One of the most exciting things about every series is being able to identify and keep track of the probable 'Shane Watsons' in it. In this post we're going to take a first look at who the front-runners for the 'Shane Watson of the India v Sri Lanka Award' (SWISLAW) are. Let's meet them.

The SWISLAW leaderboard as at 06 August, 2008:
Ajantha Mendis: 790/90000_FMs(0.0087)/2 Tests
Muralitharan: 856/100000_FMs(0.0085)/2 Tests
Harbhajan Singh: 681/90000_FMs(0.0075)/2 Tests
Sehwag: 484/95000_FMs (0.0051)/2 Tests
Malinda Warnapura: 251/85000_FMs (0.0029)/2 Tests
Gautam Gambhir: 249/90000_FMs (0.0028)/2 Tests
Mahela Jayawardene: 284/95000_FMs (0.0029)/2 Tests

Clearly, it's been a series in which the spinners have done exceedingly well. (Save for the fading Kumble.) And despite Ajantha possessing the advantage of being a complete unknown the batsmen are still coming to terms with, it says a lot for the the 'old fox' Murali's skills that he's just a shade behind Mendis in the race for the most prestigious, and mostly unknown, SWISLAW.

Coming to the batsmen who have managed to make an impression, Sehwag is streets ahead of the rest. (Quite an achievement considering the Sri Lankans are the masters of batting at home.) That the quartet of Sachin, Sourav, Dravid and Laxman haven't done much in this series - apart from raise many a concerned eyebrow - is a sure sign that, given a spinning wicket, even the likes of Dravid, Sachin, Sourav and Laxman (all supposed pros at playing slow bowling) aren't that great at coping.

After bemoaning the lack of openers who can tackle the new ball and set up a foundation for the batsmen to follow, given great starts in this series the four titans of the Indian batting line-up haven't been able to capitalise. Maybe it's time they took a long, hard look at themselves and considered opening the batting in the next Test. It might be the only way they'll get a substantial score against their name before the likes of Mendis and Murali come to bowl.

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.

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.