Batsmen's highest / lowest / final averages

[Flametree]

Hi,

With the recent reductions in Tendulkar's, Ponting's, and Jayawardene's averages in particular, I was thinking about batsmen's highest averages and how they compared with the final averages they ended up with (Hussey has retired on a high note, but he also is one with a bit of a contrast between his peak average and his final). Ponting was up around 57 at some point wasn't he?

I was wondering if anyone out there has an innings-by-innings record for the top 100 or so batsmen, and could easily put together a table containing :

Batsman;
final (or current) average;
final (or current) no. tests;
highest average;
no. tests after which highest average achieved;
lowest average;
no. tests after which lowest average achieved.

The highest or lowest averages must be 20+ tests - I'm not interested in someone like Gooch whose lowest average was zero after his first test, or Michael Clarke whose highest average would be after his first test I think thanks to a century on debut... though I expect many players (eg Kallis) will have increased their averages since the 20 test mark, so that will be their lowest. And a rare few (Jimmy Adams, Mike Hussey) peaked before 20 tests and so that will probably be their highest averages for the purposes of this exercise.

Just something which interested me. Thanks to anyone who can help.

 

[Mike5181]

After 107 test matches Ponting actually had 9239 runs @ 59.99 back in late 2006.

 

[centurymaker]

..

Test Avg: Tendulkar, lara, Ponting

10 tests: 41.21-- 47.76-- 41.87

20 tests: 37.41-- 55.39-- 39.43

30 tests: 51.65-- 58.55-- 38.62

40 tests: 52.15-- 55.86-- 45.83

50 tests: 49.82-- 51.82-- 44.65


60 tests: 53.62-- 49.25-- 47.86

70 tests: 55.46-- 49.67-- 50.96

80 tests: 57.51-- 47.68-- 53.58

90 tests: 58.87-- 49.49-- 55.60

100 tests: 57.96-- 52.14-- 57.71


110 tests: 55.33-- 53.43-- 59.29

120 tests: 57.43-- 53.20-- 58.50

131 tests: 55.79-- 52.88-- 56.20

140 tests: 54.92-- ........-- 55.26

150 tests: 54.23-- ........-- 54.27


160 tests: 54.79-- ........-- 52.70

168 tests: 56.08-- ........-- 51.85

180 tests: 56.25

190 tests: 55.08

 

[Jono]

Ponting definitely hit 60 in late 2006. Was never the same batsman from 2007 onwards though.

 

[Spikey]

ponting didn't go off the rails until the MJ ****show at Lord's

 

[Flametree]

Hadn't realised just how long it took Ponting to get going. I had a look at his cumulative averages courtesy of statsguru... that 30 match average of 38.62 came after a pair in the home series vs Pakistan (following a duck in his only innings in the first test). Bowled Waqar third ball, lbw Wasim fifth ball... so fairly understandable....

The top 6 was Slater, Blewett, Langer, Waugh x2, Ponting.

He then made 197 in the next test, and lots of runs in the next series vs India. I wonder how close he came to being dropped for Hayden, Martyn, Law, Lehmann or whoever else was on the scene at the time?

 

[Howe_zat]

Lawrence Rowe once had an average of 336
Ian Bell once had an average of 303

 

[chaminda_00]

Hadn't realised just how long it took Ponting to get going. I had a look at his cumulative averages courtesy of statsguru... that 30 match average of 38.62 came after a pair in the home series vs Pakistan (following a duck in his only innings in the first test). Bowled Waqar third ball, lbw Wasim fifth ball... so fairly understandable....

The top 6 was Slater, Blewett, Langer, Waugh x2, Ponting.

He then made 197 in the next test, and lots of runs in the next series vs India. I wonder how close he came to being dropped for Hayden, Martyn, Law, Lehmann or whoever else was on the scene at the time?

Considering the averages of Blewett and Langer at the time. As well as the declining form of Slater there was more talk about him moving up the order, then getting dropped again.

 

[fredfertang]

Ken Rutherford averaged 1.71 after 8 innings

A tad better than Marvan Atapattu's 0.16 after 6

 

[Jono]

ponting didn't go off the rails until the MJ ****show at Lord's

Nah read my post dickwad, 2007 was when he stopped being epic like he was from 05-06. That is different tofanning off the rails, which is what happened to Ponting from 09 onwards.

 

[Ikki]

Around 2007 I was thinking that Ponting was a freak, his average is just going to keep going up and thought people underappreciated him. Remember arguing with Manan, him saying Ponting would need an average of 60+ to be better than Tendulkar (who at the time was in crap form IIRC).

 

[Satyanash89]

Dravid and Pontings career trajectories were so so similar... great number 3s who were arguably the 2 best batsmen in the world in 2002-06.. then fell away pretty dramatically after that... poor for 3-4 years, then had one final epic series performance, and finally retired after a dire final series.

Think Dravid too averaged over 59 at one point.

 

[kyear2]

I recall as well thinking that Ponting was going to be remembered as the best batsman of the era, just a drastic drop off after though.

 

[aussie tragic]

Looking at consistancy, Javed Miandad's lowest average was 51.74 after his 45th Test (76 innings) and he retired with an average of 52.57 after 124 tests (189 innings)

However he averaged 57.41 after 100 tests before he dropped 5 runs in his last 24 tests.

 

[uvelocity]

my highest average is 41 (this year)

 

[ankitj]

Looking at consistancy, Javed Miandad's lowest average was 51.74 after his 45th Test (76 innings) and he retired with an average of 52.57 after 124 tests (189 innings)

However he averaged 57.41 after 100 tests before he dropped 5 runs in his last 24 tests.

Wow. If he retired after 100 tests, would he have been rated higher than he is? One wonders...

 

[Jono]

Around 2007 I was thinking that Ponting was a freak, his average is just going to keep going up and thought people underappreciated him. Remember arguing with Manan, him saying Ponting would need an average of 60+ to be better than Tendulkar (who at the time was in crap form IIRC).

I recall as well thinking that Ponting was going to be remembered as the best batsman of the era, just a drastic drop off after though.

I remember telling everyone to cool their jets when they said Ponting had a better chance of breaking Lara's highest run record over Sachin. Also said Kallis is the likeliest to break Sachins run tally as his technique is tight and hence age will affect him less than Ponting. Also the fact he is a cyborg sent from another planet to dominate cricket in all forms and in every facet.

If Sachin or Kallis secure the highest run tally I win, but then there is the possibility of Ali Cook securing it and that prick SilentStriker wins. That will be an awful result.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

Well it'd be an awful result in the sense that we have to sit through another 8,000 Alastair Cook runs.

 

[kyear2]

Lol

 

[BoyBrumby]

Realistically, given England plays so much more test cricket than anyone else and his realtive youth, if he stays fit Cook's a real chance to finish with the highest aggregate of test runs.

He's played 87 tests in a little over six and a half years. He was 28 on Xmas Day, so he should have at least another 8 years ahead of him. That's about a hundred tests to come so possibly another 8k runs to add onto his current tally.

He goes on past that and he'll be a shoo in.