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Statistics for Dummies

SJS

Hall of Fame Member
It was many years ago that I wrote to the administrators of one of my favorite stats sites - howzat.com - pointing out something I found kind of silly in the way they presented some records.

The record in question was the Players with Most Career Wickets after Playing X Matches

The two anomalies I pointed out were . . .

WAQAR's record in 28 Tests

- When Waqar took his 159th Test wicket by the end of his 28th Test match - it became a record even though he was still 30 wickets short of SF Barnes's 189 in 27 Tests.
- It took Waqar 33 Tests to overhaul Barnes's tally in 27.
- If Barnes had played another five Tests and failed to take a single wicket, he would still have been above Waqar in that list.

LILLEE's 206 wkts in 38 Tests

- Again Lillee was still ten short of Grimmett's tally of 216 in 37. It finally took 41 Tests to equal and 42 to overtake (Both by Waqar) Grimmett's tally.

I pointed out to them that this way of showing the record could create a situation which wouldn't just look like an anomaly but could look ridiculous.

I do not know what happened to the email I sent to them but it remained that way on their site.

Today, while talking of the great bowling attacks of the 70's and 80's with a friend and talking of Lillee and Waqar I remembered this. I realized it could be interesting to check this record page once again.

The page is linked below.

So now we have the last 32 entries (from Test number 169 to 200) against the name of that greatest bowler of all times who took a grand total of 46 wickets in his 200 tests at an average of almost 55 and a strike rate in the 90's Murali with his 800 Test wickets is 67 places behind the little master all rounder. Just imagine, if Murali had played another 66 Tests and taken another 1000 Test wickets, he would not have been able to dislodge Sachin.

I love it :)

With the number of Tests being played today, it is quite possible that Tendulkar's GREAT BOWLING RECORD is never beaten.

I would love, however, if someone, say Virat Kohli, manages to play 201 Tests and also takes the solitary wicket he needs to be on top of this list of great bowlers.

It would be interesting to hear of other such ridiculous anomalies in cricket stats.

HowSTAT! Test Cricket - Most Wickets after X Matches
 
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TheJediBrah

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That's not an anomaly, nor is it ridiculous. Tendulkar rightfully owns that record, it's just a very specific and bizarre record for someone to be interested in looking up.
 

SJS

Hall of Fame Member
That's perfectly okay. Its a point of view :)

By the way, in case of Tendular's 46 in 200 tests or, better still, the hypothetical Kohli (1 wkt in 201) . . .would you call it a bowling record or a longevity record.
 

honestbharani

Whatever it takes!!!
Nah, SJS, you are absolutely right. I remember OS' rant about 100s not being considered 50s, this is a similar one. Pretty ridiculous that it should be listed as a "record" when it is so utterly meaningless.
 

Zinzan

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Not necessarily disagreeing with SJS's nit-pick, but 100s not being considered 50s is not really similar at all.
 

honestbharani

Whatever it takes!!!
Not necessarily disagreeing with SJS's nit-pick, but 100s not being considered 50s is not really similar at all.

Well, I have been back and forth on that. But I do get what you mean, still think what I pointed out is valid though.
 

TheJediBrah

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It's like picking out the record for "Most test runs for a player who was born on December 10, 1974 in Christchurch and played exactly 71 Tests" and getting upset that the answer is Chris Martin because you think it sends the message that Chris Martin is a better batsman than Bradman.

It doesn't, it's just a stupid, meaningless "record"
 

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