ODI streaks: 62 and 63 matches long

The number 52 was flashing in neon lights as I embarked on the Test streak analysis. That number, along with 6996 and 99.94, is embedded in every Test follower's minds. No further explanations are needed. For bowlers I had a less known number but one which would be familiar to the serious cricket enthusiasts. The number 27 might not have the same impact as 52, but it gave me a high enough bar to work with: Although Muttiah Muralitharan jumped over it. So I worked with 52 and 27. Both came out very well.

When I wanted to do a similar player streak analysis for ODIs, I realised that there were no such numbers which stood out. No one has dominated the ODI game like Don Bradman did in the Test arena. We can cut, slice and dice in every which way, but no one player is more than 10% ahead of the next best: whether in batting or bowling, especially in performance-related measures. So I have to adopt some special method to hang my hat on the cut-off numbers.

I could easily fix this as 50 ODIs. But that will be both inadequate and simplistic. So I approached this from the other end. What are my wickets and runs cut-offs? One hundred wickets seems to be adequate and represents a fairly decent career. Using the overall summary table, I see that the average RpW figure over 3500-plus matches is 27-plus. So 2500 (~ 27*100) runs seem fine. Both cut-offs would require careers to be well over 50 matches long.

Now I looked at the two tables with these cut-offs. There are 149 batsmen and 121 bowlers who qualify, which makes it a very good population of all the top players. Then I looked at the least number of matches played by these players. In batting, I had Zaheer Abbas, who had played 62 matches to compile just over 2500 runs. Dennis Lillee had played 63 matches to just cross 100 wickets. These are two top-flight players. Zaheer is in the top-ten batting average group and Lillee in the top-five bowling average group. There I had my answer. I decided that I will have a cut-off of 62 matches for batsmen and 63 matches for bowlers. The final tables bear out the strength of these cut-offs.

The rest is routine. The additional thing is that I would split the Average and RpI measures into lower level components and also do a table of win percentage achieved. The batting and bowling strike rates and bowling accuracy are important measures and have to be given their due recognition.

Let us move on to the tables. I have uploaded the complete tables and the readers could get complete information of all qualifying players by downloading these tables.

1. Batsmen: Runs scored

Runs	Batsman	Team	Best streak	Years	Worst streak	Runs	Best-Worst
3340	HM Amla	Saf	2759(2008)-3347(2013)	4.5	3062(2010)-3524(2014)	2955	113.0%
3233	AB de Villiers	Saf	2804(2009)-3363(2013)	4.4	2219(2005)-2666(2008)	1961	164.9%
3084	SR Tendulkar	Ind	1658(2000)-2077(2004)	3.1	634(1990)- 881(1994)	1625	189.8%
3009	V Kohli	Ind	3219(2011)-3476(2014)	2.2	2742(2008)-3189(2011)	2224	135.3%
2979	BC Lara	Win	936(1994)-1363(1998)	4.0	2070(2003)-2464(2006)	1579	188.7%
2913	DM Jones	Aus	471(1987)- 672(1991)	3.4	649(1990)- 902(1994)	2137	136.3%
2909	G Kirsten	Saf	937(1994)-1283(1998)	3.3	1131(1996)-1549(2000)	1731	168.1%
2896	SC Ganguly	Ind	1385(1999)-1640(2000)	1.8	1926(2002)-2267(2005)	1823	158.9%
2871	CH Gayle	Win	1727(2001)-2096(2004)	2.6	2826(2009)-3509(2014)	1635	175.6%
2845	KC Sangakkara	Slk	3216(2011)-3481(2014)	2.3	1610(2000)-1908(2002)	1183	240.5%
2820	RT Ponting	Aus	2256(2005)-2657(2007)	2.5	1791(2002)-2084(2004)	1932	146.0%
2808	ML Hayden	Aus	2097(2004)-2627(2007)	3.7	1976(2003)-2421(2006)	2049	137.0%
2798	V Sehwag	Ind	2672(2008)-3233(2012)	4.0	2115(2004)-2379(2006)	1645	170.1%
2780	GA Gooch	Eng	145(1982)- 701(1992)	9.9	518(1988)- 969(1995)	1785	155.7%
2780	CG Greenidge	Win	37(1976)- 300(1985)	8.4	300(1985)- 677(1991)	2267	122.6%
-----
1252	Moin Khan	Pak	1193(1997)-1476(1999)	2.2	679(1991)-1152(1996)	617	202.9%
1105	SM Pollock	Saf	2271(2005)-2650(2007)	2.3	1555(2000)-1797(2002)	305	362.3%
971	Wasim Akram	Pak	1303(1998)-1594(2000)	2.1	277(1984)- 527(1988)	303	320.5%

Look at the glittering array of batsmen in the top ten of the batsmen who have amassed the maximum runs in a 62-match streak. Three modern greats and two all-time greats adorn the top five. If a captain had these five and Viv Richards in the top six, he could very well have an unbeatable team.

Hashim Amla's Test exploits makes many a follower overlook his ODI achievements. He has the highest career average, in excess of 50, amongst all batsmen. During these 62 matches his average runs per match exceeded 50. That is something! AB de Villiers is not far behind. Hundred runs, which is all. South Africa should be accumulating all the top prizes with these two and Dale Steyn in their ranks. Maybe 2015 is their year. Then it is Sachin Tendulkar, who at his peak compiled a very impressive 3000-plus runs in 62 matches. This was just after 2000. Virat Kohli is the only other batsman to accumulate in excess of 3000 runs in the streak of 62 matches. This has been done during the past three years. He cannot buy a Test run nowadays but he is a king in ODIs. Brian Lara, who goes unnoticed when we talk of ODI cricket, scored nearly 3000 runs at the beginning of his career.

I have also indicated the number of years it took for these batsmen to play 62 ODI matches. Even Amla and de Villiers required over four years. During the early days, Graham Gooch and Gordon Greenidge took well over eight years. But Kohli took only 2.2 years, and Sourav Ganguly even less: only 1.8 years. India has played an average of 35-40 ODIs per year during the recent years.

I have also provided an additional comparison point. I have compiled the worst 62-match streak for each batsman and compared the best and worst streaks. Amla has the lowest ratio: only 113%. This indicates a very steady and consistent career. It could also be a reflection of the fewer matches Amla has played. Tendulkar's best streak is 189% of his worst streak, indicating lot of turbulence in his career: bound to happen when one plays over 400 matches. Lara comes close with 188%. But the number which stands out is Kumar Sangakkara's 240%. Compare the 2845 runs Sangakkara accumulated recently with the meagre 1183 runs around the turn of this century.

2. Batsmen: Adjusted Runs per Innings

ARpI	Batsman	Team	Career-Inns	C-Runs	C-RpI	Best streak	A-Inns	Runs
55.61	HM Amla	Saf	92	4621	50.22	2759(2008)-3347(2013)	60.06	3340
55.03	AB de Villiers	Saf	162	6780	41.85	2804(2009)-3363(2013)	58.75	3233
52.97	SR Tendulkar	Ind	452	18426	40.76	1658(2000)-2077(2004)	58.23	3084
52.76	V Kohli	Ind	130	5688	43.75	3219(2011)-3476(2014)	57.03	3009
52.46	IVA Richards	Win	167	6721	40.24	208(1983)- 376(1986)	51.51	2702
50.07	BC Lara	Win	289	10405	36.00	936(1994)-1363(1998)	59.50	2979
49.05	KC Sangakkara	Slk	357	12844	35.97	3216(2011)-3481(2014)	58.00	2845
48.54	MS Dhoni	Ind	216	8127	37.62	2670(2008)-2942(2010)	50.78	2465
48.39	S Chanderpaul	Win	251	8778	34.97	2437(2006)-2987(2010)	56.37	2728
48.00	RT Ponting	Aus	365	13704	37.54	2256(2005)-2657(2007)	58.75	2820
47.75	DM Jones	Aus	161	6068	37.68	471(1987)- 672(1991)	61.00	2913
47.28	G Kirsten	Saf	185	6798	36.74	937(1994)-1283(1998)	61.52	2909
47.07	CH Gayle	Win	253	8810	34.82	1727(2001)-2096(2004)	61.00	2871
46.79	SC Ganguly	Ind	300	11363	37.87	1506(1999)-1764(2001)	61.00	2854
46.22	ML Hayden	Aus	155	6133	39.56	2097(2004)-2627(2007)	60.76	2808
-----
23.91	Moin Khan	Pak	183	3266	17.84	1193(1997)-1476(1999)	52.36	1252
23.80	E Chigumbura	Zim	151	3277	21.70	2459(2006)-2976(2010)	60.00	1428
19.05	Wasim Akram	Pak	280	3717	13.27	1298(1998)-1593(2000)	50.75	967

First let me explain about the ARpI (Adjusted Runs per Innings). The Batting average is an overstated measure. 3*, 77*, 400* et al., are all ignored. Because it has always been there, the flawed measure has continued to flourish. It could be called the Average per dismissed innings. It is too much slanted in favour of the middle-order batsmen, especially in limited-over matches. RpI (Runs per Innings) goes to the other extreme. Scores of 0, 7*, 97, 242*, 375 are all considered equal from the point of view of innings. It is too unfair to the middle order batsmen, especially in limited over matches.

So I have determined what is probably the most accurate measure called ARpI. The basis is simple, very logical and easy to understand and implement. In this measure, I add to the divisor an innings fraction based on the overall RpI value for those not outs below this RpI value. That means if the RpI is 40, an 11* will add 0.275 to the divisor, a 29* will add 0.725 and so on. A 123* will obviously be considered as a completed innings. Mathematically this is the almost perfect figure.

I will explain this with Tendulkar's streak. His streak figures are 60 inns, 9 not outs, 3084 runs. For Batting average, the divisor would be 51 and for RpI, the divisor would be 60. Both are incorrect. His not-out innings are 70*, 81*, 122*, 87*, 34*, 105*, 9*, 7* and 48*. His career RpI is 40.76. So there is no problem with six of these innings above 41. These are treated as completed innings. Now the real work starts. The equation for Tendulkar is 51(outs) + 6(completed inns) + (34/40.76 + 9/40.76 + 7/40.76), which works to 58.23: a reduction of 1.77 from the total number of innings. Nothing can be fairer than this. I would suggest that the readers understand this clearly since this will be the measure used going forward. My thanks to Milind and Ruchi for their incisive contributions in getting this important tweak going.

This table lists the best ARpI value achieved during any streak of 62 matches. The top four in this table are the same in the run aggregate table. Two South African batsmen lead with phenomenal values above 55. Two Indian batsmen have RpI values above 52.7. Finally Richards, the master, makes his appearance with a peak ARpI value of 52.5. In the middle of this streak was the most famous ODI innings of all time: the 189 at Manchester. Lara just slips out of the top five and has an ARpI value of just above 50. Do not forget that this is an ARpI table and not an RpM one; only those matches are considered where the player got a chance to bat. Despite his late-middle-order batting position, now benefited by the ARpI tweak, Dhoni breaks into the top ten with a very creditable ARpI value of 48.5.

3. Batsmen: Balls per innings

BpI	Batsman	Team	Career-Inns	C-Balls	C-BpI	Best streak	Inns	Balls
77.2	GR Marsh	Aus	117	7790	66.6	503(1988)- 739(1992)	60	4634
72.0	GA Gooch	Eng	125	6932	55.5	145(1982)- 701(1992)	61	4394
70.8	CG Greenidge	Win	128	7908	61.8	41(1977)- 370(1986)	62	4390
66.5	DL Haynes	Win	238	13707	57.6	234(1984)- 423(1987)	61	4056
66.0	KC Wessels	Saf	109	6088	55.9	232(1984)- 800(1993)	59	3892
64.8	DM Jones	Aus	164	8362	51.0	471(1987)- 672(1991)	61	3953
64.8	Javed Miandad	Pak	233	11014	47.3	375(1986)- 589(1989)	60	3887
64.2	S Chanderpaul	Win	267	12408	46.5	2437(2006)-2987(2010)	58	3723
63.1	AH Jones	Nzl	87	4811	55.3	485(1988)- 776(1992)	62	3914
61.1	G Kirsten	Saf	185	9436	51.0	937(1994)-1283(1998)	62	3786
60.3	SC Ganguly	Ind	311	15416	49.6	1231(1997)-1444(1999)	60	3616
60.3	DC Boon	Aus	181	9157	50.6	694(1991)- 932(1994)	61	3680
60.0	BC Lara	Win	298	13086	43.9	749(1992)-1000(1995)	61	3659
59.7	HM Amla	Saf	95	5177	54.5	2772(2008)-3367(2013)	61	3642
59.5	IJL Trott	Eng	68	3658	53.8	2929(2009)-3373(2013)	59	3509
-----
26.3	SM Pollock	Saf	303	4059	13.4	1099(1996)-1478(1999)	45	1182
23.6	N Kapil Dev	Ind	225	3979	17.7	207(1983)- 416(1987)	55	1299
21.9	Wasim Akram	Pak	356	4208	11.8	1312(1998)-1599(2000)	52	1139

This is the first component of the RpI: the average Balls per Innings (BpI). The table is headed by the solid batsmen of the early period. Not one of them has a strike rate exceeding 65. So they figure in this table but would be way down in the RpI table. It is towards the end of the table that we see some interesting batsmen. The last three in the featured list, Lara, Amla and Jonathan Trott figure in the top of the RpI table. Amla has a strike rate around 90 throughout his career.

4. Batsmen: Strike Rate

S/R	Batsman	Team	Career-Runs	C-Balls	C-S/R	Best streak	Runs	Balls
151.9	Shahid Afridi	Pak	7652	6614	115.7	2174(2004)-2639(2007)	1162	765
124.8	V Sehwag	Ind	8273	7929	104.3	2705(2008)-3251(2012)	2778	2226
110.0	ST Jayasuriya	Slk	13430	14725	91.2	1074(1996)-1346(1998)	2498	2271
109.6	AC Gilchrist	Aus	9619	9922	96.9	2082(2004)-2366(2006)	2383	2175
108.8	N Kapil Dev	Ind	3783	3979	95.1	332(1985)- 517(1988)	1279	1176
108.2	Wasim Akram	Pak	3717	4208	88.3	426(1987)- 631(1990)	676	625
107.1	BB McCullum	Nzl	5172	5696	90.8	2302(2005)-2731(2008)	1677	1566
103.3	Abdul Razzaq	Pak	5079	6252	81.2	1828(2002)-2116(2004)	1348	1305
102.4	AB de Villiers	Saf	6780	7128	95.1	2771(2008)-3347(2013)	3131	3058
101.7	SK Raina	Ind	4823	5230	92.2	2962(2010)-3294(2012)	1534	1508
100.9	CH Gayle	Win	8810	10482	84.0	2752(2008)-3380(2013)	2152	2133
99.9	MS Dhoni	Ind	8127	9109	89.2	2201(2004)-2514(2007)	1843	1845
99.6	A Symonds	Aus	5088	5504	92.4	2283(2005)-2685(2008)	1903	1910
99.6	MV Boucher	Saf	4686	5528	84.8	2418(2006)-2841(2009)	1280	1285
98.8	IVA Richards	Win	6721	7451	90.2	341(1985)- 556(1989)	2064	2090
-----
60.1	GR Marsh	Aus	4357	7790	55.9	354(1986)- 550(1989)	2333	3880
59.7	KC Wessels	Saf	3367	6088	55.3	174(1983)- 753(1992)	2036	3411
56.2	Mudassar Nazar	Pak	2653	5130	51.7	151(1982)- 374(1986)	1430	2544

This is the other component of ARpI. The leaders in the Strike Rate table should not surprise anyone. Shahid Afridi, with a 150-plus strike rate leads the table. But the more important batsman is Virender Sehwag, who scored 2778 runs at 125 at the peak of his career. That is something phenomenal. Sanath Jayasuriya scored nearly 2500 runs at 110. Adam Gilchrist, nearly 2400 runs at 110. Eleven batsmen scored more than a run a ball at the peak of their careers.

Now for the bowlers.

5. Bowlers: Wickets

Wkts	Bowler	Team	Best streak	Years	WpM	Worst streak	Wkts	Best-Worst
136	Saqlain Mushtaq	Pak	1118(1996)-1353(1998)	2.0	2.16	1482(1999)-2048(2003)	85	160.0%
129	AA Donald	Saf	1036(1996)-1468(1999)	3.4	2.05	686(1991)-1122(1996)	94	137.2%
124	B Lee	Aus	1545(2000)-2013(2003)	3.3	1.97	2021(2003)-2349(2006)	100	124.0%
120	M Muralitharan	Slk	1772(2001)-2264(2005)	3.7	1.90	2351(2006)-2755(2008)	67	179.1%
119	Waqar Younis	Pak	625(1990)- 894(1994)	3.9	1.89	1164(1997)-1720(2001)	83	143.4%
114	SK Warne	Aus	822(1993)-1155(1997)	3.8	1.81	1488(1999)-1917(2002)	80	142.5%
114	GD McGrath	Aus	1365(1998)-1700(2001)	2.4	1.81	2018(2003)-2479(2007)	67	170.1%
113	M Ntini	Saf	1886(2002)-2241(2005)	2.6	1.79	2229(2005)-2592(2007)	68	166.2%
112	SE Bond	Nzl	1783(2002)-2526(2007)	5.1	1.78	1949(2003)-2907(2009)	100	112.0%
112	SCJ Broad	Eng	2617(2007)-3047(2010)	3.1	1.78	2411(2006)-2997(2010)	93	120.4%
111	Shoaib Akhtar	Pak	1365(1998)-1846(2002)	3.6	1.76	2115(2004)-3063(2010)	73	152.1%
110	D Gough	Eng	962(1994)-1549(2000)	5.1	1.75	1557(2000)-2164(2004)	77	142.9%
109	Wasim Akram	Pak	720(1992)- 929(1994)	2.6	1.73	1365(1998)-1653(2000)	73	149.3%
108	IK Pathan	Ind	2077(2004)-2381(2006)	2.4	1.71	2362(2006)-3294(2012)	71	152.1%
108	CJ McDermott	Aus	453(1987)- 830(1993)	5.6	1.71	282(1985)- 548(1989)	89	121.3%
-----
39	SR Tendulkar	Ind	2095(2004)-2595(2007)	3.4	0.62	2611(2007)-3143(2011)	2	1950.0%
37	PA de Silva	Slk	1004(1995)-1252(1997)	2.1	0.59	661(1991)- 954(1994)	9	411.1%
31	SC Ganguly	Ind	1225(1997)-1428(1999)	1.6	0.49	2087(2004)-2621(2007)	6	516.7%

Saqlain Mushtaq captured 136 wickets in the peak streak of 63 matches. Look at the top ten of this table. Makhaya Ntini is the only one who could be excused from an all-time great bowlers list. The top ten is also a nice mix of spinners and pace bowlers. Irfan Pathan's presence in the top 15 is indicative of what he could have achieved as a bowler until delusions of batting grandeur took care of his career. Two of these bowlers have captured more than two wickets per match.

Saqlain Mushtaq needed only two years to capture 136 wickets in 63 matches. Craig McDermott needed over five and half years.

Like Amla, Shane Bond has a maximum-minimum ratio of 110% possibly because of his short career. But the two bowlers to impress are Brett Lee and Bond, who captured 100 wickets even in their worst streak. That, especially for Lee, indicates a very high level of consistency.

6. Bowlers: Average

Avge	Bowler	Team	Career wkts	C-Avge	Best streak	Wkts	Runs
14.79	M Muralitharan	Slk	534	23.08	1742(2001)-2150(2004)	119	1760
15.38	J Garner	Win	146	18.85	126(1981)- 412(1987)	106	1630
16.90	Saqlain Mushtaq	Pak	288	21.79	1118(1996)-1353(1998)	136	2298
17.32	RJ Hadlee	Nzl	158	21.56	109(1981)- 372(1986)	96	1663
17.57	AA Donald	Saf	272	21.79	1036(1996)-1468(1999)	129	2267
18.18	Waqar Younis	Pak	416	23.85	588(1989)- 812(1993)	118	2145
18.51	GD McGrath	Aus	381	22.02	1783(2002)-2228(2005)	100	1851
18.92	Wasim Akram	Pak	502	23.53	720(1992)- 929(1994)	109	2062
18.98	SE Bond	Nzl	147	20.88	1787(2002)-2557(2007)	112	2126
19.17	Shoaib Akhtar	Pak	247	24.98	1410(1999)-1871(2002)	109	2089
19.21	BAW Mendis	Slk	135	20.33	2718(2008)-3172(2011)	87	1671
19.34	Saeed Ajmal	Pak	183	22.18	3043(2010)-3346(2013)	88	1702
19.79	MA Holding	Win	142	21.37	61(1979)- 266(1984)	96	1900
19.91	CEL Ambrose	Win	225	24.13	506(1988)- 721(1992)	101	2011
19.97	B Lee	Aus	380	23.36	1940(2003)-2301(2005)	118	2357
-----
34.63	TT Bresnan	Eng	108	35.20	2878(2009)-3329(2013)	82	2840
35.95	P Utseya	Zim	130	46.51	2653(2007)-3179(2011)	63	2265
36.86	G Wickramasinghe	Slk	109	39.64	1006(1995)-1631(2000)	58	2138

That guy Muralitharan again. To average below 15 in a stretch of 63 matches while capturing 119 wickets is indeed a wonderful performance. Finally we come to see one of the greatest ODI bowlers of all time: the gentle giant Joel Garner. His average is just over 15. Saqlain averaged just over 16. Then comes another giant, Richard Hadlee with 17.3. Allan Donald, Waqar Younis , Glenn McGrath, Wasim Akram, Bond and Shoaib Akhtar round off the top ten. What a collection of bowlers! Any four of these ten could complete our XI,, with a gentleman named Gilchrist separating the six batsmen and four bowlers. At the lower end of the top 15 we have the other greats of the '80s and '90s: Michael Holding and Curtly Ambrose.

7. Bowlers: Runs per over

RpO	Bowler	Team	Career RpO	Best streak	Balls	Runs
2.91	J Garner	Win	3.10	101(1980)- 364(1986)	3358	1626
3.10	RJ Hadlee	Nzl	3.31	109(1981)- 372(1986)	3214	1663
3.13	M Muralitharan	Slk	3.93	1688(2001)-2022(2003)	3321	1734
3.21	SM Pollock	Saf	3.68	2288(2005)-2671(2008)	3198	1711
3.26	MD Marshall	Win	3.54	210(1983)- 418(1987)	3299	1792
3.28	MA Holding	Win	3.33	61(1979)- 266(1984)	3474	1900
3.30	CEL Ambrose	Win	3.48	582(1989)- 840(1993)	3419	1882
3.33	EJ Chatfield	Nzl	3.58	178(1983)- 454(1987)	3272	1817
3.33	Imran Khan	Pak	3.90	66(1979)- 384(1986)	2241	1244
3.50	GD McGrath	Aus	3.88	1728(2001)-2227(2005)	3146	1837
3.51	N Kapil Dev	Ind	3.72	172(1983)- 401(1986)	3179	1862
3.55	Wasim Akram	Pak	3.90	785(1992)-1059(1996)	3409	2015
3.55	Mohammad Hafeez	Pak	4.06	3132(2011)-3427(2013)	3049	1803
3.58	DK Lillee	Aus	3.58	2(1972)- 215(1983)	3593	2145
3.61	CA Walsh	Win	3.83	376(1986)- 573(1989)	3393	2043
-----
5.40	NLTC Perera	Slk	5.47	3040(2010)-3485(2014)	2443	2197
5.47	Naved-ul-Hasan	Pak	5.58	2174(2004)-2903(2009)	2878	2623
5.62	I Sharma	Ind	5.72	2675(2008)-2918(2009)	1710	1602

Garner stands supreme. He conceded fewer than 3 runs per over in the streak of 63 matches. Not surprising considering that he conceded 3.1 runs per over in his career. Hadlee follows next with 3.10. Muralitharan is in third place with 3.13. He is the only spinner in the top ten. The presence of Ewen Chatfield and Mohammad Hafeez may surprise a few but no surprise to see Ishant Sharma at the bottom of the table. He is the only specialist player to appear in the bottom three. How any team can sustain a bowler who concedes, right through his career, nearly 6 runs per over is beyond me. Don't forget that 5.62 is his best streak.

8. Bowlers: Balls per wicket

BpW	Bowler	Team	Career BpW	Best streak	Wkts	Balls
24.4	Saqlain Mushtaq	Pak	30.4	1118(1996)-1353(1998)	136	3324
25.7	AA Donald	Saf	31.5	1036(1996)-1468(1999)	129	3310
25.9	Shoaib Akhtar	Pak	31.4	1410(1999)-1871(2002)	109	2819
26.0	B Lee	Aus	29.4	1545(2000)-2013(2003)	124	3225
26.1	Waqar Younis	Pak	30.5	588(1989)- 812(1993)	118	3085
26.9	M Muralitharan	Slk	35.2	2468(2006)-2803(2009)	75	2016
27.0	SE Bond	Nzl	29.2	1787(2002)-2557(2007)	112	3020
27.0	BAW Mendis	Slk	27.2	2718(2008)-3172(2011)	87	2347
27.3	M Ntini	Saf	32.7	2035(2003)-2438(2006)	101	2756
27.7	SR Watson	Aus	37.2	2257(2005)-2945(2010)	82	2270
27.8	SCJ Broad	Eng	32.6	2622(2007)-3165(2011)	111	3088
27.8	SL Malinga	Slk	31.3	2884(2009)-3255(2012)	101	2803
27.9	NLTC Perera	Slk	29.0	2988(2010)-3470(2014)	82	2287
28.1	AB Agarkar	Ind	32.9	1788(2002)-2291(2005)	101	2838
28.2	KD Mills	Nzl	33.9	2430(2006)-3070(2010)	103	2906
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49.0	PAJ DeFreitas	Eng	49.7	418(1987)- 726(1992)	73	3579
50.1	P Utseya	Zim	64.2	2653(2007)-3179(2011)	63	3158
50.2	RA Harper	Win	51.8	412(1987)-1086(1996)	60	3012

Saqlain is the king when it comes to bowling strike rate. Fewer than 25 balls per wicket. In a collection dominated by pace bowlers, Muralitharan, not surprisingly, and Ajantha Mendis, unexpectedly, are the spinners at the top. Ajit Agarkar is an unexpected entry, although his ODI wicket-taking skills were legendary. He created a few records, if I remember correctly. Kyle Mills and Ntini are two other surprise entries.

9. Players: Win %

Win %	Player	Team	Best streak	Years	Matches	Wins
83.9%	DR Martyn	Aus	1936(2003)-2234(2005)	2.1	62	52
83.9%	ML Hayden	Aus	1870(2002)-2176(2004)	2.0	62	52
83.9%	G Kirsten	Saf	1013(1995)-1332(1998)	2.6	62	52
83.9%	A Symonds	Aus	1670(2001)-2102(2004)	3.1	62	52
82.3%	RT Ponting	Aus	1877(2002)-2180(2004)	2.0	62	51
82.3%	MG Bevan	Aus	1799(2002)-2106(2004)	2.1	62	51
82.3%	GD McGrath	Aus	1667(2001)-2019(2003)	2.4	62	51
80.6%	AC Gilchrist	Aus	1799(2002)-2102(2004)	2.1	62	50
80.6%	DS Lehmann	Aus	1446(1999)-2176(2004)	5.3	62	50
80.6%	WJ Cronje	Saf	977(1995)-1283(1998)	2.9	62	50
80.6%	JN Rhodes	Saf	1036(1996)-1332(1998)	2.4	62	50
80.6%	AL Logie	Win	129(1981)- 427(1987)	5.1	62	50
80.6%	DL Haynes	Win	93(1980)- 296(1985)	4.2	62	50
80.6%	MA Holding	Win	129(1981)- 327(1985)	3.3	62	50
80.6%	IVA Richards	Win	22(1975)- 236(1984)	8.6	62	50
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33.9%	KC Wessels	Aus/Saf	289(1985)- 901(1994)	9.2	62	21
32.3%	C Pringle	Nzl	636(1990)- 992(1995)	4.4	62	20
27.4%	T Taibu	Zim	2614(2007)-3209(2011)	4.2	62	17

For ODIs I have created this special analysis. This lists the win percentage in the streak of 62 matches. This is a combined table for batsmen and bowlers. It is dominated by the Australians, who take eight of the top ten places. These are all first amongst equals. It is just a combination of matches which has put Damien Martyn and others at the top. Let us look at the Australians as a whole. These eight Australians have win-percentage values exceeding 80%.

There are three South Africans who average around the 80% mark. Then come four West Indians of the 1980s, who all had win percentage above 80%. No other player finds a place in the top 15. It is interesting to note that the first 32 players in this table are from these three countries. The first player from outside these three is Tillakaratne Dilshan, who has a winning percentage of 74.2%. He is followed by Zaheer Khan and Muralitharan with 72.6%.

The complete set of nine tables can be accessed by clicking HERE. This is only a text file. However it is a properly formatted one. So it can be exported to Excel in less time than it takes Daniel Vettori to bowl a maiden over. I would have said Ravindra Jadeja, but have to allow for MS Dhoni's three fielding changes during the over!

Amused by the recent exchanges in the comments section of the previous articles, Milind has come out with his own insight on sports following, in general and cricket following, in particular. A lot to be gained by perusing the document. Please click HERE to download/view the document.

Amla is the star in this analysis, closely followed by de Villiers. His high average makes many followers to group him with the openers of the past or the most recent openers like Alastair Cook, Ganguly, Matthew Hayden and others. They are way off the mark. Allow me to present ten batsmen.

Dhoni, Andrew Flintoff, Kevin Pietersen, Tendulkar, Chris Gayle, Graeme Smith, Saeed Anwar, Ponting, Lara and Hayden.

What is common between them?

It is amazing but true - Amla's career strike rate of 89.3 is higher than those of this illustrious ten. Food for thought indeed. de Villiers, with a career strike rate of 95.2, is ahead of Kapil Dev, Richards, Andrew Symonds et al. Only Afridi, Sehwag and Gilchrist have better strike rates than de Villiers.