The series ended in a 2-2 draw, but England bossed the numbers. Stats highlights from the series
S Rajesh15-Aug-20165 Number of times Sarfraz Ahmed was dismissed by Chris Woakes in the series, the most times any batsman was dismissed by a bowler. Sarfraz scored only 49 runs off Woakes, for an average of 9.80 runs per dismissal. There were two instances of a bowler dismissing a batsman four times in the series – Yasir Shah against Gary Ballance, and Mohammad Amir against Alex Hales. Ballance averaged 15.50 against spin, and 44.33 against Pakistan’s seamers in the series.155 Runs scored by Joe Root against Yasir, the most by a batsman off a bowler in this series. Root was dismissed three times by Yasir, giving him an average of 51.66 against him. The three top instances of most runs by a batsman off a bowler were all against Yasir – 138 by Moeen Ali, and 137 by Jonny Bairstow. The top five instances of most runs scored off a bowler were all by England’s batsmen. Pakistan’s highest was Younis Khan’s 100 runs for two dismissals against Moeen.17 Fifty-plus scores for England’s batsmen in the four-Test series, compared to just nine for Pakistan. However, Pakistan converted four of their nine 50-plus scores into hundreds, compared to just three for England. Both teams had one double-century – 254 by Joe Root and 218 by Younis Khan – but there was only one other score of more than 115: Azhar Ali’s 139 at Edgbaston.39.44 The average runs per wicket for England; Pakistan scored 31.01 runs per dismissal. England took five more wickets than Pakistan, and had a better bowling strike rate as well.
Team W/ L Bat ave 100s/ 50s Wkts taken Bowl SREngland 2/ 2 39.44 3/ 14 70 58.17Pakistan 2/ 2 31.01 4/ 5 65 65.3860.30 England’s average partnership for the sixth and seventh wickets: in 14 stands they topped 50 eight times, including two century partnerships. Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow were the stars, adding 316 runs in six partnerships, five of them for the sixth wicket. Only Alastair Cook and Joe Root added more partnership runs in this series. On the other hand, the average for Pakistan’s sixth and seventh wickets was 23, with an aggregate that was less than half that of England’s. Pakistan also had problems with their opening stands, averaging less than 18 per completed partnership, with a highest of an unbroken 42 that came in the last innings of the series, when chasing a fourth-innings target of 40. Excluding that stand, their average for the series was 11.85.
EnglandPakistanRunsAve stand100/50 standsRunsAve stand100/50 stands1st31939.871/ 112517.850/ 02nd to 5th125444.784/ 4128145.753/ 66th and 7th78460.302/ 632223.000/ 28th to 10th20712.930/ 044321.090/ 327.51 The average for England’s fast bowlers; they took 56 wickets, compared to 43 by Pakistan at an average of 37.67. The averages for the spinners were very similar, though Pakistan’s spinners – led by Yasir Shah – took 20 wickets, compared to England’s 12. (Click here for the batting and bowling average for England, and here for Pakistan.)
PaceSpinWicketsAverageEcon rateWicketsAverageEcon rateEngland5627.512.761244.914.45Pakistan4337.673.612044.103.3826 Wickets for Woakes in the series, the highest for an England bowler in a Test series against Pakistan, and the second highest for any bowler in an England-Pakistan series: Abdul Qadir took 30 in the three-Test series in 1987-88. The previous highest for England was 23, by James Anderson in 2010.4 England players who have scored 300-plus runs and taken ten-plus wickets in a series where they have played four or fewer Tests. Moeen, with 316 runs and 11 wickets, joined Ben Stokes (against South Africa, 2015-16), Andrew Flintoff (against West Indies, 2004), and Bill Edrich (against South Africa, 1947). In all, only 14 players have ever achieved this double.40.73 Yasir’s average in the series, despite two five-fors and a ten-wicket match haul. It is the poorest average for bowlers who have achieved this in a series. Among bowlers who have taken a ten-for in a series, Yasir’s average is fourth from the bottom, with Subhash Gupte, Mark Craig and Abdul Qadir having done worse.
