Wickets and runs galore, but fewer sixes

The second edition of the ICC World Twenty20 was notable for the even contest it produced between bat and ball, with both sides having their moments over the 15-day event

Comparing the two World Twenty20s - overall numbers

It's remarkable how similar the stats are for the two tournaments: 11 more wickets fell this year, but the average runs per wicket is almost the same, while the runs per over went down marginally. Sri Lanka were the only team to score more than 1000 runs - they managed 1100 - but ironically, it was their failure with the bat in the final that cost them the title. Pakistan were next best with 990 runs, but the team which scored their runs the quickest was West Indies, making their 851 runs at 8.46 per over. Netherlands and Ireland were the only teams to score at less than seven per over, while among the top teams India were the laggards, scoring at a run-rate of 7.47, marginally lower than Scotland's 7.50.

Among the bowling teams, South Africa were the best, averaging 16.28 per wicket and 6.48 per over, while Pakistan (17.82, 6.81) and Sri Lanka (18.30, 7.14) were next best. Pakistan and Sri Lanka were also the only teams to take more than 50 wickets - both took 52.

How the runs were scored

The overall run-rate was almost the same, but the manner in which the runs were scored were quite different. The most significant difference was the number of sixes in the two tournaments - the 2007 edition had 265, while in England the number was only 166, a difference of 99. Pakistan hit the most sixes - 21 - while that was also the only category where India were somewhere near the top - their 19 sixes put them in second place, with South Africa. Sri Lanka led the fours tally with 121, and were the only ones to hit more than 100 fours - the next best were South Africa, with 87.

West Indies and Sri Lanka conceded the most number of sixes - 21 each - while Pakistan only conceded 13 in seven games.

The spin factor

With the tournament being held in the early part of the summer, fast bowlers were expected to hold sway, but spinners did much better in this edition than in the previous one: they took 130 wickets at an excellent economy rate of 6.70, while fast bowlers leaked almost eight runs per over. In 2007, there was hardly any difference between the economy rates of spinners and fast bowlers. Of the seven bowlers who took ten or more wickets, four were spinners, and they also lead the way in the list of best economy rates.

The Powerplay overs

Batting was slightly easier in the Powerplay overs in England than in South Africa in the previous World Twenty20. Scotland scored at 9.41 in these overs, but they also conceded 12.08 per over. What was more shocking, though, was that Australia were equally profligate, conceding their runs at exactly the same rate as Scotland (145 runs in 72 balls for both). Sri Lanka had an excellent record in the Powerplay- (8.77 per over at more than 63 per wicket) till they botched it up in the final.

The middle overs (7 to 14)

This is where the spinners came into play, and expectedly the run-rate during this period was much lower compared to 2007. Pakistan were the best team during this period, taking 20 wickets conceding only 5.96 per over, thanks largely to Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal, while Sri Lanka conceded 6.19 per over. Among the batting teams, West Indies, England and Pakistan were the only teams that scored at more than seven per over during this period.

The last six overs

The run rate was marginally lower in the last six overs in this year compared to 2007. Australia and India were surprisingly the leading teams with the bat during this period, scoring at 11.75 and 10.29 per over. South Africa were the best bowling team, conceding only 6.63 per over, with Pakistan next at 7.36 per over, an indication of how effective Wayne Parnell, Dale Steyn and Umar Gul were for their teams.

Venue stats

The Oval was clearly the best venue for batting, with teams averaging 8.14 per over. There was little to choose between the two other venues, Trent Bridge and Lord's.

The slow nature of the pitch at Trent Bridge meant spinners had plenty of success there, taking 56 wickets at an average of less than 20 and an economy rate of 6.38. The pace and bounce at Lord's made it toughest for batsmen to get the fast bowlers away for runs.

The toss factor

In 27 games, the team winning the toss won the match 13 times. Putting runs up on the board was also more profitable, with 16 wins for teams which batted first.