England on the verge of a sub-30 attack

At the end of the Trent Bridge Test against West Indies, England's attack had two bowlers on the right side of 30, and two on the wrong side by very little. We're talking averages, by the way. Tim Bresnan's eight wickets brought his average down to 25.46 and Graeme Swann's was 28.12, while James Anderson is now on 30.05 and Stuart Broad on 30.42. If Bresnan and Swann maintain their means and Anderson and Broad improve theirs, England could soon join Australia as the only teams capable of fielding a sub-30 Test attack.

England also have four batsmen - Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell - with Test averages over 45 at present. They had five for three Tests between July 2011 and January 2012 but Matt Prior's average has dropped to 42.31 since then.

This week we've dug up teams that had the most bowlers with averages below 30 in Tests, and those that had the most batsmen with averages over 45.

The Australian team that played the Perth Test against Zimbabwe in 2003 is the only one to have seven batsmen with averages over 45. Matthew Hayden scored 380 in that game and held the record for best Test score until Brian Lara reclaimed it a few months later. At the end of the innings-and-175-run victory, Adam Gilchrist averaged 61.06, Hayden 56.75, Steve Waugh 51.20, Ricky Ponting 50.96, Darren Lehmann 49.75, Damien Martyn 46.65 and Justin Langer 45.66.

Australia are also the only international team to have had six batsmen with 45-plus averages in an XI. Gilchrist, Hayden, Langer and Ponting were constants in those six matches, while Lehmann, Waugh, Martyn or Michael Hussey filled the remaining two spots.

The ICC World XI that played the Super Test in 2005 had six players with averages over 50, but that's why they were selected in the first place. The Australian team that beat them by 210 runs had four over 45, of whom Gilchrist, Hayden and Ponting were over 50.

Teams with the most players with a batting average greater than or equal to 45 for a min of 20 innings - Tests

Team	Num	Mat	Start Date	End Date	List
Australia	7	1	Oct 9, 2003	Oct 13, 2003	AC Gilchrist, ML Hayden, JL Langer, DS Lehmann, DR Martyn, RT Ponting, SR Waugh
Australia	6	1	Jul 25, 2003	Jul 28, 2003	AC Gilchrist, ML Hayden, JL Langer, DS Lehmann, RT Ponting, SR Waugh
Australia	6	1	Dec 4, 2003	Dec 8, 2003	AC Gilchrist, ML Hayden, JL Langer, DR Martyn, RT Ponting, SR Waugh
Australia	6	2	Nov 26, 2004	Dec 19, 2004	AC Gilchrist, ML Hayden, JL Langer, DS Lehmann, DR Martyn, RT Ponting
ICC World XI	6	1	Oct 14, 2005	Oct 17, 2005	R Dravid, Inzamam-ul-Haq, JH Kallis, BC Lara, V Sehwag, GC Smith
Australia	6	2	Nov 23, 2006	Dec 5, 2006	AC Gilchrist, ML Hayden, MEK Hussey, JL Langer, DR Martyn, RT Ponting
West Indies	5	3	Dec 7, 1984	Jan 2, 1985	PJL Dujon, HA Gomes, CG Greenidge, CH Lloyd, IVA Richards
Australia	5	4	Apr 10, 2003	Jul 20, 2003	AC Gilchrist, ML Hayden, JL Langer, RT Ponting, SR Waugh
Australia	5	14	Mar 8, 2002	Jan 6, 2004	AC Gilchrist, ML Hayden, DR Martyn, RT Ponting, SR Waugh
South Africa	5	2	Mar 18, 2004	Mar 30, 2004	HH Gibbs, JH Kallis, G Kirsten, JA Rudolph, GC Smith
Australia	5	1	Oct 26, 2004	Oct 29, 2004	AC Gilchrist, ML Hayden, SM Katich, DS Lehmann, DR Martyn
Australia	5	5	Mar 8, 2004	Nov 21, 2004	AC Gilchrist, ML Hayden, DS Lehmann, DR Martyn, RT Ponting
Australia	5	13	Dec 26, 2004	Apr 4, 2006	AC Gilchrist, ML Hayden, JL Langer, DR Martyn, RT Ponting
Australia	5	3	Dec 14, 2006	Jan 5, 2007	AC Gilchrist, ML Hayden, MEK Hussey, JL Langer, RT Ponting
Australia	5	4	Nov 8, 2007	Jan 28, 2008	MJ Clarke, AC Gilchrist, ML Hayden, MEK Hussey, RT Ponting
England	5	3	Jul 21, 2011	Jan 19, 2012	IR Bell, AN Cook, KP Pietersen, MJ Prior, IJL Trott
India	5	21	Mar 26, 2009	Jan 28, 2012	R Dravid, G Gambhir, VVS Laxman, V Sehwag, SR Tendulkar

India had the most constant combination in the table above. Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman played 21 Tests together between March 2009 and January this year in which all of them had averages above 45.

The first time a team had five batsmen with such high averages was as late as 1984. West Indies played three Tests against Australia between December that year and January 1985 with Viv Richards, Clive Lloyd, Gordon Greenidge, Larry Gomes and Jeff Dujon averaging more than 45. They won the first of those matches to take a 3-0 lead and secure the Frank Worrell Trophy, drew the next and lost the last. All the other entries in the table are from the 21st century, an example of the depreciating value of a 45 average.

It's quite the opposite for the bowlers. There have been only 21 Tests in which a team had five bowlers averaging less than 30, and only three of those were in the 21st century. The great West Indian and Australian attacks of the 1980s and 2000s don't appear in the table below because they usually needed only four bowlers to do the job.

The first time a team had five sub-30 bowlers was in 1950, when Australia played South Africa in two Tests, with Ian Johnson, Ray Lindwall, Keith Miller, Bill Johnston and Colin McCool. Five years later, against West Indies at Sabina Park, Johnson, Johnston, Lindwall and Miller were still averaging below 30, and they were joined by Ron Archer, who averaged just below 30 at the time.

Teams with the most players with a bowling average less than 30 for a min of 2000 balls bowled - Tests

Team	Num	Mat	Start Date	End Date	List
Australia	5	2	Jan 20, 1950	Feb 14, 1950	IWG Johnson, WA Johnston, RR Lindwall, CL McCool, KR Miller
Australia	5	1	Jun 11, 1955	Jun 17, 1955	RG Archer, IWG Johnson, WA Johnston, RR Lindwall, KR Miller
England	5	2	Jun 19, 1958	Jul 8, 1958	TE Bailey, JC Laker, PJ Loader, GAR Lock, FS Trueman
England	5	2	Dec 5, 1958	Jan 5, 1959	TE Bailey, JC Laker, PJ Loader, GAR Lock, JB Statham
England	5	2	Aug 21, 1958	Jan 15, 1959	TE Bailey, JC Laker, GAR Lock, JB Statham, FS Trueman
England	5	1	Jan 30, 1959	Feb 5, 1959	TE Bailey, GAR Lock, JB Statham, FS Trueman, FH Tyson
Australia	5	1	Jan 23, 1960	Jan 28, 1960	R Benaud, AK Davidson, RR Lindwall, KD Mackay, I Meckiff
Australia	5	3	Jul 31, 1975	Sep 3, 1975	DK Lillee, AA Mallett, JR Thomson, MHN Walker, KD Walters
England	5	1	Aug 2, 1979	Aug 7, 1979	IT Botham, PH Edmonds, M Hendrick, JK Lever, G Miller
England	5	2	Jul 12, 1979	Aug 21, 1979	IT Botham, PH Edmonds, M Hendrick, G Miller, RGD Willis
Australia	5	1	Jan 2, 1981	Jan 4, 1981	JD Higgs, RM Hogg, DK Lillee, LS Pascoe, KD Walters
South Africa	5	3	Mar 9, 2001	Apr 2, 2001	N Boje, AA Donald, JH Kallis, M Ntini, SM Pollock

The last team to have five bowlers with sub-30 Test averages was South Africa, for three Tests in the West Indies in 2001. Their attack comprised Allan Donald, Shaun Pollock, Makhaya Ntini, Nicky Boje and Jacques Kallis.

Kallis was also part of the first ODI team to have five batsmen with averages over 40. The other four in the two 2003 World Cup matches in question were Boeta Dippenaar, Gary Kirsten, Graeme Smith and Lance Klusener. South Africa's only other time was in an ODI against Pakistan in 2010, when Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Kallis and Graeme Smith had 40-plus averages. Smith's average has dropped to 39 since then.

Teams with the most players with a batting average greater than or equal to 40 for a min of 20 innings - ODIs

Team	Num	Mat	Start Date	End Date	List
South Africa	5	2	Feb 16, 2003	Mar 3, 2003	HH Dippenaar, JH Kallis, G Kirsten, L Klusener, GC Smith
Australia	5	2	Feb 25, 2004	Feb 27, 2004	MG Bevan, MJ Clarke, ML Hayden, DR Martyn, RT Ponting
Australia	5	2	Jan 21, 2005	Jan 23, 2005	MJ Clarke, ML Hayden, DS Lehmann, DR Martyn, RT Ponting
Australia	5	8	Dec 14, 2007	Feb 24, 2008	MJ Clarke, ML Hayden, MEK Hussey, RT Ponting, A Symonds
Australia	5	1	Jan 26, 2010	Jan 26, 2010	MJ Clarke, MEK Hussey, SE Marsh, RT Ponting, SR Watson
South Africa	5	1	Nov 8, 2010	Nov 8, 2010	HM Amla, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, JH Kallis, GC Smith
Australia	5	2	Apr 11, 2011	Apr 13, 2011	MJ Clarke, CJ Ferguson, MEK Hussey, RT Ponting, SR Watson
West Indies	4	1	Feb 2, 1985	Feb 2, 1985	CG Greenidge, CH Lloyd, AL Logie, IVA Richards
West Indies	4	4	Nov 30, 1986	Jan 24, 1987	CG Greenidge, DL Haynes, AL Logie, IVA Richards
West Indies	4	1	May 23, 1988	May 24, 1988	CG Greenidge, DL Haynes, CL Hooper, IVA Richards
South Africa	4	1	Jan 20, 2002	Jan 20, 2002	JH Kallis, G Kirsten, L Klusener, ND McKenzie
South Africa	4	11	Feb 3, 2002	Feb 22, 2003	HH Dippenaar, JH Kallis, G Kirsten, L Klusener
South Africa	4	1	Feb 27, 2003	Feb 27, 2003	HH Dippenaar, JH Kallis, G Kirsten, GC Smith
Australia	4	29	Dec 13, 2002	Feb 22, 2004	MG Bevan, ML Hayden, DR Martyn, RT Ponting
South Africa	4	3	Feb 17, 2004	Feb 29, 2004	HH Dippenaar, JH Kallis, L Klusener, JA Rudolph
Australia	4	1	Jan 16, 2005	Jan 16, 2005	MJ Clarke, DS Lehmann, DR Martyn, RT Ponting
Australia	4	16	Aug 23, 2004	Jul 12, 2005	MJ Clarke, ML Hayden, DR Martyn, RT Ponting
South Africa	4	1	Jan 15, 2006	Jan 15, 2006	HH Dippenaar, JH Kallis, AG Prince, GC Smith
Australia	4	12	Feb 3, 2006	Nov 5, 2006	MJ Clarke, MEK Hussey, DR Martyn, RT Ponting
India	4	14	Jan 31, 2007	Sep 29, 2007	MS Dhoni, R Dravid, SC Ganguly, SR Tendulkar
Australia	4	3	Oct 5, 2007	Oct 11, 2007	MJ Clarke, ML Hayden, RT Ponting, A Symonds
Australia	4	1	Feb 3, 2008	Feb 3, 2008	MJ Clarke, MEK Hussey, RT Ponting, A Symonds
Australia	4	20	Jan 12, 2007	Mar 4, 2008	MJ Clarke, ML Hayden, MEK Hussey, RT Ponting
Australia	4	1	Oct 5, 2009	Oct 5, 2009	CJ Ferguson, MEK Hussey, RT Ponting, SR Watson
South Africa	4	6	May 22, 2010	Nov 5, 2010	HM Amla, AB de Villiers, JH Kallis, GC Smith
South Africa	4	3	Jan 15, 2011	Jan 21, 2011	HM Amla, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, GC Smith
Australia	4	23	Jan 22, 2010	Oct 28, 2011	MJ Clarke, MEK Hussey, RT Ponting, SR Watson
South Africa	4	9	Feb 24, 2011	Feb 29, 2012	HM Amla, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, JH Kallis
India	4	17	Feb 19, 2011	Mar 18, 2012	MS Dhoni, G Gambhir, V Kohli, SR Tendulkar

Pakistan are the only side to have had five ODI bowlers with averages below 25, for 15 matches between January 2000 and April 2002 - Abdul Razzaq, Saqlain Mushtaq, Shoaib Akhtar, Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram.

The last team to have four bowlers with ODI averages below 25 was Australia, when Jason Gillespie, Brett Lee, Glenn McGrath and Michael Kasprowicz came together for four matches between September 2004 and March 2005.

Teams with the most players with a bowling average less than 25 for a min of 1000 balls bowled - ODIs

Team	Num	Mat	Start Date	End Date	List
Pakistan	5	15	Jan 9, 2000	Apr 24, 2002	Abdul Razzaq, Saqlain Mushtaq, Shoaib Akhtar, Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram
West Indies	4	2	Jun 22, 1983	Jun 25, 1983	J Garner, MA Holding, MD Marshall, AME Roberts
Australia	4	7	Mar 11, 1995	Feb 23, 1996	CJ McDermott, GD McGrath, PR Reiffel, SK Warne
Pakistan	4	5	Jan 23, 2000	Apr 23, 2000	Abdul Razzaq, Saqlain Mushtaq, Shoaib Akhtar, Wasim Akram
England	4	1	Jul 15, 2000	Jul 15, 2000	AR Caddick, D Gough, AD Mullally, C White
Pakistan	4	1	Jun 9, 2001	Jun 9, 2001	Abdul Razzaq, Saqlain Mushtaq, Shoaib Akhtar, Waqar Younis
Pakistan	4	6	Oct 24, 2000	Jun 23, 2001	Abdul Razzaq, Saqlain Mushtaq, Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram
Pakistan	4	8	Mar 23, 2000	Sep 1, 2002	Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Akhtar, Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram
Pakistan	4	6	May 31, 1999	Feb 25, 2003	Saqlain Mushtaq, Shoaib Akhtar, Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram
Australia	4	3	Sep 13, 2004	Mar 1, 2005	JN Gillespie, MS Kasprowicz, B Lee, GD McGrath