A new acceleration point, centuries in super quick time, and more

Ten matches are over in the 2023 edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup, and all ten teams have played two games each. With a massive win against Australia yesterday, South Africa are at top of the table owing to a humungous Net run rate of 2.360. The home team, India, are in third position with two wins and an NRR of 1.500. 

The theme so far has just been runs, runs, and runs. Apart from a few games like the India & Australia encounter in Chennai, the Afghanistan & Bangladesh in Dharamsala, and a few other innings, runs have come in abundance. 

Here's a round-up of how things have gone by in the first ten games of the World Cup:

Centuries and runs have flown like water

We are yet to enter the second week of the World Cup, and 12 centuries have already been witnessed. South Africa set the highest WC total, Pakistan chased the highest successful target, 100 boundaries were hit in a single match for the first time in WC, and four centuries were scored in one game. 

In the first ten games of a World Cup, 12 centuries in this edition are the most, and no other World Cup has seen more than five in the first ten.

Interestingly, only one out of that 12 has come in 100+ balls for a batter. Four centuries reached between 90-99 deliveries, four between 80-89, and three in 65 or fewer deliveries. The fastest-ever WC ton - 49 balls by Aiden Markram, came this year. 

Phase-wise batting in the first and second innings

This World Cup has seen a new acceleration point in the first innings. Gone is the old saying: double the score from the 30th over. In this WC, teams batting first have accelerated from the 21st over. 

Teams batting first are watchful in the first powerplay (1-10), scoring at 5.2 and losing a wicket every 57.6 runs and 66.7 balls. The same goes in the next block of ten overs but with a minimal hike in the run-rate (5.4). Batters average 54.2 in overs between 11-20. 

However, in overs 21-30, the run-rate sees a spike to 6.3 in this WC, and it gets better in the next ten overs (6.4). In any case, the attempt to up the ante has come at a cost in overs between 31-40. A boundary has been hit every 9.1 balls between 21-30 and 7.6 between 31-40. 

Despite the momentum, teams batting first haven't capitalized enough in the last ten overs. Overall, the run rate is just 7.3, reasonably low. South Africa have struck at a run rate of 10.8 in two innings, and New Zealand at 8.4 in one. No other team has a run rate above seven. If we take Proteas out of the equation in this phase, other teams in the first innings have scored at a run-rate of 6.3 while finding the fence every 9.8 balls. 

Things change in a chase. Batters have looked to attack in the first ten overs but have lost wickets in the process. Though the run-rate (5.8) is higher than in the first innings (5.2), teams have lost a wicket every 30.4 runs and 31.6 balls. In both innings, the overs between 11-20 have been identical in both aspects: run rate and average. 

Unlike the first innings, teams have been steady in ten overs between 21 to 30 while chasing. Neither does the run-rate drop nor does the average. 

Most games are done and dusted by the time they reach the ten-over block between 31-40. New Zealand finished the chase in 36.4 overs, and India did it in 35 overs against Afghanistan. 

Pacers find it hard in the first ten overs in chases under light

Generally, while playing in India, the new ball offers very little for the pacers. Whatever it is, the story is just in the first ten overs.

Eight of the ten matches played have been day/night encounters in this WC. In the first innings, pacers have conceded at an economy of 5.2 compared to 6.0 in the second in the first ten overs. Especially against the good-length balls batters have feasted in the second innings. 

While the batters have scored at a strike rate of 46 in the first innings against the pacers on the good length, it boosts up to 80.2 in the second. It's evident enough to say that the ball comes onto the bat better under lights. 

Too many one-sided games

Though the batters have had a blast, the games have ended too quickly in this WC so far. Seven out of the ten games have been finished within the 45th over. 

Let alone the 45th-over mark, almost every game, apart from Sri Lanka and Pakistan in Hyderabad, has seen an evident winner by the 25th over of the chase. 

According to our Criclytics win predictor, seven games had a 90+ win percentage for one team at half-way. The game between India and Australia had India with the upper hand at 88%. In their game against the Netherlands, Pakistan had a 63% win chance at the 25th. 

In the game between Sri Lanka and Pakistan in Hyderabad, the island nation had a win% of 69%. But Pakistan went on to win that game - the highest run chase. 

Nothing for the leg spinners; both finger spinners have been decent

There are very few leggies in this World Cup, five to be precise, and they have struggled to get going. Among the five, Liam Livingstone, who has bowled six overs, averages 37, the best—none of the remaining four average less than 50. 

Overall, the leg-spinners average 64.9 and have a bowling strike rate of 63.4, the worst among all types. Adding salt to injury, they are the only spin bowling type to concede above six runs/over.

Among all bowling types, left-arm wrist spinners have been the best in terms of all three aspects: economy (4.3), average (24.0) & strike rate (33.4). In terms of average, the left-arm orthodox bowlers have been very productive so far. 

In any case, by overall numbers, the finger spinners have done better than the wrist spinners.

Toss hasn’t been a decisive factor so far

In the ten games, the toss hasn’t played a part. Teams winning the toss have chosen to bat first three times and lost all the games. Whereas, in the remaining seven games where teams have opted to field, only twice have they gone on to win. 

Overall, in the ten games, teams winning the toss have won only 20% of the games (two out of the ten).