A chasm between England's averages

England batted 732.5 overs in six innings during their 4-0 humiliation of India. Their bowlers needed only 634 overs to rout India's batsmen eight times. England plundered 2809 runs for the loss of 47 wickets and were all out just twice in the series. Their bowlers conceded only 2044 runs and took 80 wickets. The difference of 34.21 runs between England's batting average for the series (59.76) and their bowling average (25.55, also India's batting average) is the 12th largest for a contest comprising at least three Tests. We've dug up a list of other series with similar chasms between a team's batting and bowling average.

The gap between England and India during the summer of '42 was wider than in 2011, statistically at least. On India's 1974 tour, England scored 1629 runs in four innings, averaging 67.87 for each of the 24 wickets lost. They took 59 Indian wickets at 19.54 apiece, the one that got away was BS Chandrasekhar, who didn't bat because of a thumb injury during the follow-on at Lord's, where India were routed for their lowest Test score. England won all three Tests, two by an innings, and inflicted on India their only whitewash (in series of at least three Tests) until India's tour of Australia in 1999-2000. The 2011 whitewash in England is the first since then.

On their tour of New Zealand in 1999, South Africa averaged 98.56 per wicket, the highest team average in a series of at least three Tests. Though they scored 621 for 5 in Auckland and 498 for 8 in Wellington, that average was built on a monumental performance in Christchurch, where Herschelle Gibbs made 211 and Jacques Kallis 149 during an innings of 442 for 1. South Africa's bowlers, however, were able to force a 1-0 victory only in the third Test, and they averaged 31.90 for each of 44 New Zealand wickets. The difference of 66.65 between South Africa's batting and bowling average is the second largest for a series.

Largest difference between a team's batting & bowling average in a series (qualification: 3 Tests)

Team	Series	Result	Mat	Runs	Wkts	R/W		Runs	Wkts	R/W		Diff
Sri Lanka	v Bangladesh, 2007	SL 3-0	3	1528	16	95.50		1011	60	16.85		78.65
South Africa	v New Zealand, 1998/99	SA 1-0	3	1577	16	98.56		1404	44	31.90		66.65
Australia	v New Zealand, 1993/94	Aus 2-0	3	1872	23	81.39		1418	53	26.75		54.63
England	v India, 1974	Eng 3-0	3	1629	24	67.87		1153	59	19.54		48.33
India	v Sri Lanka, 1986/87	India 2-0	3	1527	23	66.39		1098	50	21.96		44.43
Australia	v Sri Lanka, 1995/96	Aus 3-0	3	1875	26	72.11		1690	60	28.16		43.94
England	v Pakistan, 1962	Eng 4-0	5	2363	36	65.63		2227	96	23.19		42.44
Sri Lanka	v Zimbabwe, 2001/02	SL 3-0	3	1721	28	61.46		1146	60	19.10		42.36
Pakistan	v Australia, 1982/83	Pak 3-0	3	1498	24	62.41		1491	60	24.85		37.56
England	v South Africa, 1924	Eng 3-0	5	1846	31	59.54		1846	74	24.94		34.60
India	v Sri Lanka, 1993/94	India 3-0	3	1410	26	54.23		1179	60	19.65		34.58
England	v India, 2011	Eng 4-0	4	2809	47	59.76		2044	80	25.55		34.21
England	v New Zealand, 1965	Eng 3-0	3	1602	28	57.21		1410	59	23.89		33.31
South Africa	v West Indies, 2003/04	SA 3-0	4	2962	44	67.31		2621	75	34.94		32.37
India	v New Zealand, 1955/56	India 2-0	5	2557	39	65.56		2333	69	33.81		31.75
England	v New Zealand, 1962/63	Eng 3-0	3	1416	28	50.57		1153	60	19.21		31.35
India	v England, 1992/93	India 3-0	3	1604	28	57.28		1563	60	26.05		31.23
Australia	v South Africa, 1949/50	Aus 4-0	5	2710	51	53.13		1991	90	22.12		31.01
India	v Australia, 1985/86	drawn 0-0	3	1624	26	62.46		1483	46	32.23		30.22
Australia	v England, 1989	Aus 4-0	6	3877	67	57.86		2882	104	27.71		30.15
Pakistan	v India, 1978/79	Pak 2-0	3	2079	31	67.06		1813	49	37.00		30.06

All but one of the series in the table above were won by the team with the better stats, with the opposition failing to win even a Test. The exception is India's tour of Australia in 1985-86. India scored 1624 runs for 26 wickets at 62.46 in three Tests, while Australia, rebuilding their side under Allan Border, made only 1483 for 46 wickets at 32.23. Despite leading on the first innings in each match, India couldn't win any, and the series was drawn 0-0. The closest they came to victory was at the SCG, where Australia ended on 116 for 6 in the follow-on. The difference of 30.22 between the averages is the largest in favour of a team who failed to win the series, almost double the next best - England's 15.94 advantage over Australia in the 1938 Ashes.

Largest difference between averages for a team not winning the series (qualification: 3 Tests)

Team	Series	Result	Mat	Runs	Wkts	R/W		Runs	Wkts	R/W		Diff
India	v Australia, 1985/86	drawn 0-0	3	1624	26	62.46		1483	46	32.23		30.22
England	v Australia, 1938	drawn 1-1	4	2643	53	49.86		2137	63	33.92		15.94
England	v Pakistan, 1954	drawn 1-1	4	1307	43	30.39		1049	67	15.65		14.73
Sri Lanka	v India, 2010	drawn 1-1	3	2079	35	59.40		2015	45	44.77		14.62
South Africa	v New Zealand, 1963/64	drawn 0-0	3	1356	40	33.90		1132	54	20.96		12.93
Pakistan	v India, 1989/90	drawn 0-0	4	2086	39	53.48		2318	57	40.66		12.82
England	v New Zealand, 1965/66	drawn 0-0	3	1178	36	32.72		1159	57	20.33		12.38
Australia	v New Zealand, 2001/02	drawn 0-0	3	1860	36	51.66		1594	39	40.87		10.79
West Indies	v England, 1973/74	drawn 1-1	5	2405	54	44.53		2958	86	34.39		10.14
Australia	v New Zealand, 1973/74	drawn 1-1	3	2020	54	37.40		1239	45	27.53		9.87
England	v Pakistan, 1968/69	drawn 0-0	3	1340	36	37.22		853	31	27.51		9.70
New Zealand	v England, 1987/88	drawn 0-0	3	1461	37	39.48		977	32	30.53		8.95
India	v Sri Lanka, 1997/98	drawn 0-0	3	1693	38	44.55		1147	32	35.84		8.70
Australia	v South Africa, 1993/94	drawn 1-1	3	1338	40	33.45		1068	43	24.83		8.61
South Africa	v India, 2010/11	drawn 1-1	3	1669	44	37.93		1558	53	29.39		8.53
South Africa	v England, 2003	drawn 2-2	5	3323	75	44.30		2901	81	35.81		8.49
England	v Australia, 1968	drawn 1-1	5	2527	74	34.14		2148	83	25.87		8.26
Australia	v India, 1980/81	drawn 1-1	3	1657	47	35.25		1517	56	27.08		8.16
Zimbabwe	v Sri Lanka, 1994/95	drawn 0-0	3	1156	27	42.81		1285	37	34.72		8.08

The table below contains a list of Test series won by a team despite them averaging fewer runs per wicket than their opponents did. On top of that list is England's Ashes victory in 2009. Australia scored 2886 runs for the loss of 71 wickets in five Tests, while England made 2869 but lost 13 more wickets. Australia's average per wicket was nearly seven runs more than England's, but the timing of run-scoring is everything and England took the series 2-1.