What is Stat Padding in Cricket? Know About the Infamous Term

Analysis in sports has skyrocketed in the last few years with technological involvement in sports multiplying in several folds. With live game data getting recorded and professional data analysts and video analysts dedicatedly working in team setups, it has been more efficient to select certain patterns in playing styles which either help team's win or make them lose games. On the basis of such patterns, in cricket, there has been several criticism of players who bat in the top order in T20s and limited overs cricket to play for their personal milestones, overstaying at times, taking more balls with taking less risks, contributing in the team's below par totals without utilizing all the available resources. Recently Simon Doull, a renowned commentator from New Zealand criticised two of the cricket's big names Virat Kohli and Babar Azam slowing down in batting friendly conditions to complete personal milestones. Several ex-cricketers and fans have pointed fingers at the likes of KL Rahul and Mohammad Rizwan, alleging that they contribute to team's loss trying to 'Stat-pad' and not try to win matches for their team. In this article, fans will get every information about Stat-padding and what it means in cricket. Fans React With Funny Memes After KL Rahul Plays Out Maiden First Over for Second Consecutive Time During LSG vs GT IPL 2023 Match.

What is Stat Padding in Cricket? Know Details

Stat padding is a sequence of action performed by an athlete that improves his/her personal statistics despite being of little benefit to the team or its chance of winning.  In a game like cricket, where milestones can be achieved at several points of the performance and statistics are rewarding, the chances of players trying to 'stat pad' are more. A player might come close to a half-century and century and then cut down risks and consume the available resources (balls) much more than required at that point of time as the milestones are much appreciated among fans and are commonly used as marks of good performance. In the IPL, the highest run scorer and the highest wicket taker are awarded with the Orange and the Purple cap and that influences players for more 'Stat-padding'.

For example, a certain team needs 40 runs in 24 balls. They have a set batter at the crease who is nearing his hundred. To get his century he cuts down scoring shots in the next two overs and cautiously completes his hundred. But the equation now comes down to 28 runs in 12 balls, with the required run rate much more than it was during the start of the 17th over. This will contribute to a losing cause more than winning.  Another example can be the openers, who generally are the best batters of the team, starting slow to have a better average and runs under their belt. That will put extra pressure on the remaining batters who get much less ball and have to score at a faster rate to compensate for the lack of intent of the batters preceding them. After Babar Azam, Simon Doull Criticises Virat Kohli for Being 'Concerned About a Milestone' During RCB vs LSG IPL 2023 Match.

Not only in limited overs cricket, but in Test cricket too, there has been several controversies around stat-padding. Some declaration decisions by captains before a player reaches a big milestone has created controversy. Although it is easier to target Test cricket for 'Stat-padding' with no pressure of targets or limited resources but with changing dynamics of T20 and ODI cricket and more and more 'see the ball, hit the ball' players emerging from West Indies and England, the ones who still play cricket in the conventional and old school style has been accused of being the 'Stat padders' and are encouraged to play in a more selfless manner contributing more towards the team. 'Stat padding' exist in every sport like Football or Basketball where a player can pile up stats scoring against a weak opposition which makes their total numbers look good but very few sports offer more opportunities to 'stat pad' than cricket.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 23, 2023 02:05 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).