The decline of Ishant

[cowboysfan]

http://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/429648.html Ishant Sharma and his ODI problems Last year's sensation has had his stats in one-dayers fall away this year, and the main difference has been his effectiveness at the start of the innings S Rajesh October 16, 2009 Comments: 10 | Text size: A | A Ishant Sharma has been among the wickets this year, but most of those have come during the slog overs © Associated Press Related LinksNumbers Game : Last week's column - Bounce no aid for Lankan fast bowlers Players/Officials: Zaheer Khan | Praveen Kumar | Ashish Nehra | Ishant Sharma | RP Singh Teams: India The 18 months from June 2007 to the end of last year was an excellent time to be Ishant Sharma - the wickets and accolades were coming thick and fast, and his stature as an international cricketer grew as quickly as his fan following did. The year 2009 hasn't been as kind, though: the pace has dropped, as has the confidence, seemingly, and the ball has been sprayed around far too often for the captain's liking. Ishant is still taking wickets - 22 from 15 ODIs this year - but he isn't giving the team the kind of confidence he used to with his control. Just how far has Ishant's performance dropped in ODIs in 2009? The overall numbers, interestingly, suggest only a marginal decline: in his first 20 matches he took 27 wickets at an average of 31.48 and an economy-rate of 5.34. In his 15 ODIs this year, the wickets have actually come at a slightly quicker rate and a marginally better average, but the economy-rate has dropped off to 6.16. If you were to ignore everything else and just look at the overall stats, you'd wonder what the fuss was all about. Ishant Sharma before and in 2009 Period ODIs Wickets Average Econ rate Before 2009 20 27 31.48 5.34 In 2009 15 22 31.31 6.16 Dig a little deeper, though, and some worrying signs emerge. In the first 18 months of his career, Ishant specialised in dismissing top-order batsmen early in the innings in ODIs, thus giving India an attacking option in the first 20 overs, and making it easier for the spinners to exercise control during the middle overs. In 104 overs that Ishant bowled between overs 1 and 20 in an innings in that period, he took 18 wickets - an average of a wicket every 35 deliveries. The CB Series match against Australia in Melbourne early last year was a perfect example of the firepower he added in the team - after Australia had won the toss and opted to bat, Ishant removed Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting and Andrew Symonds, blows Australia couldn't recover from. They were bundled out for 159, and Ishant won his first Man-of-the-Match award in ODIs. His disconcerting pace and lift troubled even the top-class batsmen, and his effectiveness early in the innings more than made up for the fact that he wasn't as lethal during the last few overs. Of the 27 wickets he took in his first 20 matches, two-thirds came in the first 20 overs of opposition innings. Break-up of Ishant's ODI wickets before 2009 Period Runs Balls Wickets Average Econ rate Overs 1-20 499 624 18 27.72 4.79 Overs 21-40 131 150 4 32.75 5.24 Overs 41-50 221 181 5 44.20 7.32 In 2009, though, the break-up of Ishant's ODI wickets are a complete contrast. In the 64 overs he has bowled in the first 20 overs of the innings, he has only taken five wickets, each costing him more than 75 runs. The strike-rate has dropped from 35 to almost 77 deliveries per wicket, while the economy rate has risen to almost one run per ball. The lack of effectiveness early has put more pressure on other bowlers to take wickets with the new ball, while also giving the spinners less of a cushion to work with, due to the lack of new-ball wickets. Most of Ishant's ODI wickets in 2009 have coming during the slog overs, when batsmen are usually looking out for quick runs: 12 out of 22 wickets have come during this period, while the percentage of wickets taken in the first 20 has dropped from 66 to a paltry 23. Break-up of Ishant's ODI wickets in 2009 Period Runs Balls Wickets Average Econ rate Overs 1-20 377 384 5 75.40 5.89 Overs 21-40 127 116 5 25.40 6.56 Last 10 overs 185 171 12 15.41 6.49 His numbers in 2009 make Ishant the most expensive ODI fast bowler this year (among those who've bowled at least 500 balls), and he is also the only one with an economy-rate of more than six. Off 671 balls, he has conceded 86 fours and nine sixes, an average of 7.06 balls per four or six, which is the lowest among all fast bowlers this year - again an indication of his lack of control and an inability to maintain pressure. ------------------------------------------------------------ my fear is his odi form will affect his test match performance and we already have seen some evidence in new zealand.there was absolutely no reason to pick him for this series,none.

[Jersey #10]

are yaar itna lamba kaun read karega? :wall: sorry

[vvvslaxman]

Basically the author says the samething that we have been saying for a while in terms of stats. Since cricinfo has more readership it will definitely gain the attention of commentators, selectors. Don't worry about quality of presentation as long as it drives home the point.

[bunny]

Munaf Patel is the most underrated Indian bowler. The guy is dropped for no rhyme or reason. It's just plain unfair that the guy didnt even get a chance to play 10 ODIs when Ishant Sharma has already played 15.

[Sooda]

He pasted it twice; hence the lamba-ness of it. Good analysis though, nice breakdown of it.

[King Tendulkar]

Munaf Patel is the most underrated Indian bowler. The guy is dropped for no rhyme or reason. It's just plain unfair that the guy didnt even get a chance to play 10 ODIs when Ishant Sharma has already played 15.

The fact that he is nearly as bad a fielder and bat as Nehra is omething to look forward to:--D Good luck to our new fileding coach if he has Munaf and Nehra in same side:--D

[cowboysfan]

the bottom line is with that kind of stats you better be good with the bat and provide some lower order hitting but Ishant is a total tappu with the bat .BCCI is going to totally screw up Ishant and he wont even be good for us in tests anymore.we can as well play Irfan and atleast get some valuable runs with the bat in the process.

[bunny]

The fact that he is nearly as bad a fielder and bat as Nehra is omething to look forward to:--D Good luck to our new fileding coach if he has Munaf and Nehra in same side:--D

The fact is Ishant is as bad a fielder and batsman. But nobody focuses on that. Nehra and Munaf are the scapregoats everytime. The biases in Indian selections are mindboggling some times.

[graphic23]

Munaf Patel is about as lackadaisical as anyone can possibly get on the field. Does not do anything with energy. Fields crappily, bowls beamers and then smiles about it, and his batting skills - um, yeah. They're both equally bad.