LEFT ARM OVER
NEIL MANTHORP: For the moment gut-feel takes over where statistics end
Umpires, scorers and cricket selectors have the most thankless jobs in the game, although groundsmen come close. They all share the "distinction" of rarely, if ever, being noticed unless and until something goes wrong. Marais Erasmus was once roundly pilloried in Australia for missing an inside edge (which was corrected by the third umpire) but nobody cared to mention that his previous 63 decisions in the cauldron of the international game had been correct and unchallenged. Thank you, Marais. It is often said that cricket is a highly statistical game but, in reality, there are at least as many stats missing as there are present. The few baseball aficionados who are au fait with cricket find the concept of a batting average that counts all runs as equal laughably confusing. In that sport, runs that are scored under pressure — "batting in the clutch" — and that contribute to winning matches count for a good deal more than "easy" runs.In cricket, unbeaten hundreds at the end of a borin...
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