ESPNcricinfo Statsguru Scraper

Export public ESPNcricinfo Statsguru queries as normalized cricket statistic rows. Supply the Statsguru URLs you already use for research, choose a result limit, and receive structured player, team, match, series, or record tables in an Apify dataset.

The Actor reads the server-rendered Statsguru tables directly. It preserves each table's current column labels inside a statistics object and adds stable source context such as the query title, table caption, entity link, rank, and scrape time. It also includes original cell text in rawStatistics and source-labelled links in cellLinks, without following those links. The implementation uses no account, browser or proxy fallback. Access is query-dependent: some otherwise valid public queries return HTTP 403 and fail clearly rather than producing silently empty exports.

What can you extract from ESPNcricinfo Statsguru?

Use this Actor with public URLs under https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/ to extract:

• ranked batting records such as runs, averages, strike rates, and boundaries;
• ranked bowling records such as wickets, averages, economy rates, and hauls;
• player analysis tables exposed by Statsguru queries;
• team summaries and result breakdowns;
• match and series analysis tables when available on the supplied URL;
• stable ESPNcricinfo entity URLs and IDs exposed in table links;
• the original query URL and extraction timestamp for auditability.

The Actor does not invent a fixed cricket-statistics model. Statsguru has many query shapes, so the source column headings remain the keys in statistics. This preserves fields that differ between batting, bowling, team, and match views without discarding source context.

Who is it for?

• Cricket analysts building historical player or team comparisons.
• Sports data teams turning repeat Statsguru queries into scheduled feeds.
• Journalists and researchers collecting source-attributed tables.
• Fantasy and modelling teams preparing batting or bowling features.
• Developers who need JSON records instead of manually copied HTML tables.
• Spreadsheet users exporting repeat queries to CSV, Excel, or Google Sheets.

This Actor is for supplied Statsguru query URLs. It is not a live-score feed, ball-by-ball API, scorecard crawler, or general ESPNcricinfo site crawler.

Why use this Actor?

Statsguru query pages are useful but their table shapes vary. This Actor:

1. validates that every input points to the public Statsguru engine;
2. processes multiple queries in one run;
3. parses all captioned result tables that contain statistic rows;
4. normalizes numbers while preserving score/date/text values;
5. stops exactly at maxItems across the complete run;
6. adds consistent metadata around every source-shaped statistics object;
7. retries only transient network, HTTP 429, and server failures;
8. fails clearly on unsupported hosts or blocked/non-Statsguru responses.

Direct server-rendered HTML keeps runtime, memory, and infrastructure overhead low. Duplicate input URLs are processed once.

Getting started

1. Open a public ESPNcricinfo Statsguru query in your browser.
2. Copy its URL. It must begin with https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/.
3. Add the URL to Statsguru query URLs.
4. Set Maximum statistic rows for the combined export.
5. Click Start.
6. Open Dataset to inspect, download, or integrate the normalized rows.

A working small input is:

{
  "startUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/records/batting/most_runs_career.html?class=1;id=2025;type=year"
    }
  ],
  "maxItems": 25
}

Input parameters

Field	Type	Required	Default	Description
startUrls	array	Yes	2025 Test batting query	One to 50 public Statsguru engine query URLs.
maxItems	integer	No	100	Combined output cap from 1 to 10,000 rows.

Input URLs can point to different supported Statsguru table families in the same run. The Actor applies one shared maxItems limit in input order. If the limit is reached during a query, only the rows that fit are saved.

The Actor intentionally rejects normal ESPN pages, shortened links, non-HTTPS URLs, and third-party domains. Convert those pages into their public Statsguru query URL before running.

Output fields

Field	Type	Meaning
recordType	string	Inferred player, team, match, series, record, or statistics.
queryTitle	string	Current HTML title of the Statsguru query result.
tableTitle	string	Caption of the source result table.
entityName	string	Primary label shown in the first table column.
entityId	string or absent	Numeric ESPNcricinfo ID when a primary link exposes one.
entityUrl	string or absent	Absolute link to the primary source entity.
rank	number or absent	Record rank exposed by the source row.
rowNumber	number	One-based position within the source table.
statistics	object	Source column names mapped to string, number, or null values (unchanged).
rawStatistics	object	Same column keys mapped to original whitespace-normalized cell text, including blanks and dashes.
cellLinks	object	Source column keys mapped to arrays of {text,url} HTTP(S) links; URLs are absolute and never fetched.
sourceQueryUrl	string	Validated supplied query URL.
scrapedAt	string	ISO 8601 extraction timestamp.

statistics is deliberately flexible. A batting table may contain Runs, Ave, and SR; a bowling table may contain Wkts, Econ, and BBI; team analysis pages expose their own headings. Check tableTitle and the keys in statistics before combining unlike query families.

Example dataset item

This abbreviated record reflects the Actor's current output shape:

{
  "recordType": "player",
  "queryTitle": "2025 Cricket Team Records & Stats | Cricinfo.com",
  "tableTitle": "Most runs",
  "entityName": "Shubman Gill (IND)",
  "entityId": "1070173",
  "entityUrl": "https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/1070173.html",
  "rank": 1,
  "rowNumber": 1,
  "statistics": {
    "Player": "Shubman Gill (IND)",
    "Mat": 9,
    "Runs": 983,
    "Ave": 70.21
  },
  "sourceQueryUrl": "https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/records/batting/most_runs_career.html?class=1;id=2025;type=year",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-08-21T14:42:33.381Z"
}

Values such as 269*, date spans, result descriptions, and composite scores remain strings. Plain integers and decimals become JSON numbers. A source dash or blank cell becomes null. rawStatistics preserves their original text, including 70.00, 5.2, - and empty strings. Cricket overs such as 5.2 are ball notation, not ordinary decimal arithmetic; no ball counts are inferred. Image-only links retain an available accessible label, or empty text.

Team-summary provenance

For the supplied India ODI query https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/team/6.html?class=2;template=results;type=team, the overall row exposes a trailing Profile link. It is returned as:

{
  "recordType": "team",
  "entityName": "overall",
  "entityId": "6",
  "entityUrl": "https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/team/6.html",
  "cellLinks": {
    "Column 14": [{
      "text": "Profile",
      "url": "https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/team/6.html"
    }]
  }
}

This is an abbreviated provenance example; source column positions can change. A unique explicit entity-profile link elsewhere in a row fills missing primary identity, but never overwrites an existing first-cell identity. Summary innings drilldowns remain cellLinks, not inferred player/team profiles. Ambiguous profiles do not create a primary identity.

Export ESPNcricinfo data to spreadsheets and pipelines

Apify datasets can be downloaded as JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, or RSS. Common workflows include:

• schedule the same queries and append snapshots to a data warehouse;
• export batting and bowling queries together for model preparation;
• compare team-analysis rows between scheduled runs;
• connect the dataset to Google Sheets through Make or Zapier;
• load JSON through the Apify API from Python, JavaScript, R, or BI tools;
• retain sourceQueryUrl with every downstream record for reproducibility.

For change monitoring, schedule the Actor and compare datasets downstream. The Actor emits current snapshots; it does not maintain historical diffs or send alerts itself.

How much does it cost to export ESPNcricinfo Statsguru rows?

Pay-per-event pricing charges one Run started event at $0.00005 per run and one Item extracted event for each saved statistic row. The BRONZE item price is $0.001428. Higher-volume subscription tiers use strictly lower item prices shown in the Apify Console before a run starts.

At BRONZE pricing:

Saved rows	Start	Item events	Estimated total
10	0.00005 USD	0.01428 USD	0.01433 USD
100	0.00005 USD	0.14280 USD	0.14285 USD
1,000	0.00005 USD	1.42800 USD	1.42805 USD

Only normalized rows actually saved are item-charged. Invalid input, duplicate input URLs, rejected rows, and empty queries do not create item events. Runtime platform usage is covered by the Actor's PPE model; users should treat the Console estimate and active tier as authoritative.

Schedule recurring Statsguru exports

1. Save a working Actor run as an Apify Task.
2. Give the Task a stable name for the cricket analysis job.
3. Add a daily, weekly, or tournament-specific schedule.
4. Send the resulting dataset to your preferred storage or automation.
5. Compare records using sourceQueryUrl, tableTitle, entityId, and the relevant statistic keys.

Statsguru data can change when matches complete or ESPN corrects historical records. Store timestamps and source URLs if your workflow needs an audit trail.

Use the Actor through the Apify API

Replace APIFY_TOKEN with your token. The run endpoint is:

https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/automation-lab~espncricinfo-statsguru-scraper/runs

cURL

curl -X POST \
  "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/automation-lab~espncricinfo-statsguru-scraper/runs?token=APIFY_TOKEN&waitForFinish=120" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "startUrls": [{
      "url": "https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/records/batting/most_runs_career.html?class=1;id=2025;type=year"
    }],
    "maxItems": 25
  }'

JavaScript

import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN });
const run = await client.actor('automation-lab/espncricinfo-statsguru-scraper').call({
  startUrls: [{
    url: 'https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/team/6.html?class=2;template=results;type=team',
  }],
  maxItems: 20,
});
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
console.log(items);

Python

import os
from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient(os.environ['APIFY_TOKEN'])
run = client.actor('automation-lab/espncricinfo-statsguru-scraper').call(run_input={
    'startUrls': [{
        'url': 'https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/records/batting/most_runs_career.html?class=1;id=2025;type=year'
    }],
    'maxItems': 25,
})
items = client.dataset(run['defaultDatasetId']).list_items().items
print(items)

Use ESPNcricinfo Statsguru with MCP

Add the Actor to Claude Code through Apify MCP:

claude mcp add --transport http apify \
  "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=automation-lab/espncricinfo-statsguru-scraper"

Claude Desktop

Add this JSON to the Claude Desktop MCP configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify": {
      "url": "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=automation-lab/espncricinfo-statsguru-scraper"
    }
  }
}

Cursor

Add the same mcpServers.apify.url entry to your Cursor MCP settings.

VS Code

Add the same HTTP MCP URL to your VS Code MCP server configuration.

Example prompts:

• “Export the first 25 rows from this 2025 Test batting Statsguru URL.”
• “Run these batting and bowling query URLs and summarize the top players.”
• “Fetch India ODI team-analysis rows and return the dataset link.”

The MCP client still needs access to your Apify account and will use the Actor's same validated input contract.

Performance and reliability

The Actor uses direct HTTP and Cheerio rather than a browser. It runs with 256 MB of memory and requests query pages sequentially to avoid unnecessary load. Each request has a 30-second timeout. Transient network, rate-limit, and server failures receive up to two bounded retries.

Deterministic input or HTTP errors are not retried blindly. A blocked, non-HTML, or structurally unrecognizable response fails the run instead of silently returning an empty dataset. A valid Statsguru query with no statistic rows completes successfully with a warning and zero output.

Limitations

• Only public HTTPS URLs on stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/ are accepted.
• The Actor does not log in, solve CAPTCHAs, or access subscription-only data.
• Statsguru controls which tables and rows a supplied query returns; access can vary by query. Batting records and India ODI team analysis were checked on 2026-10-01; the bowling example and tested player innings routes returned HTTP 403. This is not a claim that every bowling or player query is blocked.
• Each unique supplied URL is fetched as one page. Pagination and drilldown links are not followed; maxItems is a cap, not a request for additional pages.
• Source headings can change; downstream code should inspect tableTitle and statistics keys.
• maxItems limits output across all inputs in their supplied order.
• The Actor does not crawl normal scorecards or discover query URLs.
• It emits snapshots, not built-in diffs, alerts, forecasts, or live scores.
• ESPNcricinfo may update historical data after the Actor has run.

Data handling and dependencies

This Actor uses no AI models or external model providers. It sends supplied public query URLs to ESPNcricinfo and processes returned HTML in memory. No login, paid API, proxy service or user-supplied service key is required. Apify provides runtime and dataset storage, covered by the documented PPE events; ESPNcricinfo availability controls upstream access.

Datasets contain public cricket row labels (including player names), statistics, source links and timestamps. Logs include supplied query URLs, row counts and errors, not raw response HTML or account credentials. Supply public queries only: never put tokens or private data in URLs. HTML is not persisted by the Actor, and it maintains no separate cache or customer history. Dataset, input and log retention follows your Apify account/storage settings; the Actor sets no additional retention period and does not automatically delete exports. Delete run storage through Apify when no longer needed. Apify's platform privacy terms govern storage location and platform retention.

Failed operations send sanitized diagnostic input, exceptions and Actor/build/run IDs to our private GlitchTip service for repair. Secret fields and URL query strings are removed; diagnostic reports are retained for 30 days. This separate diagnostic retention does not change your Apify dataset or log retention.

Responsible use and legality

Use the Actor only for public data you are permitted to collect. Follow ESPNcricinfo's applicable terms, robots guidance, and reasonable request rates. Do not use the output to violate privacy, intellectual-property, contractual, or database rights. Cricket facts may be public, while presentation and database compilation can still have legal protections.

ESPN and ESPNcricinfo are trademarks of their respective owners. This Actor is an independent extraction tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by ESPN. You are responsible for your use, retention, and redistribution of output.

Troubleshooting

“Unsupported URL”

Use the full public Statsguru URL beginning with https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/. Normal article, scorecard, and www.espncricinfo.com URLs are intentionally rejected.

The dataset is empty

Open the exact query URL in a browser and confirm it currently contains a Statsguru data table. Future date filters and combinations with no matching matches can legitimately return no rows. Check the run warning and query input.

The run fails with an HTTP or response-shape error

Retry later if ESPNcricinfo is temporarily unavailable. Persistent errors can indicate a changed Statsguru route or upstream blocking. Inspect the Actor log; it reports the failing query without dumping the full response.

I received fewer rows than expected

If the output cap was reached, increase maxItems or change input ordering. The limit is global, so an earlier query can consume capacity before later queries are fetched. Otherwise the source page may contain fewer rows: the Actor exports only the supplied page and does not follow pagination. A user charge budget may also stop the export early; check the run log.

Different queries have different fields

That is expected. Group rows by tableTitle or sourceQueryUrl and read the source-labelled statistics object. Do not assume batting and bowling tables share identical keys.

FAQ

Does this scrape live ESPNcricinfo scores?

No. It exports historical and analytical tables from supplied Statsguru query URLs. Choose a dedicated live-score Actor for live fixtures and score updates.

Can I scrape multiple queries in one run?

Yes. Add up to 50 URLs. Duplicate normalized URLs are processed once, and the shared maxItems limit controls total saved rows.

Does it support IPL or Nepal cricket data?

Yes when ESPNcricinfo exposes the requested IPL, Nepal, player, team, or match scope through a public Statsguru engine query URL. The Actor does not translate a plain search phrase into a query; supply the resulting Statsguru URL.

Does it require a proxy?

The implementation uses direct public HTTP and has no automatic proxy or browser fallback. It does not guarantee access to every query; upstream 403 responses fail clearly.

Can I export CSV or Excel?

Yes. Open the default dataset and choose CSV, Excel, JSON, XML, or another Apify export format.

Are entity IDs always present?

No. entityId and entityUrl retain the first-cell primary link when present. Otherwise a single unambiguous explicit ESPNcricinfo entity-profile link in another cell can fill them, including team “overall” rows. No identity is invented when profiles are absent or ambiguous.

Related Automation Lab Actors

For live cricket rather than historical Statsguru queries, use Cricbuzz Live Match Scores Scraper. It serves a different job: current fixtures and score updates from Cricbuzz.

For general sports API patterns, see MLB StatsAPI Baseball Data Scraper. It is relevant to multi-sport data teams, but it does not provide cricket data.

Support

If a previously working public Statsguru engine URL stops producing its visible table, include the exact input URL, run ID, and expected table caption in your Apify issue. Do not include private tokens or unrelated account data.