SHEILD STATICTICS HIGLIGHT MAJOR ISSUES

After nearly pulling of a dramatic win in the first ashes test match there was a feeling the Australian team was spurred on my Darren Lehmann and could be competitive against the Poms. But in reality it was through a cricketing miracle and with a benefit of some luck Australia came so close. The cracks were visible after the 1^st innings at Trent Bridge but Agar sealed them as quick as Selleys ‘no more gaps’

As a nation Australia went Ga-Ga over Agar but instead we should have been contemplative on the thought had Agar been given out stumped the Australia would have been bowled out for 130.

Now it seems like the whole of Australia is diving into Shield Statistics, CA reports, youth programs, trying to figure out what is wrong with Australian cricket. 

Few statistics have been published over the past few days on the declining batting numbers in Shield Cricket and the facts reveal some interesting patterns.  The first distinct one is the number of hundreds in shield cricket last year was one of the worst recorded in history. 

The number of hundreds scored last year was 32. In the previous years it was 46 and 48 respectively. If you go back another couple of years it was 56 and 58. Since the turn of the century 50 hundreds were scored in shield season on each occasion expect for the last three years. 

Less individual hundreds have meant teams have struggled to accumulate huge totals. In the last three seasons combined team total of 500 has been eclipsed only on 5 occasions. Back in 09/10 a team score of 500 was bettered on 5 occasions. Go back another year and it reads at 7. 

Season	Total Hundreds	Team Scores over 500	Team Scores Under 200
2012/13	32	2	28
2011/12	48	1	15
2010/11	46	2	20
2009/10	58	5	12
2008/09	57	7	17

Huge scores are conjured up by virtue of large partnerships. Even large partnerships we have been accustomed to have vanished.  There was only one partnership of over 200 last year. The year before that they were nine and a one triple hundred partnership.

Players have come out in the last week and blamed state of the pitches. No doubt the pitches have been bowler friendly but the number of times a team has been bowled out under 200 nearly doubled last season.  Yes, Australia fast bowling stocks are overflowing at the moment but how often have the top three bowlers been on the field together? This means the bowlers dismissing shield batsmen out cheaply are way down on the Australian pecking order and yet still having huge success. 

Traditionally winning the toss and electing to bat in Australia is a no brainer on most grounds. Over the past year scoring 400 in the first innings of the shield match is a rare occurrence.  Last year team batting in the first innings of a match only managed to reach 400 once. In the two previous years it was only reached three times. 

Over the last three years the worrying aspect is the average totals across all the grounds in Australia have not changed dramatically. There has been no trend on a particular ground or a specific innings that has been alarming.  It tends to suggest the nature of the wickets have remained fairly similar but the individual scores, partnerships, low scores have all skewed downwards.  

Usman Khawaja and Matthew Wade have blamed the pitches rather than the BBL. They might be correct but in Khawaja’s case he only managed to convert one of his starts into a hundred. Surely, once the batsmen are set on any kind of wicket he’s goal should be to get a big score. Michael Clarke elaborated on this point after the Lords test but if it’s not happening in shield cricket, it is unlikely to occur in the test arena. 

Instead of performing health analysis and performance management on players, Pat Howard and co should have been looking at the glaring concerns in the Sheffield shield last year. Perhaps if they were then the batting problems could have been eradicated, at least to a limit.

Sturdy Smith Defies England

As Steve Smith fronted up to the Indian media on the eve of the 3^rd Test in Mohali earlier this year, he got the most unexpected question first up. “Steve, In your last test match here it was your overthrow that cost Australia a test match so you don’t have great memories here”? A question of such nature would have disheartened most cricketers, especially to a cricketer that was only presented an opportunity to play because of a fall out between the coach and it’s senior cricketers. 

But Smith started his response in a similar manner he started his innings today against England. Smith laughed then went on to say “I thought I make get that question first up” similarly today he would have seen a his captain get knocked over to late swinging outswinger and we all probably expected a similar follow up. Once again Smith like that press conference in Mohali was up to the mark. Anderson bowled a booming inswinger to which Smith stretched forward and felt the duke ball hit right in middle of his bat. 

Smith technique has been scrutinised in the past, he had the tendency to play away from his body making him vulnerable to an outswing bowler like Anderson. Today he covered his off stump and allowed the ball to pass, when Anderson or Finn bowled the inswingers, his stride wasn’t too long so he could deflect the ball into the onside. Even when he received a full ball angling in, he didn’t look to play it though midwicket even though the shot was a safe one, Instead he played straight and let the ball hit him on the outside of the pad. Smith had definitely missed a couple of scoring opportunities with this extreme secure method but it ensured him that covered the line of yet another Anderson lethal outswinger. To summarise it he banked on his defence before thinking of attacking, a method some of his top order could well learn from.

Finn become restless and dug one in short, a ball that Smith had an answer to as well. He went back and pulled it to boundary.

It is not the first time Smith had faced such a potent attack nor is it the first time he has played under the grey skies. In only his second test, he made a stubborn 77 against the Pakistan pace trio of Asif, Aamir and Gul. That too was on a green top at Headingly and in a pressure situation.  

From that test in Headingly to dust bowls of India, Smith had exposure to plenty of alien conditions. All the sign he displayed today were positive and a sign of his batting developing. 

The move to bat at number three for New South Wales this season had presented him with a chance to face the new hard ball was paying off. Facing the new ball had tightened his technique and improved his temperament. Steve Smith had learned the art of facing a hard new swinging ball. Suddenly England had to fall to plan B and try spin. 

Once again Smith proved the skills he had developed in the middle batting on the turning tracks in India would not be wasted.  He went down the track to second ball delivered by off-spinner Swann and lofted him over long on for six. Few balls later, he advanced again and flicked him wide of midwickets for a couple more runs. Smith was in his comfort zone, he had faced countless deliveries on more conducive wickets in India and proved to himself, he was capable. 

On a day the sun didn’t shine the ball swung, the pressure was overwhelming Smith came through with flying colours. Tomorrow the sun is expected to shine, the pressure likely to ease with each run, tomorrow could well be a day Smith gets a shot at redeeming that overthrow that cost his country a Test. If he can do it, the stakes will be higher and the overthrow could be a distant memory.

HOW TO DISMISS THE ENGLISH BATSMAN

Ever since the omission of Nick Compton the England batting order for the first test was known to the Australian bowlers.  Now with bowling under their belt and some match practice as well, the next point on the agenda is to conjure up a plan to dismiss the English batsman.  

Below are a few strategies the Australian bowlers need to employ for each of England’s top seven batsman.

Alastair Cook – Bowl Full, Full and Full. The English captain is more comfortable on the back foot than any other player around in World cricket. Australians bowlers need to ensure they starve him of any back foot play and ensure he scores most of his runs on the front foot. Cook rarely comes forward and when he does he does not move his front foot to the ball, he prefers to play it more with his hands.  Cook succeeds playing off the back foot to reasonably fullish deliveries due to his crouched technique, low hands and strong bottom hand. To get Cook out of this comfort zone, the bowlers need to bowl that slightly fuller length and angle the ball across him. Ideally as a bowler, you want Cook to play through the covers of the front foot because that is one way of inducing an edge. Mitchell Starc has bowling a lot of full half volley’s but against Cook they might just do the trick.

Joe Root – The young man from Yorkshire stands tall and loves punching off the back foot. Like Cook he is extremely good of the back foot and through the onside. In his few test matches Root is a known to have a slight waft outside the off stump.  A short of length ball moving away is Root’s weakness.  When he does play the cut or the square drive of the back foot, the feet remain stationary and he is likely to give you a catch in the gully. A bowler like Peter Siddle is perfect candidate to trouble him. 

Jonathon Trott – Bowl outside an inch outside Trott’s offstump and he will still work you through mid-wicket.  He can work balls through the onside from the stumps but he does it with risk of playing across the line. The challenge is to keep the inswinger as a surprise. Bowler’s have to try get Trott to play the off-drive and keep a strong leg side field. Australia’s objective should be to let Trott get more than 50% of his runs on the off side. Trott is also not the most accomplished player against spin, he plays from the crease and Nathan Lyon’s should bowl quite wide of the off stump, with six men on the leg side and a vacant cover.

Kevin Pietersen – The English grounds are small and top edges can go for sixes but Pietersen is a compulsive puller or a hooker and can be caught in the deep.  Australians need to come hard at KP, it may require plenty of effort from bowlers half but the short ball needs to be a weapon. South African undid him last year by peppering with short balls and then throwing in a quick fast Yorker.  Strac and Pattinson both need to be in KP’s face. Bowlers need to dangle the short ball carrot because KP will take it on and he can be vulnerable. Starc with his pace and bounce is likely prospect, it should be followed up with a Yorker at his toes.

Ian Bell – Most technically equipped batsman in the England team so the Australian need to outsmart him. Recently Bell has been dismissed a fair bit edging wide half volley’s.  Australian needs to keep it well wide of off stump and quite full. Bell has opened a lot in the ODI lately and is not as patient as what he was some time ago.  A bowler like Starc needs to keep angling the ball away from him and deprived him of laying bat on ball. It might seem boring and negative but it will be effective against a restless Ian Bell.

Jonny Baristow – The little man from Yorkshire is a aggressive batsmen who likes to counter attack. He is still young in his test career but from what he has shown, he can be suspect to the short balls. Because he is not so comfortable with the short ball, he likes to shuffle across towards off stump so the Australians bowlers should try to trap him LBW.  Another player with a strong bottom hand, he is not a great driver of the ball through the off side so encourage him to drive with the ball leaving him. Back of length bowler such a Siddle or Pattinson with pace can expose Bairstow.

Matt Prior – The England wicket keeper is one of the main reasons for their resurgence but he too like the other s has a weakness that can be exploited. Prior favours the offside and likes to stay leg side of the ball. You almost need to encourage him to hit through the leg side and bowl at off and middle stump. Natural driver of a cricket ball, one gully is a premium for Prior and if Australia team is on top a second gully is a must.  Prior goes hard with his hands the bat can get away from the body at times so the bowlers need to try hit the seam and jag one back at him. Starc with his full length and ability to bring the ball back in is Australia’s biggest asset against Prior.