ncs180's review against another edition
5.0
logenbarry's review against another edition
4.0
annagrac's review against another edition
5.0
johnr's review against another edition
5.0
"James held degrees in both English and Economics, and the ability to articulate the world of one with the words of the other was key"__Nathan Leamon on Bill James, who spawned Sabermetrics, whose story and execution was best exemplified in the popular book/movie Moneyball
He might as well have been talking about himself - a Maths graduate and professor who ended up as the analytical brains behind the 2019 title winning England team.
I loved this right from the opening chapter! A good analyst isn't just good at data crunching but also at weaving stories with those data points. Leamon and Jones start off this marriage of data and story with a demonstration of their field's contribution in England's fairytale transition from the outdated also rans to heralds of a new era in limited overs cricket - a journey that culminated in them being crowned champions at that final at Lord's in July 2019. There are so many things I loved in the book, and I'll just list them out randomly :
- The pattern of World Cup winning teams - top 2 in batting, top 2 in win percentages in the years leading to the final, and experience (a core that has played 80+ matches) - and how England were topping these going into their fairytale run in 2019
- I loved how ideas we can grasp easily when pointed out were masterfully laid out. One of the examples is of how there's a need to develop a language for T20. Test cricket while being a team game is largely long sequences of individual battles, but T20 is closer to other team games like football and basketball, where a team can follow a particular style and strategy without much regard to individual performances. This allows teams to go all aggressive for example. Leamon argues that there is currently no language to distinguish these tactics like a football 4-4-2 system for example
- Loved that the book is updated enough to talk about the 2019 World Cup (that was 2 years ago!), and yet talks of Australia's 32 year unbeaten Test run at Gabba (:D)
- The rise of left handers and why India doesn't produce enough of them was quite insightful, and so was the discussion of swing, line, length, and the vagaries, beauty, and relevance of spin in general and wrist spin in particular in the slam bang age of T20
Recommended for those who wouldn't mind a bit of numbers in reading cricket stories. Leamon had exhibited his skill in storytelling through his novel 'The Test'. In this book, that skill was embellished with his primary job and that led to some insightful forays into the changing landscape of cricket, through the lens of data. Also, since the story of sports and evolution is relatable across different kinds of sports (and non-sports fields too), non-cricket fans could end up enjoying this book. I loved it!
whaymans's review against another edition
5.0