Absurdly Awesome Cricket Stats

[Coronis]

Those three seasons Cook played for Somerset seem like they were child's play to him, a bit like when Mike Hussey played for Northants.

Cook in those 3 seasons (89-91)

71 matches 124 innings 7604 @ 72.42 28 tons 27 fifties

Hussey in his 5 (01-05)

60 matches 105 innings 6710 @ 72.93 19 tons 25 fifties

in 01 he passed 2000 runs, becoming one of only two players to accomplish that this century - Ramprakash (2006, 2007)

 

[capt_Luffy]

3000 runs has been surpassed 28 times in an English season, only 6 batsmen have done it multiple times. Ranji (1899, 1900), Hayward (1904, 1906), Mead (1921, 1928), Hendren (1923, 1928, 1933), Sutcliffe (1928, 1931, 1932) and Hammond (1933, 1937, 1938). Hammond narrowly missed doing it in 1927 with 2969 runs. Bradman with 2960 runs remains the closest by a touring batsman. Ranji was in fact the first to accomplish it in 1899, the last was Bill Alley (an Australian) in 1961, despite an overall FC average of 31 he scored 11 of his 31 tons that season. The closest anyone has come to 3000 since then was Jimmy Cook (another SA opening batsman whose career was curtailed by apartheid - 50 average in FC) scoring 2775 runs in 1991.

None for Hobbs or Grace? Or they just did it once?

 

[Coronis]

None for Hobbs or Grace? Or they just did it once?

Hobbs in 1925, Hutton in 1949, Grace’s best was 2739 in 1871.

So in 1895 for Grace

May:

7 matches 10 innings 1016 @ 127 4 tons 2 fifties

Rest of Season:

22 matches 38 innings 1330 @ 35 5 tons 3 fifties

Total:

29 matches 48 innings 2346 @ 51 9 tons 5 fifties

Apparently a fair amount of rain curtailed his scoring in June/July but he scored a few tons in August

 

[AndrewB]

Grace similarly had a very up-and-down season in his highest scoring season of 1871:

First 6 matches: 181; 23, 98; 118; 178; 162; 49, 34* - average 120.37
Next 7 matches: 1; 88, 10; 4, 4; 15; 4, 11; 50, 37; 16, 43 - average 23.41
Last 12 matches: 189*; 51; 146, 21; 59; 0, 268; 78, 55; 31, 40; 0, 217; 23; 79, 116; 81*, 42* - average 100.83

I remember being very surprised when reading Leo McKistry's biography of Hobbs to learn that Hobbs only reached 3000 runs once - I'd always assumed 3000 runs in a season was like the 1000 runs/100 wickets double, with the top players between 1900 and 1940 achieving it fairly regularly and most decent county stalwarts managing to achieve it once or twice.

If you include List A matches, Gooch reached 3000 runs 4 times, including the record of 3986 in 1990; Cook 3 times, Hick twice and eight other batters once each.
It's notable that there were 10 occasions that a player scored from 3000-3050 FC runs in a season against only 2 that one scored 2950-2999, while the figures are almost reversed for FC+List A since 1970: no batters scored from 3000-3050; 9 times a batter scored 2950-2999.

 

[Coronis]

Grace similarly had a very up-and-down season in his highest scoring season of 1871:

First 6 matches: 181; 23, 98; 118; 178; 162; 49, 34* - average 120.37
Next 7 matches: 1; 88, 10; 4, 4; 15; 4, 11; 50, 37; 16, 43 - average 23.41
Last 12 matches: 189*; 51; 146, 21; 59; 0, 268; 78, 55; 31, 40; 0, 217; 23; 79, 116; 81*, 42* - average 100.83

I remember being very surprised when reading Leo McKistry's biography of Hobbs to learn that Hobbs only reached 3000 runs once - I'd always assumed 3000 runs in a season was like the 1000 runs/100 wickets double, with the top players between 1900 and 1940 achieving it fairly regularly and most decent county stalwarts managing to achieve it once or twice.

If you include List A matches, Gooch reached 3000 runs 4 times, including the record of 3986 in 1990; Cook 3 times, Hick twice and eight other batters once each.
It's notable that there were 10 occasions that a player scored from 3000-3050 FC runs in a season against only 2 that one scored 2950-2999, while the figures are almost reversed for FC+List A since 1970: no batters scored from 3000-3050; 9 times a batter scored 2950-2999.

It does make sense considering Hobbs incredible longevity and propensity to give away his wicket after a ton.

For example, in his only season where he did break 3000 (3024 runs) he scored a whopping 16 tons, the second most ever - beaten only by Compton who had 18, whilst scoring 3816 runs (almost 300 more than his nearest competitor). tbf that year did include a tour by a very meh South African bowling unit, who he absolutely monstered in tests

tbf to Hobbs he did have a whopping 17 seasons with 2000+ runs. (Sutcliffe and Hendren have 15) He never broke 1000 on a tour to Australia either but was remarkably consistent - 876, 943, 924, 865, 962. Similarly to Sachin you won’t find him on a top list of high individual scores or high series totals, but you won’t have him failing many times either.

 

[AndrewB]

Setting Hobbs aside I was surprised that it had only been achieved 28 times (by 19 different players); and that, for instance, despite Compton scoring 3816 in 1947, the most he scored otherwise was 2530.
Note that 3000 runs in a season didn't seem out of the question around 1990, with Gooch, Hick and Cook all reaching 2700, while no-one was anywhere near 200 wickets, which was achieved 59 times in the past.

Regarding Hobbs, I wonder if he also tended to give his wicket away after reaching 200? Of his 16 innings of 200+, he only reached 230 3 times; compared with, say, Hendren (8 out of 22), Holmes (8 out of 12), Sandham (6 out of 11) and Sutcliffe (7 out of 17). On the other hand, Mead (3 out of 13) and Woolley (2 out of 9) had similar records to Hobbs in this respect.

 

[Molehill]

Not sure if this was mentioned elsewhere, but this Test was the first time England had scored 400 plus in both innings. Apparently, this was only the 12th time it’s ever been done.

 

[Ali TT]

Not sure if this was mentioned elsewhere, but this Test was the first time England had scored 400 plus in both innings. Apparently, this was only the 12th time it’s ever been done.

The first time a team has scored 400 twice in a match, given up a first innings lead and still won inside 4 days.

 

[Coronis]

Setting Hobbs aside I was surprised that it had only been achieved 28 times (by 19 different players); and that, for instance, despite Compton scoring 3816 in 1947, the most he scored otherwise was 2530.
Note that 3000 runs in a season didn't seem out of the question around 1990, with Gooch, Hick and Cook all reaching 2700, while no-one was anywhere near 200 wickets, which was achieved 59 times in the past.

Regarding Hobbs, I wonder if he also tended to give his wicket away after reaching 200? Of his 16 innings of 200+, he only reached 230 3 times; compared with, say, Hendren (8 out of 22), Holmes (8 out of 12), Sandham (6 out of 11) and Sutcliffe (7 out of 17). On the other hand, Mead (3 out of 13) and Woolley (2 out of 9) had similar records to Hobbs in this respect.

Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised. I’d be surprised if that was the case for the other two.

Hobbs yeah I think I remember reading a quote from him when I was a kid.. something vaguely like “he wanted to give everyone else a go” after scoring his ton. I wouldn’t be surprised if most of the 200’s were scored in matches where his team actually needed that large of a total, or if he threw away his wicket when the team was still in a relatively comfortable spot.

It seems silly to say about the guy withe most FC runs and tons but I can’t help but think his record (impressive as it is) would be even more extraordinary if he’d had the appetite for big scores of a Bradman or Hammond.

 

[Qlder]

Not sure if this was mentioned elsewhere, but this Test was the first time England had scored 400 plus in both innings. Apparently, this was only the 12th time it’s ever been done.

As far as 'Absurdly Awesome Cricket Stats" go, doing it the first time after 147 years is not as awesome as Australia scoring 400+ in each innings 6 times, 3 of those against England

Done 12 times: Australia 6, India 3, South Africa 1, Pakistan 1, England 1

Australia only team to do it away from home (in England and NZ) and only team to do it without being dismissed in either innings with 6(dec)/511 and 8/460 vs New Zealand in 1974

 

[Molehill]

As far as 'Absurdly Awesome Cricket Stats" go, doing it the first time after 147 years is not as awesome as Australia scoring 400+ in each innings 6 times, 3 of those against England

Done 12 times: Australia 6, India 3, South Africa 1, Pakistan 1, England 1

Australia only team to do it away from home (in England and NZ) and only team to do it without being dismissed in either innings with 6(dec)/511 and 8/460 vs New Zealand in 1974

Do you know how many of the previous 11 ended in victories? I’m thinking that previous scoring rates may have seem some of these end in stale draws?

 

[Qlder]

Do you know how many of the previous 11 ended in victories? I’m thinking that previous scoring rates may have seem some of these end in stale draws?

7 wins and 5 draws

Here's the first time it ever happened with Aus winning by 193 runs way back in 1924

AUS vs ENG Cricket Scorecard, 1st Test at Sydney, December 19 - 27, 1924

Get cricket scorecard of 1st Test, AUS vs ENG, England tour of Australia 1924/25 at Sydney Cricket Ground dated December 19 - 27, 1924.

www.espncricinfo.com

The 2nd time it happened was a draw in 1938. Good example where 400+ in both innings doesn't mean the best team

ENG vs AUS Cricket Scorecard, 1st Test at Nottingham, June 10 - 14, 1938

Get cricket scorecard of 1st Test, ENG vs AUS, Australia tour of England 1938 at Trent Bridge, Nottingham dated June 10 - 14, 1938.

www.espncricinfo.com

3rd time Aus did it (4th overall as SA did it vs Eng in 1939) was Bradman's invincibles in 1948, winning by 7 wkts

ENG vs AUS Cricket Scorecard, 4th Test at Leeds, July 22 - 27, 1948

Get cricket scorecard of 4th Test, ENG vs AUS, Australia tour of England 1948 at Headingley, Leeds dated July 22 - 27, 1948.

www.espncricinfo.com

 

[Coronis]

7 wins and 5 draws

Here's the first time it ever happened with Aus winning by 193 runs way back in 1924

AUS vs ENG Cricket Scorecard, 1st Test at Sydney, December 19 - 27, 1924

Get cricket scorecard of 1st Test, AUS vs ENG, England tour of Australia 1924/25 at Sydney Cricket Ground dated December 19 - 27, 1924.

www.espncricinfo.com

SA vs ENG Live score - England tour of South Africa 1938 March 03 - 14, 1939 5th Test in Durban

South Africa vs England live cricket score, England tour of South Africa 1938, 5th Test at Kingsmead, Durban. Get live score, ball by ball commentary, scorecard, match updates.

www.espncricinfo.com

South Africa probably loses this one if England could’ve had 1 more session before catching the train to their boat.

 

[Coronis]

Qhile looking at some of those timeless tests I did come across something quite absurd. According to Wikipedia from a non-internet source, the 5th test between South Africa and England in Durban in 1923 had one of the days plays delayed due to groundsman needing to remove frogs from the coconut matting (presumably on the pitch) unfortunately I’ve been unable to find a corroborating source.

 

[Pap Finn Keighl]

Between 26 February 2008 and 12 March 2011 Sachin Tendulkar played 35 ODI Matches and Averaged 62 at 93 SR with 7 hundreds.


It was probably worst phase of his career (bar another 10-15 matches before retirement )
He was 35+, and it was tougher period for batting compared to subsequent years.
Wonder what would have 90s Sachin averaged if played in 2010s and 20s. ( a century in every 4 matches..? )

 

[Coronis]

Between 26 February 2008 and 12 March 2011 Sachin Tendulkar played 35 ODI Matches and Averaged 62 at 93 SR with 7 hundreds.


It was probably worst phase of his career (bar another 10-15 matches before retirement )
He was 35+, and it was tougher period for batting compared to subsequent years.
Wonder what would have 90s Sachin averaged if played in 2010s and 20s. ( a century in every 4 matches..? )

The **** are you on about mate? That was during his second peak

 

[HouHsiaoHsien]

Also Sachin in the 90s, when he was combining an amaxing average and SR combo as an opener, was a bit of a home bully.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Qhile looking at some of those timeless tests I did come across something quite absurd. According to Wikipedia from a non-internet source, the 5th test between South Africa and England in Durban in 1923 had one of the days plays delayed due to groundsman needing to remove frogs from the coconut matting (presumably on the pitch) unfortunately I’ve been unable to find a corroborating source.

I have a source to corroborate that they were corroboree frogs

 

[Pap Finn Keighl]

The **** are you on about mate? That was during his second peak

What 2nd peak? He was better in Early and mid 00s and far better in 90s.

 

[Coronis]

What 2nd peak? He was better in Early and mid 00s and far better in 90s.

Averaging 60+ in tests and odis over a 3-4 year period is the worst phase of Tendulkar’s career apparently. Interesting.