Data crunching’s not just for geeks
Hitting Against The Spin: How Cricket Really Works, by Nathan Leamon and Ben Jones. Sportsbookofthemonth.com price £17.60, saving £2.40 on rrp
IN the introduction to his Short Game Bible, golfing coach, analyst and author Dave Pelz outlines the book’s primary intention: to “help golfers improve… develop their scoring ability [and] to enjoy the game more.”
Pelz was not the first author to attempt to achieve this, but unusually, his opening chapter focused not upon traditional topics such as stance or how best to grip the club but on data.
The book was published in 1999 after Pelz spent 23 years studying golfers and compiling data; he discovered that up to 65% of all shots occur inside 100 yards of the hole.
He also found that golfers of all abilities have between an 85% and 95% chance of putting a three-footer, but that percentage plummets significantly among amateurs the further away from the hole they are.
Pelz found that the optimum first putting distance for the Sunday morning hacker is inside 10 feet.
Over the past two decades, data analysis has transformed sport. Once considered a pursuit reserved for ‘anoraks,’ statistical analysis has become part of the sporting mainstream.
Golf, football, cycling and rugby have long since embraced the statistical revolution as many top-flight coaches consider data as pivotal to athletic success.
Numbers have always been an integral part of cricket’s appeal, from considering the possibility of a player scoring a certain number of runs to the likelihood of a bowler taking the wickets of higher-order batsmen.
However, the depth of data analysis looks set to become much deeper following the publication next week of Hitting Against the Spin by Nathan Leamon and Ben Jones.
Leamon, a Cambridge maths graduate, became an important member of England’s backroom staff during their victorious World Cup campaign, his analysis playing a significant role in the creation of team tactics.
His stark assessment of the difference between county and Test cricket hits you faster than a Jofra Archer bouncer.
For example: at county level, 81% of balls are bowled slower
❝ Once considered a pursuit of ‘anoraks’, statistical analysis has become part of the sporting mainstream
than 82 mph, whereas at Test level 60% of deliveries are bowled at 82 mph and above while 17% speed towards batsmen at 88 mph or faster.
Armed with this and similar data, coaches can not only create teams to face specific opponents – or for specific tournaments – they can often modify tactics during a game to take advantage of statistical analysis.
Leamon believes that by the end of the decade, the graphics and analysis we regularly see on TV will be available on the average club cricketer’s smart phone.
Not everyone will welcome such a development, but if data has a similar impact upon the game as it has had on golf, it could further enhance the former’s appeal.