Cricket stats vs Baseball stats

Andy Bull, writing for the Guardian, has picked up on the sterling work of David Barry (and many others) in the field of ‘cricket sabermetrics‘.

As noted by pretty much everyone who’s ever written on this subject, baseball is way ahead in terms of using stats to improve the way the game is played, and even football, normally resistant to change, has been influenced by the rise of ProZone, as well as the likes of Billy Beane. Whilst there is no shortage of cricketing statisticians, they tend not to be overly interested in influencing traditional cricketing behaviour (however irrational it may be).

Australia, as Bull and Barry both note, have used a bit of this statistical science to good effect. John Buchanan in particular is apparently a fan.

I think that there’s a lot of scope for using stats, but there’s a danger in getting carried away. Stats in general are flawed, cricket stats even more so.

Neutral Tests at Lord’s?

Interesting stuff in the Guardian today about the possibility of Lord’s hosting neutral Test matches in future. This is one to keep an eye on, as the ECB are unlikely to be best pleased.

Lions take on New Zealand (not real Lions, Rob Key)

Rob Key, Adil Rashid (if he plays) and the rest of the England Fringe will take on New Zealand tomorrow in the tourists’ final warm-up game before the Test series gets underway.

Daneil Vettori won’t be playing as he has a cut on his finger, so Brendon McCullum will captain the Black Caps’ side. The New Zealand captain should recover from his injury in time for the first Test. I should think so too. A cut finger?

Shane Warne, captain

Of all the International stars in the IPL, the one who has arguably profited most (purely in terms of reputation - we all know who’s profiting the most financially) has been Shane Warne.

Warne’s team, the Rajasthan Royals, have been doing pretty well (as I knew they would, of course), and this, combined with the fact that many pundits haven’t seen much of Warne since he retired from International cricket, has led to praise aplenty.

One of the best things about the IPL so far has been the opportunity to see Warne in his element, as his obvious captaincy skills have come to the fore.

Sohail Tanvir takes 6-14 where others fear to tread

Sohail Tanvir has taken 6-14 (the best ever Twenty20 bowling figures), to propel the Rajasthan Royals (who I’m supporting) to the top of the IPL.

You can see highlights of this remarkable feat (via youtube) here.

Ramps ramps it up to 99

Mark Ramprakash fans everywhere will be delighted to hear that the Strictly Come Dancing star, charity footballer and occasional run machine has now made 99 first-class centuries, with the latest coming during Surrey’s County Championship draw with Sussex.

Swoon. The century of centuries is now mere days away, in all likelihood.

Weekend Youtube: Brian Charles Lara

Brian Lara celebrated his birthday yesterday, so in honour of the Trinidadian run machine, here are some of his finest moments.

Lara will, of course, be mainly remembered for his massive scores (the highest-ever first class score, and the world record Test score, to name but two). His retirement in 2007 marked the end of an era, and even Murali reckons that Lara’s the best of the modern era.

He hasn’t always had it his own way, though, as his introduction to Twenty20 cricket (in the ICL), and the fact that he’s been bowled by a woman (not that there’s anything wring with that), shows.

I have to admit that I felt a little lump in my throat when he called time on his international career, but thanks to youtube, many of the great moments are still available to watch.

IPL review - part one

Normally, I might consider it a little impetuous to review a competition a mere two weeks in, but this is 20/20 cricket, where speed, noise and aggression are everything. I feel qualified to offer at least one of those.

So who is right about the IPL? The naysayers (and there are plenty), the cheerleaders (not those ones), or the John Davidsons? Here are some points that I’d like to make:

• The reality of 50-odd games of 20-over cricket was always unlikely to live up to the hype, but Brendon McCullum and his ilk have provided plenty of excitement.

• Despite all the razzmatazz, however, it’s still cricket (which we all like, don’t we?) and there is still a place for the arts of, say, captaincy and wicket-keeping.

• The boundaries arms race is threatening to make bowlers little more of an attraction than the umpires. This provides a great opportunity for world-class bowlers to show their quality, but also for youngsters to innovate, as anyone going for less than eight an over will probably be hailed as some sort of genius

I have plenty more to say on the IPL, but for now I’ll just say that whatever the merits and weaknesses of the format, I’m still watching…

ECB vs ICL - some sort of resolution

Three of the players that the ECB refused registration to, have now had their effective bans overturned. Andrew Hall, Justin Kemp and Johan van der Wath had their “unlawful, unreasonable, capricious and discriminatory” bans overturned, and can now join other ICL players such as Shane Bond (although sadly not Optimus Bond) on the county circuit.

This is probably fair, as the key difference between the ICL and the IPL is merely the fact that the ICL was there first, but all the important people want the IPL to succeed whilst preferring that the ICL is ground into the dust.

Geoffrey Boycott - forward-thinking cricket revolutionary

Geoffrey Boycott, not exactly famed for his progressive views, has spoken out in favour of the introduction of Hawk-Eye technology to aid umpires in their decision-making.

Personally, I think he’s right. There are still a lot of unfortunate decisions made, which might have been avoided if there were recourse to replays or Hawk-Eye when the umpires were unsure.

Cricket, unlike football, would not be slowed down any further by the additional use of technological assistance (which is already used for some decisions in any case), and Hawk-Eye seems to be fairly reliable for some decisions at least. That said, such umpire aids can become a crutch, meaning every potentially contentious decision is sent to the third umpire. That WOULD slow the game down.