SWESAW update #3

The SWESAW leaderboard as at 22nd July, 3 pm (IST): Mornie Morkel: 438/85000_FMs (0.0051) Ashwell Prince: 432/85000_FMs (0.0050) Ian Bell: 390/90000_FMs (0.044) James Anderson: 344/95000_FMs (0.0036) SCJ Broad: 326/90000_FMs(0.0036)

Honourable SWESAW mentions: AB de Villiers: 310/90000_FMs(0.0034) Dale Steyne: 330/100000_FMs (0.0033) KP: 303/100000_FMs (0.0030)

And that was how the SWESAW looked the last time we met. For those of you who are coming in late, the SWESAW is a most prestigious, albeit mostly unknown, award handed out to players with the highest return on investment. It is named after the Australian all-rounder Shane Watson and was instituted after he ran away with the most valuable player tag at this year's IPL, this after he was ridiculously undervalued. Inspired by the incredible returns players who invested in Shane Watson enjoyed, we thought it only right to immortalise this wholly unexpected 'maxi'-performance with the SW____award.

Last time we looked at the SWESAW standings, and before the momentous third Test in which Graeme Smith made a huge play for the leaderboard, Mornie Morkel was leading the race for the top award that nobody knows about. Has he been dislodged from the top? Let's find out.

The SWESAW leaderboard as at 5th August 2008: Mornie Morkel: 618/85000_FMs (0.0072)/3 matches Graeme Smith: 540/95000_FMs (0.0056)/3 matches Ashwell Prince: 490/85000_FMs (0.0057)/3 matches James Anderson: 502/95000_FMs (0.0052)/3 matches Honourable SWESAW mention: Andrew Flintoff: 411/90000_FMs (0.0046)/2 matches

At the end of the third Test, Morkel continues to lead the SWESAW table. As expected, Smith has made a strong run for a final place in the SWESAW top 3. The English players on the other hand who dominated the race in the initial stages of the series have fallen away, mirroring the way this series has developed.

Crucially, the appearance of Flintoff on the SWESAW radar after featuring in only 2 Test matches (both of which his team lost) makes one wonder what might have been - both with respect to the SWESAW standings and the course of the series - had he been fit enough to play in the first Test at Lord's. See you after the final Test when we will find out who wins the most prestigious and mostly unknown SWESAW for this England v South Africa series.