New Zealand’s Tom Latham is an excellent Check cricketer. Making his debut in 2014, the left-hander has been an ever-present function of the Kiwis prime order for nearly ten years. In a decade dominated by seam bowling, Tom’s textbook method and affected person method have served him properly, averaging a sturdy 41.91 in his 70 assessments – not exceptional, however notably spectacular contemplating the roll name of openers that England have deployed in the identical interval.
Think about, in the event you would, that an English bat averaged north of 40 having performed for 9 years. Reward can be heavy, and maybe, deserving. Sir Andrew Strauss is taken into account a 3 lions nice for his eight years of service regardless of averaging precisely one run lower than Tom Latham.
His best hour got here in 2018. Batting for a exceptional 694 minutes, Latham demolished a drained Sri Lankan assault on his strategy to a maiden double ton. 246 runs off 489 balls, together with a handful of forceful drives off each the back and front foot. He additionally has silverware to his identify, serving to New Zealand win the inaugural World Check Championship crown with victory over India on the Rose bowl nineteen months in the past.
But, all’s not fairly because it appears. As Tom Latham, Kiwi stalwart, and season worldwide professional, is one thing of a statistical anomaly. For all his runs and appearances, the 30-year-old’s document in opposition to the ‘prime’ Check nations is frankly abysmal. From his 35 Checks in opposition to England, India, Australia and South Africa, Tom Latham has scored 1,665 runs at a mean of 28.85. I repeat, 28.85! Virtually two lower than England reject Rory Burns and solely marginally higher than the part-time biffing of Ravichandran Ashwin.
Comparatively, his document in opposition to the opposite 5 Check taking part in nations (excluding Eire and Afghanistan) is phenomenal. Twelve of Tom’s 13 Check tons have come in opposition to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, and the West Indies. In opposition to this ‘different 5’, he averages a staggering 58.89, having once more performed 35 Checks.
In abstract, Tom Latham is a woeful bat in opposition to the highest take a look at sides however a constant run-machine in opposition to the remaining.
The plain query is why? What makes the Kiwi so fallible to the bowling of prime Check groups, but so dominant in opposition to the remaining? Maybe Latham is of an identical vein to former England bat, Mark Ramprakash. ‘Ramps’ scored nearly 36,000 runs at 53.14 in his 25 years of first-class cricket, however solely managed a sombre 2,350 runs at 27.32 in his Check profession. A world-beater in opposition to mediocre bowling, Ramprakash’s greatest attribute was his skill to money in in opposition to weaker opposition. This, too, appears to be the case for Tom Latham, taking his possibilities when the going’s simple, however discovering issues just a little trickier in opposition to the massive boys.
All through Tom’s Check profession, England, India, South Africa, and Australia have all been blessed with a constantly sensible array of bowlers. In his 35 Checks in opposition to them, these groups have not often fielded a aspect with out a minimum of two bowlers who common beneath 30: Woakes, Broad and Anderson for England; Ashwin, Jadeja, Shami and Bumrah for India; Rabada, Steyn, Morkel and now Nortje for South Africa; Johnson, Cummins, Starc and Hazelwood for Australia.
Comparatively, the opposite 5 nations have not often fielded an XI with one bowler who averages beneath 30, not to mention two and even three. Neither Zimbabwe nor Bangladesh have produced a single bowler with a mean constantly beneath 30 within the final decade. Rangana Fireside was the one Sri Lankan to take action because the retirement of Muttiah Muralitharan.
Pakistan and the West Indies are the one groups to buck the pattern. Mohammed Abbas, Hasan Ali and younger Shaheen Afridi all common within the mid 20s. But, docile pitches in Pakistan and the UAE have all however nullified their risk at dwelling.
The West Indian assault boasts the potent seam bowling of Jason Holder and Kemar Roach, who each common beneath thirty. Unsurprisingly, the Windies are the one group within the ‘different 5’ that Tom is but to ton-up in opposition to.
So, as did Mark Ramprakash on the first-class stage, Tom Latham has repeatedly taken his possibilities in opposition to poor bowling. Cashing in on the sub-par seam and ropey spin of the underside 5 Check nations.
One must also think about pitches. Kiwi tracks have been notoriously placid over the past decade, infamously flat with none likelihood to interrupt up within the second innings. A batting paradise for Latham, who’s repeatedly dined out on mentioned flat tracks to common 47.03 at dwelling, whereas struggling abroad.
So, is Tom Latham really any good? Or does our deeper dive into the statistics expose an overrated bat who’s constructed his profession on scoring the ‘simple runs’ when situations are in his favour?
The plain reply is sure, he’s very overrated. One ton and a mean of 28.85 in his 35 video games in opposition to prime opposition are the stats of a sub-par batter – a fallible opening stick, incapable of placing up a combat when his nation wants him most.
Nonetheless, the runs that Latham has scored shouldn’t be missed, no matter who they have been scored in opposition to. I’m positive that the 30-year-old would slightly his runs come in opposition to higher opposition, but his consistency in opposition to the weaker sides is not any imply feat. Dealing with the identical opposition which the Kiwi averages nearly 60 in opposition to, England’s Joe Root can boast a mean of solely 51.58 from his 41 matches. Definitely nonetheless spectacular, however the eight-or-so extra runs that Latham averages displays simply how dominant Latham is in opposition to poor bowling.
Nonetheless, weaker opposition shouldn’t diminish the significance of the video games that Latham’s carried out in. The introduction of the World Check Championship has given all collection significance, with each end result counting in the direction of the competitors’s desk. The Black Caps gained the final version, however actually wouldn’t have certified for the ultimate with out Latham’s regular hand in opposition to the minor groups. Take his dominant 154 in opposition to Sri Lanka in 2019, for instance. The mammoth knock, filled with imperious straight and canopy drives, laid the foundations to make sure a crushing Kiwi victory. Or take his third innings 53 in opposition to Pakistan two years in the past – a characteristically gritty half-century which allowed the Black Caps to push for a declaration. The match, which can have in any other case been a draw, led to a New Zealand victory.
With out these knocks, and the numerous different contributions that Latham made in opposition to the minor groups over the past WTC cycle, New Zealand wouldn’t have certified for, and later gained the World Check Championship remaining.
So, is Latham any good? Nicely, sure. He’s good – good in an equally abysmal and sensible method. He actually isn’t nice – his woeful document in opposition to high quality bowling assaults proves as a lot – however to label Latham as overrated doesn’t give the complete image, both. In any case, his mountains of runs in opposition to the minor nations have been crucial to New Zealand’s success, significantly within the World Check Championship.
Maybe what Latham’s document proves most is the misleading nature of statistics. His batting common of 41.91 is under no circumstances consultant of the equally terrific and horrible participant that he actually is – a case examine in why one ought to by no means decide a batter by their common alone.
For Tom Latham, the numbers lie.
Will Symonds
