7 September 2005
MEDIA RELEASE
England substitutes claim more wickets than any other Test team
England’s substitute fielders have been involved in more dismissals of opposition batsmen
than any other Test team over the past four years.
Figures released today by leading cricket website Cricinfo.com, show that in 52 Tests since
September 2001, specialist substitutes employed by the England camp have been involved
in the dismissal of 18 opposition batsmen – 17 caught, plus Gary Pratt’s controversial run
out of Ricky Ponting at Trent Bridge.
In stark contrast, Australian subs have dismissed only four players in their last 50 Tests the lowest number for any international team – highlighting the gulf in approach between the
two camps.
England isn’t alone in the relatively high percentage of wickets claimed by subs, with the
West Indies (16) and India (14) close behind over the same period. Pakistan and New
Zealand are next in the list with 10 dismissals each.
Dismissals by substitutes
Team
Catch + RO = Total
Tests
Tests per dismissal
England
17 + 1 = 18
52
2.89
India
13 + 1 = 14
41
2.93
West Indies
12 + 4 = 16
47
2.94
Pakistan
9 + 1 = 10
33
3.30
New Zealand
10 + 0 = 10
36
3.60
Bangladesh
8+0=8
34
4.25
Sri Lanka
6+1=7
37
5.29
Zimbabwe
5+0=5
27
5.40
South Africa
8+0=8
47
5.88
Australia
3+1=4
50
12.50
The shortcomings of Australia’s batting in the series have also been analysed by
Cricinfo.com. Although its batsmen have put together nine stands of 60 and more, only two
of these have been converted into three figures. England however, has recorded seven
century partnerships from the 11 stands of 60 plus posted in the four Tests to date.
Australia’s problems have started at the top, with Hayden and Langer averaging 25 fewer
than England’s opening pair of Trescothick and Strauss.
Opening pairs
Hayden/Langer
Trescothick/Strauss
Inns
8
8
Runs
252
454
Avg
31.50
56.75
50+ stands
2
4
But Australia’s top seven have all performed below par, with Hayden, Martyn and Gilchrist’s
averages in this series all 30 or more runs below their overall Test career averages:
Australia batting averages
Hayden
Langer
Ponting
Martyn
Clarke
Katich
Gilchrist
Test career
53.47
46.53
56.50
51.26
41.81
43.91
55.65
Ashes Series 2005
22.50
36.13
40.50
21.00
38.75
30.88
22.57
England’s homework on Gilchrist
Michael Vaughan has brought Andrew Flintoff on to bowl almost every time Adam Gilchrist
comes to the wicket. Of the 232 balls Gilchrist has played in the series, Flintoff has bowled
114 of them (49%). Gilchrist has scored 77 off Flintoff, but has been dismissed by him four
times, an average of just 19.25.
Runs (Balls)
Flintoff
77 (114)
Giles
32 (66)
Jones
17 (22)
Hoggard
22 (19)
Harmison 10 (11)
R% (B%)
49 (49)
20 (28)
11 (10)
14 (8)
6 (5)
Dismissals
4
1
1
1
0
Please credit Cricinfo.com if any of these statistics are used in copy. More Ashes figures
can be made available upon request. www.cricinfo.com
Ends
Cricinfo.com is the world’s leading cricket website, enjoyed by more than 15 million fans around the
world. The site’s proven formula of live scores, constantly-updated news stories and authoritative
editorial and comment make it the destination of choice for cricket fans worldwide.
Cricinfo was created in 1993 by a group of cricket enthusiasts, and grew rapidly to become one of the
web’s leading sports sites. The site became part of the Wisden Group in 2003 alongside The Wisden
Cricketer magazine and the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack.
Media contact:
Mark Harrison Mob: 07776 182506
E: harrisons@ndirect.co.uk