Nothing is more fascinating in cricket than an exhilarating and equal contest between a batsman and a bowler.
Duels between two players at the top of their games always makes for a fascinating rivalry, and cricket has been blessed to witness several of these over the course of its history. From Sachin Tendulkar against Glenn McGrath to Sir Viv Richards versus Jeff Thompson, the sport has seen legendary battles played out across the 22 yards.
However, there are some duels which sound exciting in theory, but shall never materialise. These are between players divided by eras, with their respective playing careers failing to intertwine.
In this series, we play out a few such hypothetical match-ups by closely examining the statistics of the players involved. Below, we pit Australia’s current pace ace Mitchell Starc against former India skipper Sourav Ganguly in the ODI format.
MITCHELL STARC (ODI STATS)
Matches: 91
Wickets: 178
Average: 22.22
Strike-rate: 26.1
Economy-rate: 5.10
Five-wicket hauls: 7
Left-armed pacers are a precious commodity in cricket and Australia have been lucky to have Mitchell Starc seamlessly fill the boots vacated by Mitchell Johnson. It has been nearly a decade since the Sydney-born fast bowler made his international debut, and he has been able to forge a reputation as one of the most formidable all-format bowlers of the era.
Although 244 Test scalps in just 57 appearances are excellent returns from the Aussie pacer, it is in the limited-overs formats that his best has come so far. The combination of pace, uncomfortable bounce, swing and accuracy make Starc the complete package with the white-ball in hand.
He is a prolific wicket-taker with the shiny new ball, though the lethality of his searing yorkers means he is a valuable asset in the death overs as well. What separates Starc from the other pacers of this generation is a proven history of always rising to the big occasion. He was deservedly awarded the man-of-the-tournament accolade after snaring 22 wickets at an average of only 10.18. Last year, he finished as the leading wicket-taker of the World Cup for the second edition in a row after capturing 27 wickets in just 10 games.
SOURAV GANGULY (ODI STATS)
Innings: 300
Runs: 11363
Average: 41.02
Strike-rate: 73.70
Centuries: 22
From one of the best captains to lead India to a man now heading the country’s cricketing administration, Sourav Ganguly’s journey has been a fabled one. In the backdrop of this, he was also one of the best limited-overs batsmen of his generation.
His opening partnership with Sachin Tendulkar is the most prolific in history, with the pair racking 6,609 ODI runs at an average of nearly 50. For a while, Ganguly was the second-best ODI batsmen and behind only Tendulkar, before his career tapered off in the latter stages.
In his prime, Ganguly was an elegant batsman with the most aesthetic off-side stroke-play. He was also feared for the manner in which he danced down the track to left-arm spinners, before dispatching the ball beyond the ropes with almost effortless disdain.
His legacy as a leader might overshadow his batting achievements at times, but more than 11,000 runs and 22 tons are a testament to his prowess with the willow in hand. That he also scored more than 1,000 ODI runs in a calendar year on four separate occasions only further reinforces his credentials in the format.
Starc vs Ganguly
Starc’s ability to generate prodigious swing into the right-handers has been one his most effective assets with the new ball. It is no wonder that the Australian has generally fared better against right-handed batsmen, with 117 of his 178 ODI dismissals coming against them.
Against left-handed batsmen, Starc has claimed 61 wickets at an average of 20.14 runs per dismissal. Notably, 21 of them have ended with him ratting the stumps and it just goes on to show the remarkable accuracy he possesses.
While his overall career ODI average of 22.22 is impressive, digging deeper into the numbers reveals an interesting deviance. He averages more than 30 with the ball against each of India, England and South Africa – three formidable ODI sides. In the home comforts of Australia, Starc has picked up 82 ODI wickets at an excellent average of 20.51.
Against India, in particular, he has grabbed 16 wickets in 11 matches at an average of nearly 33. That his four matches on Indian soil have seen him average a dismal 83.66 is an important factor of his relatively poor returns against the Men in Blue.
Ganguly, on the other hand, had his issues against pace and bounce. The India stalwart averaged nearly 59 runs per dismissal against spin, but it dropped down drastically to only 27.66 when it came to facing pacers.
Against left-arm pace, Ganguly’s track record gets even worse. Against fast bowlers of the southpaw variety, the Kolkata-born man sees his runs per dismissal plummet to a shockingly low 20.75.
He was dismissed 29 times by left-arm pace, with eight of them seeing his stumps dislodged. The former India captain did have a notable vulnerability against the short-ball and pacers did often use this ploy to unsettle him at the crease.
No other bowler got the better of Ganguly as frequently as Chaminda Vaas, with the Sri Lankan seamer capturing his wicket nine times in the 33 ODI encounters between the two. Vaas’ stranglehold over Ganguly has played its role in the Indian’s poor numbers against left-arm pace.
Other left-armed pacers who troubled Ganguly during his career include Pakistan great Wasim Akram and Sri Lanka’s Nuwan Zoysa. While Akram sent back Ganguly five times in 17 meetings, Zoysa got his number four times in 12 matches.
While he averaged nearly 45 with the bat in India, Ganguly did not have the best of times in Australia. In 18 innings Down Under, the opening batsman mustered 558 runs at an unremarkable average of 32.82.
Verdict
For all his greatness, Ganguly’s horrendous record against left-armed pace could come back to haunt him in a hypothetical battle with Starc.
Starc is notorious for his ability to target the batsman’s throats and extract uncomfortable bounce. This, combined with Ganguly’s well-documented shortcomings against the bouncer, should greatly tilt the scales in favour of the Australian ace.
Should this battle take place in India, Ganguly might still be able to come out on top with the lack of bounce offered to bowlers in the subcontinent. Starc has fared poorly in the past in India.
However, the Aussie will fancy his chances against Ganguly at any other venue in the world including Australia. If this imaginary tussle would take place in the middle of the World Cup, then you can definitely bank on Starc to dominate once again given his established prowess in the quadrennial competition.
