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Neil Dewart

The Six ODI Batting Archetypes

Following on from our review of the 2019-20 ODI season, we wanted to dig deeper and see what else we could do with the statistics behind our review. Here we have taken some of the raw output of our player ratings model and used it to identify six different ODI batting archetypes, with a little help from k-means clustering.


As outlined here, our player rating model uses regression models generate two raw abilities for each player. For a batsmen, these are:


a) Their ability to score runs and

b) Their ability to preserve their wicket


Whilst for our player ratings we combine the two measures to get a single rating for each player, here we have kept them separate and used them as the drivers of a k-means analysis.


We opened up the sample a little from our player ratings, allowing anyone who had at least 8 innings over the qualification period. The scatter chart below shows where all qualifying batsmen rate on the two metrics we are assessing - run-scoring and wicket-preservation abilities. The further to the right a player is, the better he is at preserving his wicket, and the further up a player is, the better he is at scoring runs.


This chart also overlays our six archetypes as determined by our k-means analysis, and these are expanded upon below, enjoy!


Chart displaying the output of a k-means cluster generated from ODI batting data from 2019-20

 

The Accumulators

What are they?

The Accumulators, as the name implies, are steady, reliable, accumulators of runs. They might not be the fastest scorers, or even the most prolific, but their excellent ability to preserve their wicket makes them an ideal lynchpin around which to build an ODI innings.


Give me some examples

New Zealand's Kane Williamson is perhaps the closest we have to an embodiment of the archetype, but Ross Taylor (also NZ), Shai Hope (WI), Imam-Ul-Haq (Pak) and Kusal Mendis (SL) are all in there as well


What are the stats?

  • Average: 41.8 (Ranked 2nd)

  • Strike Rate: 79.5 (5th)

  • Balls faced per dismissal: 52.6 (1st)

  • Runs in boundaries: 45% (5th)

 

The Aggressors

What are they?

Hyper-aggressive batsmen who attack from the moment they reach the crease. Typically deployed at the end of an innings, or during a powerplay, these guys have the ability to very quickly turn a game on its head. It might not always come off, but when it does, the results can be spectacular.


Give me some examples

Jos Buttler (Eng), Eoin Morgan (Eng), Glenn Maxwell (Aus), Kieron Pollard (WI)


What are the stats?

  • Average: 28.8 (3rd)

  • Strike Rate: 116.2 (1st)

  • Balls faced per dismissal: 24.8 (4th)

  • Runs in boundaries: 55% (1st)

 

The All Stars

What are they?

This is where you'll find most of the big names in ODI batting. Excelling in both wicket preservation and run scoring, these are complete batsmen who will be the most relied upon to win you matches. As World Champions and number 1 ranked team, it should be no surprise to the bulk of England's batting lineup in this group.


Give me some examples

The usual suspects... Ben Stokes (Eng), Joe Root (Eng), Virat Kohli (Ind), Rohit Sharma (Ind), Babar Azam (Pak), Shakib Al Hasan (Ban)


What are the stats?

  • Average: 48.0 (1st)

  • Strike Rate: 95.9 (2nd)

  • Balls faced per dismissal: 50.0 (2nd)

  • Runs in boundaries: 49% (4th)

 

The Bunnies

What are they?

These are the tailenders. Not in the team for their batting, they rarely contribute anything more than single figures and would rather be judged on their efforts with the ball.


Give me some examples

Any tailend batsman really... results from our data set include Pat Cummins (Aus) and Isuru Udana (SL)


What are the stats?

  • Average: 8.5 (6th)

  • Strike Rate: 87.8 (3rd)

  • Balls faced per dismissal: 9.7 (6th)

  • Runs in boundaries: 52% (2nd)

 

The Nudgers and Nurdlers

What are they?

Generally not the most technically gifted batsmen, these guys rely more on hard graft and patience to build an innings. They don't find the boundary often and focus more on picking up runs where they can. Rarely a game changer but can provide some useful resilience.


Give me some examples

This group includes a number of batsmen from the "lesser" cricketing nations, where there is generally less emphasis on big-hitting. Specifically players such as William Porterfield (Ire), Aaron Jones (USA), Mohammad Nabi (Afg) and Jatinder Singh (Oman)


What are the stats?

  • Average: 22.4 (4th)

  • Strike Rate: 65.4 (6th)

  • Balls faced per dismissal: 34.3 (3rd)

  • Runs in boundaries: 42% (6th)

 

The Supporting Cast

What are they?

Typically lower-order batsmen, these guys are capable of adding useful, quick runs towards the end of innings. Their primary role in the team is usually as either a bowling allrounder or a wicket-keeper, meaning that whilst they are handy with the bat they shouldn't necessarily be relied upon to consistently score big runs.


Give me some examples

Chris Woakes (Eng), Mitchell Starc (Aus), Tom Latham (NZ), Kevin O'Brien (Ire)


What are the stats?

  • Average: 20.7 (5th)

  • Strike Rate: 87.0 (4th)

  • Balls faced per dismissal: 23.8 (5th)

  • Runs in boundaries: 51% (3rd)

 

And there you have it, the six ODI batting archetypes, as determined by a k-means clustering analysis.


Be sure to check the bowling archetypes, and please follow us on Twitter for all the latest.


Thanks for reading!

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