The world of data (and how it is upending the game)

In the latest episode we discuss ways in which data is upending the way teams approach the sport - and also question why there is so much resistance to the idea that smart use of data helps everyone understand the game better.

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Talking Points:

• The importance of data in the T20 era - with teams looking for more efficiencies and for ways to exploit match-ups
• The 'anti-data constituency' and why data is such a polarizing topic
• The false-opposition to data: and why observation and experience are data too
• The age-old cliche: 'Numbers don't tell the full story'
• The terminological baggage around terms like 'luck', 'fluke' and 'randomness'
• The difference between descriptive data and predictive data
• The lack of sufficient data in T20s - with so few games played every season
• The issue of player accountability - and the fear of data revealing hard truths
• Do TV channels have a moral responsibility to educate the public about data?
• What does the future of cricket data look like?
• Can one expect more systematic recording of judgement metrics?

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee); Himanish Ganjoo (@hganjoo_153); Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview); Ashoka (@ABVan)

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Related:

• Pressure, clutch, choke: the language of cricketing discourse - 81allout podcast
• Understanding T20 - 81allout podcast with Hassan Cheema
• Hitting v Batting: the choice that dictates the shape of a T20 contest - 81allout podcast
• Databall - Kartikeya Date - The Cricket Monthly
• On Analysis And Statistics in Cricket - Himanish Ganjoo - DeepPoint Substack
• Do match-ups work in T20? The data says yes - Himanish Ganjoo - ESPNcricinfo
• The rise of the analyst, coded signals and the DRS revolution - Sky Sports podcast with Nathan Leamon
• Cricket is having its Moneyball moment - Mike Jakeman - Wired UK