Great oaks from little acorns grow

Cricinfo's latest piece of statistical wizardry comes in an analysis of best and worst starts to a career. Ken Rutherford leaps to mind when I think of bad starts, but his advance (from a batting average of 1.71 after 4 tests against the West Indies to a career average of over 27) doesn't even warrant a mention. Perhaps he was overshadowed by Marvan Atapattu, who has taken his batting average from an almost unbelievably dismal 0.16 to a very respectable 38.48.

Martin Crowe makes the list of players whose average in his first 10 tests was significantly below his career average. He clambered from a sad looking 20.68 after 10 tests to end on a masterful 45.36. His mate Mark Greatbatch stakes a claim on the reverse list, his average after 10 tests plummeted from 65.50 and eventually ended at 30.62 - putting him second only to "the not quite new Bradman" Neil Harvey (95.00 to 48.41).

The only other New Zealand to make the list was Chris Cairns. After 10 tests his bowling average was a Dipak-Patel-like 43.10, but he ended his career with the perfectly respectable 29.40.