Greatest Cricket Innings Ranking & Your Decision Criteria

Wow. The mindbending stokesy-cokey that was the Ashes 3rd Test winning knock.

Luminaries of the English game seem unanimous. It was the greatest ever innings by an Englishman.

One of many such praise laden reports came from former spinner and self-styled ‘analyst’, Simon Hughes.

In The Times broadsheet, he proposes his quintet of all-time batting performances. Of which this Ben Stokes now sits at the summit.

I was intrigued by the categories with which he chose to assess. Five;

Degree of difficulty – calculated by the standard of the opponents’ bowling, the quality of the pitch and the match situation
Match or series impact – the critical state of the match or series at the start (and end) of the innings
Percentage of team runs that the batsman scored
Control the batsman established during the innings, effectively the lack of chances offered (the higher the figure, the more secure the innings)
Range and versatility of the innings

I invariably enjoy seeing someone tackle this type of rating task.

For starters, it serves as a reminder that many a solution buying process – and all the formal ones – feature some kind of tabulated, numbers based comparison. Marks, weightings, ranks. They all come in to play. In part to show some kind of systematic vigilance, and to try (usually pretty forlornly) justify the reduction of emotional bias.

Any cricket loving prospect can I’m sure by opened up with this deceiving delivery.

Do they know of such a listing? And now they do, which kinds of similar judgments are they using on their own – whether documented or not – decision making criteria?

Ben Stokes 135 not out against Australia at Headingley 2019, scored by Simon Hughes;

Degree of difficulty 10 – 73 needed, 9 wickets down
Match impact 10 – solo effort to keep Ashes alive
Percentage of team runs 5 – 37pc
Control 8 – one half-chance & LBW escape
Range and versatility 10 – a compelling mix of the orthodox & outrageous