Australia v England, 2nd Test: Swann wins his battles against lefties

Swann wins his battles against lefties

Stats highlights from the second Ashes Test in Adelaide

07-Dec-2010

England's innings win was their first in Australia in nearly 24 years and their third in the last 40. Here are more stats highlights from the game:

Only five times in their entire Ashes history have England achieved a more comprehensive innings victory in Australia. The last time they won by an innings in Australia was in the Boxing Day Test in 1986, when a first-innings total of 349 was enough to secure victory by an innings and 14 runs. For Australia, it was their fourth innings defeat since 1990, and their third in a live series. And the last time they lost by an innings at the Adelaide Oval was - hold your breath - 118 years ago, when England beat them by an innings and 230 runs. This is only their second innings defeat ever at this ground.

The gulf between the two teams can be seen in their series batting averages so far: England's overall average is 87.31 runs per wicket; Australia's is 36.67. Four England batsmen - Alastair Cook, Ian Bell, Kevin Pietersen, and Jonathan Trott - have 100-plus averages, while only Michael Hussey has managed it so far for Australia.

Graeme Swann was England's best bowler in the match, and he continued his domination of Marcus North and Simon Katich. North was dismissed by him for the fifth time, and Katich for the fourth. Both have struggled to counter Swann - North averages 26 against him and Katich 18.75. With Katich ruled out and North likely to be dropped, Swann might have to miss out on bowling to his two favourite batsmen.

Of the five batsmen Swann has dismissed most often, four are left-handers. Swann's overall average against left-handers is 21.86; against the righties he averages 33.78. With Phillip Hughes or Usman Khawaja likely to replace Katich, Swann will still have enough left-handers to bowl at.

Swann's second-innings figures of 5 for 91 are the best by an England spinner in Adelaide since Derek Underwood's 7 for 113 in 1975. In fact, those are the only two instances of England spinners taking five-fors at this ground since 1930.

One of the few silver linings for Australia was the form of Michael Hussey and Shane Watson. Both scored fifties in each innings - the fourth time they've made 50-plus scores in each innings of a Test - but none of those knock were converted into hundreds. In fact, that's been another big difference between the two teams: Australia have scored only two hundreds and eight fifties in the series so far, while England have five centuries - two of them being double-hundreds - and four fifties. Clearly, when the batsmen have got their eye in, Australia's bowlers have struggled for penetration.

For more stats nuggets from the Test, read Andy Zaltzman's Confectionery Stall

Graeme Swann England Australia Australia vs England England tour of Australia

S Rajesh is stats editor of Cricinfo