Old SWESAW leaderboard as at 20th July, 1 pm (IST):
Ian Bell: 396/90000_FMs (0.0044)
Mornie Morkel: 339/85000_FMs (0.0039)
Ashwell Prince: 324/85000_FMs (0.0038)
KP: 287/100000_FMs (0.0027)
James Anderson: 258/95000_FMs (0.0028)

Has AB de Villiers broken into the top 5? How much lower has the star of the swtch-hitting KP sunk? And is Bell still leading the SWESAW standings? Let's find out.

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 (0.0044)
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)

A little over two days back, the SWESAW top 5 featured 3 players from England. As the series has gradually swung South Africa's way, the SWESAW leaderboard too is reflecting these changes. The top two SWESAW contenders are South Africans, by some distance. And two of England's fast bowlers have made it into the top % on the strength of their returns as batsmen.

If England are to stop the South African safari, their bowlers are going to have to start earning their keep by scoring points for wickets, more than runs scored. Luckily for England, and people like us who like to see these kind of things go down to the wire, it's still early days in the series. And the race for the SWESAW far, far, far from over.

Addendum: There is a school of thought that believes matches played must be considered as a factor for the SWESAW. I agree. In which case, you need to divide the individual SWESAW ratio by the number of matches played to arrive at the final standings. In this case, all the contenders for the SWESAW have played in all matches. So nothing much changes ... for now. (Phew! Glad we got that sorted out.)

The Shane Watson of the England v South Africa Award (SWESAW) is a prestigious honour bestowed upon a player who maximises his or her 'performance to cost ratio'. Instituted to celebrate the startling performance of Shane Watson in the paradigm shifting IPL tournament, it trains the spotlight on performers who deliver more than what their price-tag demands of them. It gives us great privilege and pleasure to bring you this prestigious, ever changing name of an award in every series.

As you may not recall, the SWACAW for the not-so-memorable Asia Cup held in Bangladesh was won by the unforgettable Ajantha Mendis, who staved off stiff competition from Suresh Raina and Sanath Jayasuriya to bag the said honour. This post, we take a look at the front runners for the SWESAW in the ongoing England v South Africa series.

At the end of the first Test at Lords, Ian Bell was the clear leader in the SWESAW standngs. One and a half innings later and halfway into the second Test at Headingly, he retains the top spot. But only just.

The SWESAW leaderboard as at 20th July, 1 pm (IST):
Ian Bell: 396/90000_FMs (0.0044)
Mornie Morkel: 339/85000_FMs (0.0039)
Ashwell Prince: 324/85000_FMs (0.0038)
KP: 287/100000_FMs (0.0027)
James Anderson: 258/95000_FMs (0.0028)

You might call that a pretty tight fit. Bell, on the strength of his mammoth 199 at Lord's, leads the rest by a bit and then some. But Prince is not yet done with his first innings heroics at Headingly. He's still batting and he's only about 40 runs away from taking over the top spot on the always exciting, always fascinating and always number-crazy SWESAW leaderboard. Keep an eye out for his 150.

If you ask me, the steely Prince is also my odds-on favourite to record the first double hundred of the series. I've no idea how he slipped under my acutely sensistive fantasy picking radar not once, but twice; both while finalising my team and when I was being needlessly profligate with my transfers.

PS: SWESAW calculations courtesy this set of player statistics.

The IPL edition of Cricinfo Fantasy Cricket (CFC) was the biggest game in the history - in terms of sheer numbers - of CFC. After 'Modi's Maxtravaganza', the rules of the games changed. Forever. It's not good enough to be a star. You have to be a Maximum Value Star. (MVS)

An MVS is a star who surprises you with Maxi Performances (MP). An MP is not a Member of Parliament who wastes everybody's time but an outstanding cricket player who makes a series of emphatic statements on the big stage - with bat and ball. only - at no extra cost. In other words, returns. No, Big Returns (BR). BRs and MPs maketh an MVS. Shane Watson was the world's first MVS. Because until then, people really didn't think all that much about the cost of players in such an ... shall we say obvious manner. Except in fantasy cricket.

Fantasy cricket managers can, off and not on, afford to take their eye off the ball but they can never lose sight of the numbers. That's the why the sharpest ones know which player is going to end up MVS of the Series. Bought for a pittance, as we all know, Shane Watson was the MVS of the IPL. Going for less than 80001 FM_s, Suresh Raina (726 points) is the MVS and winner of the first Shane Watson of the Asia Cup Award (SWACAW).

Why Shane Watson Award (SWAW) and why not just MVS? Shane Watson dominated the IPL. The IPL was very important to CFC. We already have MVP. And the world can always do with another ACRONYM.

After the 9th match of this less than rapturously received tournament, here's how the star players stack up on the fantasy points table. (I've added in Raina because from the numbers he has returned until now, he promises to do in the Asia Cup what Shane Watson did in the IPL.)

Player/Cost/Points:
MS Dhoni (105000) (TTP)* 318
Mhd. Yousuf (105000) 97
DPMD Jayawerdene (100000) 116
ST Jayasuriiya (105000) 192
Shahid Afridi (95000) 93
IK Pathan (95000) 0
KC Sangakkara (105000) 462
Muralitharan (105000) 140
Sohail Tanvir (95000) 468
Raina (80000) 635

All this to say it's best not to judge a player by his price tag. The fantasy gurus are the ones that manage to get more bang for their buck by identifying the Watsons and the Rainas of the tournament before the rest have. It's this ability to scratch the surface and go beyond the obvious that separates the experts from the dabblers.

*My experiment with MS Dhoni as my 'Tournament Trump Player' to demonstrate how much better players will perform when they don't let encumbrances like patriotism and emotions guide them in their decision-making and, instead, strive to be nimble, merciless and dynamic in their Trump Player choices.