Statistics offer hope of New Zealand improvement

New Zealand's lack of consistency in recent years in its one-day cricket has been behind its mid-table placing on the world rankings, but increasingly there are signs of a change for the better.

Apart from anything else, Sunday's record victory over Pakistan in Sri Lanka ended the rot of seven losses in a row to Pakistan.

Pakistan's dismissal for 116, its lowest against New Zealand and 19 runs worse than their 135 scored at Napier in 2000/01, was the fifth time New Zealand has bowled out a side for less than 125 in the last five months, and in little over two years, New Zealand has 10 times dismissed sides for 135 or less.

Nine of these scores have been lodged by subcontinental sides, India suffering on six occasions - four in the recent series in New Zealand. All four instances not to take place on New Zealand soil occurred in Sri Lanka.

The list is:

77     Bangladesh   Colombo (SSC)     2002/03
89     England      Wellington (WS)   2001/02
108     India        Auckland          2002/03
108     India        Christchurch      2002/03
116     Pakistan     Dambulla          2003
122     India        Queenstown        2002/03
122     India        Hamilton          2002/03
127     India        Colombo (RPS)     2001
133     India        Colombo (RPS)     2001
135     Pakistan     Napier            2000/01

Pakistan's total was the eighth equal lowest score against New Zealand by any side.

Top 10 lowest scores v New Zealand:

70     Australia    Adelaide          1985/86
77     Bangladesh   Colombo (SSC)     2002/03
89     England      Wellington (WS)   2001/02
108     India        Auckland          2002/03
108     India        Christchurch      2002/03
113     India        Perth             1985/86
115     Sri Lanka    Colombo (PSS)     1983/84
116     Bangladesh   Chelmsford        1999
116     Pakistan     Dambulla          2003
118/9   Sri Lanka    Dunedin           1982/83

New Zealand's latest position on the ICC One-Day International Championship is sixth, an improvement of two places since its inception in October. It has moved ahead of the West Indies and now sits behind Australia, South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India.

Their climb up the ladder is the best by any side in the first six months of the Championship, rising nine points and two places.

The Championship standings as at the end of New Zealand's first match in the Bank Alfalah Cup in Dambulla are:

Team          Matches   Points   Rating    Change
1   Australia        46      6269     136     +8 (n/c)
2   South Africa     57      6972     122     +2 (n/c)
3   Pakistan         51      5675     111     -4 (up 1)
4   Sri Lanka        61      6413     105    -12 (down 1)
5   India            58      6047     104     -2 (n/c)
6   New Zealand      46      4594     100     +9 (up 2)
7   West Indies      35      3463      99     +5 (n/c)
8   England          34      3337      98     +2 (down 2)
9   Zimbabwe         44      2844      65     -2 (n/c)
10   Kenya            25       704      28     +6 (n/c)
11   Bangladesh       23       101       4     -7 (n/c)

When the New Zealanders had Pakistan reeling at 17 for five wickets, it was the fifth equal worst start by any side in an ODI (for five wickets down). New Zealand's previous best effort with the ball was having Bangladesh 19 for five in the ICC Champions Trophy last year.

The record of teams having fewer than 20 runs and being 5 wickets down:

start  total
12/5    71     Pakistan v West Indies     Brisbane            1992/93
12/5    36     Canada v Sri Lanka         Paarl               2002/03
14/5    81     Pakistan v West Indies     Sydney              1992/93
14/5    43     Pakistan v West Indies     Cape Town           1992/93
17/5   266/8   India v Zimbabwe           Tunbridge Wells     1983
17/5    84     Kenya v Australia          Nairobi (Gym)       2002/03
17/5    84     Namibia v Pakistan         Kimberley           2002/03
17/5   116     Pakistan v New Zealand     Dambulla            2003
18/5   153     Pakistan v South Africa    Colombo (SSC)       2000/01
18/5   115/9   New Zealand v Sri Lanka    Colombo (SSC)       2001
19/5   167     Scotland v Pakistan        Chester-le-Street   1999
19/5    77     Bangladesh v New Zealand   Colombo (SSC)       2002/03

Note: India v Zimbabwe at Tunbridge Wells was a 60-over match and New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Colombo (SSC) was reduced to 36 overs per side.

Five of them have occurred in the last eight months while three have been at the same ground, the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo. Pakistan have proven particularly vulnerable to the spectacular collapse, having been involved in five of the nine worst collapses - three of which took place in the space of 16 matches and 71 days during the 1992/93 season.

The game also resulted in Daryl Tuffey's latest instance of a wicket in his first over, the 17th time he has achieved the feat in internationals, and the 10th time in an ODI.

His record now reads:

Tests:               Inn  Over  Ball
Marcus Trescothick    1     1     2    v England at Auckland, 1 Apr 2002 (W)
Mark Butcher          1     1     5    v England at Auckland, 1 Apr 2002 (W)
Shahid Afridi         1     1     3    v Pakistan at Lahore, 1 May 2002 (L)
Virender Sehwag       1     2     6    v India at Wellington, 12 Dec 2002 (W)
Sanjay Bangar         1     2     3    v India at Hamilton, 20 Dec 2002 (W)
Parthiv Patel         2     2     6    v India at Hamilton, 21 Dec 2002 (W)
Marvan Atapattu       1     1     4    v Sri Lanka at Colombo, 26 Apr 2003 (D)

ODIs: Inn Over Ball Saeed Anwar 1 1 1 v Pakistan at Napier, 20 Feb 2001 (W) Saeed Anwar 2 1 6 v Pakistan at Christchurch, 25 Feb 2001 (W) Marvan Atapattu 1 1 2 v Sri Lanka at Sharjah, 10 Apr 2001 (L) Kumar Sangakkara 1 1 3 v Sri Lanka at Sharjah, 10 Apr 2001 (L) Marcus Trescothick 1 1 3 v England at Auckland, 23 Feb 2002 (L) Sanath Jayasuriya 1 1 3 v Sri Lanka at Sharjah, 14 Apr 2002 (L) Imran Nazir 2 1 1 v Pakistan at Rawalpindi, 24 Apr 2002 (L) Sourav Ganguly 2 1 3 v India at Napier, 29 Dec 2002 (W) Sourav Ganguly 2 1 1 v India at Wellington, 8 Jan 2003 (L) Mohammad Hafeez 1 1 4 v Pakistan at Dambulla, 11 May 2003 (W)

Note: Inn = innings of opposition for Test list, innings of the match for ODI list; Over = over of the innings

And while Shane Bond may be out of the tournament due to a suspected stress fracture in his back, he did have time to claim his 50th wicket in his 27th ODI, the fastest first 50 wickets taken by a New Zealander and seventh equal on the world list.

New Zealand:

Mat   Wkts    BB     Ave
Shane Bond        27    51    6/23   19.00   2001/02 to 2003
Geoff Allott      28    50    4/35   21.34   1996/97 to 2000/01
Chris Pringle     33    52    4/35   22.88   1990 to 1993/94
Ewen Chatfield    36    50    5/34   24.10   1979 to 1983
Danny Morrison    36    50    4/33   29.98   1987/88 to 1990/91
Martin Snedden    41    50    3/25   30.38   1980/81 to 1984/85
Lance Cairns      43    50    5/28   31.18   1973/74 to 1982/83
Daryl Tuffey      43    50    4/24   29.16   2000/01 to 2002/03
Richard Hadlee    46    52    5/26   26.61   1972/73 to 1982/83
Willie Watson     47    50    3/15   33.70   1985/86 to 1991/92
Chris Harris      48    50    3/15   30.10   1990/91 to 1994/95
Scott Styris      51    51    6/25   34.01   1999/00 to 2002/03
Chris Cairns      52    51    4/55   32.84   1990/91 to 1996/97
Daniel Vettori    55    51    4/24   35.17   1996/97 to 2000/01
Gavin Larsen      66    50    4/24   43.78   1989/90 to 1995/96
Dion Nash         66    50    4/38   44.48   1992/93 to 1999
Nathan Astle      74    50    4/43   33.34   1994/95 to 1998/99
Jeremy Coney      84    50    4/46   38.26   1979 to 1986

All time:

Team          Mat   Wkts    BB     Ave
Ajit Agarkar         India          23    50    4/35   21.34   1997/98 to 1998/99
Dennis Lillee        Australia      24    50    5/34   17.30   1972 to 1980/81
Shane Warne          Australia      25    51    4/19   16.43   1992/93 to 1994/95
Len Pascoe           Australia      26    50    5/30   19.57   1977 to 1981/82
Patrick Patterson    West Indies    26    51    6/29   19.45   1985/86 to 1987/88
Curtly Ambrose       West Indies    26    51    5/17   17.03   1987/88 to 1989/90
Waqar Younis         Pakistan       27    53    6/26   14.96   1989/90 to 1990/91
Shane Bond           New Zealand    27    51    6/23   19.00   2001/02 to 2003

Note: The figures given are those at the end of the match concerned

(Statistics compiled by Duane Pettet)