The world of data (and how it is upending the game)

81 All Out - A Cricket Podcast

In the latest episode we discuss ways in which data is upending the way teams approach the sport - and also question why there is so much resistance to the idea that smart use of data helps everyone understand the game better.

Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar (recently republished by 81allout):

India (hardback) | India (paperback, e-copy); Australia (hardback, paperback, e-copy); USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy); USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy); Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy);

For the rest - please check your country-specific Amazon pages.

Talking Points:

• The importance of data in the T20 era - with teams looking for more efficiencies and for ways to exploit match-ups
• The 'anti-data constituency' and why data is such a polarizing topic
• The false-opposition to data: and why observation and experience are data too
• The age-old cliche: 'Numbers don't tell the full story'
• The terminological baggage around terms like 'luck', 'fluke' and 'randomness'
• The difference between descriptive data and predictive data
• The lack of sufficient data in T20s - with so few games played every season
• The issue of player accountability - and the fear of data revealing hard truths
• Do TV channels have a moral responsibility to educate the public about data?
• What does the future of cricket data look like?
• Can one expect more systematic recording of judgement metrics?

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee); Himanish Ganjoo (@hganjoo_153); Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview); Ashoka (@ABVan)

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Related:

• Pressure, clutch, choke: the language of cricketing discourse - 81allout podcast
• Understanding T20 - 81allout podcast with Hassan Cheema
• Hitting v Batting: the choice that dictates the shape of a T20 contest - 81allout podcast
• Databall - Kartikeya Date - The Cricket Monthly
• On Analysis And Statistics in Cricket - Himanish Ganjoo - DeepPoint Substack
• Do match-ups work in T20? The data says yes - Himanish Ganjoo - ESPNcricinfo
• The rise of the analyst, coded signals and the DRS revolution - Sky Sports podcast with Nathan Leamon
• Cricket is having its Moneyball moment - Mike Jakeman - Wired UK