Having already selected the top four for our ‘Best One-Day International XI’, now is the time to select the final out-and-out batsman for the side, walking in at number five.
The further down the order you go, the more the emphasis is on quicker scoring in shorter time periods given that, in theory, if the top four have done their job properly, the middle-to-lower order will find themselves at the crease late in the innings to try and capitalise on the late overs. Here, we are starting to see the genuine power players displayed, as opposed to the perhaps more technically correct batters higher up the order.
As always, there is a criteria to make our shortlist: this time, it is a minimum of 600 runs specifically at number five since January 1 2016. The names that made the cut are: Ben Stokes (1650 runs), Angelo Mathews (1564), Tom Latham (1050), MS Dhoni (977), Shoaib Malik (974), Kevin O’Brien (872), Sikandar Raza (715), Sarfaraz Ahmed (674), Nicholas Pooran (662) and Shakib Al Hasan (626).
Boundary Hitting
If we initially look at the batsman’s capability at finding the boundary, it is West Indian Pooran who is the most adept within this group, boasting the lowest balls-per-four (Bp4) and balls-per-six (Bp6), averaging one every 8.92 and 23.8 balls respectively, culminating in an overall balls-per-boundary of 6.49. Irishman O’Brien is not too far behind when it comes to hitting fours, sitting with an average of one every 10.23 deliveries faced, whilst Shakib is third with one every 11.57 balls.
At the other end of the spectrum, and perhaps surprisingly given his proven world-class talents, it is Indian legend Dhoni who has the highest Bp4 at 17.56 balls. Given that he is known as one of the best finishers of games of this generation, the fact that he has the worst rate of four striking is surprising.
Furthermore, it is obvious to see that Pakistani captain Sarfaraz is the most passive of the group, with his average of one six every 241 balls faced (he has hit only three in this time period) meaning he has the highest BpB of the group at one every 13.9 deliveries faced – 0.55 balls higher than Latham in the penultimate spot.
Average and Strike-Rate
Moving on to a player’s average and strike-rate – the number of runs they score per 100 balls faced – it is Pooran who is the stand-out performer, by far-and-away holding the highest strike-rate.
His aggressive position at the top of the graph illustrates the free-scoring nature of his game, indicating just how far ahead of his competitors he is when it comes to scoring quickly. To then match this exceptional scoring rate with an average of over 50 – the second-highest of the group behind Stokes – is an indicator of the impact that the Trinidadian has had on the world game since his debut in early 2019. A mention should also be given to the consistent Mathews who, although he scores at a significantly slower rate than Pooran, still possesses an outstanding average within this period. He may not be as eye-catching as the more dynamic batsmen, but his quality and technical ability is there for all to see.
With the majority of players positioned between averages of 30-45 and strike-rates of 75-100, the other considerable outlier, as well as Pooran, is Stokes. His average of 61.11 is phenomenal for a number five, and shows how good he is as a batsman alone – not even taking into account his never-say-die aggressive bowling or sublime fielding. Scored at just less than a run a ball, the 29-year-old has become a world-class batsman alone.
Elsewhere, given that the lower down the order a player bats the less time they are likely (in theory) to spend at the crease in a limited-overs match, it is therefore perhaps not entirely surprising to see the majority of players within the data set located towards the left-hand side of the graph by virtue of a lesser time spent at the crease: O’Brien being the quickest scoring of the group in that area of the graph.
Combining both of these metrics gives a good indicator as to the all-round quality of a batsman, accounting for both run-scoring quantity and speed. When doing so, it is clear to see that Pooran is the highest-performing player with his score of 166.85, out-weighing Stokes’ 152.82 in second.
The top two are way ahead of the rest, Sarfaraz with 138.15 their closest challenger. It may appear strange that the Pakistani can fare so well given his relative reluctance/inability to find the boundary, as alluded to in the previous section. However, it shows the importance of rotating strike and ensuring the scoreboard keeps moving, as he is able to combine the fourth-highest average with the third-highest strike rate despite not being a big boundary finder.
Elsewhere, Dhoni is once again not particularly well represented as he occupies the second-bottom position in the table, ahead of only Zimbabwean Raza (119.59) with his total of 122.52.
Pace or Spin?
The most notable conclusion that can be drawn upon immediate viewing of this particular section is that there is a lack of high-class players of spin within the dataset. With only two players averaging greater than 30 – Sarfaraz at 50.2 and Stokes with 33.63 – it highlights a clear deficiency within these players of playing the turning ball. What makes this more surprising is that half of these players hail from sub-continental conditions: either India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka or Bangladesh. Players from such countries are brought up on low, spinning tracks, and so should, in theory, be the better players at facing such deliveries.
When analysing their proficiency at facing pace, there is a greater number of players who show a higher level of skill than when compared to those who benefit against spin. Pooran (61.71) and Shakib (51.5) both average above 50 with Stokes (48.93) marginally under, with only three players – Sarfaraz (27.71), Malik (28.81) and O’Brien 27.77) – falling below an average of 30.
Similarly to when comparing averages and strike-rates, looking at a cumulative total for averages against pace and spin gives a better overall indication as to a player’s all-round ability against both bowling disciplines. In the below graph, the red area represents a batsman’s average against spin, and the green area against pace.
When we do so, it can be seen that Shakib and Pooran are the two highest performers, the Bangladeshi out-scoring his West Indian colleague by 0.3 runs, with scores of 86.21 and 85.91 respectively. Stokes is not far behind with a total of 82.56, whilst Sarfaraz is further back in fourth with 77.91.
Dhoni’s less than spectacular average against either sees him slip to last here with a cumulative total of 50.65 – albeit marginally behind O’Brien with 50.97 – Raza’s higher average against pace moving him up two spots by virtue of a total of 53.83.
Taking this one step further, an overall average can be displayed when taking away the individual’s difference in respective averages against pace and spin away from their cumulative total. Therefore, this then rewards players who are as consistent against both and punishes those who have a clear leaning towards one or the other – and it alters the results significantly.
Stokes is the clear winner within this readjusted section, sitting just under ten runs higher than Malik in second with his score of 67.26 in comparison to the Pakistani’s 57.62. Pooran sees a significant drop to seventh place, his colossal average against pace counting against him due to his below-par record against spin, as is the case with Shakib, who falls to sixth. Raza drops back to the final place in the group due to his poor average of 15 against spin.
Length of innings against run rate
Moving on to the final section of our analysis, here we look at a batsman’s runs-per-ball (RpB) and balls-per-dismissal (BpD). Using these metrics means we can analyse the impact of a player in both their longevity and run-scoring, and therefore conclude who has the greatest impact for the longest period of time.
As we have clearly discovered throughout the course of this piece, Pooran is right at the top when it comes to scoring rate. His average of 1.16 RpB means he is leading the way within the group, way higher than O’Brien’s 0.97 in second. However, his downfall comes in his time spent at the crease.
A mean innings length of 43.9 balls puts him seventh within the group when it comes to staying in, hampering his overall ball-by-ball impact. Stokes once again is the front-runner here, constructing an average innings of 66.6 deliveries alongside a healthy RpB of 0.92. This shows that he has evolved from a ‘dasher’, someone only capable of scoring quickly, and has evolved into a complete batsman capable of occupying the crease and playing longer innings’ – as he demonstrated perfectly in the memorable 2019 World Cup final.
Similarly, Mathews looks to be a player whose preferred method of attack seems to be a slower and less destructive one, given his average innings length of 63.13 balls and RpB of 0.8. Also, moving back to Irishman O’Brien, although he boasts the second-highest scoring rate, his BpD of just 32.14 means he is lagging well behind the rest in terms of time spent batting.
Selection
To select our number five, we will combine all of the metrics we have looked at to formulate our unique Batting Index for each player, thereby forming an objective method of choosing who the best player is.
With our Index taking into account ability against both bowling disciplines, average score and rate of scoring, it is Stokes who is the man to slot into fifth position with an Index of 220.08.
Pooran is just behind thanks to his Index of 215.25. In truth, the top two are streets ahead of the rest, with nobody else being able to boast an Index greater than 200 – Sarfaraz the next closest with 193.57. Malik (185.39), Latham (182.56), Mathews (180.16) and Shakib (173.97) are the closest challengers to the top three elsewhere, with Raza (149.59) and Dhoni (158.52) bringing up the rear.
Stokes’ achievement to be selected in this side purely as a batsman is remarkable given his ability to affect a game in other areas too, whether it be with ball in hand or in the field. However, there can be no denying that he is a genuine world-class stand-alone batsman too – which makes him perfect to slot into the engine room of our side.
Stay tuned in the coming days to find out who fits into our XI in the all-rounder position.
Current side
- Rohit Sharma (India)
- David Warner (Australia)
- Virat Kohli (India)
- Ross Taylor (West Indies)
- Ben Stokes (England)