New statistical research shows that batting first doesn't help in cricket.

Sports statistician Professor Stephen Clarke, in collaboration with research student Paul Allsopp at the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, have observed that conventional wisdom of batting first helps cough up a huge total, is a general myth.

"In test cricket there's a general feeling that if you win the toss you should bat. But when you look at the past record, it shows that both home and away teams do better when they bat second than when they bat first," Clarke said.

You're finding more of this kind of thing in sports. For example recent research shows it makes far more sense to go for it on fourth down and short yardage in pro football (American football). Whether coaches will take this research to heart is another matter. My hunch is, over time, they will.