Averaging 40 against everyone and everywhere

How many batsmen average more than 40 against all the teams they played, and in all the countries they toured? This question was raised by a reader, Raghav Bihani, who used a minimum of four teams and five countries and came up with Greg Chappell and Rohan Kanhai as the (correct) answers. If the qualifications are relaxed to three each, Jack Hobbs and Sid Barnes make the cut as well. So this week, we have looked at each aspect separately and dug up lists of batsmen with 40-plus averages against the most teams and in the most countries.

Ricky Ponting and Kumar Sangakkara are the only batsmen with averages of more than 40 against each of the nine other Test nations, Zimbabwe included. Ponting has an average of 50 against the ICC World XI as well, but we have excluded them from our calculations, or else he would have been all alone with a 40-plus average against ten teams. Ponting's lowest averages are against England and India - 48.22 and 47.02. He will play them both in 2010 and so has the opportunity to move closer towards becoming the only batsman to average at least 50 against all the Test nations.

During the recent Tests against India, Sangakkara's average broke into the ten best of all time, displacing that of Jack Hobbs, before slipping out again by the time the series ended. Unlike Ponting, however, Sangakkara is battling to maintain 40-plus averages against two teams - he has figures of 41.91 against Australia and 40.28 against England.

If and when Zimbabwe re-enter the Test fold, Kevin Pietersen will have the opportunity to join Ponting and Sangakkara. Pietersen presently averages 40 against all eight teams that he's played against - though his mean against Pakistan keeps fluctuating above and below that mark.

Batting avg of 40+ against all teams in Tests (excluding ICC XI, undefined avgs treated as one dismissal)

Player	Span	Mat	Opp		List
RT Ponting (Aus)	1995-2010	146	9		Zim 96 Pak 66 Ban 65 WI 59 NZ 57 SA 56 SL 50 Eng 48 India 47
KC Sangakkara (SL)	2000-2010	91	9		Zim 89 Pak 77 Ban 73 NZ 59 India 57 SA 53 WI 49 Aus 41 Eng 40
KP Pietersen (Eng)	2005-2010	64	8		Ban 68 WI 57 Aus 50 SL 48 India 47 NZ 44 SA 42 Pak 41
GS Chappell (Aus)	1970-1984	87	6		India 73 SL 66 Pak 63 NZ 56 WI 56 Eng 45
DCS Compton (Eng)	1937-1957	78	6		Pak 90 SA 53 India 51 WI 49 NZ 46 Aus 42
IVA Richards (WI)	1974-1991	121	5		Eng 62 India 50 Aus 44 NZ 43 Pak 41
CL Walcott (WI)	1948-1960	44	5		Pak 96 India 69 NZ 66 Aus 57 Eng 44
DG Bradman (Aus)	1928-1948	52	4		SA 201 India 178 Eng 89 WI 74
WA Brown (Aus)	1934-1948	22	4		NZ 67 SA 59 India 42 Eng 42
VS Hazare (India)	1946-1953	30	4		Pak 111 Aus 47 Eng 47 WI 40
RB Kanhai (WI)	1957-1974	79	4		India 62 Aus 45 Pak 44 Eng 41
EJ Barlow (SA)	1961-1970	30	3		Aus 47 Eng 46 NZ 41
SG Barnes (Aus)	1938-1948	13	3		Eng 70 NZ 54 India 43
JB Hobbs (Eng)	1908-1930	61	3		WI 106 SA 60 Aus 54
GE Tyldesley (Eng)	1921-1929	14	3		WI 66 SA 59 Aus 42

In the world of the modern Test batsman, where 50 is the new 40, it's surprising that Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid don't have 40-plus means against everyone. They both fall short against South Africa. Dravid averages 36.51 against them in 18 Tests, while Tendulkar's stats are 38.24 in 22 matches. The tour at the end of the year will probably be their last opportunity to lift their averages against South Africa and have means of more than 40 against every team.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul did the hard work and maintained an average of more than 40 against all the tougher Test sides, but fell massively short against Zimbabwe. In nine innings, Chanderpaul scored 259 runs at an average of 28.77 with a high score of 74, his only half-century against Zimbabwe.

Batting avg of 40+ against the most teams in Tests (excluding ICC XI, undefined avgs treated as one dismissal)

Player	Span	Mat	Opp		List
RT Ponting (Aus)	1995-2010	146	9/9		Zim 96 Pak 66 Ban 65 WI 59 NZ 57 SA 56 SL 50 Eng 48 India 47
KC Sangakkara (SL)	2000-2010	91	9/9		Zim 89 Pak 77 Ban 73 NZ 59 India 57 SA 53 WI 49 Aus 41 Eng 40
KP Pietersen (Eng)	2005-2010	64	8/8		Ban 68 WI 57 Aus 50 SL 48 India 47 NZ 44 SA 42 Pak 41
S Chanderpaul (WI)	1994-2010	126	8/9		India 71 SA 50 Eng 50 Ban 49 SL 47 Aus 44 NZ 42 Pak 41 Zim 28
R Dravid (ICC/India)	1996-2010	142	8/9		Zim 97 Ban 70 WI 67 NZ 59 Eng 57 Pak 53 SL 48 Aus 41 SA 36
AC Gilchrist (Aus)	1999-2008	96	8/9		Zim 133 NZ 76 Pak 68 Ban 66 WI 47 SA 47 Eng 45 SL 42 India 27
JH Kallis (ICC/SA)	1995-2010	140	8/9		Zim 169 Ban 79 WI 73 NZ 67 Pak 60 India 57 Eng 42 Aus 40 SL 33
BC Lara (ICC/WI)	1990-2006	131	8/9		SL 86 Ban 86 Eng 62 Zim 55 Pak 53 Aus 51 SA 49 NZ 41 India 34
SR Tendulkar (India)	1989-2010	169	8/9		Ban 136 Zim 76 Eng 61 SL 60 WI 57 Aus 56 NZ 52 Pak 42 SA 38
ML Hayden (Aus)	1994-2009	103	7/9		Zim 250 India 59 WI 51 SL 51 Pak 46 Eng 45 SA 43 NZ 36 Ban 33
Inzamam-ul-Haq (ICC/Pak)	1992-2007	120	7/9		Ban 80 NZ 66 SL 59 Eng 54 WI 53 India 52 Zim 42 SA 32 Aus 31
DPMD Jayawardene (SL)	1997-2010	113	7/9		SA 70 India 67 Ban 66 Eng 65 Zim 60 NZ 51 WI 44 Pak 34 Aus 32
G Kirsten (SA)	1993-2004	101	7/9		Ban 155 Zim 82 Pak 55 NZ 50 Eng 48 SL 42 India 40 WI 34 Aus 34
DR Martyn (Aus)	1992-2006	67	7/9		Pak 61 SL 53 SA 53 India 49 NZ 48 Zim 42 WI 41 Eng 37 Ban 5
MH Richardson (NZ)	2000-2004	38	7/9		Ban 67 SL 67 India 52 WI 51 Pak 50 Zim 48 Eng 45 SA 34 Aus 22
SR Waugh (Aus)	1985-2004	168	7/9		Ban (256) Zim 145 SL 87 Eng 58 SA 49 WI 49 India 41 NZ 38 Pak 34

Tendulkar has an average of more than 40 in the most countries - in nine out of ten. Once again, the exception is South Africa, where he averages 39.76 in 12 Tests, with three hundreds and three half-centuries. Given his recent form, though, it's likely that he'll make it ten out of ten by the end of the year.

Ponting also averages 40 in nine countries, but he's played Tests in 11, compared to Tendulkar's 10, with UAE being the extra venue. Ponting fell short of averaging 40 in Zimbabwe, but he played only one innings there in 1999, and was dismissed for 31. His below-40 average in India, however, is more legit. In 12 innings on the subcontinent Ponting averages 20.85, so it's unlikely he'll ever get near 40. In fact, before the tour in 2008, his average in India was 12.28 but he improved it with a century and a half-century during the four Test series.

Batting avg of 40+ in the most countries in Tests (undefined avgs treated as one dismissal)

Player	Span	Mat	Host		List
SR Tendulkar (India)	1989-2010	169	9/10		Ban 136 SL 67 Eng 62 Aus 58 India 55 NZ 49 WI 47 Pak 40 Zim 40 SA 39
RT Ponting (Aus)	1995-2010	146	9/11		Pak 119 UAE 97 Ban 95 WI 78 NZ 60 Aus 60 SL 54 SA 54 Eng 41 Zim 31 India 20
R Dravid (ICC/India)	1996-2010	142	8/10		Zim 79 Pak 78 WI 70 Ban 70 Eng 65 NZ 63 India 49 Aus 48 SA 33 SL 33
VVS Laxman (India)	1996-2010	113	8/10		Aus 54 India 48 SL 48 WI 47 Eng 44 Zim 41 SA 41 NZ 40 Ban 39 Pak 37
GP Thorpe (Eng)	1993-2005	100	8/10		NZ 65 Pak 56 Aus 48 Ban 45 SL 45 Eng 45 WI 42 India 42 SA 31 Zim 23
SR Waugh (Aus)	1985-2004	168	8/10		Zim (151) UAE 103 Eng 74 WI 68 SA 50 Aus 47 India 47 Pak 41 NZ 35 SL 16
Inzamam-ul-Haq (ICC/Pak)	1992-2007	120	8/11		Ban 136 NZ 59 SL 58 WI 57 India 54 Pak 53 Zim 49 Eng 42 SA 31 Aus 30 UAE 25
Younis Khan (Pak)	2000-2009	63	8/11		India 76 NZ 70 Ban 59 Pak 59 Eng 52 Aus 43 SL 40 UAE 40 SA 33 Zim 33 WI 23
KF Barrington (Eng)	1955-1968	82	7/7		SA 101 India 96 Pak 76 NZ 73 Aus 69 Eng 50 WI 44
AR Border (Aus)	1978-1994	156	7/8		Eng 65 Pak 61 WI 53 India 51 NZ 50 SL 48 Aus 45 SA 38
PD Collingwood (Eng)	2003-2010	61	7/9		WI 61 SA 57 India 57 Ban 49 Aus 48 Pak 47 NZ 40 Eng 38 SL 28
AC Gilchrist (Aus)	1999-2008	96	7/9		NZ 81 Ban 78 WI 70 SA 65 Aus 45 SL 45 Eng 40 India 28 UAE 25
G Kirsten (SA)	1993-2004	101	7/9		Pak 88 Zim 82 NZ 58 India 52 Eng 45 Aus 43 SA 42 WI 25 SL 21
BC Lara (ICC/WI)	1990-2006	131	7/9		SL 100 WI 58 Zim 55 Eng 48 Pak 48 SA 46 Aus 41 NZ 36 India 33
Saeed Anwar (Pak)	1990-2001	55	7/9		SL 74 India 57 Ban 57 NZ 52 Aus 47 Pak 45 Eng 42 SA 34 Zim 24
GC Smith (ICC/SA)	2002-2010	86	7/9		WI 73 Eng 72 Ban 67 NZ 58 SA 45 SL 44 Pak 44 Aus 37 India 35
JH Kallis (ICC/SA)	1995-2010	140	7/10		Zim 503 Pak 83 NZ 66 India 58 SA 56 WI 55 Aus 45 SL 35 Ban 31 Eng 29
ME Waugh (Aus)	1991-2002	128	7/10		Zim 90 Pak 49 Eng 49 SA 43 India 43 Aus 43 WI 40 NZ 35 UAE 12 SL 12
Mohammad Yousuf (Pak)	1998-2010	88	7/11		Ban 147 UAE 90 WI 69 Pak 65 Eng 65 Zim 58 NZ 55 SL 33 India 33 Aus 31 SA 26

So where does Don Bradman fit into all this? He played Tests against only four countries and his lowest average was against West Indies - 74.50 in five matches. He played only at home and in England, averaging 98.22 and 102.84 respectively.

Ken Barrington heads the list of batsmen with an average of at least 40 in every country they played in. His highest is in South Africa, where he played five Tests in 1964-65 and made 508 runs at an average of 101. Barrington's worst is in West Indies, where he made 708 runs in 16 innings at an average of 44.25. It's the only country in which he averaged less than 50. His overall average against West Indies, however, was only 34.73, largely due to his poor record against them in England. In seven home Tests against West Indies, Barrington made only 330 runs at an average of 23.85.

Batting avg of 40+ in all countries in Tests (qualification: undefined avgs treated as one dismissal)

Player	Span	Mat	Host		List
KF Barrington (Eng)	1955-1968	82	7		SA 101 India 96 Pak 76 NZ 73 Aus 69 Eng 50 WI 44
GS Chappell (Aus)	1970-1984	87	6		Pak 76 NZ 71 SL 66 Aus 54 WI 48 Eng 40
RB Kanhai (WI)	1957-1974	79	5		India 63 Pak 54 WI 48 Aus 43 Eng 40
KC Bland (SA)	1961-1966	21	4		NZ 69 Aus 61 Eng 47 SA 42
EH Hendren (Eng)	1920-1935	51	4		WI 68 SA 47 Eng 44 Aus 40
AR Morris (Aus)	1946-1955	46	4		Eng 57 SA 52 WI 44 Aus 41
SG Barnes (Aus)	1938-1948	13	3		Eng 67 Aus 61 NZ 54
JB Hobbs (Eng)	1908-1930	61	3		SA 65 Aus 57 Eng 52
PA Jaques (Aus)	2005-2008	11	3		Ban 66 Aus 49 WI 40
SJ McCabe (Aus)	1930-1938	39	3		SA 84 Eng 47 Aus 42