Toss-up – Data and writeups from an analysis of winning the toss in cricket
github.comI suspect a lot of HN readers aren't familiar with cricket. But as a fellow cricket fan, I really appreciate the opportunity to nerd about the gentleman's game here! :-)
Question: Did you get a chance to check if geography has any meaningful impact on how impactful the toss is? e.g. at some venues in the subcontinent where dew kicks in the evening, or the greentop venues in England where the first morning becomes almost unplayable in front of swinging pacers?
Likewise on the nerding!
My first question on reading this was how it varied by format. I naively thought that the shorter the format, the more important the toss; i.e. T20 would show the biggest difference. But this data shows it is in the ODI where the toss has the greatest effect. I guess that makes sense, since the ODI--being 50 overs/Innings--maximizes the chance of differing conditions over the course of the game. One team will bowl in the morning-early afternoon, the other in the afternoon-evening. Win the toss and pick right, and you have a distinct advantage.