Ok, since Jones is being talked up as a potential Test-class batsman who can keep, and as someone who has a chance of making it into the test side on his batting alone, I thought it would be interesting to carry out a statistical analysis of his Batting last season. Note that this in no way takes into account his keeping, and has absolutely NOTHING to do with Chris Read whatsoever.

Geraint Jones 2003 Batting season:

Batting & Fielding M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50
All First-class 18 27 5 985 108* 44.77 2 7
County Championship 16 24 4 886 108* 44.30 2 6

The two "First Class" non-County Championship matches should be ignored - matches against students should not be counted when determining the guy's fitness or otherwise for test cricket. So, a County Championship average of 44.30, or 36.92 per innings, discounting the not out. However, I would hope the selectors would go a level deeper than simply looking at his first class average - what attacks did he score his runs against, who dismissed him, where did he bat and how often did his runs matter? This is a summary of his batting performances correct according to the CC scorecards on http://www.ecb.co.uk/ecb/stats/fixtures-2003-cc.html.

Format: RUNS from BALLS @ POSITION IN ORDER from POSITION WHEN COMING TO CREASE, DISMISSAL

April 23 vs Leicestershire
38 from 56 @ 7 from 5-158 lbw b Maddy
104 from 152 @ 7 from 5-169 c Maddy b Snape
Attack: DeFreitas, Masters, Dagnall, Brignull, Maddy

April 30 vs Sussex
2 from 3 @ 7 from 5-114 b Lewry
0 from 1 @ 7 frin 5-123 c Lewry b Kirtley
Attack: Lewry, Kirtley, Martin-Jenkins, Innes, Mushtaq Ahmed

May 14 vs Middlesex
52 from 79 @ 7 from 5-319 c Hutton b Weekes
DNB
Attack: Dawes, Keegan, Gannon, Hutton, Imran Tahir, Weekes

May 21 vs Warwickshire
12 from 10 @ 7 from 5-295 c Frost b Brown
DNB
Attack: Betts, Richardson, Sheikh, Brown

May 30 vs Lancashire
92 from 103 @ 7 from 5-91 c Martin b Mahmood
31 from 71 @ 8 from 6-200 c Flintoff b Keedy
Attack: Martin, Chapple, Mahmood, Keedy, Hooper

June 4 vs Sussex
46no from 38 @ 8 from 6-168
22 from 50 @ 6 from 4-83 c Lewry b Martin-Jenkins
Attack: Kirtley, Lewry, Mushtaq Ahmed, Martin-Jenkins

June 27 vs Essex
84 from 81 @ 7 from 5-215 run out
108no from 176 @ 7 from 5-235
Brant, Napier, Middlebrook, Bishop

July 2 vs Surrey
38no from 43 @ 7 from 5-286
8 from 17 @ 7 from 5-73 c Saqlain Mushtaq b Salisbury
Attack: Bicknell, Ormond, Tudor, Saqlain Mushtaq, Salisbury

July 9 vs nottinghamshire
82 from 78 @ 7 from 5-181 c Gallian b Franks
DNB
Attack: Smith, Harris, Franks, Vettori, Pietersen, Cairns

July 15 vs Lancashire
66no from 87 @ 7 from 5-488
DNB
Attack: Martin, Chapple, Wood, Hooper, Mahmood, Schofield, Chilton

July 30 vs Essex
5 from 7 @ 7 from 5-102 b Palladino
31 from 45 @ 7 from 5-181 c Irani b Grant
Attack: Grant, Palladino, Napier, McCoubrey, Middlebrook

August 13 vs Middlesex
2 from 11 @ 7 from 5-276 c Nash b Keegan
DNB
Attack: Dawes, Keegan, Cook, Weekes, Dalrymple

August 20 vs Nottinghamshire
0 from 7 @ 7 from 5-118 c Atri b Smith
DNB
Attack: Smith, Cairns, Franks, Shreck, MacGill

September 4 vs Surrey
53 from 80 @ 7 from 5-368 c Batty b Murtagh
DNB
Attack: Ormond, Rose, Murtagh, Clarke, Hollioake, Salisbury

September 10 vs Leicestershire
9 from 21 @ 7 from 5-95 lbw b Dagnall
1 from 8 @ 7 from 5-88 lbw b DeFreitas
Attack: DeFreitas, Drakes, Maddy, Dagnall, Masters

September 17 vs Warwickshire
0 from 3 @ 6 from 4-534 c Piper b Trott
DNB
Attack: Collymore, Carter, Richardson, Brown, Wagh, Bell, Trott


Firstly, the guy has batted at 7 for the most part, with occasional appearances at 6 and 8 in the order. To measure when his runs have been absolutely vital, I have imposed a cap of him coming to the crease with the score at 300 or less. The resulting stats are:

716 Runs from 20 Inns 3 not outs
Avg = 42.12 or 35.8 runs per Innings

So statistically at least, his stats are only dip very slightly when the chips are down. However, the worst things I see in these statistics are the conversion rate - 2 scores over 100 and 6 over 50, being dismissed twice in the 80s and once in the 90s. Furthermore, he has only been dismissed by bowlers of any note 6 times - DeFreitas, Kirtley, Keegan and an embryonic Sajid Mahmood once each, plus Salisbury twice. The rest are more than likely guys he would be expected to put to the sword in Test cricket.

So there you have it - good when the chips are down, but a worrying penchant for being dismissed by dobbers. Personally I would like to see a season of him batting at 4, 5 or at least 6 and doing well if he wants to be seriously considered on his batting.

Great post, Dave.

This is the sort of level of analysis that I think is called for, by and large, when looking at any batting record (1st class or Test)... and just highlights the fact that there's no real selectorial substitute for "knowing" a player.

He clearly had a duff couple of innings vs Sussex in the second game and a pretty dreadful penultimate game to the season vs Leicestershire: that happens, and is generally no big deal... but given that those were matches with his team in real trouble it would be nice to know more about the actually dismissals (good balls, rash shots, etc).

The May 30 vs Lancashire 92 from 103 @ 7 from 5-91 c Martin b Mahmood when facing Martin, Chapple, Mahmood, Keedy, Hooper is interesting: that's almost run-a-ball batting in a crisis - would be interesting to see a match report on whether it was a responsible innings or a ODI style slog.

Chanceless 2nd inings rearguards are always good to see... and there's possibly one June 27 vs Essex where he hit 84 from 81 @ 7 from 5-215 run out in the first innnings (posting a total) and then 108no from 176 @ 7 from 5-235.. which looks rather steadier.

My concern, looking at the figures as a whole.. is how he would play in situations like the 2nd morning in the first Test in the WI... where no batsman on earth would have been well advised to concern themselves with runs (they just weren't on) and job one was just getting through to lunch. Butcher and Hussain showed why they are Test cricketers... but if Jones is another damned Tresco / Flintoff type who just frets when the ball never hits the middle of the bat and when the scoreboard can't be kept ticking along then he really ain't what this particular side seems to me to need.

I really do think we need to look at style of batting to balance the side here as much as we do quality of batting: with Tresco and Freddie in the side swinging the willow... and mostly getting out sooner rather than later (albeit with a score on the board) and Butcher and Thorpe being by instinct strokeplayers... and Vaughan generally trying to set a tempo rather than anchor things... we've only Hussain who actually looks, temperamentally, really "up" for a tough hard grind.

Sure, if Tresco or Freddie disappeared then another aggressive bat might make sense.. but right now I think I'd prefer Jack Russell averaging high 20s and holding the innings together to some ball-a-minute run machine averaging 37 but gone in the blink of an eye.

Not sure we can be that picky though: might just have to accept that once Hussain goes then we've just going to get routinely stuffed in matches where grit is needed.

Admin - Link to original thread in the England forum: identifying the keeper for the next 4-5 years...