Andy Zaltzman on England's runaway success in Test cricket in 2022

New s can only speculate what a jubilant English cricketers and their supporters would have thought fit had you handed them a run of nine wins from 10 Tests, which was when Australia sealed their 4- 0 Ashes in Hobart in January when Joe Root quit after a series defeat in the West Indies left England with a 17 Test victory.
Suffice to say it would have hurt.
The revolution in England's fortunes since Rob Key's visionary decisions to appoint Ben Stokes as captain and Brendon McCullum as coach has been one of the most amazing cricket ever seen.
The current series of results is only the fourth time in England's Testing history they have built a winning streak of nine from 10 Tests.
The most recent was when Michael Vaughan The team won 11 out of 12 in 2004. Mike Brearley led England to nine out of 10 wins in 1978 and 1979, including a 5- 1 against an Australian side deprived of nearly all of their key players by the World Series Cricket split. p>
Before that, we have to go back to the early years of test cricket, when England won 12 out of 13 between March 1885 and August 1890.
These teams all started their streaks from a position of success relative precedent - Vaughan's side had won four and drawn three of their previous 10 Tests, Brearley's England had won three and drawn six, and the 1880s had won five and drawn two.
In fact, of all the teams that have ever had nine win streaks in 10 Tests (or better) - one feat achieved by Australia (at various times in their glory years from 1999 to 2008, as well as the late 1940s to early 1950s, and from 1930 to 1932), South Africa (2002- 2003), West Indies (1984) and Sri Lanka (2001-02) - none have ever done so having only won one of their previous 10.
The series pakistani propelled the england batting revolution to even greater heights of dash melting speed than last summer.
They scored at 5.50 carries per over in the three Tests combined, demolishing Australia's record of 4.66 per over in a West Indies strike in 2015-16 as the rate fastest race by a team in a series of at least three tests.
The 4.54 of England against New Zealand last summer was relegated to third place. In total, they scored at 4.13 per over in 2022, a new calendar year record for a team that has played at least three Tests, despite the statistical deadweight of their first five Tests of the year, when 'they scored at a moderate 3.18.
Since the start of the Stokes era they have scored 4.77 over, 62 % faster than in the previous 12 month era (2.94 by more).
It is particularly telling that, of the 13 players who played both under Stokes and McCullum and in the previous 12 months, only one saw his batting average decline (tailender Jack Leach) and one posted a scoring rate slower (Ben Foakes, by a negligible amount and playing several important innings).
Only Australia in 2002 (one four or six every 11.6 balls) hit the limits more frequently than England in 2022 (one for every 12.4 deliveries encountered).

Sports Dec 23, 2022 0 42 Add to Reading List

Andy Zaltzman on England's runaway success in Test cricket in 2022

New s can only speculate what a jubilant English cricketers and their supporters would have thought fit had you handed them a run of nine wins from 10 Tests, which was when Australia sealed their 4- 0 Ashes in Hobart in January when Joe Root quit after a series defeat in the West Indies left England with a 17 Test victory.

Suffice to say it would have hurt.

The revolution in England's fortunes since Rob Key's visionary decisions to appoint Ben Stokes as captain and Brendon McCullum as coach has been one of the most amazing cricket ever seen.

The current series of results is only the fourth time in England's Testing history they have built a winning streak of nine from 10 Tests.

The most recent was when Michael Vaughan The team won 11 out of 12 in 2004. Mike Brearley led England to nine out of 10 wins in 1978 and 1979, including a 5- 1 against an Australian side deprived of nearly all of their key players by the World Series Cricket split. p>

Before that, we have to go back to the early years of test cricket, when England won 12 out of 13 between March 1885 and August 1890.

These teams all started their streaks from a position of success relative precedent - Vaughan's side had won four and drawn three of their previous 10 Tests, Brearley's England had won three and drawn six, and the 1880s had won five and drawn two.

In fact, of all the teams that have ever had nine win streaks in 10 Tests (or better) - one feat achieved by Australia (at various times in their glory years from 1999 to 2008, as well as the late 1940s to early 1950s, and from 1930 to 1932), South Africa (2002- 2003), West Indies (1984) and Sri Lanka (2001-02) - none have ever done so having only won one of their previous 10.

The series pakistani propelled the england batting revolution to even greater heights of dash melting speed than last summer.

They scored at 5.50 carries per over in the three Tests combined, demolishing Australia's record of 4.66 per over in a West Indies strike in 2015-16 as the rate fastest race by a team in a series of at least three tests.

The 4.54 of England against New Zealand last summer was relegated to third place. In total, they scored at 4.13 per over in 2022, a new calendar year record for a team that has played at least three Tests, despite the statistical deadweight of their first five Tests of the year, when 'they scored at a moderate 3.18.

Since the start of the Stokes era they have scored 4.77 over, 62 % faster than in the previous 12 month era (2.94 by more).

It is particularly telling that, of the 13 players who played both under Stokes and McCullum and in the previous 12 months, only one saw his batting average decline (tailender Jack Leach) and one posted a scoring rate slower (Ben Foakes, by a negligible amount and playing several important innings).

Only Australia in 2002 (one four or six every 11.6 balls) hit the limits more frequently than England in 2022 (one for every 12.4 deliveries encountered).