Have you seen a better bat than Tendulkar?

Today's the day when Wickman finally grudgingly admits that Sachin Tendulkar can bat. Not only has the man completely dominated Test cricket with 47 hundreds in his career, he has now notched up 200* against Steyn, Kalls, Parnell and some also rans in an ODI eclipsing the old record of 194 held by Saaed Anwar for the small matter of 13 years.

All the while he's been playing he has plotted his career at the same time as the previous favourite for "greatest batsman Wickman has seen live", Brian Lara. His career also coincided with Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting and Jaques Kallis, all of whom, through sheer weight of runs, have dominated their eras. But recently Tendulkar has pulled away from that chasing pack and completely dominated all but Lara.

While they were all there chipping away at his position as leading run scorer or almost matching him ton for ton or simply outblasting him (this correspondent has never seen him really cut loose and kill a game) he has seemed somehow pale in comparison. Because there is no risk, so little flourish, so very little flash, no breathtaking risk and little audacity he's almost appeared pedestrian and dull.

On his day Lara was certainly more exciting to watch and easier on the eye. He played for a team that would have disintegrated years before it did without him. He tormented the best Australian sides time after time and destroyed England at will amassing 700+ runs in two innings at the same ground four years apart.

Perhaps up until now, Sachin's failure to deliver a really big single score in the 300s has unfairly limited him. Perhaps the lack of hyperbole has held him back. The Little Master is hardly the epithet that you would choose to describe a batsman of violent intent and innovative fury. Perhaps to dominate by sheer weight of runs alone is not enough. You must crush opposition and drive them into the dust.

The Little Master (there, Wickman has said it) has reached a new level of ruthless efficiency though recently. The last couple of years have seen a jump in 100-making productivity in the Test arena. He is rattling from 40 to 50 in the blink of an eye despite India playing hardly any Test Cricket. And now he's reached 200 in a one dayer. Yes its in India. Yes it looks from the scorecard as if it's been a road to bat on. But he did it against South Africa. Surely this is the final statistic to show that he too can dominate on his day, not just through the longevity of his career.

The Deerhunter

Royal Parks police may want to keep an eye on the Wick golf day at Hampton Court Palace on April 10. It seems that a one man campaign to rid the park of deer has begun with one of our own insituting a cull of our horned friends.

And it appears that unusual weapons and tactics are being deployed to cut the numbers. In scenes reminiscent of the famous 1978 film The Deerhunter, erstwhile Wednesday slalwart and Tom Savage lookalike Tom Gleeson attempted to invite the deer to participate in his own game of Russian Roulette.

President Robert Sissen observed the miscreant at first hand. "I'm sorry to report that one of our members has run amuck in the grounds of Hampton Court Palace. Using a driver and a selection of Wilson Titanium ammunition he first tried to cause a young male to explode by blocking its anus with a ball before trying to blast the head off another with what observers called a Gerry Adams" (a provisional for those struggling - Ed).

The rules committee at Hampton Court Palace (R Sissen) is said to have attempted to convince Gleeson to play his first ball as it lay, but the startled deer declined to particpate and retired a safe distance to extricate the first missle. The second ball was declared lost oblgiging a red-faced Gleeson to play a third ball which cleared the deer but left the par 5 14 unreachable in two. Gleeson failed to record a score on this hole and is now being persued by animal rights activists.

There are two places available for the Wick golf day (please apply to D Fudge or R Sissen). The deer are said to be displaying more caution and were noticeably absent from the fourteenth tee area as Gleeson returned on Saturday.

[Gleeson is pictured here in new golf attire - Ed]

South Africa in India

So having shed their entire selection and coaching staff after being stuffed 1-1 by the mighty England the Jaapies had a good old go at beating India in the Tests. A crushing victory on a deck that looked like you could bat for days on it was followed up yesterday by a last gasp win for India and nothing has changed at the top of the Test Championship.

Looks like South Africa made a good fist of it and were only nine balls away from a crushing England style last minute win (sorry that should be heroic draw) but their version of Monty Panesar or Graham Onions (Morne Morkel) couldn't keep out the Turbantor...

But what of India? Shorn of Laxman and Dravid in the first test their batting looked ordinary for the first time in a decade. Gambhir's run of exceptional form came to a brutal end against high quality pace bowling and the new Indian middle order couldn't cope either. Yuvraj still doesn't look like a Test bat after having played probably 1000+ one day games and the bowling was filth. They were on the ropes.

Cue the return of Laxman in the next test, another Tendulker 100 (he's now only 4 away from 50 Test 100s) and Bhaji taking some wickets and all of a sudden the Indian fans on Cricinfo are crowing and alls right with the world.

Except it doesn't look as if it is. Laxman, Tendulkar and Dravid (where is he by the way?) are nowhere near being replaced and the bowling is curiously ineffective. Admittedly it rained for most of day four in this test but they couldn't take 10 wickets in the first test and they came close to failing to take 20 in this. At home. Wickman thinks India will have to enjoy their brief time at the top because it might not be long before the mighty England are nudging them for fourth spot again...