Bat or bowl?
Which teams do better batting first in ODIs, which teams prefer chasing
Dustin Silgardo
25-Feb-2013
Which teams do better batting first in ODIs, which teams prefer chasing? Is it possible that a team can do better in matches in which they have lost the toss? Saad Shafqat analyses the effect of the toss on one-day cricket, in the Daily Telegraph.
The positive effect of winning the toss is most marked for India, who are 1.13 times more likely to win a match in which they have won the toss, followed by England, for whom the corresponding advantage factor is 1.10. This effect is least noticeable for Pakistan, who are almost equally likely to win a match regardless of the outcome of the toss. For Australia and New Zealand, the advantage comes from losing the toss – by a factor of 1.06 for Australia, and 1.11 for New Zealand.
Dustin Silgardo is a former sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo