Boycott's slow start, and Atherton's poor finish

After last week's column, where we looked at players with the largest difference in averages between the first and second halves of their Test careers, divided on the basis of matches played, we had several reader requests asking for the one-day equivalent. So here it is.

It's perhaps a little unfair on Michael Hussey that he tops our table of batsmen who've had an excellent run in the first half of their careers and a relatively poor second. Hussey made his one-day debut in 2003-04 against India in Perth, as a one-off replacement because Ricky Ponting and Michael Bevan weren't playing, and then had to wait a year before restarting his career. Hussey's re-entrance was so spectacular that by the time he was dismissed for the first time - after six innings - he averaged 229. After 28 innings and 1021 runs, that average dropped to 78 during the one-day series in South Africa in 2005-06, which is mid-way through his career at the moment. Since then he's played 26 innings, scored 805 runs at a perfectly acceptable average of 44, but his difference of 33.8 is nearly six runs more than Glenn Turner, who is in second place.

Although Mike Atherton had established himself as a regular in England's Test side, the first half of his 54-match one-day career spanned six years, during which he scored 1188 runs at an average of 47.58. He played his last 27 innings over a span of just two years, between 1996 and 1998, but his form suffered and he scored only 603 runs at an average of 23, less than half his average after his first 27 innings.

Biggest difference in batting average between first and second halves of career - ODIs
(qualification: 15 innings in each)

Player		1st half	Inns	Runs	HS	Ave	100		2nd half	Inns	Runs	HS	Ave	100		Diff
MEK Hussey (Aus)		2004-2006	28	1021	88*	78.53	0		2006-2007	26	805	109*	44.72	2		33.81
GM Turner (NZ)		1973-1983	19	831	171*	63.92	2		1983-1983	21	767	140	36.52	1		27.39
AG Prince (Afr/SA)		2002-2005	24	671	89*	47.92	0		2005-2007	17	347	47*	23.13	0		24.79
MA Atherton (Eng)		1990-1996	27	1188	127	47.52	1		1996-1998	27	603	113*	23.19	1		24.32
RL Dias (SL)		1979-1985	27	1058	121	44.08	2		1985-1987	28	515	80	19.80	0		24.27
S Wettimuny (SL)		1982-1983	15	532	86*	38.00	0		1983-1987	18	254	50	14.11	0		23.88
MA Vermeulen (Zim)		2000-2004	16	437	79	33.61	0		2004-2004	16	146	25	9.73	0		23.88
HJH Marshall (NZ)		2003-2005	31	980	101*	39.20	1		2005-2007	31	474	50*	16.92	0		22.27
GS Chappell (Aus)		1971-1981	36	1442	138*	51.50	2		1981-1983	36	889	108	29.63	1		21.86
DI Gower (Eng)		1978-1983	54	1978	158	42.08	6		1983-1991	57	1192	102	21.28	1		20.79
Yasir Hameed (Pak)		2003-2004	28	1256	127*	46.51	2		2004-2007	28	772	102	27.57	1		18.94
KP Pietersen (Eng/ICC)		2004-2006	27	1268	116	60.38	3		2006-2007	33	1121	104	41.51	2		18.86
Basit Ali (Pak)		1993-1994	23	823	127*	43.31	1		1994-1996	20	442	64	24.55	0		18.76
Aminul Islam (Ban)		1988-1998	19	475	70	33.92	0		1998-2002	20	319	66	15.95	0		17.97
BA Edgar (NZ)		1978-1983	32	1092	102*	40.44	1		1983-1986	32	722	75	22.56	0		17.88

Geoffrey Boycott, another England opener, had the opposite pattern to his one-day career. After facing the first-ever delivery in one-day internationals, Boycott started slowly, scoring 235 runs with a high score of 41 in 16 innings, which included his self-imposed break from international cricket between 1974 and 1977. His career picked up during the World Series Cup in Australia, which included West Indies as well, where he scored 425 runs in six innings at an average of 85, including four fifties his only one-day hundred.

Andrew Symonds is another batsman who has been prolific in the latter half of his ongoing career. He's scored 2824 runs in his last 77 innings with five hundreds, and averages nearly 48 with a strike-rate in the 90s. But before he cemented his one-day spot with a crucial 143 not out in the 2003 World Cup opener against Pakistan, Symonds had scored only 762 runs in 38 innings at an average of 23.81.

Biggest difference in batting average between first and second halves of career - ODIs
(qualification: 15 innings in each)

Player		1st half	Inns	Runs	HS	Ave	100		2nd half	Inns	Runs	HS	Ave	100		Diff
G Boycott (Eng)		1971-1979	16	235	41	16.78	0		1979-1981	18	847	105	52.93	1		-36.15
V Sibanda (Afr/Zim)		2003-2006	28	356	58	12.71	0		2006-2007	29	989	116	36.62	1		-23.91
B Zuiderent (Neth)		1996-2006	17	180	54	11.25	0		2006-2007	16	432	77*	33.23	0		-21.98
A Bagai (Can)		2003-2006	15	254	58*	19.53	0		2006-2007	15	519	137*	39.92	2		-20.38
SM Gavaskar (India)		1974-1985	51	1230	90	26.17	0		1985-1987	51	1862	103*	45.41	1		-19.24
AJ Bichel (Aus)		1997-2002	20	191	27*	13.64	0		2003-2004	16	280	64	31.11	0		-17.46
SB Styris (NZ)		1999-2003	56	1158	141	24.12	1		2003-2007	61	2124	111*	40.07	3		-15.95
S Matsikenyeri (Zim)		2002-2004	33	413	44	13.32	0		2004-2007	35	922	89	28.81	0		-15.48
HH Streak (Afr/Zim)		1993-2000	79	1020	59	20.40	0		2000-2005	80	1923	79*	35.61	0		-15.21
ND McKenzie (SA)		2000-2001	25	734	120*	31.91	1		2001-2003	26	846	131*	47.00	1		-15.08
JEC Franklin (NZ)		2001-2005	17	137	25*	9.78	0		2005-2007	27	371	45*	24.73	0		-14.94
DS Lehmann (Aus)		1996-1999	54	1506	110*	32.73	2		1999-2005	47	1572	119	47.63	2		-14.89
A Symonds (Aus)		1998-2004	65	1767	143*	33.33	1		2004-2007	77	2824	156	47.86	5		-14.52
AB de Villiers (Afr/SA)		2005-2007	28	797	92*	29.51	0		2007-2007	30	1099	146	43.96	3		-14.44
DO Obuya (Kenya)		2001-2006	24	249	57	11.31	0		2006-2007	24	576	93	25.04	0		-13.72

Ashantha de Mel's one-day career reached its peak when he became one of two bowlers - the other being Gary Gilmour - to take consecutive five-wicket hauls in a World Cup. de Mel achieved this on helpful wickets in the 1983 tournament, which boosted his career stats to 42 wickets after 28 games, at an average of 26. However, it began to go downhill for de Mel from there, and out of his last 29 ODIs, he went wicketless in 16. His 1 for 97 against West Indies at Karachi in the 1987 is the most expensive ten-over spell in a World Cup and a serious knee injury after the tournament brought his career to a premature end.

Rao Iftikhar Anjum has been a much improved bowler for Pakistan in the one-day format. He began his career poorly and at one stage, after five matches, his bowling average was over 100. Though he improved on that later on, it still exceeded 50 during the first half of his career. However, over his last 19 games Iftikhar has picked up 29 wickets at just under 27 apiece and has become a handy third medium-pacer for Pakistan, with an overall career average of 34.69.

Biggest difference in bowling average between first and second halves of career - ODIs
(qualification: 750 balls in each)

Player		1st half	Balls	Wkts	BBI	Ave	5		2nd half	Balls	Wkts	BBI	Ave	5		Diff
Tahir Naqqash (Pak)		1980-1983	804	8	1/19	77.50	0		1984-1985	792	26	3/23	23.84	0		53.65
Iftikhar Anjum (Pak)		2004-2006	888	13	2/13	51.92	0		2006-2007	969	29	3/33	26.96	0		24.95
N Chopra (India)		1998-1999	924	15	2/21	44.73	0		1999-2000	911	31	5/21	19.83	1		24.89
RP Snell (SA)		1991-1993	1028	16	3/42	48.25	0		1993-1996	1067	28	5/40	28.64	1		19.60
PJ Ongondo (Afr/Kenya)		1999-2006	929	20	4/14	37.80	0		2006-2007	1224	42	5/51	19.11	1		18.68
GR Larsen (NZ)		1990-1995	3241	43	4/24	46.30	0		1995-1999	3127	70	3/19	28.70	0		17.60
SR Watson (Aus)		2002-2005	1232	21	3/27	45.66	0		2005-2007	1361	41	4/39	28.19	0		17.47
TM Odoyo (Afr/Kenya)		1996-2002	2162	45	3/25	40.57	0		2002-2007	2151	62	4/25	24.32	0		16.25
ARC Fraser (Eng)		1989-1991	1162	18	3/28	39.77	0		1991-1999	1230	29	4/22	24.00	0		15.77
Mashrafe Mortaza (Asia/Ban)		2001-2006	1731	37	3/38	38.75	0		2006-2007	1827	55	6/26	23.61	1		15.13
SO Tikolo (Afr/Kenya)		1996-2002	1316	28	3/22	41.50	0		2002-2007	1716	47	4/41	26.51	0		14.98
Maninder Singh (India)		1983-1987	1554	26	4/22	40.03	0		1987-1993	1579	40	3/21	25.62	0		14.41
Mohammad Rafique (Asia/Ban)		1995-2004	3026	50	3/56	46.44	0		2004-2007	3388	75	5/47	32.22	1		14.21
SM Ervine (Zim)		2001-2003	838	17	3/29	46.23	0		2003-2004	811	24	3/47	32.29	0		13.94
AF Giles (Eng)		1997-2003	1428	25	5/57	44.80	1		2003-2005	1428	30	3/18	31.63	0		13.16