Complex sentence: In first-class cricket, he scored 2,479 runs at an average of 63.56, which placed him at the top of the first-class averages for the seventh successive season, although some critics detected a decline in his abilities.
Split into simpler sentences: In first-class cricket, he scored 2,479 runs at an average of 63.56. He placed at the top of the first-class averages for the seventh successive season, although some critics detected a decline in his abilities.