Misbah's Pakistan or Imran's Pakistan?

Under Misbah-ul-Haq's captaincy, Pakistan have a 11-2 win-loss record in Tests in the UAE and Bangladesh, but a 2-6 record outside of those countries and Zimbabwe

Pakistan have notched up some fine wins under Misbah-ul-Haq's leadership, but they haven't yet achieved consistent results outside the UAE

With victory in the first Test against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi, Misbah-ul-Haq became the winningest captain for Pakistan in Tests - that was his 15th triumph, which took him past Imran Khan and Javed Miandad's mark of 14 each. While Imran led in 48 Tests and achieved 14 wins, Miandad was captain in 34. Misbah, though, has needed only 32 Tests to win 15, which means his win percentage is better than that of the other two, though Miandad lost only six Tests to Misbah's nine, which means the win-loss ratio is more impressive for Miandad.
Both Imran and Miandad led Pakistan through a phenomenal period in the 1980s and early 1990s, when Pakistan consistently challenged all the top teams in all conditions. Unlike those two, who swapped captaincy duties over a 12-year period, Misbah has had a more settled stint at the top, leading Pakistan in 32 Tests in just four years. Miandad's 34 Tests as captain, on the other hand, stretched almost 13 years, from February 1980 to January 1993. Imran captained in 48 Tests (excluding an abandoned game) over a ten-year period, which works out to an average of only four Tests a year. Misbah has had a more settled run, and while Pakistan haven't necessarily been consistent during his four years as leader, they've racked up some great results recently, winning three in a row against Australia and New Zealand.
While Imran and Miandad straddled the 1980s, and the Misbah era started in 2010, the 1990s and the 2000s also had a dominant leader in each decade: Wasim Akram led 25 times in the 1990s, achieving a 12-8 win-loss record, while Inzamam-ul-Haq was dominant in the 2000s, captaining in 31 Tests and achieving a 11-11 record. During the Akram period, the captaincy musical chairs involved Waqar Younis, who achieved a 10-7 record in 17 Tests; Pakistan didn't draw a single Test when he was captain.

Pakistan's most successful captains in Tests

Captain		Tests	W/ L	Draws	W/ L Ratio	Bat ave	Bowl ave
Misbah-ul-Haq	2010-2014	32	15/ 9	8	1.66	37.01	30.37
Imran Khan	1982-1992	48	14/ 8	26	1.75	36.19	30.79
Javed Miandad	1980-1993	34	14/ 6	14	2.33	32.67	27.40
Wasim Akram	1993-1999	25	12/ 8	5	1.50	30.96	29.10
Inzamam-ul-Haq	2001-2007	31	11/ 11	9	1.00	36.07	37.71

Over the last four years, Misbah has captained in 13 Test series (excluding the one-off Test against Zimbabwe, and the ongoing series against New Zealand), and Pakistan have lost only twice when he has led through the entire series - in South Africa in 2013, and in Sri Lanka earlier this year. (Misbah also captained in two out of three Tests in Sri Lanka in 2012, but Pakistan drew those and lost the only Test when he didn't lead.) They've drawn five series and won five, including series whitewashes against England and Australia.
However, while the overall numbers are impressive, under Misbah Pakistan have achieved most of their successes when playing in the UAE: in 16 Tests there, Pakistan have won nine and lost two - against South Africa and Sri Lanka. Add two more wins each in Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, and it emerges that Pakistan haven't won a whole lot in other countries, when conditions are more seam-friendly and aren't so favourable for batting.
In Tests played outside the UAE, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, Misbah's Pakistan have a 2-6 win-loss record, with one victory each in New Zealand and the West Indies. Apart from those results, they've lost three out of three in South Africa, and two out of four in Sri Lanka.
In more favourable conditions Misbah's team have been a formidable opponent for the even the best teams in the world, but in more unfamiliar conditions they haven't been as good as some of the other Pakistan teams of the past. Under Imran, Pakistan had a 5-6 win-loss record outside home, with wins in England, West Indies and India. The 1-0 series win in India was one of the highlights, but undoubtedly the biggest achievement of that Pakistan team was the number of riveting series they had against West Indies, who were undoubtedly the best team of that era. Twice in Pakistan - in 1986-87, and in 1990-91 - the two teams played out a 1-1 draw, while the series in the West Indies in 1987-88 also had the same scoreline.
It's also noticeable that in the period when Imran was captain, Pakistan played many more matches and series outside the comforts of their home environ. Imran always wanted to mould his team into one which would be champions under all conditions, and in that period they were a formidable, all-round team in different conditions, next only to West Indies.
In the period when Miandad was captain, Pakistan again played plenty in home conditions. However, they still did fairly well overseas, beating England 2-1 in 1992.

Captaincy records in all countries excluding Pak, UAE, B'desh, Zim

Captain	Tests	W/ L	W/ L ratio	Bat ave	Bowl ave
Misbah-ul-Haq	11	2/ 6	0.33	29.98	31.37
Imran Khan	26	5/ 6	0.83	33.08	33.10
Javed Miandad	12	4/ 5	0.80	28.91	30.82
Wasim Akram	16	6/ 8	0.75	27.80	32.43
Inzamam-ul-Haq	17	5/ 8	0.62	31.63	36.86

In home conditions, all three of those captains have impressive records. In the UAE and Bangladesh, Misbah's Pakistan have an impressive 11-2 win-loss record, and have beaten most of the top teams there. Even without the services of Saeed Ajmal, they thrashed Australia 2-0 and won the first Test of the three-match series against New Zealand. And when Ajmal was available, they destroyed England 3-0 in 2012.
Compared to the home numbers, the glaring difference in the away stats is in the batting averages. There's little to choose between the bowling averages home and away, but the batting average drops from 43.72 in the UAE and Bangladesh, to 29.98 when they play in other countries (excluding Zimbabwe). The recent two-Test series against Australia was marked by some huge scores by Pakistan's top order - there were nine centuries in two games - but overseas the batsmen have failed to achieve the same consistency, though the bowlers have achieved similar results.
Misbah's team is on an incredible run and have notched up some superb results, but in terms of overall results and consistency, they're still some way from Imran's team of the 1980s and early 1990s.

Captaincy records in Pakistan, UAE, and Bangladesh

Captain	Tests	W/ L	W/ L ratio	Bat ave	Bowl ave
Misbah-ul-Haq	18	11/ 2	5.50	43.72	30.85
Imran Khan	22	9/ 2	4.50	40.72	28.23
Javed Miandad	22	10/ 1	10.00	35.29	25.75
Wasim Akram	9	6/ 0	-	39.38	23.67
Inzamam-ul-Haq	14	6/ 3	2.00	41.77	38.81

Afridi, Miandad and one-wicket wins

India v Pakistan, Asia Cup, Mirpur March 2, 2014

• ODI no. 3479 | 2013/14 season
• Played at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur (neutral venue)
• 2 March 2014 - day/night (50-over match)

Ashwin to Shahid Afridi, SIX, goes again and he has cleared the long-on boundary! Afridi has won it for Pakistan! This was off a leading edge, it looked like it was going to be swallowed at long-on but Afridi's power takes this over the ropes. And to make this even more memorable, he inadvertently kisses Junaid Khan on the cheek!

Javed Miandad celebrates after winning the match with a six off the last ball, Pakistan v India, Austral-Asia Cup final, Sharjah, 18 April, 1986 

Stats highlights from the thriller between Pakistan and India at Mirpur, Dhaka

	Shahid Afridi is the only batsman in ODIs to hit 50 or more sixes against two teams
Report : Afridi sixes seal final-over victory Players/Officials: Mohammad Hafeez | Shahid Afridi Matches: India v Pakistan at Dhaka Series/Tournaments: Asia Cup Teams: India | Pakistan

• The margin of victory in this match was the second-closest, by wickets remaining, in matches involving Pakistan and India. The famous Sharjah match in which Javed Miandad hit a six off the last ball is the closest between the two teams. Click here for ODIs with the slimmest margin of wins in terms of wickets remaining.
• Before this match Pakistan had lost the last five ODIs in which they were required to chase 240 or more. Since 2011, this is only the fourth time that Pakistan have successfully chased 240 or more in an ODI from 17 attempts.
• Mohammad Hafeez won the 14th Man-of-the-Match award of his career and his fifth since 2013. Only Virat Kohli has won more such awards in ODIs since 2013.
• Shahid Afridi sealed the match for Pakistan with two sixes in the last over off R Ashwin. The six he hit to win this match was his 50th against India in ODIs. He is the only player to hit 50 or more sixes against two oppositions in ODIs. His 63 sixes against Sri Lanka are the highest by a batsman against any opposition. Sanath Jayasuriya, with 53 sixes against Pakistan, is the only other batsman in ODIs with fifty or more sixes against an opposition.
• Hafeez made an all-round contribution in Pakistan's win in this match. Apart from scoring 75 runs, he took two wickets and also held two catches. This was just the sixth instance of a Pakistan player hitting fifty-plus runs, taking two or more wickets and effecting two or   more fielding dismissals in ODIs. The last such instance was by Shoaib Malik against Zimbabwe in Faisalabad in 2008.
• Hafeez and Shoaib Maqsood added 87 runs for the fifth wicket for Pakistan after they had lost three quick wickets to slump to 117 for 4. This partnership equalled the seventh-highest for Pakistan for the fifth wicket in successful chases against Test nations. Including this one, Pakistan's last-four partnerships of 87 or more runs for the fifth wicket in a successful chase against a Test nation have come against India. The last such partnership for Pakistan was between Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan in Mohali in 2007.
• Ravindra Jadeja's half-century in this match was his ninth in ODIs and his first in four innings against Pakistan. This was Jadeja's 100th ODI. He has scored 1541 at 33.50 from 68 innings and has taken 116 wickets at 33.44. His fifty in this match was only the eighth by an India No. 7 against Pakistan in ODIs.
• Ambati Rayudu hit his second ODI fifty in this match and his first in eight innings. Rayudu has scored 243 runs at 40.50 in eight innings.
• Pakistan's openers, helped by some ordinary bowling by India's fast bowlers, added 71 runs before Sharjeel Khan was bowled by R Ashwin. Their openers haven't had a century partnership in 37 innings. The last time Pakistan's openers added 100 or more runs was against India in Kolkata in January 2013. Since then, in 37 innings, the openers have averaged 26.44 runs per partnership and have added fifty or more runs eight times.
• Kohli scored only five runs before he was caught behind off Umar Gul. In his last Asia Cup match against Pakistan Kohli had scored 183 runs off 148 balls to chase down a target of 330. Excluding that match, from eight innings, Kohli has managed to score just 83 runs at 11.86 against Pakistan in ODIs.

Shahid Afridi is the only batsman in ODIs to hit 50 or more sixes against two teams

Shahid Afridi is the only batsman in ODIs to hit 50 or more sixes against two teams

Report : Afridi sixes seal final-over victory

Players/Officials: Mohammad Hafeez | Shahid Afridi

Matches: India v Pakistan at Dhaka

Series/Tournaments: Asia Cup

Teams: India | Pakistan

A run-machine called Sangakara

In the last 12 months, Kumar Sangakkara has scored 1235 runs from 13 innings in all international cricket against Bangladesh, including 940 from seven innings in Tests

For anyone who has followed international cricket over the last 12 months, that's a pretty easy one - that's the sequence of scores that Kumar Sangakkara has racked up in Tests against Bangladesh since March 2013. Add up those numbers, and the total reads 940 runs from seven innings, at an average of 134.28, with five hundreds and two fifties. As if that wasn't enough, he also went ahead and plundered 247 ODI runs at a run a ball in four innings against them during this period. Bring in the Twenty20 international runs as well, and it all adds up to a pretty impressive 1235 runs for him from 13 international innings against Bangladesh since March 2013 - an average of 95 runs per innings, and 103 runs per month. The next best aggregate during this period is Dinesh Chandimal's 504.

All those runs have added healthy amounts to Sangakkara's overall international aggregate. In Tests, he has scored 1816 runs from 15 Tests against Bangladesh, 670 more than the second highest. (The top three, incidentally, are all from Sri Lanka, and they are also the only ones to score 1000-plus against Bangladesh in Tests.) In all international cricket, Sangakkara's tally against Bangladesh is 2983 from 50 innings, 1229 more than the next highest.

It's obviously a flaw of the cricketing calendar that Bangladesh tend to play some teams more than others. Among the top sides, Sri Lanka is the one team Bangladesh have played more than any other: they've played each other 16 times in Tests, and 56 times in all international matches; Bangladesh v Australia, on the other hand, has happened only four times in Tests, and 25 times in all international matches. Sri Lankan players have benefited, and Sangakkara more than most, for he has consistently converted his starts and scored centuries against them, as reflected in his stats from the last 12 months.

Sangakkara has also scored well when he has played Zimbabwe, though that hasn't happened as often - he has 536 runs from five Tests, at an average of 89.33. Overall 21% of his Test runs have been scored against these two teams. Sangakkara has obviously scored heavily against other teams too, but this percentage is unusually high when compared to batsmen from other teams. Graeme Smith, for example, has scored less than 10% of his runs against those two teams. Six of the of the top 12 run-getters against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe are from Sri Lanka, and most of them have scored a very high percentage of their total runs against them.

Top run-getters in Tests v B'desh and Zim since 2000

Batsman	Tests	Runs	Average	100s/ 50s	Tot runs*	Percentage*
Kumar Sangakkara	20	2352	94.08	9/ 8	11,151	21.09
Sachin Tendulkar	13	1635	116.78	8/ 2	10,080	16.22
Mahela Jayawardene	18	1450	76.31	6/ 4	10,386	13.96
Rahul Dravid	15	1377	86.06	5/ 6	10,590	13.00
Shivnarine Chanderpaul	16	1020	60.00	4/ 2	8985	11.35
Tillakaratne Dilshan	13	1018	67.86	4/ 4	5283	19.27
Chris Gayle	14	933	49.10	3/ 3	6933	13.46
Younis Khan	10	929	77.41	3/ 3	7399	12.56
Graeme Smith	10	905	82.27	4/ 1	9257	9.78
Sanath Jayasuriya	10	878	79.81	3/ 3	4222	20.79
Thilan Samaraweera	13	854	71.16	2/ 7	5462	15.63
Marvan Atapattu	9	853	94.77	4/ 1	4055	21.03

* All runs scored since 2000 only

Unlike some of the other Sri Lankan batsmen, though, Sangakkara has gained respect and recognition from opposition bowlers across the world for his ability to play and score runs in different conditions. Splitting his career into three parts, it's clear that the last ten years have been phenomenally prolific - he has averaged 62 during this period, with plenty of runs at home against all opposition, and plenty of runs against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. He hasn't had as much success in South Africa and England, but his record in Australia compares favourably with the best: six 50-plus scores in ten innings, and an average of 60.33.

However, Sri Lanka have always struggled to get enough Test matches outside the subcontinent, which spoils the chances for a batsman like Sangakkara to enhance his stature as a truly great, all-weather batsman. Over a career that has already stretched more than 13 years, he has played six Tests in Bangladesh, but only five in Australia.

Kumar Sangakkara's Test career

	Overall		At home		v B'desh & Zim		In Aus, SA, Eng
Period	Tests	Average	Tests	Ave	Tests	Average	Tests	Average
Till Dec 2003	33	46.65	22	46.73	5	64.00	8	33.13
2004-2008	44	60.57	22	71.46	10	96.90	6	51.83
Jan 2009 onwards	45	63.31	23	69.97	5	111.00	8	34.40
Career	122	58.07	67	63.27	20	94.08	22	38.92

As mentioned earlier, Sangakkara has averaged 62 over the last ten years, which is incredible considering the period over which he has maintained those high standards. Excluding Bangladesh and Zimbabwe during this period, Sangakkara's average drops to a still-impressive 55.62, next only to Jacques Kallis and Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

Highest averages for batsmen since Jan 2004 (Qual: 5000 runs)

Batsman	Tests	Runs	Average	100s/ 50s
Kumar Sangakkara	89	8865	61.99	31/ 32
Shivnarine Chanderpaul	83	6742	59.14	20/ 33
Jacques Kallis	93	8136	58.95	32/ 32
Younis Khan	61	5719	57.76	18/ 19
AB de Villiers	91	7111	52.28	19/ 35
Sachin Tendulkar	90	6957	51.91	20/ 32
Hashim Amla	75	6135	51.55	21/ 27
Michael Hussey	79	6235	51.52	19/ 29
Mahela Jayawardene	89	7442	50.97	23/ 27
Michael Clarke	104	8079	50.81	26/ 27

When talk of the greatest current batsmen crops up, Sangakkara is usually in the mix, along with a few others, prominent among them being AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla, Michael Clarke and Shivnarine Chanderpaul. All of them feature prominently in the table below, which lists the batsmen with the highest averages against all teams, with a 2500-run cut-off. Sangakkara is second in the list, next only to AB de Villiers, who has averaged 65.19 during this period.

Highest averages for Test batsmen since Jan 2009 (Qual: 2500 runs)

Batsman	Tests	Runs	Average	100s/ 50s
AB de Villiers	43	3977	65.19	12/ 20
Kumar Sangakkara	45	4685	63.31	18/ 18
Hashim Amla	42	3932	60.49	15/ 16
Shivnarine Chanderpaul	39	3016	59.13	9/ 12
Jacques Kallis	39	3342	56.64	15/ 8
Younis Khan	31	2583	56.15	8/ 8
Thilan Samaraweera	35	2758	53.03	7/ 13
Michael Clarke	61	5195	52.47	17/ 15
Rahul Dravid	33	2779	52.43	10/ 10
Sachin Tendulkar	44	3492	52.11	10/ 17

Unlike Sangakkara, though, de Villiers hasn't played a whole lot against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, and hasn't done particularly well against them either. He has played only six Tests against them - all before 2009 - and scored 214 runs at an average of 35.67. That means his average in the last five years excluding Tests against these two teams remains 65.19, from 43 Tests, while Sangakkara's drops to 56.70, which is still outstanding. During these last five years, Sangakkara scored 999 runs from five Tests against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, again the highest by far. (In his case, all five Tests were against Bangladesh.)

Best Test batsmen since Jan 2009, excl. B'desh and Zim (Qual: 2000 runs)

Batsman	Tests	Runs	Average	100s/ 50s
AB de Villiers	43	3977	65.19	12/ 20
Hashim Amla	42	3932	60.49	15/ 16
Kumar Sangakkara	40	3686	56.70	13/ 15
Jacques Kallis	39	3342	56.64	15/ 8
Thilan Samaraweera	34	2662	53.24	7/ 12
Michael Clarke	61	5195	52.47	17/ 15
Shivnarine Chanderpaul	33	2402	52.21	6/ 11

It's clear that Sangakkara and de Villiers are among the top batsmen going around today, but a break-up of the numbers indicate de Villiers has been more consistent so far in terms of stats in different countries. His career summary shows he averages more than 43 in every country where he has played at least three Tests; in Asia he averages 65.09, and he does better away than at home.

Sangakkara, though, has a few areas he'll want to improve on. In nine Tests in England, he averages 30.58; in eight matches in South Africa, he average 35.75. Surprisingly, he hasn't been prolific in India either, averaging 36.50 from ten Tests. 

An overall average of 38.92 in Australia, England and South Africa is respectable, but Sangakkara will want it to go beyond 40, or even 45, like some of the top batsmen from the subcontinent. Sachin Tendulkar averaged 51.64 in these three countries, Rahul Dravid 45.88.

In three previous tours to England, Sangakkara never managed to average 40 in a series - his highest was 38.50, in 2006. Now in the form of his life, the tour to England later this year presents an excellent opportunity for him to set the numbers right.

Subcontinent batsmen in Aus, Eng and SA

	Career			Since 2009
Batsman	Tests	Average	100s/ 50s	Tests	Average	100s/ 50s
Sachin Tendulkar	52	51.64	15/ 18	11	44.30	2/ 4
Rahul Dravid	40	45.88	8/ 12	11	38.75	3/ 1
VVS Laxman	36	40.47	4/ 13	11	25.38	0/ 4
Virender Sehwag	25	35.97	4/ 7	9	21.27	0/ 3
Inzamam-ul-Haq	29	35.78	3/ 11	-	-	-
Mohammad Yousuf	22	38.37	4/ 6	5	27.70	0/ 2
Saeed Anwar	12	41.04	3/ 5	-	-	-
Younis Khan	16	40.60	2/ 6	3	30.67	1/ 0
Kumar Sangakkara	22	38.92	3/ 10	8	34.40	2/ 2
Mahela Jayawardene	25	31.25	3/ 5	9	22.27	0/ 2
Tillakaratne Dilshan	15	35.00	2/ 4	8	40.46	2/ 2
Thilan Samaraweera	14	30.92	2/ 3	9	41.33	2/ 2

India's bowling woes in overseas ODIs

Mohammad Shami has been among the wickets in overseas ODIs For India, but he has leaked 25 boundaries in 108 balls in the slog overs

All aspects of India's bowling have been a shambles in recent ODIs, be it pace or spin, bowling with the new ball or in the slog overs

With just a year to go for the 2015 World Cup, India's performances in their last two ODI series have caused plenty of concern. On the tour to South Africa earlier this season, they were thrashed in two games and might well have lost the third as well if not for the weather; their three defeats in New Zealand have been by smaller margins, but that isn't any consolation for a team that started this tour as the No. 1 side in the world. India will go into the 2015 World Cup as the defending champions, but based on their recent record they'll not be favourites, especially because the tournament will be held in Australia and New Zealand. 

Since their 2011 World Cup win, India's overall ODI record looks impressive: 43 wins, 26 losses in 75 matches, for a win-loss ratio of 1.65, the best among all teams during this period. However, their overall numbers hide their poor record in Australia, New Zealand, England and South Africa during this period. Despite the win in the Champions Trophy in England last year - a tournament in which they achieved a clean 5-0 win-loss record - India's stats in these countries since 2011 is eight wins and 12 losses, and a win-loss ratio of 0.66. Five teams, including Sri Lanka, have a better win-loss ratio in these countries during this period.

On the other hand, when not playing in those countries, India have been unstoppable, winning 35 and losing 14, easily the best win-loss ratio among all teams. However, their record in Australia, New Zealand, England and South Africa will worry them, given that they also don't have too much time to set things right.

The table below shows that India's batting average drops to 32.65 when playing in these four countries, from 40.79 everywhere else. However, India's batting run rate is marginally higher in these four countries - 5.58 to 5.53. The bowlers, though, have struggled to keep the runs down, conceding 5.67 runs per over in these countries, up from 5.22 everywhere else. When compared with other teams who've played in these four countries during this period, India's record is worse than all teams except West Indies, who've gone at 5.72 to the over.
 

India's ODI record since the 2011 World Cup

	Matches	W/ L	Ratio	Bat ave/ RR	Bowl ave/ ER
In Aus, Eng, NZ, SA	25	8/ 12	0.66	32.65/ 5.58	36.61/ 5.67
In other countries	50	35/ 14	2.50	40.79/ 5.53	31.19/ 5.22

ODI records of teams in Aus, Eng, NZ and SA since the 2011 World Cup

Team	Matches	Won	Lost	Ratio
England	41	22	15	1.46
New Zealand	26	14	10	1.40
Australia	40	21	16	1.31
South Africa	34	17	14	1.21
Sri Lanka	30	13	15	0.86
India	25	8	12	0.66
Pakistan	11	4	7	0.57
West Indies	14	3	10	0.30

MS Dhoni has often complained about his lack of bowling options overseas where the pitches are truer and don't offer much turn, and the numbers below bear out his complaint. India's bowlers - both pace and spin - have fared much worse in Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa than in other countries. In those four countries, the fast bowlers have averaged almost 40 runs per wicket and six per over; in other countries both their averages and the economy rates are better. The wicket-taking ability of the spinners takes a major hit in these countries - best illustrated by R Ashwin's recent struggles - as the average goes up from 30 to 44. The lack of wickets usually means opposition teams have more wickets in hand to go after the bowling in the slog overs.

How India's bowlers have measured up since the 2011 World Cup

	Type	Wickets	Average	Econ rate	Strike rate
In Aus, Eng, NZ, SA	Pace	92	39.48	5.88	40.2
	Spin	55	44.16	5.21	50.8
In other countries	Pace	184	34.90	5.41	38.7
	Spin	180	30.06	4.78	37.6

Admittedly, spin bowling in those countries isn't an easy task, given that pitches are usually true and don't turn much, but even so the stats for Indian spinners are worse than those of any other team, both in terms of averages and economy rates. Pakistan's spinners average almost 40, but they've conceded only 4.62 runs per over, compared with India's 5.21. England's spinners have conceded 5.06 per over - the only side other than India to concede more than five - but they've averaged 35.18, considerably better than India's 44.16. India's spinners have taken 55 wickets in 25 matches, but that's more a reflection of the number of overs they've bowled per match: they've bowled about 19 per game, but they haven't actually given the team control in terms of curbing the runs or taking wickets. 

Spinners in Aus, Eng, NZ and SA since the 2011 World Cup

Team	Matches	Wickets	Average	Econ rate	Strike rate
Pakistan	11	29	39.48	4.62	51.2
Australia	40	45	42.13	4.76	53.0
New Zealand	26	40	39.70	4.83	49.2
South Africa	34	45	40.24	4.85	49.7
Sri Lanka	30	46	43.82	4.89	53.6
West Indies	14	22	41.22	4.96	49.8
England	41	55	35.18	5.06	41.6
India	25	55	44.16	5.21	50.8

If India's spinners have less-than-flattering stats abroad, then the fast bowlers aren't much better. When playing in Australia, New Zealand, England and South Africa, they've averaged 39.48 runs per wicket, and 5.88 per over. In both these parameters, only West Indies have done worse than India, averaging 43.09 per wicket and 5.93 per over. On the other hand, the best teams are way better than India: South Africa average 26.61 at an economy rate of 4.88; Australia average 28.36 at an economy rate of 4.99.

Whether it's operating with the new ball in conditions that offer something to the quick bowlers, or bowling at the death when opposition batsmen are in search of quick runs, India's pace attack has been equally toothless. In the first ten overs, they've conceded, on average, 4.91 runs per over and almost 40 runs per wicket, worse than all teams except West Indies. The best in class, South Africa, are streets ahead - they average 28.65 per wicket, and 3.99 per over. In the last ten, India's seam attack leak 8.33 runs per over and again share the bottom place, this time with New Zealand, whose fast bowlers do significantly worse at the end of the innings than they do at the start. India's pace bowlers don't take too many wickets either at the death, averaging more than 33 per wicket. The best in class, South Africa again, concede about half the number of runs per wicket, and only 6.20 per over.

The last column in the tables below further illustrates the proclivity of the Indian fast bowlers to ease pressure, by frequently conceding boundaries. In the first ten overs, they concede a four or a six every 8.58 balls - the worst of the lot - while the best in class is Australia's 11.61. In the last ten, they concede a four or a six every 6.51 balls, worse than all teams except New Zealand. The top teams in this category - Sri Lanka, South Africa and Australia - make the opposition batsmen wait more than 8.5 balls per boundary. Mohammad Shami has been the worst offender in this category, conceding 25 fours or sixes in 108 balls in the last ten overs, an average of one every 4.32 balls. His economy rate at the death is 9.88. Ishant Sharma has had his share of forgettable spells at the end, but overall his slog-over stats are better: an economy rate of 7.28, and a boundary every 7.64 balls. Umesh Yadav is similar, with an economy rate of 7.27, and a boundary every 6.60 balls.

 

Fast bowlers in the first 10 overs in ODIs in Aus, NZ, Eng, SA since Apr 2011

Team	Inngs	Wickets	Average	Econ rate	Balls/4 or 6
South Africa	33	44	28.65	3.99	10.58
Pakistan	11	15	28.26	4.15	10.03
New Zealand	26	36	29.02	4.24	10.04
Australia	40	56	29.05	4.26	11.61
England	39	55	30.32	4.31	10.70
Sri Lanka	30	37	35.59	4.77	9.80
India	25	30	39.36	4.91	8.58
West Indies	14	15	40.73	4.91	8.78

Fast bowlers in the last 10 overs in ODIs in Aus, NZ, Eng, SA since Apr 2011

Team	Inngs	Wickets	Average	Econ rate	Balls/ 4 or 6
South Africa	25	49	17.59	6.20	8.60
Sri Lanka	23	42	24.80	6.70	9.61
Australia	27	63	22.34	6.94	8.82
England	30	65	23.56	7.39	7.10
Pakistan	9	10	26.60	7.86	6.15
West Indies	9	12	35.08	8.09	6.64
India	19	28	33.57	8.33	6.51
New Zealand	18	32	26.00	8.33	5.65

And finally, a look at the Indian bowlers who've sent down more than 50 overs in these four countries during this period. Whichever way you look at it, these numbers don't make for impressive reading. The bowlers with reasonably good economy rates average more than 40 runs per wicket; those who average less than 30 go at about six an over or more. Umesh Yadav, who some experts reckon should be playing in the ODIs in New Zealand, averages almost 60 runs per wicket and goes at a run a ball. No wonder Dhoni has been wondering aloud about his bowling options for the 2015 World Cup.

Indian bowlers in ODIs in Aus, NZ, Eng, SA since Apr 2011 (Qual: 50 overs) 

Bowler	Overs	Wickets	Average	Econ rate	Strike rate
Bhuvneshwar Kumar	80	9	44.00	4.95	53.3
R Ashwin	198	23	43.26	5.02	51.6
Ravindra Jadeja	186.4	24	40.04	5.14	46.6
Praveen Kumar	57	6	49.50	5.21	57.0
Vinay Kumar	68.5	11	34.45	5.50	37.5
Ishant Sharma	70	16	25.87	5.91	26.2
Umesh Yadav	98.4	10	59.90	6.07	59.2
Mohammad Shami	62	19	23.15	7.09	19.5

Hafeez v Steyn, and other Bunnies

        Dale Steyn dismisses Mohammad Hafeez for the 10th time in 2011

Mohammad Hafeez has fallen to Dale Steyn 15 times in all international matches; in the last 12 years, no bowler has dismissed a batsman more often

	Dale Steyn dismisses Mohammad Hafeez for the 10th time in 2013

It all started on January 26, 2007. That was the first time Dale Steyn bowled to Mohammad Hafeez in an international game. It was a Test match in Cape Town, and the first ball in their head-to-head battle was hardly a sign of things to come: a gentle half-volley on leg stump was flicked for four; before the end of that over, Hafeez had flicked another boundary. He made only 10 in that innings, but was dismissed by Makhaya Ntini; against Steyn, he'd scored eight runs off seven balls.

In the second innings of the same Test, though, Steyn had his man for the first time, mistiming a drive to backward point, and that was the beginning of one of the most one-sided head-to-head contests in the last decade and more. Of the 28 times Hafeez has faced Steyn in an international game, 15 times he has ended up being dismissed by him. Seven of those have been catches to the wicketkeeper or the slip cordon, and in ten of those innings he didn't go beyond 10.

In the last 12 years (since the beginning of 2002), no batsman has been dismissed as often in all international cricket as Hafeez by Steyn. Next in line is another South African, but this time at the receiving end: Graeme Smith has been dismissed 13 times by Zaheer Khan - six each in Tests and ODIs, and once in a Twenty20 international. With Zaheer being named in India's Test squad for the tour to South Africa next month, he'll have opportunities to add to that tally. There are other luminaries down that list as well, with Sachin Tendulkar and Chris Gayle both making two appearances each, and Brian Lara and Virender Sehwag in there too. At the bottom of the table is another pair which is currently involved in battle - Mitchell Johnson v Ian Bell. Bell has fared poorly against Johnson so far, getting out to him ten times - six in Tests, two each in ODIs and Twenty20 internationals - at a rather poor average of 16.50.

Apart from the number of dismissals, the average for a batsman against the bowler also indicates how dominant the bowler has been. Hafeez, for example, has averaged a miserable 10.53 runs per dismissal against Steyn in all the matches they've played. (This includes all games, including those in which Steyn didn't dismiss Hafeez.) Similarly, Ashwell Prince against Shane Warne has been a one-sided story, as has Bell-Johnson. If Tim Bresnan recovers fully and takes part in the Ashes, England might want to unleash him on Shane Watson, given how much success he's had against Watson.

On the other hand, some of the other batsmen haven't had such lopsided stats, despite being dismissed by a bowler several times. Tillakaratne Dilshan, for example, averages 34 against Harbhajan despite being dismissed by him 12 times, which suggests he hasn't struggled too much. Similarly, Tendulkar averaged nearly 37 against Brett Lee, despite 12 dismissals; he had more problems against James Anderson, though, averaging 29 against him. Also, Anderson dismissed Tendulkar nine times in Tests, when batsmen are usually not under pressure to score quickly and hence take more risks; Lee, on the other hand, got Tendulkar seven times in ODIs.

(The averages mentioned in the tables below are the batsman v bowler average in all the matches in which they played each other; in the statsguru links, the averages refer to the batsman's average in all the innings in which he was dismissed by that bowler. In statsguru, runs scored against all bowlers in those innings are included; in the tables below, runs scored against the particular bowler in all innings are included.)

Bowlers who've dismissed a batsman most often in all int cricket since Jan 2002

Batsman	Bowler	Inngs	Balls	Runs	Dismissals	Average
Mohammad Hafeez	Dale Steyn	28	226	158	15	10.53
Graeme Smith	Zaheer Khan	30	402	247	13	19.00
Tillakaratne Dilshan	Harbhajan Singh	32	552	409	12	34.08
Ramnaresh Sarwan	Brett Lee	31	360	245	12	20.41
Sachin Tendulkar	James Anderson	34	544	348	12	29.00
Sachin Tendulkar	Brett Lee	41	728	441	12	36.75
Marcus Trescothick	Makhaya Ntini	26	640	382	12	31.83
Chris Gayle	James Anderson	32	397	304	11	27.63
Chris Gayle	Makhaya Ntini	22	414	312	11	28.36
Brian Lara	Andre Nel	20	413	235	11	21.36
Ashwell Prince	Shane Warne	18	466	164	11	14.90
Virender Sehwag	Brett Lee	38	468	354	11	32.18
Andrew Strauss	Brett Lee	41	655	339	11	30.81
Ross Taylor	Stuart Broad	37	415	248	11	22.54
Shane Watson	Tim Bresnan	22	323	207	11	18.81
Ian Bell	Mitchell Johnson	23	303	165	10	16.50

Coming back to the Hafeez-Steyn story, Steyn has caused the maximum damage in Tests, and always early in the innings. In the matches in which Steyn has played (in all formats), Hafeez averages 19.82 from 30 innings, almost ten runs lower than his career average across formats.

The first time Steyn bowled to Hafeez was in the beginning of 2007. Since then, Hafeez has been dismissed 48 times by bowlers in Tests, of which Steyn has done the job eight times, which means 17% of all his dismissals in Tests in the last seven years have been at the hands of one bowler. Against all other bowlers in Tests during this period, Hafeez has averaged almost 36; because of the Steyn factor, though, his overall average against all bowlers drops to less than 32. (The dismissals count excludes run-outs.)

Steyn v Hafeez in each format

Format	Innings	Balls	Runs	Dismissals	Average
Tests	14	130	87	8	10.87
ODIs	10	84	58	5	11.60
T20Is	4	12	13	2	6.50
Overall	28	226	158	15	10.53

Hafeez v Steyn and other bowlers in Tests since 2007

Versus	Balls	Runs	Dismissals	Average
Dale Steyn	130	87	8	10.87
Others	2529	1431	40	35.78
Overall	2659	1518	48	31.62

In 2013 alone, Steyn has dismissed Hafeez ten times - four times each in Tests and ODIs, and twice in Twenty20 internationals. Hafeez's average against Steyn in 2013: 4.00. In the last 12 years, no batsman - specialist or otherwise - has been dismissed by one bowler so many times in a calendar year.

The table below lists other such instances as well, and among the batsmen who've been bunny for a year are Lara, Gayle, Gilchrist, Sehwag and Smith. Gayle's in the list twice, but he didn't have such a bad time against Steve Harmison in 2004, scoring 262 runs in 291 balls. Against Zaheer it was a different story. Lara, for some reason, couldn't fathom Andy Bichel's bowling in 2003, while Adam Gilchrist struggled against Andrew Flintoff's round-the-wicket line in 2005.

Three of the ten instances listed below are from 2013: apart from Steyn, there've been two other bowlers who've utterly dominated a batsman. R Ashwin dismissed Phil Hughes seven times in ten innings - five times in Tests at a cost of 39 runs, and twice in ODIs conceding eight. His average against Hughes in 2013: 6.71.

Smith has the Zaheer challenge coming up later this year, but he has already had his problems against a bowler this year: Saeed Ajmal has dismissed him seven times in eight innings in 2013, at an average of 15.71. Smith hasn't been so lost against Ajmal in Tests, scoring 103 runs for four dismissals, but in ODIs he has scored seven and been dismissed three times.

Bowler dismissing a batsman most often in all international matches in a calendar year (since 2002)

Batsman	Bowler	Year	Inngs	Balls	Runs	Dismissals	Average
Mohammad Hafeez	Dale Steyn	2013	17	110	40	10	4.00
Jacob Oram	Ryan Sidebottom	2008	15	214	105	9	11.67
Chris Gayle	Steve Harmison	2004	24	291	262	7	37.42
Chris Gayle	Zaheer Khan	2002	12	158	88	7	12.57
Adam Gilchrist	Andrew Flintoff	2005	16	199	150	7	20.00
Phil Hughes	R Ashwin	2013	10	205	47	7	6.71
Brian Lara	Andy Bichel	2003	13	209	132	7	18.85
Virender Sehwag	Merv Dillon	2002	12	161	125	7	17.85
Graeme Smith	Saeed Ajmal	2013	8	202	110	7	15.71
Andrew Strauss	Nathan Hauritz	2009	9	149	72	7	10.28

Having just negotiated - not so successfully - the guiles of Ajmal, Smith will have to prepare himself for the challenge of facing up to a bowler who is at his best against left-handers: the four batsmen Zaheer has dismissed most often in Tests are all left-hand ones - Smith (13 times), Kumar Sangakkara (11), Sanath Jayasuriya and Matthew Hayden (ten each). Smith's problems against Zaheer, though, have been more pronounced in ODIs than in Tests, where he averages nearly 30 against him. Zaheer hasn't been included in the ODI squad for the tour to South Africa, which might just ease Smith's concerns a little bit.

Graeme Smith v Zaheer Khan in each format

Format	Innings	Balls	Runs	Dismissals	Average
Tests	16	284	178	6	29.67
ODIs	12	98	50	6	8.33
T20Is	2	20	19	1	19.00
Overall	30	402	247	13	19.00