Statbox: How the teams are shaping up so far

NAGPUR: With 28 league games completed, we are exactly two-thirds into the World Cup qualifying stages. We take a look at how the nine Test-playing nations are shaping up, primarily on their tournament form displayed so far (see also notes below).

Terms: Economy or run rate = Runs per over Average = Runs per dismissal Strike rate (batting) = Runs per 100 balls Strike rate (bowling) = Balls per wicket

Australia

Strengths: Batting: Preserving wickets (average of 52.1 runs per dismissal and 182.0 runs per dismissal during powerplays)

High run rate overall (5.6 runs per over) Bowling: 4.2 runs per over and 16.7 balls per wicket in powerplays

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Fast bowling: 3.9 runs per over and 22.8 balls per wicket Highest number of catches per innings: 5

Weaknesses: 5.2 runs per over scored during powerplays Bowling: 32.4 balls per wicket Spin bowling: 85.7 balls per wicket.

Bangladesh

Strengths: First (mandatory) powerplay: 5.8 runs per over Only 6% of runs conceded as extras

Weaknesses: Batting: average opening partnership (43.0 runs per dismissal); poor run rate overall (4.6)

Powerplay while batting: Poor runs per dismissal (21.9); poor run rate (5.4)

Powerplay while bowling: Poor average (42.9 runs per wicket); poor economy (5.3)

Most number of run outs so far (5) Bowling: Poor strike rate (37.7 balls per wicket); poor economy (5.3)

Fast bowling: Poor economy (5.6) and strike rate (40.9) Spin bowling: Poor economy (5.0)

England

Strengths: Openers: Good strike rate (97.6) Only 1 run out conceded so far

Weaknesses: Lower middle order: Poor average (10.8) Losing too many wickets during the batting (third) powerplay (13.2 runs per dismissal) with poor run rate (6.40)

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Bowling: Poor economy (5.5); poor strike rate (36.0) Powerplay while bowling: Poor economy (5.7) Fast bowling: Poor economy (5.5) and strike rate (37.3) Backup bowlers: Poor economy (5.1), average (184.0) and strike rate (216.0)

Extras: Highly profligate (98 runs) with the highest extras (33) in any innings twice

India

Strengths: Batting: High run rate (6.1); high average runs per dismissal (46.2), High openers' strike rate (112.0)

High powerplay run rate (6.2) Strike rate: Fast bowlers (22.3); backup bowlers (42.8) Fielding: Catches (16) and run outs (4)

Weaknesses: Bowling: Poor economy (5.2) and average (27.5) Poor powerplay economy rate (5.5) Spin bowling: Poor economy (5.0), average (55.5) and strike rate (67.0)

High number of run outs conceded (4)

New Zealand

Strengths: Openers: High average runs per dismissal (79.0); high partnership average (66.5)

No run outs conceded so far Bowling: Very good average (19.1) and strike rate (26.5), powered by fast bowling and backup bowlers

Best spin bowling economy (2.3)

Weaknesses: Middle order: Poor average (33.6) Poor spin bowling strike rate (90.0) High percentage of extras conceded (9.4%)

Pakistan

Strengths: Lower middle order: High average (28.0) and strike rate (94.2)

Spin bowling: Good economy (4.1) and average (16.7) Weaknesses: Batting: Poor average (28.5) and run rate (5.3) Openers: Poor average score each (11.6), strike rate (62.4) and partnership average (15 runs)

World Cup 2011

Middle order: Poor strike rate (74.6) Powerplay while batting: Poor average runs per dismissal (27.3)

Powerplay while bowling: Poor average runs per wicket taken (28.4)

Backup bowlers: Poor economy (5.1) and strike rate (57.0) High extras as a percentage of runs scored (11%) Low number of catches per innings (2.3)

South Africa

Strengths: Middle order: Good average (60.7) and strike rate (93.1) Overall bowling: Good economy (4.0) and strike rate (25.6), especially during powerplays

Fast bowling: Very economical (3.7) Spin bowling: Good strike rate (19.2) High number of catches (4.7) per innings

Weaknesses: Openers: Poor opening stand average (43.0) and strike rate (73.8)

Poor run rate while batting (5.3), especially during powerplays (5.2)

Poor fast bowler strike rate (36.4)

Sri Lanka

Strengths: Batting: Good run rate (6.0) and average (46.8) from openers, middle order and lower middle order

Powerplay while batting: Good run rate (6.4), predominantly due to mandatory powerplay

Spin bowling: Good economy (3.8), average (13.6) and strike rate (21.3)

World Cup Points Table

Backup bowling: High average (19.1) and strike rate (27.8)

Weaknesses: Economy rate of fast bowlers (4.8)

West Indies

Strengths: High middle order strike rate (101.4) Powerplay while batting: Good run rate (5.7) Bowling: Good average of runs per wicket (19.0) and strike rate (26.0), led by powerplay bowling

Fast bowlers: Good economy (4.1) and average (15.6) Spinners: Good strike rate (23.4) Least extras conceded as a percentage of runs scored (3.7%)

Weaknesses: Batting: Poor average (30.6), due to lower middle order (9.7)

Backup bowling: Poor strike rate (137.2) and average (102.0) Notes: * Batting performance has been classified into openers, middle order (numbers 3, 4 and 5) and lower middle order (6, 7, 8) and performance during the powerplays have also been taken into account.

Bowling performance has been classified into how the fast bowlers, spinners and backup bowlers have performed, again taking powerplays into account.

The analysis is based on a relative comparison of the batting, bowling and fielding performance by the teams as compared to other Test-playing nations.