Stats across eras 7: Larwood, Lillee, Murali – bowlers across decades

Muttiah Muralitharan (L) and Dennis Lillee © Getty Images

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Statistics may not tell the whole story, but do trace the footprints left by the cricketers across time. Having analysed the batsmen, Arunabha Sengupta now looks at how bowlers performed over the decades in Tests.

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In Part Two of this series we looked at the best batsmen by the decades.

Looking at the way bowlers have fared is slightly more complicated. First of all, we need to consider the types of bowlers – fast, slow and sometimes, mixed or uncategorised –especially from the long gone era. Besides, for a bowler, strike rate is also an important factor to be analysed separately.

Hence it requires more scrutiny, close analysis and a lot more tables.

Again, some of the results are counter-intuitive. Normally we tend to think that pace bowlers tend to have better strike rates and averages than spinners. However, as we shall see from the analysis, the balance has shifted quite a few times across the years. The effect of One-Day cricket in the 70s and 80s is very marked, with spinners being relegated to serfdom.

Additionally, we gain further insight into the inferences that we have already arrived at from our analysis of batting records.

1877-1890

During the initial days batting was indeed difficult and some bowlers ended up with averages and strike rates that sound ridiculous in the current context. The records of the slow left-arm bowler Johnny Briggs and the medium pacer George Lohmann in particular tell us how difficult the pitches must have been.

1891-1900

In the next decade, it became slightly better for the bat, but for the monstrous performance of Lohmann. We notice that the pacers – Tom Richardson and George Giffen – have a better strike rate than the spinners. But, apart from Lohmann, the averages are comparable.

1901 – 1910

With the turn of the century, the balance tilts in favour of slow bowlers. Colin Blythe sports the best average and strike rate. Things are gradually getting easier for batsmen.

1911-1920

In the pre World War I days of the next decade that Sydney Barnes becomes a phenomenon. There is a huge gap between Barnes and his peers.  The short but meteoric career of the first great wrist spinner, Dr Herbet Horden, is also played out.

1921-30

From the 1920s, the balance shifts to the batsmen. It is the decade of Jack Gregory and Ted MacDonald, the celebrated fast bowling pair, and the introduction of Harold Larwood. However, the figures are surprising. The averages are high and strike rates unremarkable. The numbers are better for the spinners, Tich Freeman, Clarrie Grimmett and Arthur Mailey. From the statistics we can make out Mailey flighting and experimenting and Grimmett economic and accurate. Maurice Tate, with his miserly mix of pace and spin, head the wickets tally.

One is led to wonder whether this bat-dominated decade, ending with the arrival of Don Bradman forced the ignoble innovation of the Bodyline soon afterwards.

1931-40

Obviously, something changes. The speed merchants dominate the early years of the 30s. The fastest and the most intimidating – Larwood and Manny Martindle – end up with the best pace bowling average and strike rate , while the man who stands up to Douglas Jardine and refuses leg theory, Gubby Allen, finishes with the maximum haul of wickets.

However the best average once again belongs to a spinner. Bert Ironmonger, in the short career at a ripe old age, ends ahead of three of the greatest names to ever spin a cricket ball – Hedley Verity, Bill O’Reilly and Clarrie Grimmett.

1946-50

In the short half decade after the war, Australia dominates the world, and West Indies emerge as a major power. Alec Bedser impresses Bradman as he emerges as the highest wicket taker, but again, we can detect the fastest bowlers having the best strike rates. Ray Lindwall, Keith Miller, Bill Johnston and the wet wicket specialist, Ernie Toshack, all members of Bradman’s Invincibles, emerge as the best pace bowlers (although Johnston occasionally does revert to spin). Alf Valentine and Sonny Ramadhin make sterling entries, but the spinner of the day becomes more patient, biding his time, giving nothing away and baiting the batsmen like an experienced angler.

1951-60

As we have seen during the batting analysis, this is the decade when run making was most difficult since 1920s to the present. The table below shows the reasons. The number of quality pace bowlers and spinners generated in this period are unparalleled in history. Additionally, in England, pitches are built to specification for their fearsome crop of fast bowlers and spinners.

Again, it is Frank Tyson, the fastest of the lot, who ends with the best strike rate with Wes Hall and Fred Trueman close on his heels. Jim Laker, with his famous exploits against Australia in 1956, ends up with an even better average and a strike rate at par with the fast men.

1951-60

As we have seen during the batting analysis, this is the decade when run making was most difficult since 1920s to the present. The table below shows the reasons. The number of quality pace bowlers and spinners generated in this period are unparalleled in history. Additionally, in England, pitches are built to specification for their fearsome crop of fast bowlers and spinners.

Again, it is Frank Tyson, the fastest of the lot, who ends with the best strike rate with Wes Hall and Fred Trueman close on his heels. Jim Laker, with his famous exploits against Australia in 1956, ends up with an even better average and a strike rate at par with the fast men.

1961-70

This decade once again witnesses the fastest bowler having the best strike rate. Fred Trueman may have lost a bit of pace, but he is no less dangerous. Peter Pollock gives an indication of what a full career might have been. Gary Sobers emerges as the third highest wicket taker, while boasting the third highest batting average of the decade as well.

Derek Underwood performs incredibly and again it is a spinner who leads the averages. At the bottom of the table is Bapu Nadkarni, setting a new benchmark for economy rate.

1971-80

The generation of pace and evolution of the helmet. Fast bowlers dominate the scene, but as we have seen, run making is not all that more difficult from the earlier or later decades. The best average and strike rate belong to the fastest bowlers, Joel Garner and Colin Croft. In sharp contrast to the previous decades the averages of the best of spinners are high. It is from this decade that the onus is on pace to knock the opposition over while spin is more of a back up containing option – except in India. Perhaps One Day cricket has started slowly affecting the slow men.

1981-90

The trend continues. Almost everywhere in the cricket world, except India, pace bowlers are the ones captains turn to for wickets. Apart from the Pakistan duo of Iqbal Qasim and Abdul Qadir, the spinners are relegated to serfdom, with ordinary figures– and even Qadir’s average is not that great. One Day cricket has made spinners flatter, defensive and ineffective.

Malcolm Marshall leads the way with speed and Imran Khan with swing.

1991-2000

Contrary to popular perception, things do not get easier for batsmen. Pace bowlers continue to dictate terms – and the slow men make a comeback as a clutch of greatest spinners enter the scene.  With fantastic batsmen produced as well, this is the dream decade to watch cricket.

The strike rate is again the best for the fastest of them all. The averages of the best spinners are back to being comparable to the fast men. The fast bowling list reads like a roll call of greatness. Of the spinners, Warne is the most successful, Kumble the hardest to score off and Murali the most lethal.

2001-10

Apart from Glenn McGrath and Dale Steyn, and to some extent Shaun Pollock, no one really matches the exploits of the fast men of the previous three decades. For the first time since the 1960s, a spinner leads the averages. Warne and Murali also beat all fast bowlers other than Steyn for the strike rate. Glenn McGrath proves the toughest man to score off.

Murali takes almost as many wickets in the decade as the top batsmen in the first ten years of cricket scored runs. But, bowling quality has definitely gone down.

2011-Now

Saeed Ajmal , James Anderson and Dale Steyn have excellent figures till date. However, it is too early to enter the figures into tables for meaningful analysis.

Let us revisit this after a couple of years … if Test cricket survives!

(Arunabha Sengupta is cricket historian and Chief Cricket Writer at CricketCountry. He writes about the history and the romance of the game, punctuated often by opinions about modern day cricket, while his post-graduate degree in statistics peeps through in occasional analytical pieces. The author of three novels, he can be followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/senantix)