Don't get me wrong - no one is happier than me watching AN Cook (Nathan apparently, but that's a story for his parents), grind the opposition bowlers into the dust. I thought that Cooky's performance in Australia during the 2010/11 Ashes series was as good as it gets in seeing Siddle & co eating the dirt dished out by England's favourite son, but after the annihilation in Ahmedabad my delight knows no bounds when watching Ashwin and Ojha looking dusty, dejected and demoralised as Cook waits like a King Cobra to pounce on any deliver that strays into his strike zone.
Today cricket followers are in stats heaven as on his way to his 23rd hundred Cook also became the youngest player ever to score 7000 runs and the first captain to get a hundred in each of his first five test matches and...ok I know you have read it all by now, but my moan is that (and my regular readers will now be hearing the loud neighing of a hobby-horse of mine) - it is a batsman's game. The yeomen bowlers just don't seem to get the same accolades for their outstanding performances as is bestowed upon the batting gentry. Let's get the statisticians at their own game.
Cook is currently 23rd in the all time list of hundreds in a career - someway behind Tendulkar (51), Kallis (44) and Ponting (remember him?, 41). It is said (and don't question this as I have read lots of boring articles and reviewed lots of stats to save you the effort and tell you it is so) that scoring a hundred is the equivalent to a bowler achieving a five-wicket haul. Leading the list of five wicket hauls is, no surprise, the ICC's famous law changer, Muralitharan with 67 followed by Warne (37) and Sirich Hadlee (36). So putting the magical Murali to one side these stats seem to support the comparison. The English list of bowlers with five-wicket hauls is headed by Sirian (27), followed by SF Barnes (24) and Truman (17), which again bears comparison to the English batting list of century makers.
So what? my son might say (not that he reads these pearls of wisdom - he is too busy thinking up ever more expensive ways of sending me to my grave quickly and penniless). But in true English fashion I want to shout out that it's just not fair. Sure, we say the right things about the bowlers - 'bowlers win matches' - but this is just like throwing our dog a few scraps after the batmen have had their fill of superlatives from a batsman-centric press. Listen to Sky commentators after a poor team batting performance - its all about changing the bowling line up, or the need to 'rest' a bowler. And it's only recently that bowlers have decided to hold up a ball after their 'fifer' and acknowledge the applause of the crowd. It's just not fair. So the next time a batsman's stats are flashed up on your screen to demonstrate his prowess, remember that as far as cricket is concerned there are lies, damn lies and batting statistics.
Ok, time to promote some debate!!
ReplyDeleteI personally think bowlers get every credit with what they do already, good bowlers are skilful and great bowlers geniuses. But I would always credit a ton as a much bigger feat than taking a five for. Some of you may not believe it but having done both I credit the tons I have scored a greater achievement than the 5 wicket hauls.
I would say that not many batsmen have scored tons against a team of non bowlers but I bet there have been far more 5 wicket hauls achieved while mopping up a tail of non batsmen.
Which to me makes Cooks achievement all the more special. He is an opener facing the best bowling that other test playing countries can offer in every test match. I guarantee every test bowler has taken a huge amount of tail enders wickets. I would love to see the stats of the great bowlers against great batsmen, I think they would make interesting reading and would prove that the game is a batsman's game.
Oh and catches win matches!!!
I do belive you Guesty, but just as well we didn't leave your kit in the bin after the Weybridge game.
DeleteLooking at the VE stats for last season there were 8 tons (all by differnt players) and 11 fifers (but by 8 players) so maybe you have a point about the degree of difficulty - at club level at any rate.
Thanks for taking the time to comment.