Do the stats say it all? There have been 36 matches in the World Cup so far and the stats are starting to reveal why a team may do better than others! Take Sri Lanka for instance. Lasith Malinga, with 15 wickets, is the top wicket-taker and is averaging better than Glenn McGrath. In fact, he has an economy rate of almost the same as Pigeon and a better strike rate. And McGrath is Australia’s best performer.
The other two in the top four are Brad Hogg (12 wickets at 18 runs each) followed by Muttiah Muralitharan (12 wickets at 18.75 each). Daniel Vettori (12 wickets at 20.91 each), another spinner, rounds off the top five. This is an indicator that the wickets are supporting good bowlers and not just a type of bowler. It also tells us that the wicket is slowing down in the second inning (unless you have someone like Malinga who doesn’t bother with the pitch!) and the spinners are enjoying this period more.
The other thing that these stats may point to is the potential winner. With such performers in their side, Australia and Sri Lanka may have a better chance of winning, but New Zealand is just as good. South Africa also has a couple of bowlers, but these are not the ones they would have liked.
Australia also leads the batting numbers with Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting in the top five, but South Africa has numbers two and three locked up with Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith. Interesting reading that can offer. It means that the South African batting is doing better than the bowling! And there’s a chink in the armour! Ditto for Sri Lanka, but the other way around.
The West Indies is the worst performing of all barring the presence of Darren Powell in the bowling list. They have really disappointed and it’s no surprise that they have no chance of progressing.
These numbers may not reveal too much at the moment, but if you were to revisit them at the end of the tournament, the trends they set right now will hold good. It also indicates an Australia v South Africa final. But New Zealand is on top of the standings and by the time the semi-final line-up is finalised, it could well be an Australia v South Africa semi-final! Brilliant uncertainty!