Style and class at the top

So, I did get both the predications right! Didn’t I? South Africa were quite impressive with AB finally coming into his own, and Hashim Amla being, well, the Amla we have come to know him as. England did show an initial fight, first with Cook and Bairstow, and then with Anderson and Dernbach, but it quickly faded away. Just drives home the point I was making a few days back too that at current there is no ODI team dominant enough to be called a deserving no. 1. Under different conditions some team would excel while others with wither away. As a true cricket fan, this is probably the best time to follow the game with no clear favorites and so many even contests.

A case in point in Australia- expected to do well in England they faced a whitewash there which was stunning actually, seeing the ease with which they lost. Then expected to suffer at the hands of Pakistan in UAE, they showed tremendous fight to win that series 2-1. And then a horrible performance in the first T20! I did expect them to lose, but not this crazily. They did get the batting order wrong. White needs to come up while Michael Hussey needs to stay lower in the order to combat the spinners.

Dealing with spinners of that quality is probably easiest to do in ODIs with defensive fields and pretty average run rates. In tests, they become a force with those close-in catchers. And in T20, the need to push on makes it equally tough against that quality. I was impressed with their new spinner Raza Hasan, and he may just be another nightmare for batsmen in the coming years. Don’t know what it is with Pakistan churning out such high quality bowlers this consistently- seamers and spinners alike!

I was looking at Amla’s numbers yesterday, and they are quite staggering. I have seen 50+ averages with guys batting in the middle order, like Michael Hussey and MSD, but not yet for a top order player. The thing to notice would be the no. of not outs he has, which isn’t too high unlike MSD or Hussey. So, in this case the average is a pretty fair reflection of his consistency. Even when you look at the strike rate, you would realize that with him it’s not just about holding an end up. He dominates and holds the innings simultaneously. That’s quite a deadly combination to have at the top of the order.

Span	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50	0	4s	6s
2008-2012	62	60	6	3216	150	59.55	3506	91.72	10	19	1	318	17

His career actually took off in 2010, around the same point as Virat Kohli. And both have been quite exceptional in run chases as well. In fact, let’s look at the leading run scorers in ODIs since 1^st Jan 2010.

There are few things that are almost obvious looking at the figures.

1. India plays an insane amount of ODI cricket and as do SL. In fact, I think these two play an insane amount of cricket against each other! 
2. If we go on numbers alone, AB de Villiers would probably be the best ODI batsman currently. His SR is over 100, while the average is stunning. And the conversion rate from 50s to 100s is 1:1. Add to that he is the captain and wicket keeper, and he would be the most valuable player around.
3. The point made above about Amla’s less number of not outs, thus indicating the average is pretty realistic, and not inflated like in case of Kohli, AB or Clarke.

Since 1^st Jan 2010

Player	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	SR	100	50	0	4s	6s
V Kohli (India)	75	74	10	3402	183	53.15	87.86	12	18	5	309	16
KC Sangakkara (SL)	71	67	6	2964	133	48.59	78.37	4	22	1	262	20
HM Amla (SA)	40	39	3	2368	150	65.77	95.48	9	13	1	234	12
MJ Clarke (Aus)	58	55	11	2333	117	53.02	80.19	3	16	1	161	21
AB de Villiers (SA)	39	38	11	2076	134	76.88	104.7	9	9	0	158	39
G Gambhir (India)	48	48	3	2067	138*	45.93	87.62	4	15	5	207	2
IJL Trott (Eng)	50	47	5	2060	137	49.04	75.37	3	16	2	153	2

*(ODI Runs > 2000 and Average>45)

Both of these- Kohli and Amla- are a treat to watch. Let’s wish they keep their rich vein of form going. At least that’s what the purists will hope.