But then the counting started, and with it came an explosion of new information. The advent of modern sports analysis techniques means that now data is collected on every detail of every ball in every First Class or List A cricket match in the world. For many of those matches and for all internationals and major T20 leagues we also have Hawk-Eye

Glenn McGrath took 26 wickets at an average of 11.5. In all 62 per cent of the balls he bowled at Lord’s landed in that 6–8-metre area, and virtually nothing was fuller than that. Overall, for the matches in his career that we have data for, he hit a good length with 58 per cent of the balls he bowled, higher than any other bowler in the Hawk-Eye

The converse is, of course, true, which is why the batsman’s strengths and weaknesses need to be taken into account, along with how the bowler is trying to dismiss him.

And we see exactly this in the performance figures. In Test cricket, balls pitching in the 6–8-metre zone average 22.6 against top-order batsmen (that is they take a wicket for every 22.6 runs they concede), whereas in the 8–9-metre zone wickets are nearly twice as expensive, averaging 40.1 runs per wicket.

Anil Kumble was someone who was smart and enjoyed the best of both worlds. He bowled spin but then he bowled with pace. This was substantiated when Mohammad Yousuf was once asked how he planned to play Kumble. His answer was that the best