Batsmen and bowlers topping the averages at different stages of their careers
Travis Basevi and Mathew VargheseDecember 10, 2008
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Forty-eight wickets in 18 games. That's Ajantha Mendis' record in ODIs this year, which makes him the leading wicket-taker - fellow spinner Muttiah Muralitharan is next with 35 from 21. Mendis, who made his debut this year, is on the verge of becoming the fastest to 50 ODI wickets - Ajit Agakar got there in 23 - but more phenomenal still is his career average. Mendis went wicketless, for 23 runs, in his last ODI of the year, the fifth against Zimbabwe in Harare; the game before that he was averaging below ten: if his average stays close to that through his career, he will end up as the leading strike force in ODIs, way ahead of the rest. This week's List looks at the best averaging batsmen and bowlers at different stages of their careers.
It was against Zimbabwe in Harare in 2004 that one of Mendis' team-mates, Farveez Maharoof, made his ODI debut. He took 3 for 3 in three overs as Sri Lanka's seamers demolished Zimbabwe for 35, the lowest total in ODIs. Fidel Edwards also had a great start to his career (his 6 for 22 remains the best debut performance), and Gary Gilmour's consecutive five-fors in the 1975 World Cup - Australia won the semi-final (6 for 14) and lost the final (5 for 48) - helped him to an average of 8.35 after four games. Gilmour, though, played only one more ODI in his career, finishing with an average of 10.31.
Waqar Younis stormed to 50 wickets in 27 games, at an average of 14.96 - one that Mendis is likely to best. Waqar's average, though, crept up as he played more games. Saqlain Mushtaq, who took the least games to 100 and 200 wickets, dominates the list after that - he got to 200 at an average below 20.
Their consistency ensures the names of Glenn McGrath and Muttiah Muralitharan creep in at the bottom of the table. McGrath's 7 for 15 against Namibia in the 2003 World Cup gave him an average of exactly 22 after 249 games.
© Cricinfo
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