Statistically, Windies Stack up Nicely

Thu, Mar 14, '02

When British Airways touches down at the Grantley Adams International Airport the day after April Fools Day/Easter Monday (how cruel is that?) the Indian team will have in their luggage their bats, gloves, pads, helmets and all their other cricket gear.

They will be arriving with much more than just cricket equipment though. In addition to the several thousands Test runs their top eight batsmen will be checking in, will be a bag load of more runs, first class runs that is. However that bag won?t be larger than the one the top eight Windies batsmen have with their name tags on it.

The eight Indian batters have amassed a total of 59,833 first class runs. Less, but only 107 less than the Windian boys who have a total of 59,941. Impressive indeed. At the level just outside the Test arena our guys have more runs, albeit less than 200, than the veritable Sachin and his sub-continental subordinates.

Wipe that smile off your face. If you don?t do it voluntarily the following figures will force you to. Let?s do a slight bit of subtraction. Let?s take away Messers Hooper (19,791) and Lara?s (16,386) tallies from that 59,941. We are left with 23,764 which constitutes the runs piled on by the other six Windies batsmen - Chanderpaul, Gayle, Sarwan, Ganga, W. Hinds and Samuels. The captain and ex-captain are responsible for way more than 50% of the first class runs scored by the top eight Calypso clobbers. Take keen notice of the fact that I deliberately chose the guys with the most runs.

The top two run getters for the Indians are Rahul Dravid (12,430) and that other chap (15,526) who will give Dillon and company thousands of nightmares if they manage any sleep. They together have 27,956 leaving the other six with 31,877. So half dozen of our batters have a grand total of 23,764 while the other six Indians have 8,113 more. Quite a couple of thousand more there, considering the two final totals are only separated by 107! Superior back-up batting you say? It?s your call.

Therein lies the significant difference. When Hoops and the Prince are gone Gayle and his batting brothers are less likely to keep the scorers busy.

Other than Lara and Hooper only Chanderpaul (8,147) has more than 5000 runs at the level that leads you into test cricket. Other than Sachin and Dravid three Indians; Laxman(9,089), Ganguly (8,923) and Das (5,855) have more than 5 grand. Bangar (3,629), Sehwag (3,053) and Dasgupta (1,328), the keeper finish the top eight.

Why consider first class runs though? What does first class cricket have to do with how well each team is likely to bat you may ask? Why not look at the test runs? I will, but in another article. For now let?s do the analysis in stages. This is that level of cricket where all the guys belted the cherry to impress selectors to make it in the big leagues and stay there. This is where they would have shown the selection panel their best along too with actually producing the goods at the highest level.

Justification sealed, here is another telling fact. The Indians (1,279 innings, 798 matches) took 236 less innings in 113 less matches to score almost the same amount of runs as our sun, sand and sea cricketers (1,515 innings, 911 matches). 236 innings to score a meager 107 more runs? Outrageous, don?t you think?

NEW ZEALAND


Let?s now turn our attention to the neighbours of the Test champions of the worlds who will be visiting our dots in the Caribbean sea as the Indians board British Airways for the long flight back home.

Once again our grand total of first class runs outweighs that of the opponents, this time the scale sinks a lot deeper in our favour. We have 9,930 more than the Kiwi?s total of 50,010. Let?s do the same deductions and see if we fear better all around.

Captain Fleming (9,119) is their top run getter followed by Parore (6,744). Combined they take 15, 863 runs away and leave the next six (Astle, McMillan, Sinclair, Bell, Horne and Harris) with 34,147. This time our number 3 to 8 batsmen are outweighed by their NZ counterparts by more than ten thousand (10,383)! Even though the New Zealanders have batted more than the Indians they still have taken the walk to the middle many times less than the Windians (118 innings and 145 matches less).

None of the NZ batsmen have more than 10,000 first class runs but not a single one of Fleming?s men will be touching down on our shores with less than 5,000 to his name, not a single one! All of them will have at least 4,000 more than Marlon Samuels? paltry 1,051. He tops the board for the lowest total of all the top eight batsmen from all test playing nations except freshies Bangladesh. But let?s be kind to Marlon, he did miss the entire Busta Series this year and surely he would have added a couple hundred had he played.

You may not take all these stats for much, nor would it be worth didlely-squat if those two flights back to India and New Zealand are ?trophy-less? flights. If they are then our boys would have significantly increased those 107 and 9,930 run difference they now hold. Be sure though, that Ganguly and Fleming?s men would want to give the pilots great scares with the gunshot like sounds of champagne bottle popping.

The considered players are:

WEST INDIES


Name...............Matches......Innings..........Runs

1. Hooper..........297..........474..............19,791

2. Lara............201..........336..............16,386

3. Chanderpaul.....126..........207...............8,147

4. Gayle...........58...........105...............4,039

5. Sarwan..........76...........130...............3,975

6. W.Hinds.........70...........122...............3,834

7. Ganga...........56...........97................2,718

8. Samuels.........27...........44................1,051

INDIA


1. Tendulkar......179..........278..............15,526

2. Dravid.........159..........259..............12,430

3. Laxman.........105..........171...............9,089

4. Ganguly........147..........233...............8,923

5. Das.............81..........139...............5,855

6. Bangar..........61..........100...............3,629

7. Sehwag..........39...........56...............3,053

8. Dagupta.........27...........43...............1,328

NEW ZEALAND


1. Fleming........145..........238..........9,119

2. Parore.........160..........247..........6,744

3. Astle..........115..........183..........6,374

4. Horne...........89..........155..........6,330

5. McMillan........87..........143..........5,534

6. Sinclair........78..........134..........5.527

7. Harris..........92..........145..........5,282

8. Bell............89..........152..........5,100