How big a part do statistics play in your life?

No, I’m not talking about the stream of bogus stats that both sides in the EU Referendum have been producing (quite possibly through a clockwork random fact generator, operated by a hamster on mind altering drugs). But really important stats – such as who has scored most goals for England, won most Olympic medals or taken most catches in a test series.

I say this in the wake of Alistair Cook passing the 10,000 run mark for England recently. Curiously, it happened in the same match that Sri Lankan bowler Herath passed the 300-wicket milestone and England’s James Anderson reached 450 wickets in his test career.  Almost as galvanising as when Stuart Broad eclipsed the record for minutes spent at the crease without scoring a run (103, if you didn’t already know).

For the vast majority of people, these facts will have as much significance as the pollen count in Papua New Guinea. But I know that there is a sizeable army of people who think differently. Quite differently. And this blog is for / about them.

Even if you are not a facts fan or numbers nerd, but find yourself yoked to one, you should at least appreciate what is going on in the deeper recesses of their mind when they get excited when Marcus Rashford becomes the youngest debutant to score a goal for England (albeit only the third youngest ever goal scorer for the national side).

I can’t quite explain why it matters… it just does. When someone is approaching / passes some minor landmark in sport, it sets off a fizz in some synapses deep inside my brain. It’s a deeply satisfying feeling, perhaps because it has to do with order, progression and personal achievement. Or perhaps it’s not quite as deep as that.

So in my idle moments, I find myself poring over stats charts on sites like stats.espncricinfo.com, wondering how long it might be before Stuart Broad overtakes Ian Botham’s wicket haul, then checking after every test match to see how the gap has closed.

Listen to Test Match Special and you know that when statistician Andrew Samson has something to say, hundreds of thousands of sad individuals like myself turn up the volume. Even if it’s referring to the highest ever sixth wicket stand at Chester Le Street, or the most catches by a wicket keeper in a three test series, it lights up a tiny candle of joy.

All sports are fair game to those who get a kick out of stats. Try / point scoring records, F1 wins, stage victories in the Tour de France… a stat of any dimension / relevance included in the commentary adds immeasurably to the experience of listening, watching or reading. Leicester had HOW much possession of the ball last season…? Woah!

I don’t expect everyone reading this to understand what I’m talking about here. But there will be those out there who do… and maybe just don’t want to admit it…

If you have been affected by the content of this blog, do feel free to let us know what facts and figures press your buttons! Email support@retireeasy.co.uk

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