Top 5 differences of average between first and second innings in Tests
Test cricket is a very interesting art. This is where the temperament of a batsman and the fitness of a bowler is truly tested. In many ways, Test cricket determines the versatility of a cricketer.
Over the years, many batsmen have played and excelled in the longest format of the sport. A number of great batsmen have produced several remarkable performances over the years. Some have come in the first innings and some in the second innings.
There have been a number of batsmen who have performed consistently in both innings and have maintained nearly the same average in both. However, there are many batsmen who have not been equally consistent and have different averages.
Let’s take a look at the highest difference of averages between both innings in Test Cricket.
Note: Only considered for this list are batsmen who have played at least 50 innings.
#5. Brian Lara- 25.76
West Indies legend Brian Lara is one of the greatest batsmen in the history of the game but there is a humongous difference in his first innings and second innings performances.
Lara has scored nearly 70% of his Test runs in the first innings. Lara has 8249 runs from 130 innings at an impressive average of 63.94. In the second innings, he averages only 38.18. He has scored 3704 runs in 104 innings. Lara has scored 33 of his 48 Test fifties and 25 of his 34 Test hundreds while batting in the first innings.
The most notable point here is the fact that the tall player has scored all his 200+ scores while batting in the first innings, including his 375 and 400 against England in 1994 and 2004 respectively.
However, Lara has played some brilliant knocks while batting in the second innings even though his best performance is 153.