Atherton averages 12 against McGrath

Wisden has produced a chilling statistic that will scarcely boost England's morale with the Ashes series looming -- Michael Atherton has an average of 12 against Glenn McGrath.

The "cricketing Bible" has come up with the figure through a new kind of statistic, the Wisden 20:20 head-to-head analysis, showing how each of England's batsmen has fared against each of Australia's bowlers in recent Ashes Tests.

Wisden Online editor Tim de Lisle said: "Cricket-lovers already knew that Atherton had often got out to McGrath, but until now we had no way of knowing what his batting average was against McGrath alone.

"Now we have that figure, and it is 12 -- the sort of average you would expect from a tailender."

Opener Atherton's low average is driven by the dismissals. McGrath has dismissed him 13 times out of 24, and Atherton has survived only 420 balls, an average of less than six overs.

De Lisle points to extenuating circumstances, as Atherton was struggling with a bad back in the last two Ashes series.

"However, there is good news too. Atherton's overall record against Australia (an average of 31) now doesn't look so bad," de Lisle said.

"If he is averaging 12 against McGrath, then his average against all the other Aussie bowlers must be relatively high. In fact it turns out to be 37 -- very close to his overall Test record."

The Wisden 20:20 method cross-references every ball bowled across all innings to produce an exact measure of performance by each batsman and bowler. The 20:20 figures use 24 parameters to produce an incredibly detailed picture of head-to-head encounters.

The five-Test Ashes series starts at Edgbaston, Birmingham, on July 5.

Mail Cricket Editor