A method for the comparison of the bowling performances of bowlers in a match or a series of matches

The combined bowling rate (CBR) has been developed (Lemmer, 2002) as a single measure to assess the bowling performance of a bowler. Its calculation makes use of O, the number of overs bowled, R, the number of runs conceded and W, the number of wickets taken. It was, however, mentioned that it might be desirable to weight the wickets of top order batsmen higher than those of lower order batsmen. This is especially important if one wants to compare the bowling performances of the bowlers in a single match because it is far more difficult to get a top quality batsman out than a tail-ender. Normally a bowler claiming the top three batsmen's wickets ought to get much more credit than one who gets the three tail-enders' wickets. This can be accomplished by giving weights to the wickets and replacing W, the number of wickets taken, in the CBR formula by W*, the sum of the weights of the wickets taken by the bowler. This paper develops suitable weights and uses these to rate the bowlers who were involved in the 2003 npower Test series between South Africa and England. From the results the need is observed for a measure that is more sensitive to a bowler's ability to take wickets and this is resolved by means of a modification of CBR. The dynamic bowling rate (DBR) is defined and is used to give the final ratings. Keywords: bowlers, bowling performance, combined bowling rate, cricket, comparison of bowlers, dynamic bowling rate, weights in the calculation of CBR and DBR South African Journal for Research in Sport, Physical Education and Recreation Vol. 27(1) 2005: 75-8

Individual match approach to Bowling performance measures in cricket

Match conditions can play a significant role in player performances in a cricket match. If the pitch is in a good condition, the batsmen can achieve good scores, making it difficult for the bowlers. In the case of an uneven pitch or adverse weather conditions, the bowlers may have the upper hand. In order to measure bowlers’ performances in a fair way, it is desirable that the match conditions should be taken into account in the calculation of bowling performance measures. The purpose of this study was to provide a fair method to select the best bowler of a series or tournament. This is achieved by means of the individual match approach, which is introduced in the present study. Its essence is to scale the number of runs conceded by a bowler down when the batting conditions are favourable and to scale them up when batting conditions are adverse. The measure proposed is used to rank the bowlers in the ICC World Twenty20 series of 2010. The use of these adjusted runs can have a significant effect on the ranking of bowlers compared to the situation where the original number of runs is used in the same measure.Keywords: Bowling performance; Cricket; Cricket pitch; Wicket weightsSouth African Journal for Research in Sport, Physical Education and Recreation, 2012, 34(2): 95-10

A measure of the current bowling performance in cricket

The combined bowling rate (CBR) defined in Lemmer (2002) for use in limited overs matches and the dynamic bowling rate (DBR) defined in Lemmer (2005) for unlimited overs matches are both measures of career bowling performances. There is, however, a need for measures that can be used to assess the current bowling performances of bowlers in conjunction with their career performances. In order to meet this need, the CBR and DBR measures will be modified to reflect current performances better. Secondly, due to the importance of selecting bowlers who have high probabilities of rendering good performances, the consistency of the bowler (which also reflects the present form of the bowler) should also form part of the measure. The CBP measure developed in this paper has been used to rank a selection of South African bowlers according to their one-day careers and also their test careers. South African Journal for Research in Sport, Physical Education and Recreation Vol. 28(2) 2006: 91-10

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

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: 55-6

Spectator tension in limited overs cricket matches

Depending on their construction, cricket performance measures can be used to measure various aspects of a match. In this study the focus is on the emotions experienced by the supporters of the two teams in limited overs matches. During a cricket match the supporters of the teams often experience high levels of tension depending on how their team performs and on the match situation. In this study measures are proposed to assess the supposed level of tension of the supporters of the team batting in the second innings of the match, and also of the supporters of the bowling team. Criteria are defined to assess the effect of boundaries scored or wickets falling on the tension or frustration experienced by the supporters of the two teams. These effects increase in size as the match progresses, except in the case of the bowling team where the effect of wickets falling remains almost the same. The measures are particularly interesting in the case of closely contested matches where the outcome remains in the balance up to the end.Keywords: Cricket; Sports analytics; Team sports; Match supporters

Measuring performance of batting partners in limited overs cricket

Batting and bowling are prime skills in the game of cricket. Unlike bowling, batting takes place between a pair of two batsmen, often referred to as a partnership. If a batsman is dismissed, the pair is broken and a new partnership is formed with the next batsman. However, the different existing measures of batting performance are based on individual performances and not on the basis of partnerships. This research attempts to develop a measure to quantify the batting performance of partnerships. This unique measure takes into account not only the runs scored by the partnership, but also the match situation in which the runs are scored by the batting partners. To quantify the model, the 2016 Twenty20 World Cup played in India is considered. If the partnership scores are computed for a series of matches of a given team, then the coach can identify the partnerships that bat well under pressure. It will be helpful in determining the batting order of the team so that reasonably well played partnerships under pressure shall occur more frequently in the upcoming matches. This measure can also determine the best opening batting partners for a given team in limited overs cricket.Keywords: Batting; Cricket analytics; Limited overs; Performance measurement