A measure for the batting performance of cricket players : research article

Abstract

A single measure that can be used to assess the performance of batsmen in cricket is defined. This study shows how it can be used to rank batsmen. The batting ability of a batsman is generally measured by means of his average. His strike rate is, however, also very important and is often looked at as well. It will furthermore be motivated that a batsman's consistency is also of great importance. The consistency coefficient will be discussed and it's importance will be illustrated by showing that a batsman with a high consistency coefficient has a better chance to get a good score than one with a low consistency coefficient. It will also be shown how the consistency curve can be used to assess the present form of a batsman. By making use of a data set consisting of the statistics of a large group of one-day international players, these three measures will be combined into a single measure that can be used to assess the performance of a batsman and to compare different batsmen with each other. A classification scheme with ten classes according to which batsmen can be classified will be given. The best batsmen are those who fall into class one. The same procedure will be used to find a formula for batting performance and a classification table for Test players.


Keywords: Batting performance, Consistency, Cricket, Present form of a batsman, Rating of batsmen


South African Journal for Research in Sport, Physical Education and Recreation Vol.26(1) 2004: 55-64