An efficiency and consistency based approach for selecting the best cricket team

Abstract

Devising a scientific method for the sports team selection remains an area of interest for the scholars. Existing literature related to the team selection and performance measurement of the players in cricket is primarily efficiency driven and limited to short time span. Longer time span facilitates a player's consistency measurement. It is evident that there is an absence of a method that considers both efficiency and consistency. Here, we employ a DEA model to compute efficiency. To capture the consistency of the players, we devise a consistency index based on the semi variance approach. Finally, we develop a single performance index integrating both the efficiency score and the consistency score. In this paper, an extensive numerical analysis is performed to validate the procedure by selecting all-time best one day international XI. This method is applicable to other formats of cricket like test cricket and twenty-twenty cricket. From a practitioner's perspective, it can be useful for team selection at the national level or the club level and to assess the rank of cricketers in different player categories. This team selection method can be applied to any sports by choosing appropriate input and output parameters. © IEOM Society International. © IEOM Society International.