	20.3	40.7	50.0
Aus	RJ Harris	Eng	AN Cook	156	60	3	20.0	52.0	38.5
Aus	RJ Harris	Eng	KP Pietersen	114	52	3	17.3	38.0	45.6
Aus	PM Siddle	Eng	IR Bell	102	31	3	10.3	34.0	30.4
Aus	SR Watson	Eng	MA Carberry	41	15	3	5.0	13.7	36.6
Aus	MG Johnson	Eng	GP Swann	28	15	3	5.0	9.3	53.6
Aus	NM Lyon	Eng	BA Stokes	187	97	2	48.5	93.5	51.9
Aus	NM Lyon	Eng	KP Pietersen	104	79	2	39.5	52.0	76.0
Aus	PM Siddle	Eng	MA Carberry	152	76	2	38.0	76.0	50.0
Aus	NM Lyon	Eng	IR Bell	152	71	2	35.5	76.0	46.7
Aus	MG Johnson	Eng	JE Root	226	59	2	29.5	113.0	26.1
Aus	MG Johnson	Eng	KP Pietersen	104	55	2	27.5	52.0	52.9
Aus	RJ Harris	Eng	MA Carberry	180	54	2	27.0	90.0	30.0
Aus	NM Lyon	Eng	JE Root	98	51	2	25.5	49.0	52.0
Aus	RJ Harris	Eng	BA Stokes	100	45	2	22.5	50.0	45.0
Aus	MG Johnson	Eng	MJ Prior	69	39	2	19.5	34.5	56.5
Aus	NM Lyon	Eng	AN Cook	80	33	2	16.5	40.0	41.2
Aus	NM Lyon	Eng	MJ Prior	54	20	2	10.0	27.0	37.0
Aus	PM Siddle	Eng	MJ Prior	35	19	2	9.5	17.5	54.3
Aus	PM Siddle	Eng	SCJ Broad	16	18	2	9.0	8.0	112.5
Aus	MG Johnson	Eng	JM Bairstow	29	14	2	7.0	14.5	48.3
Aus	MG Johnson	Eng	IJL Trott	13	10	2	5.0	6.5	76.9
Aus	RJ Harris	Eng	CT Tremlett	24	8	2	4.0	12.0	33.3
Aus	MG Johnson	Eng	TT Bresnan	34	7	2	3.5	17.0	20.6
Aus	MG Johnson	Eng	MS Panesar	13	0	2	0.0	6.5	0.0

Johnson

1. Surprisingly Carberry is the one batsman who has played Mitchell Johnson reasonably well. I am not sure whether the English followers and management have recognised this shouldering of the team burden by the unfancied opening batsman.
2. Joe Root has also played Johnson quite well, but far more defensively.
3. Johnson has had the measure of Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen and Stokes. However, all three batsmen scored freely.
4. Johnson has dismissed Broad almost at will.
5. Johnson has captured 22 top-order and 15 late-order batsmen. A very high proportion of late-order batsmen.
6. Johnson's 22 top-order dismissals have been effected in 906 balls, a wicket every 41 balls.
7. What is amazing is the speed with which Johnson cleaned up the English tail. He dismissed 15 batsmen in 233 balls, one every 15 balls. In terms of the series results, this was an important factor.

But a major difference was Nathan Lyon. While Ryan Harris captured 14 top-order wickets and Peter Siddle, 12, Lyon chipped in regularly, dismissing 12 top-order batsmen. There was no weak link.

Warner and Rogers

Look at the way David Warner dismantled Swann: 140 runs off 205 balls for two dismissals. Truly a match-winning effort. He also handled the two frontline England pace bowlers very effectively. He hit 136 runs off 153 balls at a near-90 strike rate against Broad and 106 runs off 161 balls against James Anderson. He might have been dismissed six times against these three bowlers but he extracted a heavy price for the dismissals.

However, the Australian batting performance has been that of Chris Rogers against Anderson - 262 balls, 98 runs and no dismissal. With Warner blazing away at the other end, the England lead bowler could make no headway against the Australian opening pair. Rogers was equally effective against Stokes. Only against Broad could he not exercise extended authority. Let us not forget that the two Australian opening batsmen exceeded 1000 runs for the series.

England bowlers - ordered on balls bowled

BowTeam	Bowler	BatTeam	Batsman	Balls	Runs	Wickets	Avge	BpW	S/R
Eng	JM Anderson	Aus	CJL Rogers	262	98	1	98.0	262.0	37.4
Eng	GP Swann	Aus	DA Warner	205	140	2	70.0	102.5	68.3
Eng	BA Stokes	Aus	CJL Rogers	169	124	1	124.0	169.0	73.4
Eng	JM Anderson	Aus	DA Warner	161	106	2	53.0	80.5	65.8
Eng	JM Anderson	Aus	SPD Smith	156	63	1	63.0	156.0	40.4
Eng	SCJ Broad	Aus	DA Warner	153	136	4	34.0	38.2	88.9
Eng	SCJ Broad	Aus	CJL Rogers	149	93	2	46.5	74.5	62.4
Eng	JM Anderson	Aus	SR Watson	130	71	4	17.8	32.5	54.6
Eng	JM Anderson	Aus	BJ Haddin	126	108	1	108.0	126.0	85.7
Eng	SCJ Broad	Aus	BJ Haddin	126	76	1	76.0	126.0	60.3
Eng	JM Anderson	Aus	MJ Clarke	123	68	1	68.0	123.0	55.3
Eng	BA Stokes	Aus	SPD Smith	120	78	2	39.0	60.0	65.0
Eng	GP Swann	Aus	MG Johnson	119	72	1	72.0	119.0	60.5
Eng	GP Swann	Aus	MJ Clarke	110	79	2	39.5	55.0	71.8
Eng	GP Swann	Aus	BJ Haddin	109	76	0	76.0	109.0	69.7
Eng	SCJ Broad	Aus	MJ Clarke	107	60	2	30.0	53.5	56.1
Eng	GP Swann	Aus	CJL Rogers	107	27	1	27.0	107.0	25.2
Eng	BA Stokes	Aus	BJ Haddin	107	96	2	48.0	53.5	89.7
Eng	SCJ Broad	Aus	SPD Smith	104	42	1	42.0	104.0	40.4
Eng	SCJ Broad	Aus	SR Watson	100	49	2	24.5	50.0	49.0

England batsmen - ordered on runs scored

BowTeam	Bowler	BatTeam	Batsman	Balls	Runs	Wickets	Avge	BpW	S/R
Aus	NM Lyon	Eng	BA Stokes	187	97	2	48.5	93.5	51.9
Aus	NM Lyon	Eng	KP Pietersen	104	79	2	39.5	52.0	76.0
Aus	PM Siddle	Eng	MA Carberry	152	76	2	38.0	76.0	50.0
Aus	MG Johnson	Eng	AN Cook	128	73	4	18.2	32.0	57.0
Aus	PM Siddle	Eng	KP Pietersen	218	72	3	24.0	72.7	33.0
Aus	NM Lyon	Eng	SCJ Broad	63	72	1	72.0	63.0	114.3
Aus	NM Lyon	Eng	IR Bell	152	71	2	35.5	76.0	46.7
Aus	NM Lyon	Eng	MA Carberry	176	70	0	70.0	176.0	39.8
Aus	MG Johnson	Eng	MA Carberry	146	66	3	22.0	48.7	45.2
Aus	RJ Harris	Eng	IR Bell	132	64	3	21.3	44.0	48.5
Aus	MG Johnson	Eng	BA Stokes	122	61	3	20.3	40.7	50.0
Aus	RJ Harris	Eng	AN Cook	156	60	3	20.0	52.0	38.5
Aus	MG Johnson	Eng	JE Root	226	59	2	29.5	113.0	26.1
Aus	MG Johnson	Eng	KP Pietersen	104	55	2	27.5	52.0	52.9
Aus	RJ Harris	Eng	MA Carberry	180	54	2	27.0	90.0	30.0
Aus	RJ Harris	Eng	KP Pietersen	114	52	3	17.3	38.0	45.6
Aus	NM Lyon	Eng	JE Root	98	51	2	25.5	49.0	52.0

England bowlers - Wickets captured

BowTeam	Bowler	BatTeam	Batsman	Balls	Runs	Wickets	Avge	BpW	S/R
Eng	SCJ Broad	Aus	DA Warner	153	136	4	34.0	38.2	88.9
Eng	JM Anderson	Aus	SR Watson	130	71	4	17.8	32.5	54.6
Eng	SCJ Broad	Aus	GJ Bailey	73	36	4	9.0	18.2	49.3
Eng	BA Stokes	Aus	MJ Clarke	98	46	3	15.3	32.7	46.9
Eng	GP Swann	Aus	DA Warner	205	140	2	70.0	102.5	68.3
Eng	JM Anderson	Aus	DA Warner	161	106	2	53.0	80.5	65.8
Eng	BA Stokes	Aus	BJ Haddin	107	96	2	48.0	53.5	89.7
Eng	SCJ Broad	Aus	CJL Rogers	149	93	2	46.5	74.5	62.4
Eng	GP Swann	Aus	MJ Clarke	110	79	2	39.5	55.0	71.8
Eng	BA Stokes	Aus	SPD Smith	120	78	2	39.0	60.0	65.0
Eng	SCJ Broad	Aus	MJ Clarke	107	60	2	30.0	53.5	56.1
Eng	SCJ Broad	Aus	SR Watson	100	49	2	24.5	50.0	49.0
Eng	TT Bresnan	Aus	CJL Rogers	78	43	2	21.5	39.0	55.1
Eng	JM Anderson	Aus	GJ Bailey	72	40	2	20.0	36.0	55.6
Eng	SCJ Broad	Aus	MG Johnson	53	30	2	15.0	26.5	56.6
Eng	SCJ Broad	Aus	RJ Harris	50	23	2	11.5	25.0	46.0
Eng	CT Tremlett	Aus	SPD Smith	33	19	2	9.5	16.5	57.6
Eng	BA Stokes	Aus	PM Siddle	12	2	2	1.0	6.0	16.7

Broad and Stokes did well. For all the criticism and the often unjustified booing, Broad can hold his head high: 21 wickets and 150 runs. He will be a handful player with bat and ball back in England. Stokes was probably the single silver lining on the dark northern clouds. He captured 13 wickets and scored nearly 300 runs. He showed a lot of courage and good technique. He outdid Shane Watson in the series. An excellent future No. 6 for England. He dismissed Michael Clarke three times quite cheaply. Carberry may not be the future opener for England but he deserves further chances, at least against Sri Lanka. It would be a folly to expose him for 17 hours against a hostile pace attack and bring in Root or Nick Compton for the more benign attacks at home. It is silly to talk about Pietersen's retirement or axing, forgetting that he was the leading scorer for England. He has to be given the home Tests to get his form back, similar to Ian Bell and Cook.

It would indeed be tragedy of epic proportions if the conservative views of Andy Flower and Cook are used to keep Pietersen out of the team, maybe forever. To defeat India and later have a chance to regain the Ashes, England needs Pietersen to come to the party. Root, Bopara or Trott are not going to do that.

Summary of South Africa - India two-Test series (100+Balls or 50+Runs or 2+ wickets)

BowTeam	Bowler	BatTeam	Batsman	Balls	Runs	Wkts	Avge	BpW	S/R
Saf	DW Steyn	Ind	CA Pujara	157	71	2	35.5	78.5	45.2
Ind	RA Jadeja	Saf	JH Kallis	150	42	1	42.0	150.0	28.0
Saf	DW Steyn	Ind	AM Rahane	137	64	0	64.0	137.0	46.7
Saf	VD Philander	Ind	CA Pujara	124	35	0	35.0	124.0	28.2
Ind	Z Khan	Saf	F du Plessis	110	61	1	61.0	110.0	55.5
Ind	R Ashwin	Saf	F du Plessis	109	35	0	35.0	109.0	32.1
Saf	DW Steyn	Ind	M Vijay	107	41	1	41.0	107.0	38.3
Saf	DW Steyn	Ind	V Kohli	104	48	1	48.0	104.0	46.2
Saf	VD Philander	Ind	V Kohli	102	51	0	51.0	102.0	50.0
...
Saf	DW Steyn	Ind	CA Pujara	157	71	2	35.5	78.5	45.2
Ind	I Sharma	Saf	GC Smith	98	65	0	65.0	98.0	66.3
Saf	DW Steyn	Ind	AM Rahane	137	64	0	64.0	137.0	46.7
Ind	Z Khan	Saf	F du Plessis	110	61	1	61.0	110.0	55.5
Ind	Z Khan	Saf	AB de Villiers	89	55	0	55.0	89.0	61.8
Saf	Imran Tahir	Ind	V Kohli	58	55	0	55.0	58.0	94.8
Ind	Z Khan	Saf	GC Smith	80	51	1	51.0	80.0	63.8
Saf	JH Kallis	Ind	CA Pujara	68	51	1	51.0	68.0	75.0
Saf	VD Philander	Ind	V Kohli	102	51	0	51.0	102.0	50.0
Saf	JP Duminy	Ind	V Kohli	77	50	1	50.0	77.0	64.9
...
Saf	DW Steyn	Ind	CA Pujara	157	71	2	35.5	78.5	45.2
Saf	VD Philander	Ind	AM Rahane	78	34	2	17.0	39.0	43.6
Ind	Mohammed Shami	Saf	HM Amla	46	15	2	7.5	23.0	32.6
Saf	DW Steyn	Ind	I Sharma	8	8	2	4.0	4.0	100.0
Saf	VD Philander	Ind	RG Sharma	12	7	2	3.5	6.0	58.3
Ind	Mohammed Shami	Saf	JP Duminy	20	4	2	2.0	10.0	20.0
Saf	M Morkel	Ind	Mohammed Shami	6	0	2	0.0	3.0	0.0

Without going to details, I will summarise the salient points of the South Africa-India Test series here.

1. Only two combinations had 150-plus balls. Dale Steyn to Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja to Jacques Kallis (in a single Test). Most Indian batsmen faced 100-plus balls from Steyn.
2. Pujara scored most runs in the series off a single bowler: 71 off Steyn. Graeme Smith was close behind, scoring 65 runs off Ishant Sharma, but off fewer balls.
3. If we take Steyn as the bowler of the series, Ajinkya Rahane played him the best: no dismissals in 137 balls. Similarly Virat Kohli played Vernon Philander very well: 102 balls for no dismissals. On the South African side, Faf du Plessis mastered Zaheer Khan and Smith handled Ishant Sharma very well. For all the hype, it must be said that Smith got the better of Zaheer.
4. No bowler effected three dismissals of a single batsman: understandable because it was a two-Test series. Six bowlers effected two dismissals each. Steyn dismissed Pujara twice, but at a reasonably high average. However, look at Philander v Rahane, Mohammed Shami v Hashim Amla, Philander v Rohit Sharma and Shami v JP Duminy. All with very low averages. Philander needed only 12 balls to dismiss Rohit.
5. When it comes to strike rates, with 50 runs as a minimum, it is quite surprising to see that six of the ten qualifying entries were by the Indian batsmen against South African bowlers. This indicates that South Africa batted more sedately, maybe paving the way for the series win. Kohli leads with a near-100 strike rate against Imran Tahir. Pujara really mastered Kallis. Zaheer Khan was the weak link for India, three South African batsmen exceeding strike rate of 50.

The difference between the two teams was not just Steyn. The South African top seven batsmen, barring Amla, clicked. Three Indian batsmen, Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit and MS Dhoni did virtually nothing. The concluding statements of the series: du Plessis to partly take over Kallis' middle-order batting role and Rahane either to open or make the No. 6 spot his own.

To download/view the documents containing the 7 complete tables, please CLICK HERE. My take is that many of the questions can be answered if you download this file and view the contents. Instead of asking me obvious questions for which the answers are already there in the tables, you could download the file and view the tables.