The English batting by the numbers (so far)

The first two Tests at the Gabba and Adelaide have both been sporting spectacles, the intensity and balance of the second Test leading into Day 5 brought an aura that had been missed in recent times.

But how did the teams go by numbers?

English batting
The English have contributed to most of the questionable batting over the last two games, here’s how they fared statistically.

Cook
Alastair Cook is off to a shaky start of this Ashes tour, tipped to be one of the defining players of the English side, he has underperformed, to say the least. In fact, he is the only English top seven batsman to not pass 100 cumulative runs.

62 runs – avg. of 15.5 – s/r 36.5 – high score of 37

Mark Stoneman
Looking to solidify a place in the top order of the three lions, Stoneman passed 50 once so far and failed to capitalise further, emphasised in two other scores in the 20s and 30s. Yet he still sits third place in England’s total runs scored.

134 runs – avg. of 33.5 – s/r 41 – high score of 53

James Vince
The highlight of James Vince’s batting came in the first innings of the first Test at the Gabba, where he scored Englands highest score so far, 83 on a questionable Gabba wicket. However, he has failed to pass 15 since and has only scored a further two otherwise (twice) leaving him with an average that equates to half a run lower than his age.

102 runs – avg. of 25.5 – s/r 45.3 – high score of 83

Joe Root
The English captain has failed to put his comparatively low 50-100 conversion rate talk to bed, that being said, he is technically still leading from the front, by four runs. To give him credit though, he has increased his average from 27.4 since his last tour of Australia.

142 runs – avg. of 33.5 – s/r 41 – high score of 67

(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Dawid Malan
Flying relatively under the radar and rightly so, Dawid Malan’s first tour down under hasn’t gone as planned as of yet. That being said he trails only his captain in total runs amassed so far.

138 runs – avg. of 27 – s/r 37 – high score of 56

Moeen Ali
Ali’s elevation up the order to #6 has come with mixed results, his two digs in Brisbane providing a headache for the Aussies (40 and 38). However, when faced with a more traditional Australian wicket at Adelaide, he failed to pass 25, granted getting caught and bowled by Lyon was a bit unlucky.

105 runs – avg. of 26.25 – s/r 45.8 – high score of 40

Jonathan Bairstow
Although Bairstow was entering the series with an average of over 40. His joint third highest average for the English side is severely underwhelming. With two scores above the 30s he follows in the footsteps of his teammates in not continuing on to a big score.

108 runs – avg. of 27 – s/r 49 – high score of 42

Chris Woakes
Relied on to make the bulk of the runs for the English tail, he is yet to do so. With this series bringing down his career average by three runs so far with still 60 per cent of the series to go, he will need to score some runs to keep his ‘allrounder’ status alive.

58 runs – avg. of 19 – s/r 44 – high score of 36

Craig Overton
Having only played one Test so far his averages may be deceiving, yet the Englishman can still scavage hope that Overton may save a lower order collapse in the future after an innings top score of 41*.

48 runs – avg. of 48 – s/r 48 – high score of 41*

Jake Ball
After being dropped following the first Test, Ball’s hopes of a call up fall on an injury of one of the other quicks after Overton’s success with the bat and ball.

15 runs – avg. of 7.5 – s/r 93 – high score of 14

Stuart Broad
Australia’s nemesis coming into the series, Broad’s relatively unimpressive record with the bat, especially as a tail-ender in Australia, proved to be an accurate measurement of what he will provide.

25 runs – avg. of 8 – s/r 43 – high score of 20

(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

James Anderson
Although his 5-for-43 in the second Test was something to behold, providing a masterclass in how to bowl under lights. The English king of swing has kept his crown safe for the #11 spot, with three naughts and two not outs.

5 runs – avg. of 5 – s/r 38 – high score of 5.

Will it be possible for the English to pull their head in, knuckle down and show the same fight they did in the later stages of Adelaide, or will they roll over, wither and feel the force of the fast bowler cartel and their buddy the GOAT? History suggests the latter.