How big an advantage is winning the toss in a Test? What are the figures for wins, losses and draws after winning it?
As it happens, over the history of Test cricket (1946 Tests to the end of 2009), it seems that winning the toss does not confer as much of an advantage on the successful caller as has often been supposed. Captains winning the toss have decided to bat first 1438 times: 488 (33.93%) of those resulted in wins, 510 (35.46%) in draws (including the two tied Tests), and 440 (30.59%) in defeat. Of the 508 occasions when a captain decided to bowl first after winning the toss, 180 (35.43%) resulted in victory, 174 (34.25%) in a draw, and 154 (30.31%) in defeat. Which all goes to show, I suppose, that another of cricket's famous sayings is true: it all evens out in the end.
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