if you are sleeping then you should wake up and look around you a bit. all around the world bowlers' averages are going up exponentially due to the fact that they perform under a number of restrictions since the icc has changed the game in favor of the batsmen due to dwindling spectators at grounds all over the world. it is common belief among those governing cricket that if batsmen make more runs the crowds will come for the entertainment.
then there is the introduction of the modern bats and whether by design or not the cricket pitches all over the world are not as conducive to bowling as those of long ago so, it is stupid to go merely on averages, especially if you also disregard at what point the a bowler is introduced in the match.
as for the batting, some all rounders like kallis and sobers batted up the order so the likelihood that they will score big is greater, resulting to higher averages. anyone who knows and follows cricket and looked at ricardo powell and now guys like bravo, sammy and pollard knows that their averages will be at a certain level because they mostly bat down the order and rarely get the opportunity to build an innings.
ironic you will bring -up the name russel, as clive lloyd himself stated just recently that russel told him he is not interested in test cricket because he wants to play the shorter format of the game.
