Prince in command, and Vettori's challenger

With three centuries and 764 runs in his last eight Tests, Ashwell Prince has been the giant among all South African batsmen over the last eight months. Most of the South African top order has struggled during this period - Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith have averaged less than 38, Herschelle Gibbs only 30, and AB de Villiers a paltry 23.67 - but, thanks largely to Prince's batting exploits, South Africa have managed to put up enough runs on the board to win three consecutive Tests.

While the world has been fussing over the undoubted flamboyance of Mohammad Yousuf, Ricky Ponting and Brian Lara - among many others - Prince has, in his typically unobtrusive style, amassed more than 1500 runs in the last two years, at an average that is only marginally lower than Kallis's. In fact, the only left-hander who has been more prolific during this period is the phenomenal Michael Hussey, who has averaged an incredible 80 over the last two years. Prince's average during this period is marginally higher than those of Kumar Sangakkara and Lara, two other left-handers whose form has been outstanding.

The table below shows just how dominant Kallis and Prince have been among all South African batsmen in the last couple of years. Smith has been the only other batsman to average more than 40 during this period.

In style and in stats, Prince is a current version of another South African left-hander who was a key member of the South African top order for a decade in the 1990s. Gary Kirsten wasn't renowned for flair, but his guts and his stomach for a scrap made him an invaluable cog in the South African batting wheel. Prince is cast in a similar mould.

The numbers are similar too: Kirsten finished with an average of 45.27 from 101 Tests, while Prince, after 27, scores about two runs fewer per innings. Both have been at their most effective in drawn matches - Kirsten averages more than 58, while Prince has scored two centuries in three stalemates. And while Kirsten finished with an average in the mid-40s that figure, at a similar stage in his career, was only a modest 37.

One not-so-flattering stat for both, though, is their performance against the best team of this era. In 18 Tests, Kirsten averaged just 34.36 versus Australia, with only two centuries. Prince, in exactly half the number of games, has one hundred and an average of 30.33. Kirsten can't do much to change his numbers now but if Prince continues his impressive run he should be around for at least five more years. Along the way, surely, will be opportunities to better his record against the Australians.

Patel turns it on
Daniel Vettori has been the lone quality spinner in the New Zealand side for ages, but is it possible that they might have found a slow-bowling ally of almost equal quality? In 14 one-day internationals, Jeetan Patel, the 26-year-old offspinner, has turned in several efficient performances, the latest of which was at Hobart, when he took 2 for 34 from ten overs in a low-scoring match.

In the 14 ODIs that Patel has played so far, his stats are very impressive - 21 wickets at 27.33, though the economy rate of 4.92 is slightly more than what he would like it to be. And he has played anything but second fiddle to the illustrious Vettori in the 11 games that have featured both in the same side. In fact, there are shades of Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill in these numbers - Vettori has admittedly been the better one at staunching the runs, but Patel is the more incisive with 19 wickets to Vettori's 11. The difference was most stark during the Champions Trophy last year - in the two matches he played, Patel had stunning figures of 5 for 43, while Vettori could only manage 3 for 153 from four games.

Patel has so far been a fairly regular member of only the one-day team, but he hasn't done badly in his only Test either - in a high-scoring game against South Africa at Cape Town, Patel finished with 3 for 117 to Vettori's 2 for 147.