On paper, South African cricket is at the top of the world. But Alex Parker of the Johannesburg daily the Times, feels ICC rankings are rendered dodgy by Bangladesh.

I do fear that being catapulted into the position of “world’s best”, courtesy of Bangladesh’s ineptitude, is more of a cross to bear than a trophy to brandish.

Certainly, the Indians will have much to say on the matter — both with their bats and with their new- found gobbiness. Aussie opener Matthew Hayden recently got into trouble for calling Indian offspinner Harbhajan Singh an “obnoxious little weed”. This was the best description of Harbhajan I’ve ever heard — I find his epithets are better than his offbreaks — and I wonder who his South African target will be: “the best batsman in the world, captain of the best team in the world”, perhaps?