on the third day of the second Test against England at Edgbaston, he showed exactly why he is one of India’s most passionate pace bowlers. With Jasprit Bumrah not playing a part in this match and Shami also not playing, Siraj made a claim for Man of the Match, taking an impressive six wickets breaking the game in favour of India.
But while Siraj was doing this monumental feat, some rather strange numbers started to show up. In fact statistically, Siraj since his Test debut has a much better record when he is not with Bumrah or Shami. Sure it is a strange stat right, but the overall point is it represents that he has performed best when he has had a greater burden and responsibility on his shoulders.
The Strange Numbers Behind Siraj’s Growth
Let’s break down the numbers that had raised some eyebrows on Day 3:
- When playing in 23 Tests with Bumrah, Siraj has an average of 33.82.
- When playing in 15 Tests without Bumrah, Siraj has an average of 25.20.
- When playing in 9 Tests with Mohammed Shami, Siraj has an average of 34.96.
- When playing in 6 Tests with Bumrah and Shami, he averages 33.05.
- However, when he plays in 12 Tests without Bumrah or Shami, he has yet the best averages at 22.27.
When Siraj spoke about this and touched on the stat in a mid-innings interview, he simply responded that he “enjoys the responsibility”. Of course whether this is simply correlation or causation, it is still a fun pattern to see that when it comes to leading a bowling attack solely, Siraj is literally a completely different animal.
Not Just a Quirk – A Fast Bowler with Ability and Heart
Siraj is more than just a strange stat. He’s a genuine fast bowler – a player who invests such considerable skill, stamina and soul into the game. He has become a much more versatile bowler: a wobble seam delivery, an occasional outswinger and impeccable control around length.
He does often end up getting under appreciated in the idiosyncrasies of cricket; at Headingley – he bowled beautifully, with Bumrah a great benchmark for speed and accuracy. He offered false shots against the bat, but besides that, he did not have a lot to show. It can be this inconsistency in returns that makes such performances like Edgbaston ever rewarding.
The Edgbaston Masterclass
On a surface that was slowing and going lower, with little/no seam, including aged Dukes, Siraj brought fire and energy, especially in his second new ball spell, which was electric. Earlier in the day – he had offered an impact in two wickets – his first over of the day had two wickets.
While Akash Deep was making his debut, and took the new ball alongside Siraj – while the debutant took the new ball first, Siraj was more the benefactor on the new ball. Instead, on Headingley, Siraj bowled 47.5% of his deliveries in channel, here he made nuanced, but relatively important adjustments:
42.9% deliveries in channel (outside off).
33.8% deliveries aimed straights (up from 22.5% in Leeds).
This tiny shift in line paid dividends, given the pitch was providing no extravagantSiraj’s control and attacking were uniform throughout, as in accounting for the stumps, Siraj was projected to hit the stumps 28 times (the most by a pacer), and he was three wickets that way.
To this already impressive achievement consider this: of Siraj’s six wickets he only had to work through 26 false shots*. Before this, at Headingley, he had to push through 69 false shots for his two. That is what makes it so noticeable that all the stars aligned for him at Edgbaston this week.
- false shots – ball being on, or near the edge of the bat, runs down past the playing surface to the boundary (not had control over the way the ball meets bat). Re-calling When Siraj Is Not the Third Seamer
As stated in the title, the overarching dynamic is the different, contrasting, alternative roles of the bowling positions. I think of Siraj most often expected, and as the third seamer, to contain, bowl older balls, work with arguably the worst anyway of the wicket, and expectation to improve luck-driven discipline. Conversely, when Siraj is the leading edge of the attack (lead seamer, or second seamer) the bowler is much more likely to be ‘a full blown’, attacking, nipping, new-ball bowler, with permission to take wickets (not only create pressure).
But this seems to be the crux of the issue.
Prior to this Test match, Siraj has never taken a five-for in England. After day’s play, he is quoted saying to Jio Hotstar, “I have been waiting 1 year for a five-for. I was stuck at four. I am bowling well but just not taking wickets. This is very special to me. I am especially because I only have four-fors in England”.
Cricket in it’s Sadism, and Siraj’s Stamina
Cricket can be sadistic. For a whole year no fiver, regardless of bowling well, has seen Siraj without a five wicket haul. Even going into this series, as a continued average of 31.83, which is a number that presumably all analysts would selfishly use against him at times. Yet overall, as is true with any bowler, no-one’s value can be extrapolated from number acts only, the forms of intensity, discipline, and impact (in the form of wicket taking) gives so much more credence to Siraj beyond numbers can only ever offer.
Additionally, that Siraj was able to endure such years between wickets, especially to emerge as a good enough bowler; to have to watch all his other fast-bowling counterparts themselves bowl incredibly in-spite of Siraj himself always watching it on the, in-Comparison, losing end of luck for months and months on end.
After all of it, spontaneously and unexpectedly Siraj does not appears disappointed at all, he has never dropped his shoulder, or dropped off the attempt of the ball into the batter.
Looking Ahead
So now, where India looks really, and effectively, ready to get in control of the series. Could Siraj be able to induce a paradigm shift in both his position as a bowler both today, and likely in his position or marking within any fast-bowling group in tests ahead? Effectively, could, and either now with Shami work load recovery-in-parts or Bumrah reached work load, Siraj would exhibit some fast-bowler expectations beyond ‘throwing-out the new-ball’ for some other fast-bowler during tomorrow’s exercise.
For now, he is just going to do what he prefers and loves to do best; run in, bowl like he will do, and hope for the quirk of cricket to do it’s bidding.
Because, as cricks goes, the quirk of pace-bowling unpredictability; the factors of passion and perseverance that Mohammed Siraj brings is however one of only few consistencies the sport has.