The Friday column

The most consistent and prolific batsman of all

Apr 28, 2006: Averages are a good measure of a batsman's calibre, but here's method which attempts to combine big scoring with consistency

The Friday column

The difference between Tendulkar and Dippenaar

Apr 21, 2006: How averages are not so much a matter of getting starts but converting them, and the batsmen who thrive on not-outs

The Friday column

Batting at the crunch, and outdoing the best legspinner

Apr 14, 2006: Which are the teams that are most affected by the pressures of batting in the second innings, and for which sides does it not matter much

The Friday column

The new and improved Ntini

Apr 7, 2006: Makhaya Ntini has shown over the last 15 months that he can crank it up against the best batsmen in the world, while Pakistan's ability to come back from the dead was confirmed at Kandy

The Friday column

Langer's landmark, and Ponting the pulveriser

Mar 31, 2006: As a crowd-puller, Justin Langer doesn't rank among the top names in a star-studded line-up, but his contribution to the juggernaut called the Australian cricket team has been immense

The Friday column

Maestros on the decline, and Pakistan's double-whammy

Mar 24, 2006: Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara and Adam Gilchrist have all been struggling for runs for a while now. Is this their worst slump in international cricket?

The Friday column

More than a wall

Mar 17, 2006: Rahul Dravid has risen from a good batsman to one of the world's best. His journey in numbers

The Friday column

India's battle against left-hand batsmen

Mar 10, 2006: Do Indian bowlers struggle more than most against letf-handers, or are they generally toothless against most batsmen?

The Friday column

Ashraful's battle to make his mark

Mar 3, 2006: Mohammad Ashraful has the talent, but consistency is one virtue he has struggled to achieve so far

The Friday column

Trial by spin awaits England

Feb 24, 2006: Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh will be licking the chops in anticipation of bowling to England's batsmen

The Friday column

Shoaib Malik's resurgence, and hot chasing streaks

Feb 17, 2006: Shoaib Malik's batting has been quite exceptional since Bob Woolmer took over as coach, while India are closing in on the record for most number of successive wins when batting second&

The Friday column

Why the Supersub isn't a super idea

Feb 10, 2006: The Supersub system hands over too much advantage to the team winning the toss, and must be changed

The Friday column

Where toss is key, and Tendulkar's drought

Feb 3, 2006: The venues where losing the toss is a blessing, Tendulkar's slump in form and Dippenaar's rising stock

The Friday column

Prolific partnerships, and one-sided triangulars

Jan 27, 2006: Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf are fast moving up the ladder among Pakistan's top batting pairs, while this season's VB Series is a rare three-way contest

The Friday column

A lowdown on lbws

Jan 13, 2006: Has the frequency of lbw decisions increased over the years? The Numbers Game find out

The Friday column

The enigma called Jacques Kallis

Jan 6, 2006: He has played almost 100 Tests, averages nearly 57, has scored runs against allcomers in all conditions, and was recently named the ICC's Player of the Year, but Jacques Kallis has hardly got the kind of acclaim you'd expect a batsman to receive after all

The Friday column

Gilchrist's slump, and a year for the middle order

Dec 30, 2005: Adam Gilchrist's average slips to below 50, and a look back at what the numbers show in 2005

The Friday column

Wag the tail, Indian spin and sticky Rudolph

Dec 23, 2005: Which team has relied most heavily on their tailenders to prop them, and Jacques Rudolph's epic against Australia

The Friday column

Overdose for the officials

Dec 9, 2005: If you thought the players were the only ones suffering from a packed itinerary, take a look at the plight of the elite umpires

The Friday column

Tendulkar v other top batsmen in run-chases

Dec 2, 2005: How does Sachin Tendulkar compare when India chase challenging totals in ODIs? The Numbers Game investigates