Numbers Game

Australia's recent record in Asia is poor, while Bangladesh's fortunes have been on the rise recently. The two-Test series could well be a tight contest

Through the 1970s and '80s, West Indies had a 15-0 win-loss record in Tests in England, but since 2000 England have been just as dominant

The common consensus is that Morne Morkel deserved more than 19 wickets in the four Tests in England. A look at ESPNcricinfo's ball-by-ball stats throws more light on the matter

South Africa's opening partnership has been a huge concern for them recently, and their numbers look especially poor against high-quality pace attacks

Despite other bowlers' ability to bowl quicker or swing the ball more, Vernon Philander has remained South Africa's most bankable bowler in Tests

From 2011 to 2016, the average opening stand in Tests in Sri Lanka was the lowest among all countries. However, there has been a bit of a revival in 2017

The Lord's Test against South Africa was another fine illustration of how well England have been served by their lower middle order, with both bat and ball

Since South Africa's readmission, few match-ups have been as closely fought as the one between England and South Africa

The South African wicketkeeper has consistently been among the runs over the last 18 months, and he will be key to the team's fortunes in the Test series in England

A comparison of the numbers in the last ten overs of ODIs before and after the rule change which allows an extra fielder outside the circle in the last ten overs

Ashwin and Jadeja took 153 wickets in the 13 Tests they played in 2016-17. A look at other bowling pairs who excelled in a season

In the last 18 months, the Indian fast bowler has made significant strides, and the most impressive aspect has been his improved control

Nathan Lyon's performance in the Bengaluru Test underscored his tendency to perform well in the first innings in Asia, but fade away in the second

Martin Guptill makes big hundreds for fun in ODIs, but in Tests he has struggled to make an impact despite having played almost 50 matches

There is no doubting the batting talent of Shaun Marsh and KL Rahul, but both have been plagued by inconsistency in their Test careers so far

Their slow bowlers have struggled in Asia over the last nine years, while their fast bowlers have done much better. They may have missed a trick with their selection

Their ODI careers have been remarkably similar so far, and over the last couple of years both have reached new highs in the format

His outstanding numbers in T20Is, especially in the slog overs, means that a vital component of India's bowling problem has been addressed

The new fielding regulations in ODIs may well have forced teams to adopt a strategy that's more likely to succeed in tall chases

His Test stats as batsman and bowler compare favourably with some of the best allrounders, which is why his second-innings dismissal in Wellington is all the more puzzling