Chasing Bradman
As you might guess the highest ever batting rating (http://www.lgiccrankings.com/test/batting/all-time-ranking.php) belongs to Bradman (961). Two men are, however, closing in on the record: Ponting (940) the current number one, and Yousuf (933) the current number two. The highest rating for anyone apart from Bradman is 945 and certainly under threat. This begs the question are Ponting and Yousuf really that good? They are now number five and number ten on the best ever rating list and their batting averages are fast approaching sixty. Taking Bradman and Hussey (who has currently only played 12 tests) out the highest batting averages in the history of the game are around sixty (http://usa.cricinfo.com/db/STATS/TESTS/BATTING/TEST_BAT_HIGHEST_AVS.html) for players who have more than twenty innings to their name and there are only three of them.

So are Ponting and Yousuf really that good or is it that sixty is the new fifty. With the number of current players with averages above fifty one can argue for the latter. Others who are close are Dravid (58.75), Tendulkar (55.39), Kallis (55.78) while Lara sits at a measley 52.88 and Inzamam at a forgetable 50.36. One year ago no one would have seriously considered Yousuf in the company of the rest of these men. Now, even though he is still not considered in the same class people have begun to speculate whether he can get there. Lara and Tendulkar are considered batting geniuses, Dravid and Kallis have the concentration, the will, the technique, and a knowledge of their limitations, Ponting may have all the qualities but certainly was the most underated player of the last few years. Yousuf as impressive as he was this year still has not won as many games as Inzamam and has dismal records against Australia and South Africa, two teams with probably the best attacks in the game. Pakistan next tour South Africa and Yousuf can clear one of the two major blights on his career. After that there is the world cup. In the next few months, if Yousuf can keep himself going, he can further his case against the best batsmen of this generation. If everything goes as planned in about a little over a year Pakistan will meet Australia and Yousuf will get his chance to prove himself against the best.

From the Past
Since Pakistani openers are still finding life hard, India's capitulation in South Africa has led to calls for Ganguly's return again, racial slurs have moved from Gibson to Richards ...the following list (which was compiled some time back) still holds with some additions...

Ten Reality Shows I Would Like to See

Before the reality show craze fizzles away...

10. Pakistani Opener: Inzamam, Bari and Woolmer go from village to village looking for opening batsmen. They choose 16 openers who face a battery of fast bowlers every week. Inzamam, Bari, Woolmer and a guest cricketer comment on each player’s game. Pakistan votes by calling in for their favorite opener. The winner gets to play in the test team for six months until the new opener is chosen.

9. Survivor: Ganguly: Two Indian camps (Those for and against bringing back Ganguly) slug it out. Cameras follow the players (which in this case are the players and the administrators: Chappell, Dravid, Sharad Pawar, Dalmiya, Niranjin Shah, Kiren More etc.) in each camp until the next world cup. Each week one of the administrators is taken out because of some stupidity. Ganguly makes it or not depending on the last man standing.

8. The Amazing Racist: Mel Gibson, Ehud Olmert, Hasan Nasrallah, Dick Cheney, Ralph Reed, Ann Coulter, David Duke, Pat Robertson, Ahmadinijad, Paul Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld, Lindey England, Michael Richards and others throw comments at each other to see who is the amazing racist. Oh wait this one has already been done.

7. Straight Eye for the Queer Guy: Ralph Reed, Pat Robertson, Jimmy Swaggart and Jerry Falwell are the Judges. People passing on the street are brought in front of the judges. The judges talk to them and decide who is gay and who is not.

6. WMD Hunt: Bush "travels" from country to country in search of WMDs with his WMD sniffing pooch Tony. Wait I don't want to see that one.

5. Ann and Sean: A love story: Sean Hannity tries a career in music calling himself by the name S. Hity. Ann Coulter becomes his wife taking on the name Ann Hannity. Ann dresses up in leather and takes a whip to S. Hity. They fight and since divorce is out of the question one of them ends up killing the other.

4. Geraldo leads an expedition up Mt. Ararat to find Noah’s Ark.

3. The Simple Life: When Nicole asks the parent of a fifteen year old (whom she is baby sitting) whether he needs to be breast fed the parent replies yes rather than being shocked.

2. Rice juggles teaching courses at Liberty University and Bob Jones University while also performing janitorial duties.

1. The Dada Life: First there was the Real Life (bunch of "common" folk put together), then came the Surreal life (bunch of has been celebs put together) and now the Dada Life where celebs are underlings to common folks or under celebs. Some examples: Tiger caddies for high school jock, Federer is a ball boy at a Kournikova exhibition match, McGrath runs in with water for Shahid Nazir).

South Africa's Bunnies
The recent Indian defeat to South Africa was just another spec on the familiar pattern. from 6/76 South Africa went on to beat India by a 106 runs. Just a month or so ago they did a similar job on Pakistan in the Chamions' trophy. They have pulled the same stunt on Pakistan again and again. Pakistan and India have been South Africa's bunnies in the ODIs since they started playing in the early nineties. Surprisingly Sri Lanka has an even record against South Africa in the same time but fairs badly against Pakistan and amost evenly against India. There is some dynamic to this.
Not to get ahead of things since Pakistan still needs to finish the test series against West Indies and play the ODI series but guess what. Their next stop is South Africa. And if they are to avoid repeating history and the fate currently befalling India they better find some answers especially now that the two bowlers who would have found the South African conditions most helpful are out.