Swann, Sehwag, and other nominees

The list of nominations for the ICC Awards 2010 is out, and it's time to delve deeper into the numbers to see how the nominees have fared, and if some deserving names have missed out. The late inclusion of Graeme Swann in the Cricketer of the Year category is obviously welcome, but are there others who should have made the cut as well, and some who are lucky to be there? This column takes a look at the performances of those in the shortlist (if you can call it that), as well as those who've missed out on these nominations. The period under consideration is August 24, 2009 to August 10, 2010.


A look, first, at those who were nominated in the Test Player of the Year category: of the 16 in this list, nine have made it largely for their batting, two - Shane Watson and MS Dhoni - for their multiple skills, and five largely for their bowling.

At first glance the criteria seem to have been rather simple: among those who've scored 750 or more during this period, the top eight in terms of averages have all made the cut, with Tamim Iqbal in eighth place. Thilan Samaraweera has scored fewer than 750, but then his has been a remarkable story of fighting back from a bullet wound sustained during the attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in March 2009, and then scoring a bucketful of runs on his return. The captaincy and wicketkeeping skills of Dhoni have obviously helped him win a place, but a couple of batsmen who'll feel hard done by are VVS Laxman and Michael Clarke. Laxman scored 49 runs more than Samaraweera at an average that was six points more than Samaraweera's, but doesn't find a place in the list. In 12 innings, Laxman topped 50 eight times and scored two centuries, including a match-winning unbeaten 103 against Sri Lanka earlier this month, and averaged nearly 85.

Clarke's was a marginal case: in 10 Tests he scored 862 runs, averaged more than 57, and had two innings of more than 150 in consecutive matches. Among the others who missed out were Ian Bell and Rahul Dravid: both averaged more than 60, but neither had an aggregate of more than 750. (Click here for the full list of batsmen who scored at least 500 runs during this period.)

The Test players of the year - batting

Batsman                  Tests   Runs     Average 100s/ 50s

Virender Sehwag       10      1282       85.46      6  /   4
Sachin Tendulkar       10      1064       81.84      6  /   3
Kumar Sangakkara     7         867       78.81      4  /   2
Thilan Samaraweera    7         625       78.12      2  /   4
Mahela Jayawardene   7         849       70.75      2  /   3
Hashim Amla               9         923       65.92      4  /   2
Simon Katich               9         991       61.93      2  /   8
Jacques Kallis              9         849       60.64      4  /   2
MS Dhoni                    9         594       66.00      3  /   2
Tamim Iqbal                7          837       59.78      3  /   6
Shane Watson             9          750       46.87      1  /   5

Among the bowlers, only six took more than 40 wickets during this period. Five of them have made the list, with Mitchell Johnson the only one to miss out, with some justification - his 44 wickets have come at a cost of 29.06 each - higher than the averages of the other five. Swann's exclusion would have been a travesty, for he has taken 49 wickets during this period - the second-highest, after Mohammad Asif's 51. Swann has also taken six five-fors, which is twice as many as the next-best bowler.

In terms of averages, though, the outstanding Dale Steyn heads the list: his 41 wickets have come at 20.78 each. Watson has been superb too, with a bowling average that is less than half his batting one, thanks largely to two five-fors against Pakistan earlier this summer.

The Test players of the year - bowling

Bowler              Tests Wickets Average 5WI/10WM

Dale Steyn          8  41 20.78 3/ 1
Shane Watson     9 24 20.87 2/ 0
James Anderson  8 41 22.53 3/ 1
Doug Bollinger     9 42 22.71 2/ 0
Mohammad Asif  10 51 23.39 3/ 0
Graeme Swann   10 49 27.55 6/ 1

The six batsmen who've scored more than 1000 runs in ODIs have all been nominated in that category and deservedly so, for they've all averaged more than 40 at a strike rate of over 80. Tillakaratne Dilshan has the stand-out numbers among these six, averaging more than 57 at a strike rate of more than 107, but there are three other batsmen who've scored less than 1000 runs at an outstanding rate: Sachin Tendulkar, Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers have all averaged more than 60 at excellent strike rates. (Click here for the top run-getters during this period.)

Among the bowlers, Daniel Vettori and Ryan Harris have terrific stats: Vettori's economy rate of 3.74 alone makes him a deserving candidate, while Harris has averaged two-and-a-half wickets per match, with three five-wicket hauls. Like in the Tests category, Johnson is among the highest wicket-takers in this format too, with 41, but his average (28.07) and economy rate (5.10) are both among the higher ones. Watson too has been outstanding in ODIs - he is the second-highest run-getter and the highest wicket-taker during this period, with 48 scalps at an average of less than 22.

The surprise candidate in this list is Sehwag. No one doubts his merits in the Test list, but his merits as an ODI batsman are somewhat dodgy. In 18 innings he has only one 50-plus innings, and an average of less than 30. His strike rate is admittedly superb, but even taking that into account, his inclusion is a surprise. Shahid Afridi would be justified in feeling aggrieved at his exclusion, as he has a higher average and strike rate than Sehwag. Plus, he has contributed more as a bowler.

ODI players of the year

Player ODIs Runs Average Strike rate Wickets Average Econ rate

AB de Villiers 16 855 71.25 103.38 0 - -

Sachin Tendulkar 17 914 65.28 98.91 0 - 13.20

Hashim Amla 13 797 61.30 90.67 0 - -

Tillakaratne Dilshan 23 1198 57.04 107.63 7 33.00 5.13

Jacques Kallis 12 599 54.45 91.03 7 37.28 4.92

MS Dhoni 28 1028 54.10 83.30 1 14.00 7.00

Michael Hussey 38 1281 45.75 94.95 0 - 8.57

Ricky Ponting 36 1549 45.55 82.08 0 - -

Cameron White 40 1327 41.46 79.22 1 0.00 0.00

Shane Watson 37 1448 41.37 90.16 48 21.85 5.06

Virender Sehwag 19 539 29.94 120.58 5 31.80 5.32

Daniel Vettori 16 398 30.61 95.90 27 20.29 3.74

Ryan Harris 16 36 9.00 144.00 40 15.17 4.63

Doug Bollinger 23 4 2.00 66.67 37 22.40 4.38

Which brings us to the nominations for the Cricketer of the Year. The revised list has 17 names, after the late inclusion of Swann. Three of those players - Johnson, Clarke and Morne Morkel - have made that list without finding themselves in either the Test or ODI lists. Johnson and Clarke have been among the wickets and runs in both formats - Johnson is also the fourth-highest wicket-taker in Twenty20 internationals during this period, but Morkel's credentials are not as compelling: his Test stats are pretty good - 37 wickets in nine Tests at 24.62 - but he has only played seven ODIs and five Twenty20 internationals during this period. Similarly, Harris has been terrific in ODIs but has played only two Tests and three Twenty20 internationals, which makes his inclusion in the Cricketer of the Year category quite perplexing - even more so since the ICC had initially left out Swann, the second-highest wicket-taker in all categories combined during this period.

One player who deserved a spot ahead of Harris and Morkel is Mahela Jayawardene. Apart from his Test average of 70.75, he averaged 40.20 at a strike rate of 88 in ODIs, and almost 35 at a strike rate of 153 in Twenty20 internationals, in the process also scoring a hundred at the World Twenty20. Was that another oversight by the ICC?

The importance of Kumble

Anil Kumble wants to work with India's young talent and help in grooming and preparing them for life as cricketers. A better person could not be found, and a more crying need could not have been identified in Indian cricket. While it is a cricketer with skills who takes the field, the person within the athlete walks along too; sometimes as a shadow, sometimes even as a cloak. In the long run, while skill is important, attitude is supreme.

Kumble was a man possessed of considerable skill himself, but as a competitor he was awesome. His skill made him a very good cricketer, and his attitude propelled that skill towards making him a legend in Indian cricket. It is such qualities that Indian cricket and the young men who symbolise it need a dose of, because currently there is an epidemic going around.

Fine young cricketers are dropping off the radar, either unable to cope with fame and its attendant pressures or being satiated too soon. Kumble doesn't possess a wand, he is not an alchemist. And anyway, work ethic cannot be enforced or injected. It has to grow within. But hopefully Kumble can remind them of the path they need to be on. In truth they know of it, or at any rate they should, but a little nudge wouldn't be a bad idea.

Once the bosses of Indian cricket take time off from looking into finances - important but not the core aspect of the game - maybe they can start looking at players. It is not identifying talented players that is the main issue, it is what to do with them once they are identified that seems a little more difficult and will require sensitive handling. India's problem, then, lies not so much in unearthing talent as in maintaining it.

RP Singh and Sreesanth are wonderful vehicles that spend more time in the garage than on the road. Yuvraj Singh is a thoroughbred in danger of wandering off the track. These are not talents that a team can lose. If they hit the basement button, there has to be somebody to stop them. Hopefully Kumble can guide them. But eventually India's young cricketers must feel the need to be competitive and world-class from within, and do what it takes. In recent times I have met a couple of overseas cricketers and an Indian great, who without prompting offered the word "lazy" as a descriptor for some of our young bowlers.

So either the BCCI could take a laissez faire approach and say that if some of the younger brigade project the wrong attitude they are probably the wrong people for the side anyway. Or they could take a serious look at the attrition levels in Indian cricket. It has disappointed me that more hasn't been done in that regard.

The core of what Kumble will come up with will necessarily have to do with how to cope with success. It can lead to many things, some beautiful, some dangerous. It can spur you on to excellence or it can lead to complacence. My fear is that for the first couple of years, excellence stays relevant and then for some it seems to demand too much time, become too much of an effort. The low-hanging fruit seems too enticing.

It would be too difficult to expect the coach to handle such matters, which is why many have been advocating a senior person, not necessarily a cricketer, as a permanent manager; not someone who guarantees a vote and gets an expense account but a real professional, who players can open their hearts to.

People within the cricket system tend to mock those who reside outside. They often prefer the narrow confines of their world and prevent fresh thought from knocking at the door. My wife and I earn a living talking to corporate India about lessons from sport. The greater need, I am convinced, is for the best of corporate India to offer lessons in excellence to our young cricketers. Kumble's plan should be a starting point.

I have been living a dream: Tendulkar

After facing a few throwdowns from coach Gary Kirsten at the P Saravanamuttu Oval on Monday, Tendulkar spoke at length about an impending feat - surpassing Steve Waugh's record of 168 Test appearances.


Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, who holds almost all batting records, is usually so superstitious that he does not talk about an approaching milestone. But after facing a few throwdowns from coach Gary Kirsten at the P Saravanamuttu Oval on Monday, Tendulkar spoke at length about an impending feat - surpassing Steve Waugh's record of 168 Test appearances. The little master recounted his journey from his first Test in Pakistan in 1989 to this record-breaking encounter. Excerpts...

On becoming the most capped player in Test cricket

It's been a long journey. I still remember the first Test I played in Pakistan in 1989. It was a completely different feeling compared to any cricket I had played. And since then it has worked out pretty well. I'm very happy that I have had the privilege of such a long journey at the international level. This was my dream - to play for India. And getting to play 169 Tests is fantastic.

On what it takes to last long enough to play 169 Test matches

The journey has gone by very quickly, quicker than I expected. Time flies. You just need to enjoy it, it's a circle. You are not always on the top, sometimes there are rough patches, but the simple formula that I have followed is whenever I have gone through phases, I have found a reason to work harder.

And, you know, try and spend all my energy at something I have been wanting to get better at. I have done that. I have tried to keep things simple. If you keep things simple, they are pretty simple to manage. I have used the huge support that I have had around the world as a factor to motivate myself.

I try and live up to the expectations I have of myself, and also make sure that I am always top of my game, or at least my preparations are such that I am out there to deliver and do my best at all times.

On whether he thinks this record will be broken

Records are meant to be broken. All I can say is whoever breaks my records should be an Indian.

On the importance of this record in comparison to other records he holds

The rest of things can be achieved, but for this you need an X number of years, an X number of tours, that's when this thing happens. It has taken me 20-plus years to get here. It's wonderful that we have been able to play so much Test cricket. In the last few years we have played a reasonable amount of Test cricket.

At one stage, in the early nineties, I hardly got any Tests. On a couple of occasions there were just two or three Tests in a year. It was disappointing. That is not the case now.

On whether his passion for the game was the main thing that keeps him going

Over the years the love for cricket has remained the same. If at all, it has only increased with time. Passion also has kept increasing. Whether it is match or practice, I still enjoy it.

On how difficult the journey has been over the last two decades

Had it been less than 20 years, it would have still been difficult. I don't take this as a burden. It is god's gift that my life's passion is also my work. So I enjoy every moment. I got the chance 20 years ago, and since then I have been living a dream.

On his advice to youngsters who want to become Sachin Tendulkar

It's important to dream, and then the second thing is, chase your dreams. Be sincere and honest, and chase your dreams. They do come true.

Awesome feeling to get that Chennai hundred

1. The first time I put on my India cap


It was a great moment for me. If I am not mistaken, Chandu Borde, our team manager, handed me my cap. But there was no presentation ceremony like they have today.

2. My first Test hundred

It came at Old Trafford in 1990. Manoj Prabhakar helped me with some determined batting at the other end. I was not at all surprised by what he did that day because I had played with him earlier and I knew that he was a terrific competitor. We prevented England from winning.

3. The counter-attacking 114 at Perth

This ton is a favourite of mine. Australia had four quick bowlers (Craig McDermott, Merv Hughes, Mike Whitney and Paul Reiffel) but I thought McDermott was the most challenging to face in Perth. Throughout the series he was their main bowler.

4. Bowling the last over against SA in the 1993 Hero Cup

South Africa needed six runs to win in the last over. There was no plan for me to bowl that over but I said I was very confident of bowling it successfully. I conceded just three and we won.

5. 82 (off 49 balls) against NZ as opener in 1994

I was the vice-captain then and our regular opener Navjot Singh Sidhu woke up with a stiff neck. I requested Azhar (Mohammad Azharuddin) and Ajit Wadekar (coach) to "just give me one opportunity and I am very confident of playing some big shots. And if I fail, I'll never ever come to you again".

6. Winning the Titan Cup in 1996

South Africa were playing terrific cricket right through the tournament. We adopted a different strategy. As captain I chose to have five fielders on the on side. I told Robin Singh not to bowl seam but cutters into the body and make them score everything on the on side. Maybe that came as a surprise for them.. This was one low-scoring game that I can never forget.

7. 1997 Sahara Cup win over Pakistan

We were without our top three bowlers for this tournament, which I led India in. We were without Javagal Srinath, Venkatesh Prasad and Anil Kumble, but we had Abey Kuruvilla, Harvinder Singh, Debasish Mohanty and Nilesh Kulkarni as newcomers. It was a fantastic effort and we beat Pakistan 4-1. Incredible!
8. Scoring 155 against Australia in the 1998 Chennai Test

I thought getting used to that angle from Shane Warne was important. Before the Test I not only practiced with Laxman Sivaramakrishnan but Nilesh Kulkarni and Sairaj Bahutule in Mumbai too. They gave me a lot of practice. I clearly remember saying to my friends after I scored a double hundred for Mumbai against Australia that Warne has not bowled a single ball round the wicket and I know that he will do it in the Test series.

9. 1998's sandstorm hundred in Sharjah against Australia

The first of the two back-to-back hundreds in Sharjah, 1998. Tendulkar highlighted the similarities between his Sharjah efforts and the two special knocks in the 2008 tri-series finals in Australia in terms of how small a gap there was between the two matches of each of these series, which made it so difficult on the body.

10. Meeting Don Bradman in Adelaide

Without doubt, the most riveting moment in my off-field career. The trip to Adelaide in 1998 with Shane Warne was truly special and to meet him on his 90th birthday made it even more memorable. It was great to spend 45 minutes to an hour talking cricket with him.

11. Beating England at Leeds, 2002

Sanjay Bangar played beautifully for his 68 and he put on a good partnership with Rahul Dravid, who played superbly. I remember going to bat after tea and Andrew Flintoff was bowling a lot of short-pitched stuff round the wicket. I moved pretty well the next day and I remember leaving deliveries off Matthew Hoggard, who bowled a few overs outside the off stump. I paced my innings well (193) and went past Sir Don's tally of 29 Test hundreds.

12. Match-winning 98 against Pakistan in the 2003 World Cup

There was that six off Shoaib (Akhtar) but there were other shots which I felt good about in that match. I was playing with a finger injury and the finger wouldn't straighten. I avoided fielding practice through the tournament because I was experiencing a lot of pain while catching. I gave fielding practice though.

13. First series win in Pakistan, 2003-04

Undoubtedly one of the top series wins in my career. Remember, Pakistan had a good side and we went there and won convincingly.

14. 35th Test hundred, v Sri Lanka in Delhi, 2005

There was this pressure which was building up to go past Sunil Gavaskar in the Test century tally. The room service and housekeeping people in my hotel only spoke about me getting century No 35. I was glad and relieved when it happened because I could then start enjoying the game again.

15. Beating England in Nottingham in 2007

We have always managed to come back well after a defeat or saving a match. This is a classic example. We escaped defeat in the opening Test at Lord's but came back to win in Trent Bridge.

16. Beating Australia in Perth in 2008

We were determined to win this Test after what happened in Sydney. We shouldn't have lost in Sydney considering we were in a good position on the first day, but then the world has seen what happened (referring to the umpiring).
17. The CB Series triumph in Australia in 2008

Not only India, but all other sides found Australia too hard to beat. My hundred in the first final at Sydney was satisfying but the second match in Brisbane was tough. We went to bed at 3 am in Sydney after a day-night game. I just could not sleep and woke up at 8 am to catch a morning flight. I was trying every possible thing to be fresh for the next day's match. The next day we won the toss and batted. It was quite humid so the conditions were tough. We knew that the first half hour was crucial. I thought even if I don't get runs quickly, it's fine because if we don't lose early wickets, the big strokeplayers can always capitalise on the start and that's what happened.

18. Going past Brian Lara's Test run tally in Mohali, 2008

Becoming the highest run-getter in world cricket doesn't happen overnight. Lara is a special player and a guy who is a good friend. We respect each other immensely. To go past his tally meant that I have contributed something to cricket.

19. Second-innings Test hundred against England in Chennai, 2008

Awesome feeling to get that hundred, which I dedicated to the people of Mumbai. It was a very emotional time. It was important to stay there till the end and I remember telling my batting partner, Yuvraj Singh, that it's still not over so don't relax. I recalled that close game against Pakistan in 1999 when we lost by 12 runs.

20. 175 against Australia in Hyderabad, 2009

I know my body well and I know how much I can push so I was not surprised to score a 175 at the age of 36. Even if I had to complete those 20 runs by running them, I was absolutely fine. I was a few runs short of completing 17,000 ODI runs before the match, but that wasn't playing on my mind. However, every now and again it appeared on the scoreboard. That's not important to me. The important thing was to go out and win.

'Tendulkar controls the game'

The first time Virender Sehwag met Sachin Tendulkar was in March 2001, at a practice session ahead of the first ODI of the home series against Australia. For Sehwag, Tendulkar was the man who had inspired him to skip exams in school and allowed him to dream of cricket as a career. Sehwag was shy then, and didn't speak to his hero. He got 58 off 51 balls and picked up three wickets. Tendulkar later walked up to him and said, "You've got talent. Continue playing the same way and I'm sure you will make your name." That ability to motivate youngsters is one of the traits, Sehwag says, that makes Tendulkar special. Here he tells Cricinfo about 10 things that make Tendulkar stand out.

Discipline

He never comes late to any practice session, never comes late to the team bus, never comes late to any meeting - he is always five minutes ahead of time. If you are disciplined, it shows you are organised. And then he is ready for anything on the cricket field.

Mental strength

I've learned a lot of things from him as far as mental strength goes - on how to tacke a situation, how to tackle a ball or bowler. If you are not tough mentally, you can't score the number of runs and centuries he has in the last two decades. He is a very good self-motivator.

He always said to me: whatever the situation or whichever the bowler you face, always believe in yourself. There was this occasion in South Africa, early in my career, when I was not scoring runs fluently, so he suggested I try a few mental techniques that had worked for him. One of the things he said was: Always tell yourself you are better than others. You have some talent and that is why you are playing for India, so believe in yourself.

Picking the ball early

He can pick the ball earlier than other batsmen and that is a mark of a great batsman. He is virtually ready for the ball before it is bowled. Only great players can have two shots for one ball, like Tendulkar does, and a big reason is that he picks the ball very early.

Soft hands

I've never seen him play strokes with hard hands. He always tries to play with soft hands, always tries to meet the ball with the centre of the bat. That is timing. I have never been able to play consistently with soft hands.

Planning

One reason he can convert his fifties into hundreds is planning: which bowler he should go after, which bowler he should respect, in which situation he should play aggressively, in which situation he should defend. It is because he has spent hours thinking about all of it, planning what to do. He knows what a bowler will do in different situations and he is ready for it.

In my debut Test he scored 155 and he knew exactly what to do every ball. We had already lost four wickets (68 for 4) when I walked in, and he warned me about the short ball. He told me that the South African fast bowlers would bowl short-of-length balls regularly, but he knew how to counter that. If they bowled short of a length, he cut them over slips; when they bowled outside off stump, he cut them; and when they tried to bowl short into his body, he pulled with ease. Luckily his advice had its effect on me, and I made my maiden hundred!

Adaptability

This is one area where he is really fast. And that is because he is such a good reader of the game. After playing just one or two overs he can tell you how the pitch will behave, what kind of bounce it has, which length is a good one for the batsman, what shots to play and what not to.

A good example was in the Centurion ODI of the 2006-07 series. India were batting first. Shaun Pollock bowled the first over and fired in a few short-of-length balls, against which I tried to play the back-foot punch. Tendulkar cautioned me immediately and said that shot was not a good option. A couple of overs later I went for it again and was caught behind, against Pollock.

Making bowlers bowl to his strengths

He will leave a lot of balls and give the bowler a false sense of security, but the moment it is pitched up to the stumps or closer to them, Tendulkar will easily score runs.

If the bowler is bowling outside off stump Tendulkar can disturb his line by going across outside off stump and playing to midwicket. He puts doubts in the bowler's mind, so that he begins to wonder if he has bowled the wrong line and tries to bowl a little outside off stump - which Tendulkar can comfortably play through covers.

In Sydney in 2004, in the first innings he didn't play a single cover drive, and remained undefeated on 241. He decided to play the straight drive and flicks, so he made the bowlers pitch to his strengths. It is not easy. In the Test before that, in Melbourne, he had got out trying to flick. After that when we had a chat he said he was getting out playing the cover drive and the next game he would avoid the cover drive. I thought he was joking because nobody cannot not play the cover drive - doesn't matter if you are connecting or not. I realised he was serious in Sydney when he was on about 180-odd and he had missed plenty of opportunities to play a cover drive. I was stunned.

Ability to bat in different gears

This is one aspect of batting I have always discussed with Tendulkar: how he controls his game; the way he can change gears after scoring a half-century. Suddenly he scores 10-12 runs an over, or maybe a quick 30 runs in five overs, and then again slows down and paces his innings.

He has maintained that it all depends on the team's position. If you are in a good position you tend to play faster. He also pointed out that the batsman must always think about what can happen if he gets out and the consequences for the team. The best example is the knock of 175. I was confident he would pull it off for India and he almost did.

Building on an innings

I learned from Tendulkar how to get big hundreds. He told me early on that once you get a hundred you are satisfied for yourself. But it is also the best time to convert that into a bigger score for the team because then the team will be in a good position.

If you look at my centuries they have always been big. A good instance of this was in Multan in 2004, when he told me I had given away a good position in Melbourne (195) the previous year and the team lost, and I needed to keep that in mind against Pakistan. In Multan, in the first hundred of the triple century I had hit a few sixes. He walked up to me after I reached the century and said he would slap me if I hit any further sixes. I said why. He said that if I tried hitting a six and got out the team would lose the control over the game, and I needed to bat through the day. So I didn't hit a single six till I reached 295. By then India were 500-plus and I told him I was going to hit a six!

Dedication

This is the most important aspect of his success. In his life cricket comes first. When he is on tour he is thinking about nothing but cricket, and when he is not on tour he dedicates quality time to his family. That shows his dedication to the game and to his family. He has found the right balance.

The best batsman I've bowled to

I had been watching Sachin Tendulkar on and off before we (South Africa) were readmitted in 1991. People were always talking about him so I was aware of what we were going to come up against, and I remember Craig McDermott telling us that he was going to be the best in the world.

Our first engagement was in 1991, in Calcutta, in front of 90,000 people. He made 62. And it was blatantly clear then that he was going to be a player to remember.

Before I played against him I was always looking forward to having a crack. Then I realised just what I was up against. When someone like Tendulkar walks to the crease, you have to know what you are going to do. You can't just run up and bowl. You have to have planned your attack, your line, a week in advance.

Everything about him is just so exceptional. He is wonderful technically and he has everything - class, speed, all the shots, and he is cool under pressure. Cricketers always talk about his amazing balance, even the Aussies. I've seen tapes of Sunil Gavaskar and if you split the screen between him and Tendulkar, they look virtually identical. I have never seen a man with such immaculate balance - it is freakish.

People go to a Test match just to watch Tendulkar. I, for one, would rather watch him than bowl against him. Actually, I'm glad I'll never have to bowl to him in a Test match again, though I've been quite successful against him. He is No. 1 in my book - the best player I have ever had the privilege of bowling to. There's Steve Waugh and there's Brian Lara, who was wonderful in 1995, but Tendulkar is a class above, consistently special.

Your margin for error against him really is marginal. If you get him on a flat track, when he is, say, 50 not out off 24 balls, then you know that you have a very long day ahead and the situation can be very, very demoralising. The best knock I can remember him playing was at Newlands in 1997, when he was just unstoppable. We only got him thanks to a blinding catch by Adam Bacher off a hook shot, otherwise he would have gone on and on.

Under Hansie Cronje we studied hard for a Tendulkar weakness. We thought he might be vulnerable, especially early in his innings, to the ball that is bowled from wide of the crease, coming back in off a good length. He might then be bowled through the gate, or be lbw, especially on English wickets. We also tried peppering him with short balls - not many top-class batters like that - but it didn't really seem to bother him. The one thing that might rattle him is being restricted. He loves scoring, and scoring quickly, and if he is frustrated, sometimes he goes out and looks for the big shot.

I don't think he really gets rattled by sledging. Glenn McGrath tried it and Tendulkar just kept running at him and hitting him back over his head for four. I think that, like Steve Waugh, sledging just makes him more focused: I don't think it is a good idea to have a word.

The ball I bowled to him in Durban in 1996 was the best ball I have bowled to any cricketer. I think he hit the first two balls after lunch for four, then I came from wide of the crease and the ball really went a long way to bowl him. I don't think I've ever celebrated like that - you save those for the big ones. We had discussed how to bowl to him, and I knew what I was trying to do, but I never expected it to go so far off the seam to knock out the off stump. It was a great sight. That series was billed as the Donald-Tendulkar battle, but he got his own back at Cape Town with one of the best knocks I've ever seen.

Tendulkar is already a legend so I'm not sure how he'll be remembered - what comes after legend? He is still young and if he plays till he is 35 who knows what he'll achieve. He's the best in the world, one of the most magnificent players there's ever been. He's also a nice guy, a soft-hearted bloke who gives 110% and just loves playing cricket.

Who will be the Player of the Decade?

We asked over 30 players (current and former), commentators, cricket writers and other insiders to pick their top three cricketers of the 2000s. Each No. 1 vote fetches a player three points; No. 2, two; No. 3, one. The results will be announced on January 13. Meanwhile, a look at some of the contenders.


Sachin Tendulkar


He was India's second-highest run-getter in Tests, and the world's second-highest in ODIs. His 42 centuries in international cricket was next only to Ponting's 55. The two aspects that stand out about Tendulkar are his performances against the best team of the decade, and in the biggest ODI tournament. He averaged 54.67 in 18 Tests against Australia, and 66.07 in Australia. In 44 ODIs against Australia he averaged 41.21. In all, he scored nine hundreds against Australia, next only to VVS Laxman's 10. His World Cup record was outstanding - average of 56.69 in 14 games - and he also brought out his A game in tournament finals.
Tests: Matches 89 Runs 7129 Ave 53.20 Hundreds 21
ODIs: Matches 211 Runs 8823 Ave 46.68 SR 85.04 Hundreds 21

Rahul Dravid

Only Ricky Ponting scored more Test runs than Dravid in the decade, but the context in which Dravid scored the runs was as important as the sheer number. He was one of the biggest contributors in ensuring India won consistently away from home, starring in Test victories in England, Australia, Pakistan and West Indies. He averaged 70.51 in Test wins against the top teams, with eight centuries in 29 matches. His ODI stats were pretty good as well - an average of 51.23 in wins against the top teams, and 57 in 14 World Cup matches in the decade.

Tests: Matches 103 Runs 8558 Ave 54.85 Hundreds 22

ODIs: Matches 231 Runs 7295 Ave 40.30 SR 72.3 Hundreds 5

Shivnarine Chanderpaul

He was West Indies' leading run-scorer in Tests in the 2000s, and the second-highest in ODIs. He was also West Indies' go-to man in crises - and there were several - through most of the last 10 years. His golden period was in 2007 and 2008, when he averaged more than 100 in 13 Tests, scoring centuries in England, South Africa and New Zealand, and contributed more than 22% of the runs scored by his team. His ODI form has been outstanding as well - his run tally for the decade is second only to Chris Gayle among West Indians - with his average soaring to 67.36 in the last three years of the decade.

Tests: Matches 86 Runs 6435 Ave 52.31 Hundreds 19

ODIs: Matches 165 Runs 5709 Ave 45.30 SR 72.97 Hundreds 8

Matthew Hayden

Only Ponting, Dravid and Kallis scored more Test runs than Hayden in the decade, and only Ponting had more centuries than Hayden's 29. He also notched up the second-highest Test score of the decade. With Justin Langer and Ponting, Hayden formed the most dominant top three in Tests, scoring almost 11,000 partnership runs with them. He was also immense in the subcontinent, averaging 50.39 in Tests in the subcontinent (excluding Bangladesh). His one-day record in the decade was excellent too, even more so in the big matches - he averaged 51.94 in 22 World Cup matches, and 58.66 in tournament finals.

Tests: Matches 96 Runs 8364 Ave 52.93 Hundreds 29

ODIs: Matches 148 Runs 5847 Ave 45.32 SR 80.82 Hundreds 10

Adam Gilchrist

He became the first wicketkeeper to score more than 5000 runs and could have played as a specialist batsman alone. Most of those runs were scored at No. 7, which made him the most successful batsman at that position in the decade, and gave the Australians enviable batting depth. His strike rate in Tests was an astonishing 82. He also scored more than 7000 ODI runs at a strike rate of 100. His World Cup record was exceptional - 861 runs at 43.05 and a strike rate of 104.61.
Tests: Matches 91 Runs 5130 Ave 46.63 Hundreds 16 Ct/ St 362/ 35

ODIs: Matches 211 Runs 7243 Ave 36.58 SR 100.54 Hundreds 11 Ct/ St 417/ 55

Inzamam-ul-Haq

Inzamam was Pakistan's biggest match-winner of the decade in Tests, scoring 2684 runs in victories at an amazing average of 83.87. Among all Test batsmen who scored at least 2500 runs in wins, no one averaged as much. His one-day stats were impressive too - an overall average of 39.57, which shot up to 52.49 in the matches that Pakistan won. He was especially prolific in home Tests, averaging 68.02. Apart from his batting exploits he also led Pakistan to more than a third of their wins in the decade - 11 out of 30 in Tests and 51 out of 151 in ODIs.

Tests: Matches 62 Runs 5113 Ave 55.57 Hundreds 17

ODIs: Matches 178 Runs 5264 Ave 39.57 SR 76.10 Hundreds 4

Mahela Jayawardene

He was one of five batsmen to score more than 8000 Test runs in the decade, and only Ponting, Hayden and Kallis got more hundreds. His 374 against South Africa was the third-highest score of the decade. Like Inzamam, he was prolific at home, averaging 66.35 and scoring 16 of his 25 hundreds in Sri Lanka. He also led the side to 15 of their 44 Test wins and 54 out of 155 ODI wins, including an appearance in the 2007 World Cup final.

Tests: Matches 95 Runs 8187 Ave 55.31 Hundreds 25

ODIs: Matches 275 Runs 7676 Ave 33.22 SR 77.03 Hundreds 9

Jacques Kallis

In terms of sheer numbers Jacques Kallis was unmatched in the decade - he had the third-highest run aggregate in Tests and the fifth-highest in ODIs, but apart from that he also took 205 wickets in Tests and 192 in ODIs. His Test average was the highest, and ODI average the second-highest, among batsmen who scored at least 5000 runs, while only Ponting and Hayden scored more Test hundreds. He also did well against tough opponents and in different conditions, averaging almost 47 against Australia and 54 in Asia. He also won 36 Man-of-the-Match awards - 15 in Tests, 20 in ODIs, and one in Twenty20s - which is only one short of Ponting's mark.

Tests: Matches 100 Runs 8552 Ave 58.97 Hundreds 27 Wickets 205 Ave 31.79

ODIs: Matches 218 Runs 7859 Ave 47.05 Hundreds 11 Wkts 192 Ave 32.58

Brian Lara

He made 6380 Test runs in this decade, of which 400 came in one innings, which remains the highest score in Tests. Chanderpaul was the only West Indian to score more runs than Lara in the 2000s. His best phase during the decade was a three-year period from 2003 to 2005, when he averaged more than 63, and scored 13 hundreds in 31 Tests. In 13 Tests against Australia over the decade, he scored four hundreds and averaged almost 48. He was also immense in the subcontinent, averaging 103 in six Tests, with five centuries.

Tests: Matches 66 Runs 6380 Ave 54.06 Hundreds 21

ODIs: Matches 137 Runs 4239 Ave 37.51 SR 79.81 Hundreds 6

Glenn McGrath

Six bowlers took more Test wickets than McGrath, but in terms of effectiveness, he was second to none: among bowlers who took 100 Test wickets in the decade, McGrath's average was the best. It's hard to spot a kink in his record, for he did well in all conditions, against all opposition: his away average was a superb 19.96, and he was even better in Asia, averaging 17.08. In ODIs he had an economy rate of 3.78, among the best in the decade; his World Cup stats were outstanding - 47 wickets at 14.19 - while he was equally impressive in finals of ODI tournaments, averaging 15.20.

Tests: Matches 66 Wickets 297 Ave 20.53 5WI 14 10M 2

ODIs: Matches 149 Wickets 234 Ave 20.28 ER 3.78 5WI 4

Muttiah Muralitharan

No bowler achieved the kind of numbers that Murali did in the decade - he took more wickets than anyone else in Tests and ODIs, and in Tests he was far ahead of his nearest competitor. His average is only marginally higher than McGrath's in Tests, while his ODI economy rate of 3.74 is next only to Shaun Pollock's 3.62. He took 49 five-fors and 20 ten-fors in Tests, both light years ahead of his nearest competitor. Even if you exclude matches against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, he took 428 wickets in 67 Tests at 23.25 apiece. In 20 World Cup matches he took 40 wickets at 16.75. He won 16 Man-of-the-Match awards in Tests, more than any other player.

Tests: Matches 84 Wickets 565 Ave 20.97 5WI 49 10WM 20

Ricky Ponting.

He scored more runs and centuries in both forms of the game than any other batsman in this decade and is the only one to go past the 9000-mark in both forms. Ponting was one of only three batsmen - Kallis and Mohammad Yousuf were the others - to average more than 58 in Tests. He scored 55 centuries in international cricket, 13 clear of second-placed Sachin Tendulkar. The only team against whom his Test average was less than 50 was Sri Lanka (40.50 in six Tests). His World Cup record was exceptional - in 19 innings he scored 954 runs at an average of 59.62 and a strike-rate of 91.99. Apart from his phenomenal batting exploits, he also led Australia to 192 wins (40 Tests, 145 ODIs and 7 Twenty20s), including two World Cups and two Champions Trophies.
Tests: Matches 106 Runs 9389 Ave 58.68 Hundreds 32

ODIs: Matches 239 Runs 9103 Ave 44.18 SR 84.44 Hundreds 23

Kumar Sangakkara

He was Sri Lanka's second-highest run-getter in both Tests and ODIs, and also contributed as captain and wicketkeeper. Kumar Sangakkara was Sri Lanka's most consistent batsman, averaging more than 40 in Tests against every team (41.91 against Australia, and 65.16 in Australia). When he didn't keep wicket, his average in Tests jumped to almost 74, with 14 centuries in 40 matches. He was easily Sri Lanka's best batsman in overseas Tests, and the only one to average more than 50. In ODIs too he did very well against the Australians, averaging 43.61 in 28 matches.
Tests: Matches 88 Runs 7549 Ave 55.10 Hundreds 21 Ct/ St 157/ 20

ODIs: Matches 262 Runs 7878 Ave 35.97 SR 74.71 Hundreds 10 Ct/ St 247/ 66

Graeme Smith

Among South Africans, only Kallis scored more runs than Smith. In this decade, Smith's overseas record was especially impressive - he averaged 56.06, the highest by a South African. He averaged more than 40 in ODIs too, and it increased to 47 in World Cup matches. Even more impressive, though, was what he achieved as captain, leading his team to 33 Test wins - more than any other South African captain - and 74 ODI wins. Under his leadership South Africa recorded historic Test series wins in Australia and England, and also briefly became the top-ranked Test team.

Tests: Matches 78 Runs 6354 Ave 49.64 Hundreds 18

ODIs: Matches 149 Runs 5613 Ave 40.67 SR 83.09 Hundreds 8

Shane Warne

He was the third-highest wicket-taker in Tests, after Murali and Makhaya Ntini, and also had the third-highest number of five-fors. His record away from home was particularly impressive - 226 wickets in 36 Tests at an average of 22.65. He struggled in India, but despite that his overall record in Asia was excellent - 88 wickets at 23.73. He won nine Man-of-the-Match awards, none of them against Bangladesh or Zimbabwe. However, he took only 81 ODI wickets, and didn't feature in either of the two World Cups during the decade.

Tests: Matches 65 Wickets 357 Ave 25.17 5WI 21 10WM 6

ODIs: Matches 61 Wickets 81 Ave 29.55 ER 4.39

Mohammad Yousuf

Yousuf's biggest achievement came in 2006, when he scored 1788 Test runs, the most by any player in a year. His performances tapered thereafter, but he still finished with a decade average of more than 58, one of only three players to achieve this feat. He scored 23 hundreds in Tests and 13 in ODIs for a total that was the fifth-highest of the decade. His home record was superb in both forms of the game - he averaged 68.17 in Tests and 49.92 in ODIs.
Tests: Matches 70 Runs 6356 Ave 58.85 Hundreds 23

ODIs: Matches 246 Runs 8494 Ave 42.25 SR 75.44 Hundreds 13