Batting Momentum is the metric used in the Castrol Index to measure the batting performance of players as well as for teams.
Traditionally, the number of runs scored by a batsman has been used as a measure of his performance in a single innings. However, in T20 cricket, batting strike-rate is just as important as the number of runs scored. Therefore, considering only the number of runs scored or only the rate of scoring those runs is not wholly indicative.
That's why the Castrol Index uses batting momentum- a comprehensive, all-round metric which is a function of runs scored and the rate at which those runs are scored.
Consider these three performances by three batsmen in a single match.
|
Runs |
Balls |
Strike-rate |
| Player A |
80 |
100 |
80 |
| Player B |
60 |
50 |
120 |
| Player C |
30 |
15 |
200 |
Player A has the most runs; C has the highest strike-rate while B has a healthy combination of both. How do you figure out who has fared better than the others?
That's where the batting momentum comes in- it tells you which player's contribution is the most valuable.
| Batting Momentum |
| Player A | 64 |
| Player B | 72 |
| Player C | 60 |
Player B had the best combination of number of runs scored and strike-rate leading to a higher batting momentum than the others.
Use the same principle for a team to arrive at a team's batting momentum. Or use it across a number of matches to arrive at a player's long-run batting momentum- a more comprehensive measure of performance than an average or a strike-rate.
Here's a look at some batting momentum figures for the IPL 2009.
| Player | Runs | Avg | SR | Batting Momentum |
| ML Hayden | 572 | 52 | 144.81 | 75 |
| AC Gilchrist | 495 | 30.93 | 152.3 | 47 |
| AB de Villiers | 465 | 51.66 | 130.98 | 51 |
| JP Duminy | 372 | 41.33 | 114.46 | 35 |
| LRPL Taylor | 280 | 31.11 | 134.61 | 38 |
Gilchrist had more runs and a higher strike-rate than de Villiers, while the latter had a significantly higher average. Who had the better overall batting performance? The batting momentum metric tells you it was de Villiers. Similarly, Ross Taylor outperformed JP Duminy despite fewer runs scored and a lower average. And Matthew Hayden may have been the highest run-getter and won the orange cap, but he was also the best overall batsmen on the basis of his batting momentum score.
The ability of the batting momentum to look at all aspects of batting makes it the definitive measure of performance.
