Numbers Game

He perhaps never reached the peaks that were expected of him as a Test bowler, but over the last year he has been exceptional

The average T20I run rate in 2018 so far is 8.87, the highest among all years so far

Shikhar Dhawan's ODI record outside Asia is superb but his Test stats are quite patchy, and some of it has to do with how he fares against the short ball in the two formats

Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have turned common perception on its head with a display of unprecedented dominance in South Africa

England's ODI resurgence over the last two and a half years has largely been the result of a fearless approach to batting, especially between overs 11 and 40

They have a 1-17 win-loss record in their last 24 Tests in Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa

In the last eight years, South Africa has easily been the toughest country for overseas top-order batsmen (Nos. 1-3). They have scored only seven centuries in 210 innings

A look at ESPncricinfo's control stats, which reveal Steven Smith's mastery, and why James Vince and Pat Cummins deserve more than they have got so far in the Ashes series

Rohit Sharma's third ODI double-century highlights his exceptional ability to drastically switch gears after reaching his hundred, and do so in a relatively risk-free manner

England have floundered overseas in the last five years, and much of it has been due to Alastair Cook's poor form and Joe Root's inability to get hundreds

Fingerspinners have generally struggled in Australia, but Nathan Lyon has been a glorious exception

He has been outstanding on tours, but his average at home has dropped to less than 37; the difference between the two is among the highest in Test history

Australia have the home advantage, but most of the other numbers between the two teams are pretty similar over the last 18 months

Despite the draw in Bulawayo, 2017 has seen a new high in terms of Test matches that have had decisive results

Pakistan's pace attack has enjoyed a superb year in ODIs in 2017, and the biggest reason for that has been the emergence of Hasan Ali

Both were prolific in the recently concluded Pakistan-Sri Lanka series, but their overall Test careers is a strange mix of excellence and mediocrity

In the Abu Dhabi Test, Rangana Herath once again showed his fourth-innings mastery, becoming only the fourth bowler to take 100 wickets in the last innings

Another look at the batsmen with the best record in ODI chases, taking into account relative strike rates, runs per innings, and percentage of team runs scored

He has been on an incredible run spree against Australia in recent years, and his superb numbers of late suggest he will have another fine series against them

Since the start of 2014, Shakib Al Hasan averages almost 49 with the bat and 31 with the ball, with a 16% contribution of the team's runs, and 30% of their wickets. No other allrounder comes close during this period