STATBOX-Cricket-How the teams are shaping up so far

By Rajiv Gupta

NAGPUR, India, March 12 (Reuters) - With 28 league games
completed, we are exactly two-thirds into the World Cup
qualifying stages. We take a look here at how the nine
test-playing nations are shaping up, primarily on their
tournament form displayed so far (see also notes below).

Terms:

Economy or run rate = Runs per over

Average = Runs per dismissal

Strike rate (batting) = Runs per 100 balls

Strike rate (bowling) = Balls per wicket

Australia

Strengths:

Batting: Preserving wickets (average of 52.1 runs per
dismissal and 182.0 runs per dismissal during powerplays)

High run rate overall (5.6 runs per over)

Bowling: 4.2 runs per over and 16.7 balls per wicket in
powerplays

Fast bowling: 3.9 runs per over and 22.8 balls per wicket

Highest number of catches per innings: 5

Weaknesses:

5.2 runs per over scored during powerplays

Bowling: 32.4 balls per wicket

Spin bowling: 85.7 balls per wicket
- -

Bangladesh

Strengths:

First (mandatory) powerplay: 5.8 runs per over

Only 6% of runs conceded as extras

Weaknesses:

Batting: average opening partnership (43.0 runs per
dismissal); poor run rate overall (4.6)

Powerplay while batting: Poor runs per dismissal (21.9);
poor run rate (5.4)

Powerplay while bowling: Poor average (42.9 runs per
wicket); poor economy (5.3)

Most number of run outs so far (5)

Bowling: Poor strike rate (37.7 balls per wicket); poor
economy (5.3)

Fast bowling: Poor economy (5.6) and strike rate (40.9)

Spin bowling: Poor economy (5.0)
- -

England

Strengths:

Openers: Good strike rate (97.6)

Only 1 run out conceded so far

Weaknesses:

Lower middle order: Poor average (10.8)

Losing too many wickets during the batting (third) powerplay
(13.2 runs per dismissal) with poor run rate (6.40)

Bowling: Poor economy (5.5); poor strike rate (36.0)

Powerplay while bowling: Poor economy (5.7)

Fast bowling: Poor economy (5.5) and strike rate (37.3)

Backup bowlers: Poor economy (5.1), average (184.0) and
strike rate (216.0)

Extras: Highly profligate (98 runs) with the highest extras
(33) in any innings twice
- -

India

Strengths:

Batting: High run rate (6.1); high average runs per
dismissal (46.2), High openers' strike rate (112.0)

High powerplay run rate (6.2)

Strike rate: Fast bowlers (22.3); backup bowlers (42.8)

Fielding: Catches (16) and run outs (4)

Weaknesses:

Bowling: Poor economy (5.2) and average (27.5)

Poor powerplay economy rate (5.5)

Spin bowling: Poor economy (5.0), average (55.5) and strike
rate (67.0)

High number of run outs conceded (4)
- -

New Zealand

Strengths:

Openers: High average runs per dismissal (79.0); high
partnership average (66.5)

No run outs conceded so far

Bowling: Very good average (19.1) and strike rate (26.5),
powered by fast bowling and backup bowlers

Best spin bowling economy (2.3)

Weaknesses:

Middle order: Poor average (33.6)

Poor spin bowling strike rate (90.0)

High percentage of extras conceded (9.4%)
- -

Pakistan

Strengths:

Lower middle order: High average (28.0) and strike rate
(94.2)

Spin bowling: Good economy (4.1) and average (16.7)

Weaknesses:

Batting: Poor average (28.5) and run rate (5.3)

Openers: Poor average score each (11.6), strike rate (62.4)
and partnership average (15 runs)

Middle order: Poor strike rate (74.6)

Powerplay while batting: Poor average runs per dismissal
(27.3)

Powerplay while bowling: Poor average runs per wicket taken
(28.4)

Backup bowlers: Poor economy (5.1) and strike rate (57.0)

High extras as a percentage of runs scored (11%)

Low number of catches per innings (2.3)

- -

South Africa

Strengths:

Middle order: Good average (60.7) and strike rate (93.1)

Overall bowling: Good economy (4.0) and strike rate (25.6),
especially during powerplays

Fast bowling: Very economical (3.7)

Spin bowling: Good strike rate (19.2)

High number of catches (4.7) per innings

Weaknesses:

Openers: Poor opening stand average (43.0) and strike rate
(73.8)

Poor run rate while batting (5.3), especially during
powerplays (5.2)

Poor fast bowler strike rate (36.4)

- -

Sri Lanka

Strengths:

Batting: Good run rate (6.0) and average (46.8) from
openers, middle order and lower middle order#

Powerplay while batting: Good run rate (6.4), predominantly
due to mandatory powerplay

Spin bowling: Good economy (3.8), average (13.6) and strike
rate (21.3)

Backup bowling: High average (19.1) and strike rate (27.8)

Weaknesses:

Economy rate of fast bowlers (4.8)

- -

West Indies

Strengths:

High middle order strike rate (101.4)

Powerplay while batting: Good run rate (5.7)

Bowling: Good average of runs per wicket (19.0) and strike
rate (26.0), led by powerplay bowling

Fast bowlers: Good economy (4.1) and average (15.6)

Spinners: Good strike rate (23.4)

Least extras conceded as a percentage of runs scored (3.7%)

Weaknesses:

Batting: Poor average (30.6), due to lower middle order
(9.7)

Backup bowling: Poor strike rate (137.2) and average (102.0)

Notes:

* Batting performance has been classified into openers,
middle order (numbers 3, 4 and 5) and lower middle order (6, 7,
8) and performance during the powerplays have also been taken
into account.

* Bowling performance has been classified into how the fast
bowlers, spinners and backup bowlers have performed, again
taking powerplays into account.

* The analysis is based on a relative comparison of the
batting, bowling and fielding performance by the teams as
compared to other test-playing nations.

(Editing by Jon Bramley; To query or comment on this story
email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)