Data Features

The fast bowler - so often in the shadows of James Anderson – was centre stage on the final day of the series decider against West Indies in Manchester, matching his long-time new-ball partner in reaching a personal milestone.

Kraigg Brathwaite's wicket became number 500 when he was trapped lbw by Broad, who made his debut in Sri Lanka in 2007, then a newcomer with a famous father. The hair has thinned a little over the years, but - sorry, Chris - there is no doubt who is the best-known family member now.

Broad's career may always be remembered for the stunning spells, none more so than his 8-15 against Australia at Trent Bridge in 2015.

Yet Broad has become a model of consistency as he's matured, working hard to adapt his game and defy those who have ever dared doubt him – including, occasionally, those who select England's XI.

His achievement is a reward for both the skills he possesses and his stamina - only seven bowlers have reached 500 (and three of those are spinners) - as the Opta numbers show.

TOP TARGETS

"It would be nice if I was to play there again and he [Broad] wasn't playing."

David Warner's words were tongue-in-cheek, of course. Still, the Australian batsman would no doubt rather, if he makes it to another Ashes tour to England, that his nemesis was no longer around.

Broad has accounted for the left-handed opener 12 times, putting him top of his hit list in the longest format. That total includes seven of Warner's 10 innings in the 2019 series on English soil.

Michael Clarke, another Australian, had been the top target prior to last year, falling to the right-armer on 11 occasions. AB de Villiers and Ross Taylor sit together on 10, showing how Broad has made a habit of taking out opposing team's leading names during his career.

When it comes to countries, Broad has undoubtedly enjoyed his battles with Australia, a nation that has loved to hate him ever since he failed to walk when edging a delivery during a see-saw first Test of the 2013 series in England.

The Brisbane Courier Mail even refused to print his name at one stage when England next toured Down Under, referring to him only as "the 27-year-old medium-pace bowler".

Medium-paced or not, Broad has excelled in the heat of an Ashes battle, taking 118 wickets at an average of 29.4. That tally has been boosted by seven five-wicket hauls, none more famous than that career-best eight-for in Nottingham that saw Australia skittled for 60.

Broad's taken more Test wickets (66) against New Zealand than any other Englishman, too.

THROUGH THE YEARS

There was seen to be a streaky nature about Broad’s returns, perhaps formulated through the years by his ability to get on a roll and take wickets in clusters.

Yet for all the undoubted memorable moments, there has still been a consistency to his performances. Indeed, Broad is the only bowler to pick up at least 30 Test wickets in each of the last nine completed calendar years – and is well on target to continue that run, as he has 25 in 2020 already in five outings.

The peak – so far – was in 2013, when 62 scalps came at an average of 25.8. His strike-rate of a wicket every 46.2 balls was aided by an outstanding 2013 Ashes, including claiming 11 in the third Test in Durham that secured England the urn.

There is no sign of him slowing up, though, as his performances against West Indies showed.

A willingness to change his natural tendencies – Broad has bowled noticeably fuller in recent times, as well as mastering a wobble-seam delivery – has allowed him to remain productive. While Anderson's body has started to betray him in recent times, in contrast his team-mate appears to go from strength to strength.

No longer part of the limited-overs set-up, he has played 11 Tests in each of the past three calendar years, taking 108 wickets from the start of 2017 to the end of 2019. Sure, 500 is great but do not think he's finished there.

RIGHT ON THE MONEY

Broad's success against Warner demonstrated just how he has developed methods to trouble left-handers, often by coming around the wicket and angling the ball into them.

However, 70 per cent of his Test wickets have been right-handed batsmen (352 compared to 149), with his average markedly better against them as well (25.8 v 32.9).

When it comes to the position in the batting order, 225 of his victims have been in the top four, 140 coming in from five to seven and then 136 so-called tail-enders. What the sheer number of wickets backs up, however, is that Broad is an outstanding performer.

Even when England suggested they were thinking about moving on, leaving him out of the series opener against West Indies in Southampton, he responded in just the manner you would expect of such a highly competitive character.

Having made it publicly known he was disappointed to be left out for a game the hosts lost, he backed up his words with actions, picking up 16 wickets in the next two games following his recall, including 10 in the third Test as the home team won the Wisden Trophy.

"He's a real inspiration, not just for younger members of the team but also for me," Anderson - who is closing in on 600 wickets - told Sky Sports prior to the fifth day's play at Old Trafford.

England have been fortunate to have both Anderson and Broad together. Do not expect either to stop anytime soon, either.

Babar Azam's side made a statement when they hammered fierce rivals India by 10 wickets in their opening match of the tournament and they have never looked back, winning all five Super 12 games.

Australia qualified as runners-up to England in Group 1 as they strive to win the T20 World Cup for the first time and have come out on top in their previous two T20Is against Pakistan.

Pakistan had won five in a row versus Australia in the shortest format prior to those two losses.

Matthew Hayden stated that he believes being a "warrior of Australian cricket over two decades" can give Pakistan an edge in his role as batting consultant for this tournament.

Pakistan's only T20 World Cup title was won back in 2009 and they were beaten by Australia in a semi-final the following year.

Stats Perform usese Opta data to preview the second semi-final at Dubai International Stadium on Thursday, with the winner facing England or New Zealand at the same venue three days later.

Brilliant Babar leading by example

Pakistan's classy run machine Babar has been outstanding with the bat and his captaincy in this tournament.

The prolific skipper has made four scores of least 50 in this tournament, only the third player to do so in a T20 World Cup. Australia great Hayden (four in 2007) and India captain Virat Kohli (four in 2014) are the other two.

Babar is the leading run-scorer in the competition with 264 from five innings at an average of 66 and a strike rate of 128.15.

Paceman Shaheen Afridi has been magnificent with the ball, forcing a false shot from a batter with 44 per cent of his 120 deliveries – the highest rate of any player at the Super 12 stage to bowl more than a single innings.

Haris Rauf has also made a big impact and is Pakistan's leading wicket-taker with eight to Afridi's six for the only team with a 100 per cent record in the Super 12s.

Zampa providing Australia x-factor

Spinner Adam Zampa has been one of Australia's leading lights on their run to the last four.

The tweaker has claimed 11 wickets at an average of just 9.90, with only Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga (16) having taken more scalps. His figures of 5-19 against Bangladesh are the best in the tournament.

Zampa has finished four of his five innings in the tournament with a bowling economy below six runs per over after having done so only once in his 17 innings prior. 

Paceman Josh Hazlewood has also maintained his outstanding form on the back of an Indian Premier League triumph with Chennai Super Kings.

Hazlewood has taken eight wickets with a strike rate of 11.87, delivering with the new ball time and again, and Australia will be looking for him to make early inroads along with Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc.

England were crowned 50-over world champions at Lord's in the most dramatic fashion, with a Super Over needed to finally separate the two teams in a thriller.

The Black Caps and England do battle in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup at Zayed Cricket Stadium after qualifying from the Super 12 stage along with Pakistan and Australia.

England have won six of the past nine T20Is against New Zealand, including another Super-Over triumph in their last meeting in November 2019.

They have also won three of their past four T20 World Cup matches against New Zealand, one of those coming in a semi-final five years ago.

The top-ranked side in the world will have to do without explosive opening batsman Jason Roy, who joined paceman Tymal Mills on the injury list when he suffered a torn calf in the loss to South Africa on Saturday.

New Zealand took second place in Group 2 by beating Afghanistan on Sunday, their fourth win in a row after starting with a defeat to Pakistan.

Stats Perform looks at selection decisions to be made in Abu Dhabi and pick out who might be the key players in a blockbuster last-four showdown.

Initially scheduled to take place in Australia last year, and then India following the postponement, the competition will now take place in the United Arab Emirates and Oman.

A first round featuring eight teams, including debutants Namibia and Papua New Guinea as well as 2014 champions Sri Lanka (who have reached three T20 World Cup finals, more than any other side), gets the tournament up and running, with four teams progressing into the Super 12 stage.

The West Indies are aiming to defend their title, having edged out England in the 2016 edition. Eoin Morgan's team, who have the world's top T20 batsman in their ranks, are sure to be one of the main challengers for the Windies' crown.

Virat Kohli's India are among the favourites, while Pakistan will be hoping captain Babar Azam delivers. Australia and New Zealand (the most economic side when it came to bowling in 2016) cannot be discounted either, with South Africa also improving in recent years.

It promises to be a thrilling tournament and, with the help of Opta, Stats Perform looks at some of the key data points heading into the tournament.

Gayle on the record trail

The Windies have won two of the last three T20 World Cups, triumphing in 2016 and 2012 either side of Sri Lanka's success, and they remain the only team to have won the tournament on multiple occasions. Key to their sustained success has been Chris Gayle, who at 42, is still the face of the sport in the Caribbean.

He is just 80 runs away from becoming the second player to score 1,000 runs at the T20 World Cup. In fact, he needs only 97 runs to surpass Mahela Jayawardene's record tally of 1,016. Gayle already holds one competition record, for the number of sixes (60), while he averages 40 across 26 innings at the tournament, with a brilliant strike rate of 146.7.

New Zealand great Brendon McCullum (123) is the only player to have a higher T20 World Cup score than Gayle's 117, and you would not bet against the Windies talisman claiming that record either.

Gayle will have able support from the likes of Kieron Pollard (1,378 T20 runs), Dwayne Bravo (1,229) and Lendl Simmons (1,508), not to mention Nicholas Pooran.

Despite batting in the middle order, Pooran hit the second-highest number of sixes in this year's Caribbean Premier League (25). He also has form in the middle east, having struck 350 runs at a rate of 170 in the most recent edition of the Indian Premier League.

Malan and Livingstone to lead England

The Windies' first opponents in the Super 12 phase will be England, who will be out for revenge. They had a batting strike rate of 148 in 2016, the best of any team, but still fell short. Yet while the West Indies are now ninth in the ICC's T20I rankings, Morgan's men sit top of the pile.

Dawid Malan is the star batsman. He is ranked number one in the world in T20Is, with a rating of 841, way clear of second-placed Babar (819). Over 30 innings, he has amassed 1,123 runs at an average of 43.2 and a strike rate of 139.3.

Morgan, not shy of a big innings himself, is also able to call on Liam Livingstone, who has made a fantastic start to his T20I career. 

From seven innings, Livingstone has hit 206 runs with a strike rate of 167.5. His high score of 103 is the joint-highest in England's squad, level with Malan (103 not out).

As was the case at the 2019 World Cup, England's batting depth is exceptional, though they are shorn of Ben Stokes, who always seems to deliver when it matters most.

Kohli's last shot

Not too far behind Malan in the ICC's T20I batsman rankings is India star Kohli, who is stepping down as the captain in the shortest format of the game following the World Cup.

Winners of the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007, India have only reached one other final, back in 2014. Kohli was named player of the tournament, top-scoring with 319 runs, and as he prepares to bow out as captain, he will be determined to cap off his tenure on a high.

No player has made more half-centuries in the competition than the 32-year-old (level with Gayle on nine), though Kohli is yet to log a century.

Kohli's hopes may well rest on the shoulders of Rohit Sharma. The opener debuted with an unbeaten half-century back in 2007 and has made 111 T20I appearances, behind only Shoaib Malik (116) and Mohammed Hafeez (113).

Only Martin Guptill (147) has struck more sixes than Sharma (133) in the format, while over the last five years, India have won every time the batsman has scored 50+ runs.

Captain fantastic

Shahid Afridi has taken the most wickets of any player in T20 World Cup history (39). Indeed, Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan has taken the most wickets at the tournament of any player set to participate in this edition (30), which shows the void Pakistan are having to fill following Afridi's retirement.

They do, however, possess a supreme batsman in the form of captain Babar. 

Since his T20I bow in 2016, Babar has tallied up 2,204 runs. His average of 46.9 puts him third on the all-time T20I list (20+ innings), behind Kohli (52.7) and his fellow opener Mohammad Rizwan (48.4), who provides another string to Pakistan's bow.

Babar, who has only managed one century to date (122 from 59 balls against South Africa earlier this year) was the fastest player to 2,000 T20I runs (52 innings) beating Kohli's previous best of 56, and an enticing encounter between the sub-continental rivals takes place on October 24.

The 'Little Master' was still churning out the runs in his 200th and final Test more than 23 years later.

Tendulkar is comfortably the leading run-scorer in the history of Test cricket, having racked up a mammoth 15,921 at a staggering average of 53.78.

The elegant right-hander is the fifth-youngest player to make his Test debut – against fierce rivals Pakistan aged 16 years 205 days – back in November 1989 and bowed out on a high note with a half-century against West Indies well over two decades later.

With help from Opta, we look at some of the astonishing numbers Tendulkar amassed during his record double-century of Test appearances.

From boy to a man in Manchester

It was already apparently India had unearthed a gem in Tendulkar before his heroics in Manchester, but the teenager showed his incredible maturity on this day three decades ago.

Coming in at number six, he showed great application and skill to make a brilliant unbeaten 119 after contributing 68 in the first innings as India salvaged a draw on the final day.

Aged 17 years, three months and 21 days, he goes down as the third-youngest batsman to score a hundred in the longest format behind Mohammad Ashraful and Mushtaq Mohammad.

He went on to score almost twice as many Test runs as a teenager than anyone else (1,522).

A master at home and away 

There have been plenty of players over the years who have varying records playing at home and away, but Tendulkar is not among them.

He averaged 52.7 on home soil and 54.7 on tour, scoring 8,705 runs in 106 Tests outside of India and 7,216 in 94 games in his country of birth.

Tendulkar also scored three of his Test double-centuries away from home and as many in front of his adoring fans in India.

A half-century of centuries, Australia a happy hunting ground

No batsman has made as many Test centuries as the 47-year-old icon.

The majestic middle-order talisman reached three figures as many as 51 times, with 22 of those achieved in his homeland. 

Tendulkar also has fond memories of batting in Australia, where he crafted 11 Test hundreds and chalked up nine in Sri Lanka. He also struck 68 Test half-centuries in a magnificent career.

A record-breaking 2010

While Tendulkar can reflect on such a special day 30 years ago, he also has plenty of fond memories to look back on from a decade ago.

He was unstoppable in 2010, scoring seven Test centuries: with two against Bangladesh, a couple versus South Africa before double-hundreds against Sri Lanka and Australia.

Only Mohammad Yousuf has more in a calendar year, the Pakistan batsman making a jaw-dropping nine in 2006. Tendulkar also scored 1,000 Test runs in six calendar years – which no other player has achieved.

Leading by example

Judging by the numbers, the captaincy did not weigh too heavily on Tendulkar's shoulders.

He averaged 51.4 in 25 Tests as skipper compared to 54.2 in 286 knocks without that responsibility.

There were seven hundreds and the same amount of half-centuries in Tendulkar's 43 visits to the crease during his captaincy.