Apart from domestic and Under-19 games, it was all 50-over cricket this week, and although the World Cup is a month away, there were plenty of performances designed to whet the appetite for the big tournament to come.
It has been a pleasure to watch Brett Lee back where he belongs in international cricket. Injury-free, his bowling, if not as pacy as it once was, is still immaculate. He can take wickets and keep the score down, and his 3-27 won a Man of the Match award against England. However, it is his zestful fielding at the age of 34 which has been a revelation. Fellow Aussie Shaun Marsh has also put a huge question mark against the selectors' decision not to take him to the World Cup. One of the best T20 players in the world, his century at Hobart was an excellent advert for his ability in one-day cricket. Tim Southee's 5-33 helped earn New Zealand a crushing win over Pakistan while in South Africa, successive scores of 64 and 116 not out by Hashim Amla again stated the case for the 27 year-old opener as being the greatest one-day batsman on the planet right now. He is averaging almost sixty and has scored at least 50 every other innings. Nevertheless, he doesn't quite win the main prize. Instead, the Mike'sSpinOnCricket Player of he Week Award goes to India's Yusuf Pathan.
Unlike his half-brother Irfan, Yusuf has yet to represent his country in Tests, despite admirable first-class stats with bat and ball, averaging 41 and 31, respectively. This week, he top-scored at Cape Town with 59 in 50 balls, then at Centurion today blitzed 105 in 70 balls, including 8 sixes! He almost single-handedly steered India to an unlikely win as rain and the Duckworth-Lewis formula ganged up against the side. Once he was out, greeted with a standing ovation from all in the ground, the last pair couldn't take on Morkel, Steyn, Tsotsobe and Petersen, and so Graeme Smith's men clinched the match and the series.
Yusuf Pathan may not be the best known player in the Indian World Cup squad, but his blistering ability to punish any loose delivery and absorb anything fast bowlers can fire at him, plus his useful off-breaks, will make him a feared opponent next month, especially on home territory.
