England's batting woes in the first Test against Australia were not as ominous as they seemed, according to data that suggests Travis Head's stunning 128 may have been a one-off aberration.
Glass-half-full supporters would view England's expected bowling average of 25.4 across the match - better than Australia's 28.7 - as a positive, though it could equally show how their batters fell to deliveries they should not.
Looking into the data, there is little evidence that England's bowling fell apart in the second innings, with the amount of deliveries bowled a good length and in the channel outside off stump remaining largely constant from the first innings to the second.
However, it was Australia's batting downturn - their average just 27.65 across eight Tests this year, only once averaging lower in a calendar year over the past 35 years - that should give England hope of getting back into contention in the Ashes series.
Glass-half-full supporters would view England's expected bowling average of 25.4 across the match - better than Australia's 28.7 - as a positive, though it could equally show how their batters fell to deliveries they should not.
Looking into the data, there is little evidence that England's bowling fell apart in the second innings, with the amount of deliveries bowled a good length and in the channel outside off stump remaining largely constant from the first innings to the second.
However, it was Australia's batting downturn - their average just 27.65 across eight Tests this year, only once averaging lower in a calendar year over the past 35 years - that should give England hope of getting back into contention in the Ashes series.
. also australia's batting downturn is a big deal, but it still feels like england are just relying on the opposition to screw up 
. btw, 25.4 bowling average is actually pretty good so maybe we shouldnt get our undies in a twist over it 
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australia's batsmen have been struggling all year and thats good news for england, but lets not get ahead of ourselves 
anyway, back to head's 128... maybe he's the one who's been carrying england this whole series 
I'm loving the data points on both teams! So, what's really telling here is Aus' batting downturn... 
It's actually a great sign for Eng! 
I mean, 27.65 avg across 8 Tests this year? That's some serious decline! 
And it's only once been lower in a calendar year over the past 35 yrs... mind blown! 
England's bowling may not have been perfect, but at least it was consistent. 25.4 avg is still better than Aus' 28.7 
england needs to keep the pressure on and take those wickets!!! the aussies are prob just having a bad patch but who knows, maybe it'll stick 
. Its funny how data can make you see that the glass isn't always half empty or full... it just depends on how you look at it 
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so yeah, england might have a shot at getting back in the series 
, and it's not all bad news for england! their batting woes aren't as dire as everyone thought, and travis head's ton was definitely a fluke 
, they just struggled to get those big wickets. but australia's batting downturn is a different story altogether... they're really struggling for form, and if england can keep their momentum up, they might be able to turn this series around 
I mean, sure, they got smashed by Australia in the first test, but let's be real, that one Travis Head innings could've been a fluke. Like, what are the chances of someone scoring 128 on an English pitch? It's crazy! 
... Its not gonna be easy but if they can keep this momentum going, maybe they can turn the ashes around 
. If England can find some consistency on their own bats and keep bowling at those numbers, I think they've got a fighting chance 
but at least they didn't get totally thrashed like last time 
. That gives me hope for the Ashes series! Maybe this is our chance to take them down 
. The fact that their bowling average might be decent is a good sign, but I'm still worried about how those batsmen fell to deliveries they should've been able to handle 
. Their form has been pretty dreadful lately, and if England can capitalize on that, we might just see a shift in momentum 
. I'm not saying it's going to be easy for them, but a team like Australia is always up for a challenge 
they're still gonna have to dig deep and come up with some decent batting strategies if they wanna take down aussie this ash season australia's been struggling big time on the pitch too, so yeah it's a good sign for england but not like they're gonna magically turn it around overnight