A comprehensive victory in a series we completely dominated. But has any victory felt less hollow? The one day matches could not cover up the holes exposed by the tests.
Still, I will take a hollow victory over a loss any day of the week.
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PWC has updated its ratings again. Of course, with only one game since the last update there hasn't been much change. But Stephen Fleming has climbed to 6th in the world and Jacob Oram (the world's 5th best bowler remember) has broken the 800 point mark. What is interesting about this latter fact is that no single batsman currently has a rating above 783. The ratings themselves seem to play swings and roundabouts. I suspect that a rash of low scoring matches in recent months has contributed, with the PWC algorithms interpreting these as being indicative of bowler skill. To me, poor wickets worldwide seem a more likely reason.
An the basis of the latest test ratings, PWC has issued its own "World XI". It is no surprise that a New Zealander has not made the cut.
Monday, 12 July 2004
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I suppose the New Zealander who missed out on the World XI was Fleming. In the latest article on Cricinfo, it seems a lot of people have been calling for Fleming's inclusion in the team. The main reason people feel he should be included is that being the second best ODI team in the world (well, nearly second best), New Zealand should have someone in the World XI. But since we know that the main reason we are so high in the rankings is because we are so good as a team, despite not having any standout individuals, I suggest that the best World XI would not be a collection of the best individuals in the world, but the whole New Zealand team itself.
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