A statistical look-back at Sachin Tendulkar’s career in ODIs

Mathew Varghese10-Oct-2007Sachin Tendulkar will become the first to play 400 ODIs for his national team, when he takes the field in Vadodara on October 10. Tendulkar, though, is a close second to Sanath Jayasuriya in reaching the mark in ODIs. Jayasuriya played his 400th against England in Dambulla, but four of his 402 appearances have not been for Sri Lanka. (For Tendulkar’s career summary, click here.)Since his debut in 1989, Tendulkar has risen to become the face of the one-day game. His 15,000 runs – and counting – will take some overtaking, considering that the only player younger than him in the 10,000-plus club is Ricky Ponting.

Besides the 15,000 runs, even his mark of 41 centuries looks a tough ask for any batsman.In the last 15 matches, Tendulkar has scored 716 runs at an average of 47.73. Fitness problems have plagued him in the current decade, and the 25 ODIs he’s played this year are the most he’s played in a calendar year since 2000, when he played 34 matches.Tendulkar’s average of 46.63 and strike-rate of 83.41 this year are marginally better than corresponding figures in the last three years, a clear indication that his powers are not on the wane.

The only conundrum Tendulkar has faced of late is reaching the three-figure mark. However, he will be playing in Vadodara, where he scored his last, against West Indies earlier this year. Since then, in 21 matches, he has come agonisingly close on four occasions, getting out in the nineties. Two of those came in successive matches, while he was out on 99 twice, the only other batsman to do so besides Jayasuriya.Had Tendulkar been Bradmanesque in converting his scores in the nineties to hundreds, he would be one short of a remarkable 100 hundreds in international cricket.Tendulkar was edgy in the previous match in Chandigarh, scratching around for a rather dull 119-ball 79. More importantly, though, he and Sourav Ganguly gave India a solid start with their stand of 91. The duo have been prolific opening the batting this season, commencing with the ODIs in Ireland.

Ganguly and Tendulkar have opened in seven of the eight matches India have won since June this year, and have averaged 89.14 in those games.Tendulkar is the highest run-getter against Australia in ODIs, and his tally of 2321 in 51 matches is second to his best of 2436 from 65 matches against Sri Lanka.Although the centuries aren’t coming as easily, his appetite for runs hasn’t reduced and he’s been able to consolidate on the starts he’s got, scoring marginally higher this year once he’s got a look-in.

Tendulkar’s batting largely overshadow his bowling abilities. He’s more than a handy bowler, with 152 wickets in ODIs so far. He also has two five-fors to his credit – both coming at Kochi – and his mix of spin and seam-up make him both an enigmatic and erratic bowler.With 118 catches as well, it’s no wonder he’s usually in the thick of the action.

West Indies have been superb when batting second in ODIs in the last six months, but their track record when batting first is less than impressive

S Rajesh05-Mar-2007

Bright start, but fading fastWest Indies have a 31-16 win-loss record in the eight World Cups they’ve played so far, but nearly half of their wins came in the first three editions. At the end of the 1983 tournament, they had won 15 games and lost just two, but since then they have struggled, winning 16 times but losing 14. Thanks to their early successes, though, their win-loss ratio of 1.93 is third among all teams, behind Australia (2.35) and South Africa (2.11). (Click here for West Indies’ record in each World Cup, and here for more stats on West Indies in World Cups.)Recent formWest Indies’ recent ODI record isn’t very encouraging either – in their last 20 games they have lost 11, and since their fabulous run in the Champions Trophy, they have lost six out of eight matches.Their recent home record is slightly better – ten wins in their last 20 ODIs, but six of those wins were against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.Win the toss and bowlMuch has been made of Brian Lara’s decision to field against India recently at Nagpur, but here is a perfectly simple explanation – West Indies are much better at chasing targets than at setting them: out of their last 20 games, they have batted first seven times, and won just once. When chasing, on the other hand, they have won eight out of 13. Expect Lara to be putting the opposition in to bat if he wins the toss during the World Cup as well. (Click here for an overall summary of West Indies’ last 20 ODIs.)West Indies’ problem in matches in which they’ve batted first has been their batting – they only score 24.4 runs per wicket, at a rate of 4.29 per over. When chasing, the average goes up significantly (32.5) as does the scoring rate (5.07).One of the main reasons for the skewed numbers when batting first and second has been the form of the three main left-handers in their line-up. The table below shows how West Indies’ main batsmen have fared when batting first and chasing. The numbers for Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Brian Lara explain the team’s struggle when batting first.

Starting troublesWith Gayle at the helm you’d expect a flurry of runs upfront, but in their last 20 ODIs, West Indies only average 4.50 runs per over in the opening 20 overs. In the seven games when they’ve batted first, that figure drops to a pathetic 3.79, while when batting second it’s a more respectable 4.88.With the ball, though, they’ve done fairly well at the start, conceding 4.54 per over in the first 20, and averaging 2.5 wickets per game in this period (in other words, opposition teams have an average score of 91 after 20 overs, for the loss of 2.5 wickets).Ending with a whimperIn the last ten overs, too, West Indies’ batsmen haven’t impressed, averaging only 5.70 per over in their last 20 ODIs. When bowling in the last ten during this period, they concede 6.99 runs per over, suggesting that the last ten overs of the game is an area they need to work on.The bowling firepowerA line-up consisting of Jerome Taylor, Daren Powell, Ian Bradshaw, Dwayne Bravo, Dwayne Smith, Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels provides Lara with varied bowling options, and this could be crucial in conditions which are expected to aid batsmen. The table below provides some pointers as to how Lara could use his bowlers – Bradshaw is at his best when used upfront, Dwayne Smith is more than handy in the early stages as is Gayle, while Bravo – with his clever changes of pace and slower balls – is the best bet when the heat of the slog overs is on.

Working in partnershipsThe table below shows the average partnerships for each wicket for and against West Indies in their last 20 matches. What’s noticeable is the meaty contributions of the first four wickets, but equally noticeable is how quickly the numbers fall away thereafter. Brian Lara and his team have given away a huge amount of ground through some insipid lower-middle-order batting – West Indies’ sixth, seventh and eighth wickets have averaged less than 49 together; against West Indies, however, those three wickets average an impressive 82. Which means positions six, seven, eight and nine need to contribute a lot more with the bat for West Indies.

Stats highlights from the second day’s play at Eden Gardens.

HR Gopalakrishna and Mathew Varghese01-Dec-2007Stats highlights from the second day’s play at Eden Gardens.

VVS Laxman became the leading run-scorer in Tests at Eden Gardens © AFP
The day surely belonged to Sourav Ganguly, who scored his first Test hundred in Kolkata, his home town. In seven Tests prior to this one at Eden Gardens, Ganguly had only one fifty – a 65 against Australia in 1998. Ganguly has no fifty in four ODIs he’s played at the ground. It was also his first century against Pakistan. VVS Laxman continued his great run in Kolkata, and became the leading Test run-getter at Eden Gardens during the course of his unbeaten 112, going past Mohammad Azharuddin. Laxman now has 898 runs at an average of 81.63 with three hundreds – the same as Rahul Dravid – in Kolkata, but is till two short of Azhar, who had five hundreds in seven Tests. Wasim Jaffer became the third batsman to score a double-hundred at Eden Gardens, after Rohan Kanhai and VVS Laxman. It is Jaffer’s second score over 200, his best being 212 against West Indies in St John’s. India’s total of 616 for 5 declared was their second-highest against Pakistan, after their 675 for 5 declared in Multan in 2004. It was also their third total in excess of 600 at Eden Gardens; India had scored more against Australia in 1998 and in 2001 – when Laxman scored 281. Danish Kaneria finished with figures of 2 for 194 from his 50 overs, the most runs conceded in an innings at Eden Gardens.

Stats highlights from the two-Test series between West Indies and Sri Lanka

S Rajesh08-Apr-2008

Going into the fourth day of the Trinidad Test, West Indies were in danger of slipping to their eighth series defeat in a row, and their tenth loss in the last 11 series. Thanks to Ramnaresh Sarwan’s superb 102 and his 157-run partnership with Shivnarine Chanderpaul, though, West Indies swept to the third-largest successful run-chase at this ground, thus denying Sri Lanka their first series win in the West Indies. The result also means Sri Lanka haven’t won an away series against a team other than Zimbabwe and Bangladesh since 2000, when they beat Pakistan 2-1. (Click here for Sri Lanka’s overseas series since 2000.)For Sarwan, it capped an excellent series, one in which he topped 50 in every innings. It was a welcome return to form too – in his last 25 innings before this series, he had only scored one century, and averaged 27.20. His fourth-wicket partnership with Chanderpaul is a West Indian record for that wicket against Sri Lanka, and fell just seven runs short of equalling their highest for the fourth wicket in the last innings of a Test.Overall, Sri Lanka had the slightly better numbers in the series, averaging more runs per wicket, and scoring at a faster rate. West Indies, though, raised their batting standards on the last day of the series to give them their second win in their last five Tests.

The partnership numbers for both teams indicate that both teams had problems with their top-order batting. Marlon Samuels had the lowest average among the West Indians, with 29 runs in four innings, while Tillakaratne Dilshan, Michael Vandort and – more surprisingly – Kumar Sangakkara all had ordinary series for Sri Lanka. (Click here for the series averages for West Indies, and here for the averages for Sri Lanka.)Sri Lanka’s opening pair did a fine job, but West Indies’ second-wicket stand was far better, thanks to Sarwan’s run-fest. Further down the order, the fourth-wicket partnership was a huge one for West Indies – it helped them level the series – while Sri Lanka relied heavily on Chaminda Vaas’ batting prowess at No. 7: their stands for the sixth and seventh wickets were both in excess of 50.

Among the bowlers, this was one series in which Vaas easily outdid Muttiah Muralitharan. Vaas, in fact, had an outstanding all-round series, averaging 19.75 per wicket with the ball and 37.67 with the bat. Murali took as many wickets as Vaas, but each one cost him nearly 33.West Indies’ bowling star was Jerome Taylor, whose 11 wickets at 24.81 took him past the 50-wicket milestone in Tests.Head-to-head contestsThe ability of the West Indies top order to tackle the Murali menace was perhaps the most significant aspect of the series. Sarwan, Chanderpaul and Gayle all handled him with a good degree of success, which made the Sri Lankan attack look far less threatening.Vaas, on the other hand, was more than a handful for Samuels, but he had less success against long-time bunny Gayle, who fell just once to Vaas in 58 deliveries.

San Francisco Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos made Oracle Park history during Sunday's game against the San Diego Padres after he unleashed a solo home run that reached the water in the famous McCovey Cove.

It was a monumental home run in that no right-handed batter had ever previously hit a home run directly into the water outside the stadium, a feat typically reserved for left-handed sluggers.

For all the countless times Barry Bonds and other great left-handed hitters have deposited home runs into the cove, no batter from the right side had ever hit an opposite field blast that splashed down in the water.

Until Sunday.

Ramos's home run couldn't have come at a better time, either. He tied the ball game at 2–2 in the bottom of the ninth inning with his solo blast, and now stands alone in Oracle Park lore, having achieved a home run previously thought to be impossible.

The stadium first opened in 2000 and it only took 24 years for a right-handed hitter to send one out of the ballpark and into the water.

There were no airy slashes, few high-risk shots, and yet Virender Sehwag’s innings had the same effect as so many of his cavalier knocks

George Binoy in Mirpur10-Jun-2008
Virender Sehwag’s running between the wickets along with Gautam Gambhir was exceptional © AFP
A fleeting glance at the scorecard will tell you that Virender Sehwag scored 89 off 76 balls with 13 fours and a six. While the strike-rate – 117.10 – will suggest a typical Sehwag sizzler, this was a different sort of innings. There were no airy slashes, few high-risk shots, and yet this innings had the same effect as so many of his cavalier knocks.If the change in Sehwag’s approach was a conscious decision, there would have been reasons for it. Inconsistent form in ODIs – his last 50-plus score for India was against Bermuda in the 2007 World Cup – cost him a place in the XI. He was picked for the CB Series earlier this year, but after five failures, India preferred Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa to partner Sachin Tendulkar. Sehwag’s form in the Indian Premier League might have given him the edge over Uthappa for today’s match, but it was Tendulkar’s injury that really opened the door for him.The problems that led to most of Sehwag’s ODI failures – the inability to find the right pace of scoring, or attempting to hit the ball with might – were missing today. His approach was measured and though he cut down on risk, the damage caused was as severe.He began cautiously against testing deliveries from Umar Gul and Sohail Tanvir. His initial forceful shots, off his pads through midwicket and square drives through point, were all played along the ground. When Wahab Riaz pitched short on leg stump on two occasions, Sehwag merely moved inside the line and lapped the ball deftly to the long-leg boundary. Only when the ball was really loose, such as the wide one Gul offered him, did Sehwag go over the top. A significant absence among the shots Sehwag played was his trademark slash over third man – a stroke that has fetched him sixes and dismissals.”That [shot selection] is why he [Sehwag] scored 80 [89] runs,” Mahendra Singh Dhoni, his captain, said later. “You have to pick and choose. A batsman like him can score easily at one run per ball. He just has to pick and choose.”A batsman like him [Virender Sehwag] can score easily at one run per ball. He just has to pick and chooseMahendra Singh Dhoni, India’s captainIt wasn’t just about the boundaries, though, as Dhoni put it. Sehwag’s running between the wickets along with Gambhir was “exceptional”. There was an instance in the 17th over, when Gambhir pushed the ball to cover off Iftikhar Anjum. He didn’t go for the single immediately but Sehwag had sprinted towards the danger end, putting pressure on the fielder. The throw was off target – Sehwag may have been home – and the batsmen were able to run an overthrow. His urgency and application today presented a stark contrast to his lackadaisical attitude in a match against Sri Lanka in February 2007, which resulted in one of the most ridiculous run-outs.His innings, however, wasn’t flawless. On 43, he edged one to Kamran Akmal but was dropped; and when on 58, he closed the face of the bat too early but the leading edge lobbed over Shahid Afridi’s head at point. By and large, his shots were orthodox, his timing terrific and placement precise. The outcome was that India began their first ODI after the IPL in Twenty20 mode. They were 43 after five overs, 76 after ten and 143 at the end of the 20th with Sehwag’s contribution being 71 off 63. His first attempt at clearing the boundary, off Riaz, paid off soon after.It took a freak delivery to get him out – a slower one out of the back of Riaz’s hand that bounced awkwardly and took the edge. By that time India were 174 for 2 in just the 24th over. “It’s really important in conditions like this to score off the new ball,” Dhoni said. “Wait for the bad deliveries but still look to score off the new ball. As the game progresses it gets really slow and it’s very difficult to rotate.”The contenders for India’s opening slots are many but if Sehwag continues to blend his aggression with judicious shot selection, he’s a shoo-in for the role. A sentiment Dhoni expressed when he said, “Hopefully, if he’s at his best he will continue to open.”

The Athletics are preparing for a move to Sacramento ahead of the 2025 MLB season, having bid farewell to the city of Oakland and the beloved Coliseum.

There will be plenty of things to get used to in their new, temporary home in west Sacramento at Sutter Health Park. Among those will be the rather bizarre location of the A's locker room.

During a sitdown with Chris Rose on Tuesday, A's slugging outfielder Lawrence Butler revealed that the team's locker room at the new stadium will actually be located behind center field.

"What I know, as of right now, is that they're making renovations to the field and stuff like that. I know our locker room is going to be in center field. They're turfing the outfield. … That's pretty much all I know," Butler told Rose.

Butler did not seem excited about the locker room location, and suggested that "it's probably going to suck" and called it a "sticky situation."

The A's are expected to remain in Sacramento through the 2027 season, though players don't seem overly excited about the upcoming changes that will come with playing at Sutter Health Park.

The benches and bullpens emptied during the sixth inning of Game 4 of the American League Division Series after a play at second base involving Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia and New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe. With Garcia at first base, Royals second baseman Michael Massey grounded into a double play. Garcia appeared to slide hard into second base towards Volpe, whose forearm also appeared to make contact with the Royals infielder's upper body during the slide.

Garcia took exception to the play and immediately got right into Volpe's face, prompting both Yankees and Royals to emerge from their respective dugouts and bullpens.

After the game, which the Yankees won 3-1 to advance to the American League Championship Series , third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. told reporters that he felt Garcia "tried to go injure" Volpe during the play, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.

"I just felt like he tried to go and injure Volpe because he was being a sore loser," Chisholm said. "He was talking a lot on Instagram and Twitter and stuff."

"I do the same thing, but I'm not gonna go and try and injure somebody if they're winning a game, and I didn't like that so I told him we don't do that on this side and I'm always gonna stick up for my guys."

Chisholm indeed was one of the first Yankees players to approach Garcia after the play, and the two exchanged some words on the field.

Both Garcia and Chisholm Jr. had been vocal off the field during the series as well. Following the Royals' Game 2 victory, Garcia took to X (formerly Twitter) and seemingly took a shot at Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodon, then said that Kansas City doesn't fear anyone.

Then, Chisholm drew the ire of Royals fans when he said that Kansas City had gotten "lucky" in the Game 2 victory.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone, perhaps believing the play between Volpe and Garcia was blown out of proportions, referenced the days of the heated Yankees-Royals rivalry of the 1970s and 1980s.

"If there was some kind of upset over the slide or whatever, we just go back and show a little Hal McRae and Willie Randolph and we’ll all laugh at ourselves," Boone said.

The Yankees will await the winner of Saturday's Game 5 of the Cleveland Guardians-Detroit Tigers ALDS.

The captain’s unbeaten 88 against Nepal led Scotland into the Super Sixes stage of the World Cup Qualifier and one step closer to the showpiece event in England in 2019

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Mar-2018
ScorecardScotland celebrate progress into Super Sixes•IDI via Getty Images

Kyle Coetzer might well remember his 27th List A fifty with a great amount of fondness. His unbeaten 88 against Nepal led Scotland into the Super Sixes stage of the World Cup Qualifier and one step closer to the showpiece event in England in 2019.Considering he only had to chase 150, the bowlers deserve a lot of credit as well. Stuart Whittingham and Safyaan Sharif ran through Nepal’s top order with the new ball, taking four wickets in the first five overs. With Nepal struggling at 14 for 4, captain Paras Khadka (63) did his best to keep the scoreboard ticking along. He helped Nepal reach 100 in the 29th over, but fell soon after and the tail was left with too much to do.Opening batsmen Matthew Cross (14) and the captain Coetzer were watchful at the start of Scotland’s chase. They added 33 at the top before Cross fell to Sandeep Lamichhane’s legspin. Basant Regmi, too, took two wickets as Scotland’s middle order wobbled just a bit, but Coetzer’s half-century ensured they could overcome it and seal victory with four wickets and 51 balls to spare.

The news over recent days has focused on England players choosing to give up the first-class game, but Surrey’s Stuart Meaker has taken a step in the opposite direction

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Feb-2018The news over recent days has focused on England players choosing to give up the first-class game, but Surrey’s Stuart Meaker has taken a step in the opposite direction by signing to play for Auckland in the Plunket Shield during March, as part of his preparations for the Championship season.Meaker, who has been capped four times and toured New Zealand with England in 2013, has a reputation as one of the quickest bowlers in county cricket. He was approached after Surrey team-mate Sam Curran, who played T20 for Auckland during the Super Smash, recommended him, and could play in four rounds of New Zealand’s domestic competition.”Auckland came in on the recommendation of Sam Curran, who was out there,” Meaker said. “They said have you got anyone that bowls reasonable gas and can come and play a few first-class games for us towards the end of the season. So they asked me to pop down and looks like I’m going off there for the whole of March.”Meaker has been given permission to miss Surrey’s pre-season tour to Dubai in March, and hopes to benefit from playing first-class cricket in the run-up to the season. Surrey are not in action in the opening round of the Championship, waiting until April 20 before starting against Hampshire.With Adil Rashid and Alex Hales making headlines over the last week by opting out of Championship cricket for their counties, Meaker’s decision to go abroad to focus on his red-ball game is something of a counterpoint.”It’s a good build-up toward the start of the season,” he said. “Sometimes guys go away and play club cricket in Australia, this is just a step further than that, going off and playing some four-day games, getting some overs under my belt. That does unfortunately mean I miss out on pre-season tours and games, but there’s nothing quite like playing in an actual competitive four-day game to get you ready for the start of the year.”I’ve been out there before with the England team, quite few years ago. We were set up in Auckland and that was my first experience of cricket in New Zealand. They had a really good set-up, really good facilities. It’s just a chance to play some different cricket at a historic club.”Although his England prospects have receded, partly through injuries, Meaker is still only 29 and likely to be in contention across all three formats for Surrey.