Sri Lanka's best struggle in England

Kumar Sangakkara finally did it. After 17 innings with a high-score unworthy of a batsman, who averages more than Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting, and Rahul Dravid, Sangakkara eventually scored a Test century in England. It wasn't at Lord's, or at any of England's other traditional venues, but Sangakkara's 119 in Southampton - he now shares the record for the highest score at the Rose Bowl - saved Sri Lanka the Test and improved his record in his bogey country. It isn't a patch on his career average, though. This week's column is on cricketers whose performance in England was far worse, or better, than their career average.

Sangakkara began this tour of England with a Test average of 57.25. His average in England, though, was 30.54 in 12 innings, with a best of 66. After failures in Cardiff and at Lord's it slipped to 26.60, before climbing to 30.58 at the Rose Bowl. Sangakkara's cover-drive can light up the dreariest of days - and there were plenty during a wet series - but it was on display too infrequently. He wasn't alone in his struggles either.

Mahela Jayawardene had a terrible series, making 103 in six innings at an average of 17.16, with a best of 49. Before it began, he was one of Sri Lanka's better batsmen in England, averaging 42.58 over two tours. His century during a follow-on at Lord's had saved the Test in 2006. He now averages 34.11 in England, 18.50 less than his career mean of 52.62.

Before he made 31 and 87 not out at the Rose Bowl, Thilan Samaraweera had an average of 14.42 in four Tests in England. This tour was his second, and an improvement on his trip in 2006, when he had made 17 runs in four innings. His overall average in England is now 27.37, 26.70 fewer than his career average of 54.08, a difference surpassed only by Jacques Kallis.

Largest difference between batting average in England and career average - Tests (minimum 8 innings)

Player	Span		Mat	Inns	Runs	HS	Ave	100		Eng	Inns	Runs	HS	Ave	100		Diff
JH Kallis (SA)	1998-2008		145	246	11947	201*	57.43	40		12	20	586	132	29.30	1		-28.137
TT Samaraweera (SL)	2006-2011		66	104	4597	231	54.08	12		5	10	219	87*	27.37	0		-26.707
KC Sangakkara (SL)	2002-2011		97	162	8428	287	56.18	25		9	18	520	119	30.58	1		-25.598
ED Weekes (WI)	1950-1957		48	81	4455	207	58.61	15		9	16	533	129	33.31	1		-25.305
PR Umrigar (India)	1952-1959		59	94	3631	223	42.22	12		8	15	273	118	18.20	1		-24.020
RM Cowper (Aus)	1964-1968		27	46	2061	307	46.84	5		5	9	193	57	24.12	0		-22.715
CL Walcott (WI)	1950-1957		44	74	3798	220	56.68	15		9	16	476	168*	34.00	1		-22.686
KD Walters (Aus)	1968-1977		74	125	5357	250	48.26	15		18	30	745	88	25.68	0		-22.571
JA Rudolph (SA)	2003-2003		35	63	2028	222*	36.21	5		5	9	132	55	14.66	0		-21.547
GW Flower (Zim)	2000-2003		67	123	3457	201*	29.54	6		4	8	71	26	8.87	0		-20.672
GA Faulkner (SA)	1907-1924		25	47	1754	204	40.79	4		10	19	348	122*	20.47	1		-20.320
MEK Hussey (Aus)	2009-2010		59	103	4650	195	51.09	13		7	12	345	121	31.36	1		-19.735
MC Carew (WI)	1963-1969		19	36	1127	109	34.15	1		4	8	104	44	14.85	0		-19.294
CG Borde (India)	1959-1967		55	97	3061	177*	35.59	5		7	13	200	75	16.66	0		-18.926
P Roy (India)	1952-1959		43	79	2442	173	32.56	5		9	17	233	54	13.70	0		-18.854
DPMD Jayawardene (SL)	1998-2011		119	196	9630	374	52.62	28		10	19	614	119	34.11	2		-18.511
GC White (SA)	1907-1912		17	31	872	147	30.06	2		8	14	151	59*	11.61	0		-18.453
Kamran Akmal (Pak)	2006-2010		53	92	2648	158*	30.79	6		9	16	199	58	12.43	0		-18.353
Hanif Mohammad (Pak)	1954-1967		55	97	3915	337	43.98	12		12	23	586	187*	26.63	1		-17.352
JJ Crowe (NZ)	1983-1986		39	65	1601	128	26.24	3		5	8	73	23	9.12	0		-17.120

Kallis has an average of 29.30 in England, compared to his career's 57.43. In his first innings there, at Edgbaston in 1998, Kallis made 61, and then scored 132 at Old Trafford two Tests later. It remains his only century in the country. He finished the 1998 tour with an average of 42. On the 2003 tour of England, Kallis' average dropped to 31. He made only 188 in six innings with a best of 66. The tour in 2008 was a nightmare for him. Troubled by Andrew Flintoff's hostility, Kallis managed 104 runs in four Tests, of which 64 came in one innings. His other scores were 7, 13, 4, 5, 2 and 9.

Dean Jones toured England once, and had a memorable time. His six Tests there were during the 1989 Ashes, which Allan Border's team won 4-0. Jones was the second-highest run-scorer in the series, after Mark Taylor, with 566 runs at 70.75 in nine innings. Because he did not tour England again, Jones' average in the country ended 24.18 runs more than his career average of 46.55. No visiting player has a greater difference.

Jonathan Trott's career average is 62.23, second only to Don Bradman's 99.94, among batsmen who played at least 20 Test innings. In England, it rockets to 78.28, and once again Trott is behind only Bradman (102.84) among batsmen who've played at least 10 Tests in England.

Lance Klusener was formidable in ODIs in England. He scored aggressive cameos and rarely got out. He averaged 41 in his 171-ODI career but in England, where he was unbeaten eight times, he averaged 96 in 12 innings, 55 runs more.

Steve Waugh was terrific in England in both Tests and ODIs. He averaged 74.22 in Tests, compared to a career average of 51.06, and 54.13 in 22 ODIs, compared to a career average of 32.90. He scored only one ODI century in England though - the 120 in the Super-Six match against South Africa, when Herschelle Gibbs famously dropped the World Cup in 1999.

Largest difference between batting average in England and career average - ODIs (minimum 8 innings)

Player	Span		Mat	Inns	Runs	HS	Ave	100		Eng	Inns	Runs	HS	Ave	100		Diff
L Klusener (SA)	1998-2004		171	137	3576	103*	41.10	2		13	12	384	55*	96.00	0		54.896
TM Moody (Aus)	1989-1999		76	64	1211	89	23.28	0		10	8	157	56*	52.33	0		29.044
RG Twose (NZ)	1999-1999		87	81	2717	103	38.81	1		8	8	264	80*	66.00	0		27.185
M Kaif (India)	2002-2004		125	110	2753	111*	32.01	2		12	10	353	87*	58.83	0		26.821
HA Gomes (WI)	1983-1984		83	64	1415	101	28.87	1		11	10	333	78	55.50	0		26.622
M Azharuddin (India)	1986-1999		334	308	9378	153*	36.92	7		15	14	497	83*	62.12	0		25.203
N Kapil Dev (India)	1979-1990		225	198	3783	175*	23.79	1		17	15	519	175*	47.18	1		23.389
SR Waugh (Aus)	1989-2001		325	288	7569	120*	32.90	3		25	21	812	120*	54.13	1		21.224
A Symonds (Aus)	2001-2005		198	161	5088	156	39.75	6		17	12	473	104*	59.12	1		19.375
RC Irani (Eng)	1996-2002		31	30	360	53	14.40	0		11	10	231	53	33.00	0		18.600
RD Jacobs (WI)	1999-2004		147	112	1865	80*	23.31	0		16	10	247	80*	41.16	0		17.854
S Madan Lal (India)	1974-1983		67	35	401	53*	19.09	0		15	11	181	53*	36.20	0		17.104
IVA Richards (WI)	1975-1991		187	167	6721	189*	47.00	11		31	29	1345	189*	64.04	4		17.047
Imran Khan (Pak)	1974-1987		175	151	3709	102*	33.41	1		20	17	433	102*	48.11	1		14.696
JWM Dalrymple (Eng)	2006-2006		27	26	487	67	19.48	0		10	9	304	67	33.77	0		14.297
CA Walsh (WI)	1988-1999		205	79	321	30	6.97	0		12	8	61	29*	20.33	0		13.355
KC Sangakkara (SL)	2002-2006		291	272	9164	138*	38.02	11		11	11	358	70	51.14	0		13.117
MA Atherton (Eng)	1990-1998		54	54	1791	127	35.11	2		21	21	908	127	47.78	2		12.671
GP Howarth (NZ)	1975-1983		70	65	1384	76	23.06	0		13	13	428	76	35.66	0		12.599
IR Bell (Eng)	2006-2010		97	94	3021	126*	35.12	1		34	33	1333	126*	47.60	1		12.479

Few people have struggled in England more than Shoaib Malik has. He played 12 ODIs for Pakistan there and scored 98, averaging 8.16, a drastic drop from his career mean of 34.35. On his four visits between 2001 and 2006, Malik passed 20 only twice. He's in good company, though, for there are illustrious batsmen in the table below, because they didn't match their career averages in England.

Largest difference between batting average in England and career average - ODIs (minimum 8 innings)

Player	Span		Mat	Inns	Runs	HS	Ave	100		Eng	Inns	Runs	HS	Ave	100		Diff
Shoaib Malik (Pak)	2001-2006		192	172	5188	143	34.35	7		12	12	98	24	8.16	0		-26.190
RP Arnold (SL)	1998-2006		180	155	3950	103	35.26	1		11	10	102	29	11.33	0		-23.934
IM Chappell (Aus)	1972-1975		16	16	673	86	48.07	0		8	8	208	62	26.00	0		-22.071
G Kirsten (SA)	1994-1999		185	185	6798	188*	40.95	13		15	15	294	82	19.60	0		-21.351
RB Richardson (WI)	1984-1995		224	217	6248	122	33.41	5		11	11	137	41	12.45	0		-20.957
PV Simmons (WI)	1988-1999		143	138	3675	122	28.93	5		9	8	73	28	9.12	0		-19.812
ML Hayden (Aus)	1993-2005		161	155	6133	181*	43.80	10		20	19	447	66*	24.83	0		-18.973
WJ Cronje (SA)	1994-1999		188	175	5565	112	38.64	2		15	15	296	40	19.73	0		-18.912
JC Adams (WI)	1995-2000		127	105	2204	82	28.62	0		13	10	107	36	11.88	0		-16.734
PA de Silva (SL)	1988-1999		308	296	9284	145	34.90	11		9	9	168	56	18.66	0		-16.235
DS Lehmann (Aus)	1999-2004		117	101	3078	119	38.96	4		13	10	183	76	22.87	0		-16.087
SR Watson (Aus)	2004-2010		133	114	3937	185*	43.74	6		19	16	404	61	28.85	0		-14.887
SV Carlisle (Zim)	1999-2000		111	107	2740	121*	27.67	3		11	8	95	27	13.57	0		-14.105
V Sehwag (India)	2002-2004		236	230	7760	175	35.11	14		12	12	261	71	21.75	0		-13.363
A Ranatunga (SL)	1983-1999		269	255	7456	131*	35.84	4		15	15	343	58	22.86	0		-12.979
DC Boon (Aus)	1985-1993		181	177	5964	122	37.04	5		9	9	218	73	24.22	0		-12.821
DL Haynes (WI)	1979-1988		238	237	8648	152*	41.37	17		18	18	486	88*	28.58	0		-12.789
DB Vengsarkar (India)	1979-1990		129	120	3508	105	34.73	1		10	9	184	54	23.00	0		-11.732
C Kieswetter (Eng)	2010-2010		12	12	320	107	26.66	1		8	8	121	38	15.12	0		-11.541
DR Smith (WI)	2004-2007		77	61	925	68	16.22	0		10	8	38	10	5.42	0		-10.799