Pujara, Bumrah sizzled in Australian summer
Cheteshwar Pujara’s 74.42 runs per dismissal and Jasprit Bumrah’s strike rate of 47.6 were the backbone of India’s monumental series victory Down Under
As the Australian cricket summer got over, here’s a look at some standout performances.
BEST BATSMAN: CHETESHWAR PUJARA
No surprises as to who comes out top here. India’s No.3, Cheteshwar Pujara, led his team to an historic series win, becoming the first ever Asian side to win a Test series in Australia. Whilst inspired by Virat Kohli’s captaincy, Pujara’s calm demeanour and willingness to occupy the crease (averaging 179 deliveries per dismissal) was the backbone of India’s performance. One of the many impressive things about Pujara’s campaign was quite how much he over-performed compared to what we’d expect.
Pujara’s expected average (according to the balls he faced) was 44.90 (using CricViz’s Wicket Probability Model based on historic ball-tracking data) was considerably lower than the 74.42 runs-per-dismissal that he actually managed. The difference (degree of over-performance) was the largest among batsman to play in Australia this summer. He played just 12.5% false shots across the series, a remarkable effort considering the quality of the oppositions bowlers and the struggles of the opening pair.
BEST BOWLER: JASPRIT BUMRAH
Having started 2018 out of the Test side, Jasprit Bumrah ended it as arguably India’s most important red ball bowler. 21 wickets at an average of just 17.00 in Australia represented one of the finest overseas campaigns by an Indian seamer. What Bumrah did so well was continually send down dangerous deliveries — with players like Mohd Shami and Ishant Sharma reliably holding up the other end, Bumrah was free to be both the fastest Indian seamer (averaging 143kph) and the most attacking. His Expected Strike Rate of 47.6 is the lowest for any bowler in Australia this summer, showing that the average ball he’s been bowling has been more threatening than any other bowler on show.
BEST FIELDER: KUSAL MENDIS
Whilst the Sri Lankan didn’t quite have the series he would have wanted with the bat — an average of 15.75 across the two Tests a poor return for such a talented batsman — he left a mark on the Australian summer with his excellent fielding. By CricViz’s fielding metrics, Mendis’ fielding was worth a whopping 42.35 runs per match to Sri Lanka, the highest figure for anyone to play in either series on Australian shores this summer.
His assured and often spectacular efforts in the slips saw him pouch six catches across three innings, and most importantly didn’t shell a single one.
Our metric takes into account the difficulty of the chance, and this reflects well on Mendis, showing that he was not only reliable, but reliably overperforming.
UNLUCKIEST PLAYER: MITCHELL STARC
Starc supposedly had a poor summer. He’s been the brunt of a lot of criticism, and has certainly been slightly ineffective. However, he’s consistently had no luck. No player to bowl in Australia this summer has drawn a false shot or an edge more often than Starc, doing so with a remarkable 25.3% of his deliveries. Regardless of whether he’s been able to put together spells of controlled bowling, he has certainly caused batsmen more issues than the scorecard reflects. He’s also bowled with genuine pace. 97% of his deliveries this season have been over 140kph, the highest figure he’s ever recorded in a home summer, suggesting that some of the claims that his rhythm is down are perhaps slightly premature. He’s had a prolonged period of bad luck — England fans will be hoping he doesn’t get all his good luck when he arrives for the Ashes.
BREAKTHROUGH PLAYER: TRAVIS HEAD
Starting the summer as one of a number of young Australian batsmen trying to establish themselves in the team, Travis Head is the only member of the top six which played against India in Adelaide who can be absolutely sure of his place in the Ashes squad. 541 runs across the summer, at a healthy average of 60.11, represents an excellent first home summer for the South Australian. The only two other Aussie batsmen to play every Test (Marcus Harris and Tim Paine) both averaged roughly half (32.70 and 27.37) of what Head managed. What’s more, he’s done so with a significant degree of control, playing just 12% false shots — a record far better than some of his more illustrious contemporaries. He’ll be on the plane to England this winter, with a solid start to his Test career behind him.