In 2022 the Hampshire Hawks took home the T20 Blast, and in 2021 Southern Brave’s men won the inaugural Hundred. Behind the scenes of such victories exists a team of analysts, each looking for the marginal gains to be made. I was lucky enough to sit down and chat with one of these very people, Joe Maiden.
Now an analyst for the Hawks and the Brave, I was initially intrigued to find out how Joe got into the world of performance analysis. Having started in the academy system, Joe decided to pursue a sports coaching degree. It was from here that he picked up different coaching projects here and there, ending up taking a role at Hampshire when it popped up.
Having been there for 8 years now, I pressed Joe for any advice he would give anyone who was considering working in performance analysis. The key piece of advice that he gave was to focus on finding little projects. Look for small roles, help out, develop relationships where you can. At the end of the day it is just as important to show your enthusiasm and your ability to contribute.
Having covered Joe’s entry into analysis, I was keen to get to grips with the reality of the job. For one, I wanted to hear more about the receptiveness of players and any changes over time.
Indeed, when Joe began, he described a very different state to the one that exists now. The data and video was still being collected, but very little was done with it. When the team began to try and put more of a focus on analysis, he told me how he got the sense that more senior players were not necessarily entirely onboard. Naturally this changed over time.
Now, young players come into teams with both an understanding of and an expectation of performance data. They’re keen to find out how to get an edge over the opponent, as well as to get feedback on their own game. Joe said he feels this is specifically key in the shortest formats. When margins are particularly fine, it becomes more important to win phases of the game and little battles. Players want to find this advantage.
We also touched upon the development of data in the women’s game. As professionalisation of the game grows, so too does the pool of available data and tape to analyse. With more cricket being played in the women’s game, the problem of lacking information is decreasing. With the development of The Hundred, the Women’s Big Bash League, and a potential women’s IPL, this growth should continue for some time.
Having spoken a lot about the growing use and interest in performance data, I was intrigued to find out more about any occasions where Joe felt like everything went to plan. Maybe a particular match up, maybe even a game.
The response I was given was this year’s Blast quarter final against the Birmingham Bears. The first innings certainly went to plan with Ben McDermott and Joe Weatherley helping the Hawks to a healthy total of 186, but the real magic came in Birmingham’s innings. Birmingham were all out for just 82, having only managed to bat for 13.3 overs. Joe told me how it felt like a computer game. Every plan to every batter just worked out. To an observer like myself these have to be the moments that make all the hard work worth it. You identify your plans, and see the team execute them.
Of course, it cannot always be perfect. Indeed as a Southern Brave analyst, Joe has had a front row seat to the centuries of Will Smeed and Will Jacks. I wondered both what it was like and what can be done in times like this.
To the former, it’s just a reality of the game. Identifying match ups gives you an increased chance of a wicket but it’s not a silver bullet. Joe told me that with much of performance analysis you are making assessments based on a generic ground. A pitch with consistent and regular boundaries, with good bounce. Of course, this does not always happen. For example, he told me that in The Hundred they’re often finding that there’s a short boundary. If you plan to hit Jacks with a heavier length, you might find that suddenly he’s taking everything to the short leg side boundary.
In terms of what can be done, there is some flexibility. Whilst plans are made before a match, this is all based on likelihood. If a pitch starts displaying some slightly unexpected characteristics it is the job of the team to try and communicate so. Similarly, they do not just plan one rigid plan. Generally they have a few different options to suit different match situations.
From talk of Will Jacks and Will Smeed, I was interested to see if as a performance analyst Joe had any wisdom on why scores seem to be ramping up this year. So far we’ve had massive knocks from these two and Dawid Malan. Joe gave me a couple of suggestions.
One is players have settled into the format. Last year there was obviously a fair bit of chat about how you pace an innings with twenty balls fewer. The result was that you could either see players being too cautious, or more likely going too hard. This year players know they can pretty much go at the pace of a T20. Big scores are not unfamiliar to these players, they are just playing closer to their natural game.
Another is more match specific but referred to the Will Jacks one, this is that match situation has forced it. In the game at The Oval, Jacks said he got hit on the foot and decided to just go hell for leather. He had little interest in running singles and instead just looked for boundaries. This took him to 100. Perhaps this can also explain Malan’s 98*. The Trent Rockets were chasing a pretty sizeable score in Manchester, so maybe Malan simply went ultra-aggressive to try and match this. He simply played as the match situation dictated.
Finally, I asked him about how the men’s Southern Brave team turned it around last year to win the trophy. From this, Joe gave me a very helpful overview of their season. Initially there was the selection of the team. As a team they believed that bowlers will win you tournaments. As such, the focus was put onto securing as many high quality domestic bowling options as possible. Chris Jordan, Tymal Mills, Jake Lintott, George Garton. This would let them constrict any batting attack.
As the tournament started, the battle became beating confusion. Having only played one trial game, it was chaos. Their first match at Trent Bridge led to a loss amongst this, and in the second game they threw away a game they were cruising in. The turning point came at Lord’s. In managing to set a low score and win from nowhere, the team suddenly believed they could win from anywhere.
From this point on they soared. Going on a hot streak, they ended up winning the whole thing.
Unfortunately, such a turnaround will be tricky this year. With Tymal Mills and Chris Jordan both out for the tournament, their prized bowling department is depleted.
In terms of this year’s tournament, Joe told me that the most similar team to Southern Brave’s 2021 side has been London Spirit. This is not a like for like similarity, but more to do with the composition of the squad. Both teams have clear roles for all their players, batters and bowlers alike. Each phase is dominated by specialists and each player knows what their job is.
Interestingly, I would say that a team like the current Oval Invincibles take a very different approach. Each match they have been shifting players through phases. Sam Curran has bowled in every phase, and Tom Curran has been taking some sets in the Powerplay. Similarly, Reece Topley against Southern Brave took three of his four sets in the Powerplay. It will be very interesting to see how the two London sides fare over the rest of the season.
As interviews go, this has to be one of the best. Once again I want to say thanks to Joe for his time.
