New Zealand's batsmen, and Aussie bowling might
Perhaps numbers never do reveal the full story, but they tell a large part of it
After having demolished India's famed batting line-up with such ease, Glenn McGrath and co. will probably be licking their lips at the prospect of having a go at the New Zealanders. The stats tell the story: the Indian top six had three players who averaged more than 50 against Australia; in the New Zealand line-up, only Nathan Astle touches 40 against them. Craig McMillan and Mark Richardson average in the early 30s, while Stephen Fleming doesn't even manage that many. (To be fair to them, though, Fleming has only really hit his straps as a top-class batsman in the last couple of years, while Richardson has only played three Tests against the Aussies.)
Avge v Aus |
Career avge |
Difference | |
Nathan Astle | 40.53 | 37.80 | 2.73 |
Craig McMillan | 32.12 | 40.07 | -7.95 |
Stephen Fleming | 28.17 | 39.75 | -11.58 |
Mark Richardson | 30.40 | 47.03 | -16.57 |
Mathew Sinclair | 12.81 | 39.21 | -26.40 |
Tests | Runs | Avge | |
Stewie Dempster | 10 | 723 | 65.72 |
Mark Richardson | 34 | 2685 | 47.94 |
John F Reid | 19 | 1296 | 46.28 |
Martin Crowe | 77 | 5444 | 45.36 |
Glenn Turner | 41 | 2991 | 44.64 |
What should the South African bowlers do to emulate the success that the Australian seamers had against India's top order? The answer's fairly obvious, but as the numbers below will show, it's the implementation which is the hard part. Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Michael Kasprowicz bowled 1366 deliveries to the right-handers, and 1285 of them pitched on middle stump or further off side - that's an incredible 94%. For McGrath, that percentage was a mind-boggling 98%. (The numbers when they bowled to left-handers would obviously not look as impressive as a right-arm bowler, bowling from over the wicket, would generally pitch it around leg stump, with the angle ensuring that it reached the batsman around off.)
Aust seamers v India right-handers |
Outside off | Off & middle | Leg/outside leg |
Glenn McGrath | 466 | 25 | 11 |
Jason Gillespie | 413 | 36 | 44 |
Michael Kasprowicz | 311 | 34 | 26 |
Total | 1190 | 95 | 81 |
That Michael Clarke would wow the world with his batting prowess on the tour to India was always on the cards; what wasn't quite as expected was that he'd turn his left arm over with such devastating effect. Clarke's 6 for 9 - aided, admittedly, by a disgraceful Wankhede Stadium pitch - is the sixth-most economical five-for in Test cricket. The last bowler to get one of those was Jermaine Lawson, but that happened against the hapless Bangladesh side. To find out the last instance before that one, you'd have to go back 56 years, when Ernie Toshack demolished India - yet again - taking 5 for 2 at the Gabba.
Spell | Match | Venue & year | |
Ernie Toshack | 5 for 2 | Aust v India | Brisbane, 1947-48 |
Jermaine Lawson | 6 for 3 | WI v B'desh | Dhaka, 2002-03 |
Bert Ironmonger | 5 for 6 | Aust v SA | Melbourne, 1931-32 |
George Lohmann | 8 for 7 | Eng v SA | Port Elizabeth, 1895-96 |
Arthur Gilligan | 6 for 7 | Eng v SA | Edgbaston, 1924 |
Michael Clarke | 6 for 9 | Aust v India | Mumbai, 2004-05 |