I am a maths teacher at Portsmouth High School and also assist with umpiring and coaching cricket whenever possible. My passion for both stems from the significant mathematical elements within the game, as well as cricket’s diverse range of specialist physical skills, rich history, friendly and welcoming atmosphere, constant evolution, and overall enjoyment.
A cricket match has two teams of 11 players, and they play on a large circular-shaped playing area, with most of the action taking place on a 22 yard strip. It became an established sport in the 18th century but there are descriptions of the game from much earlier.
Scores are written down with the number of runs then the lost wickets, e.g. 100-4. (although the Australians do it the other way round!). A four is when the batter hits the ball and it reaches the boundary of the field. If the ball goes over the boundary without bouncing, they score a six.
An over is 6 balls bowled by a bowler. If no runs are scored, they call it a maiden over. What happens when rain stops play? They turn to maths! Mathematicians Frank Duckworth and Tony Lewis developed a method for working out what to do next. This was called the Duckworth Lewis method, later modified by Steven Stern. The DLS is a formula to calculate the number of runs needed to win for the team batting second in a match with overs limited because of disruption, usually because of weather.
63 has become a special number in cricket. Phillip Hughes, an Australian cricketer, sadly died from his injuries after being struck in the neck by a cricket ball during a match. He was only 25 years old. Hughes was unbeaten on 63 in his innings in his final match. Because of this connection every time an Australian batter reaches a score of 63, they raise their bat in memory of Hughes.
Some interesting, unusual facts about cricket:
1. Did you know that the longest cricket match was in 1939 between England and South Africa? It was played at Durban in South Africa. The match was eventually abandoned after 10 days because the English players’ ship was due to leave! They played 43 hours and 16 minutes, and 1981 runs were scored.
2. Cricket is often played in beautifully picturesque venues. The highest cricket ground in the world is in India. The Chail Cricket Ground in Himachal Pradesh is 2444m above sea level.
3. In 2003, Shoaib Akhtar bowled the fastest delivery in history – 161 km/h.
4. England cricketer Alec Stewart was born on 8/4/63 – he scored 8463 test runs in his career.
5. There are 10 different ways of getting out in cricket.
6. Hambledon (only a few miles from Portsmouth) is known as the ‘home of cricket’. Around the end of the 18th century, it was the foremost cricket club in England.
Analysing data in cricket is essential in the 21st century. A batting average is calculated by dividing their total runs by the number of times they have been dismissed. You can then look at how consistent/inconsistent they are in performance. A strike rate analyses the number of runs a batter scores per 100 balls they face. This means you can see how many risks each player takes. These are useful for working out the batting order. If you’ve looked at each player’s strengths and weaknesses, then you can look at how many runs you have to get to beat the other side, and then put your players out in the most helpful order. All of this can be then used to improve training plans.
Fortunately, I get the opportunity to run a lunchtime club and umpire some cricket matches at PHS. It is fast becoming the foremost summer sport here. When I first joined, that place was held by rounders, but I am pleased to say that my favourite sport is becoming more popular with the girls here. Not only is it a more technical game requiring a significant amount of different skills, but there is a much clearer pathway to the professional game. In the last few years, the women’s game has exploded in this country, due to much wider coverage on TV.
I played the game extensively in my youth, but now enjoying watching cricket at the Utilita Bowl in Hedge End and doing my best to promote the game at Portsmouth High School.
Paul Simpson, Teachers of Mathematics
