Article

Sinister strategies succeed at the cricket World Cup

Details

Citation

Brooks R, Bussiere L, Jennions MD & Hunt J (2004) Sinister strategies succeed at the cricket World Cup. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 271 (Supplement 3), pp. S64-S66. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2003.0100

Abstract
Left-handers occur at unexpectedly high frequencies at top levels of many interactive sports. This may occur either because left-handed contestants are innately superior or because they enjoy a negatively frequency-dependent strategic advantage when rare relative to right-handers. We analysed the batting records from the 2003 cricket World Cup and showed that left-handed batsmen were more successful than right-handers, and that the most successful teams had close to 50% left-handed batsmen. We demonstrate that this was because left-handed batsmen have a strategic advantage over bowlers, and that this advantage is greatest over bowlers that are unaccustomed to bowling to left-handers. This provides a clear mechanism for negative frequency-dependent success of left-handed batsmen. Our results may also support a historical role for negative frequency-dependent success in fights and other contests in the maintenance of left-handedness by natural selection.

Keywords
handedness; frequency dependence; polymorphism; sport; cricket

Journal
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences: Volume 271, Issue Supplement 3

StatusPublished
Publication date07/02/2004
PublisherThe Royal Society
ISSN0962-8452