Source : Wisden India
Has batting in ODI become easy? Is the strike rate of a batsman increasing? Is the average number of sixes hit increasing?
Here we can get answers to all the questions through data.
In the last blog, we had seen how we could scrape ODI data through a python script from Statsguru. Link for the previous blog : https://www.godatainsights.com/post/cricket-analytics-part-1-scraping-odi-data-from-stats-guru.
If you missed that part, you could still get the CSV file from here.
Our dataset contains columns Batsman, Runs, Minutes, Balls, Fours, Sixes, Strike Rate, Innings, Ground, Date. Before beginning the analysis, we will have to remove rows that are not relevant, like the DNB, TDNB, SUB, and ABSENT in the rows column. Next, we need to convert the non-numeric columns like Runs, Strike Rate, Sixes, and Balls to numeric type for our analysis. After pre-processing of data, we will be adding relevant columns like Year and Century to our dataset.
For our analysis, we will focus on the following parameters :
Average runs scored by a batsman.
The number of centuries hit.
Average strike rate per year.
The average number of sixes per year.
I have used a scatter plot to plot the data points against time (years) to check the changing trend from 2001 to 2019.
Average runs scored by batsman
We can see how the average runs scored by a batsman is increasing year on year. There are a few outliers, yet, the trend is in the upward direction.
The average number of sixes hit by a batsman
After 2006, we can see a sudden increase in the average number of sixes hit by a batsman. One of the reasons for this could be the introduction of international T20 matches. South Africa hosted the first T20 world cup in 2007. Who can forget 'the six sixes' by Yuvraj Singh against England :). After 2006, we see the trend increasing year by year. The credit goes to batters playing fearless cricket and backing their ability to hit big sixes with the likes of Chris Gayle, Pollard, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya.
Average Strike Rate of a batsman
The strike rate of a batsman is nothing but the number of runs scored per number of balls. We can see the strike rate of a batsman is increasing year by year. We have outstanding players like Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Ben Strokes, David Warner and Glenn Maxwell with skyrocketing strike rates. It's not surprising at all to see this skyward trend.
The number of centuries scored in a year.
The total number of centuries scored in 2001 is 50, while that scored in 2019 is 99. We saw almost double the number of centuries in 2019 as compared to the year 2001. The total number of centuries scored is growing year by year. After 2010, batters have completely dominated ODI by scoring 9 double centuries, in which Rohit Sharma scored 3 double centuries. This data tells us that leagues like the Indian Premier League, Big Bash, and T20 matches have played a significant role in driving the Strike Rate and the Number of centuries scored.
Finally, based on the data and analysis of critical parameters, it will be safe to conclude that batting in ODI has changed a lot over time. It has become more aggressive in terms of Strike Rate and the number of Sixes hit. Some key factors to acknowledge for this upward trend are the players' fitness levels, extensive coaching received by batsmen, and analytical feedback collected to boost their performance.
For any suggestions, you can always reach out to me on linkendin : https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthrastogi31
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