Analytics in cricket...the surprise elements...

A very closely contested series between India and Australia just concluded. As an Indian cricket fan, I am very glad we won, and retained the No. 1 test spot too. Generally, everyone congratulates the players on their success. Some also include the coaches in their wishes. And a handful few also thank the support staff - the physios, conditioning coaches, and so many more...

I have hardly found anyone who openly acknowledges the role of the analysts in their success stories. It is clearly evident that cricket has evolved over the years. It is no longer a game to be played just on the ground. Gone are the days of “See ball, hit ball”... Any series or match starts way before we actually see the first ball bowled. With the intrusion of technology, there is a plethora of data available for teams to study. Preparation for each series is unique. Analysts, coaches and players sit for hours together studying footage of key players. Huge amount of time is invested in breaking down a player with respect to what his strengths are, his Achilles heel, his tendencies in general towards various scenarios. Mountains of data is collected, analyzed and then strategies are formed as to how teams approach each game and counter each player of the opposition.

Personally, I find this really intriguing. Combining technology, analysis and domain expertise with the sport itself seems extremely interesting. But it also makes me wonder, are teams these days too dependent on player data and analytics? Is there no purity left in sport? Everything has to be planned, calculated and executed as per the ‘analysis’. No more sheer talent, brute force or heroic moments. As a die hard Sachin fan, I cannot stop myself from mentioning the ‘Desert Storm’ innings of 1998 (if you don’t know, no need to read further). I am not aware if analytics had penetrated cricket back then, but no amount of advance planning or analysis prepares you for a desert storm (the actual one). And then no one can help you against the storm that Sachin kicked up... These kind of moments are rare in recent times.

Another indicator that teams rely on too much on pre-series analysis is the performance of wild-cards. In the first test vs Australia, everyone was worried about Starc and Lyon. O’Keefe was an unknown entity. Nobody expected him to spin India out of the match. But he did. But what after that? In the next 3 tests, he was as useless as the ‘ueue’ in ‘queue’. He was not unknown any more. He had been ‘studied’ out of the series. Other examples - Glenn Maxwell, Pat Cummins, who joined the team mid-way. Same effect. For India, Kuldeep Yadav had the same impact in the first innings of the 4th test. Nobody was picking him at all. You could see players struggling against the wrong’un. But the second innings was a whole different story. He looked like a completely different bowler.

As I pondered over this, my mind went back to the T20 World Cup last year where Lendl Simmons, joining the team on the morning of the game as a replacement, batted India out of the competition on his own. There are surprisingly many instances where wildcards have influenced the game way more than expected. The sportsman in me wants to believe that these players were in the zone on those days, had their moment of glory and played the hero for their sides. The analytical part of me thinks this has to do with the (lack of) player analysis before the game. Either way, it does seem to be a good strategy for team selections...After all, not everyone can counter the opposition’s analysis of your weakness and refrain from playing certain strokes completely while scoring 241*...