Cricket: Centuries record set for oblivion but changing game lifts bar high

Kane Williamson (left) and Ross Taylor celebrate their centuries in Tuesday's one-dayer against Pakistan at Napier's McLean Park. Photo / Getty Images

New Zealand's collective batting strike-rate in one-day internationals is at its highest, and the team look set to obliterate their record for centuries in a calendar year if 2015 forecasts are a guide.

New Zealand have a strike rate of 95.47 this year to follow 93.71 last year, more than 10 runs per 100 balls higher than anything previously achieved.

In a reference to how much the game has changed, New Zealand's 1992 World Cup team scored at a strike rate of 73.10 across the tournament.

The class of 2015 have six centuries in nine ODIs since their opener against Sri Lanka on January 11, including the 100th from Ross Taylor at Napier with an unbeaten 102 off 70 balls.

New Zealand's best is seven, racked up in 2014, 2011 and 2007, the last two World Cup years where easier rivals could be plundered in pool play.

Once an ODI century evoked celebration at its rarity.

Now, with four ODI double hundreds and centuries commonplace in the T20 format, their impact in 50-over cricket is diluted.

That's what makes Sachin Tendulkar's 200 not out against South Africa in February 2010 and Rohit Sharma's 264 against Sri Lanka in November to cricket what Yuri Gagarin and Neil Armstrong's achievements were to space travel.

It is important to draw a correlation between centuries and strike rates. Centuries scored at a relatively low tempo, say 75 or less, can be detrimental to a team cause because they can be less valuable to innings momentum than a half-century scored at a rate of 150. On excellent batting wickets during the World Cup, New Zealand will want to sustain a run rate of close to a run-a-ball.

In theory, Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill will accelerate during the opening powerplay; Kane Williamson, Taylor and Grant Elliott will consolidate through to the 35th over; then Corey Anderson and Luke Ronchi will close the innings with the assistance of a swinging tail.

Basically, it would mirror what happened in Dunedin against Sri Lanka in their 315 for eight, or the 369 for five demolition of Pakistan in Napier this week.

This has long been coach Mike Hesson's preferred methodology. Centuries do not maketh the innings but, at the right strike rate, they help.

"Quick runs are more important than big runs" is the mantra as the World Cup aperture narrows. The "nervous nineties" have morphed into the "narcissistic nineties" if players sacrifice deliveries rather than their wicket, particularly in the latter stages, with batsmen to come.

Statistics must be directed towards the benefit of a result rather than individual careers.

That's why traditional statistics such as averages hold less relevance compared with a situational batting analysis in limited overs formats.

An analysis of New Zealand World Cup venues suggests totals exceeding 280 will be mandatory to stack the odds in a team's favour.

The last time more than 280 was chased successfully at a New Zealand venue (in a non-rain-affected match) came with the then-world record 347 by the hosts against Australia in February 2007 at Hamilton.

Since the new powerplay rules came into effect in July 2005 it has occurred three other times in a sample size of 29.

By comparison, there have been eight examples out of 36 in Australia, with two coming this season.

NZ hundreds per season since 1992 World Cup
Year - Matches - Centuries
2015 - 9 matches - 6 centuries
2014 - 16 - 7
2013 - 19 - 5
2012 - 15 - 3
2011 - 17 - 7
2010 - 21 - 1
2009 - 24 - 4
2008 - 16 - 4
2007 - 33 - 7
2006 - 14 - 4
2005 - 19 - 3
2004 - 25 - 4
2003 - 29 - 4
2002 - 31 - 3
2001 - 23 - 6
2000 - 25 - 3
1999 - 26 - 3
1998 - 23 - 3
1997 - 17 - 1
1996 -22 - 4
1995 - 19 - 3
1994 - 27 - 3
1993 - 8 - 0
1992 - 20 - 1