Satyam's Ramalinga Raju and Srinivas denied Bail

A city court on Wednesday dismissed the bail applications of Satyam's disgraced founder Ramalinga Raju, former managing director Rama Raju and former CFO Vadlamani Srinivas.

The 6th additional chief metropolitan magistrate also posted for Thursday, hearing on separate petitions relating to the bail and police custody of SRSR Holding general manager Gopala Krishna Raju.

SRSR Holding is promoted by Ramalinga Raju's family and Raju held stake in Satyam through this company. Ramalinga Raju, Rama Raju and Srinivas are in judicial custody till January 31.

The court, on Tuesday, had reserved its verdict on the bail pleas of three held for fraud, putting it off for Wednesday. Gopala Krishna, SRSR Holding general manager, was arrested on January 22. CID had moved the court of additional chief metropolitan magistrate to secure his custody.

The bail petition of PricewaterhouseCooper executives
S Gopalakrishnan and T Srinivas is up for hearing on January 29.

India start Lankan campaign with a bang; lead series 1-0

Dambulla, Jan 28: Captain MS Dhoni led from the front with an unbeaten 61 run knock to lead India to a clinical 6 wicket victory in the first match of the 5 match series and give his team a 1-0 lead.
Dhoni added runs for 66 runs for the 5th wicket with Rohit Sharma (25 not out),to ensure a comfortable chase after India had lost a few wickets in the middle overs.

Chasing 247 for victory, India’s chase ran into rough weather almost immediately when it lost the wicket of Sachin Tendulkar with just 13 runs on the board. The Maestro was trapped LBW by Thushara for 5 runs in the fourth over.

Tendulkar’s departure brought Suresh Raina to the crease, and in the company of Gautam Gambhir, he ensured that Tendulkar’s early dismissal wouldn’t hamper India’s prospects as the pair raised a fine 113 run-partnership.

The southpaw duo milked the Sri Lankan batting with the consummate ease, each helping himself to a half century apiece. Both enjoyed slices of luck as Sri Lankan fielding looked surprisingly off-colour.

Slight nudges and an occasional quick scramble for single, was their modus operendi, as after early spells of adventurous short-making, the pair discarded danger.

Gambhir departed soon after reaching his half-century for 62 run knock, coming of just 68 balls. He hit 5 fours.

Raina, meanwhile, too was going strong, until a moment of folly saw him run out after scoring 54 runs. He hit 3 fours and a six in his 71 ball stay.

His dismissal left India 137/3 in the 28th over.

Yuvraj Singh and Dhoni, then raised 44 runs together as India, slowly and steadily, nudged closer to their target.

However, just as the duo seemed to have batted India to safety, latter fell to Maharoof for rusty 23 runs, as fate of the match hung in balance again.

It was left to Rohit and Dhoni, who mixed caution with aggression as India romped home to a facile victory in the series opener.

Earlier, a brilliant 107 from Sanath Jayasuriya helped Sri Lanka post a competitive total of 246/7 in the first ODI at Dambulla here on Wednesday.

After being put in by MS Dhoni, Sri Lanka made a nightmarish start to their innings, when an in-form Tillakaratne Dilshan ran himself out for a duck in just the third ball of the innings, as a result of a massive mis-understanding with his opening partner.

It was left to the experienced duo of Jayasuriya and Kumara Sangakkara to bail their team out, which they did, with a watchful 118 run partnership.

But sustained pressure created by India’s slow bowlers, Yusuf Pathan and Pragyan Ojha, paid off as Sangakkarperished in an effort to up the scoring tempo.

Sangakkara made 44 runs from 86 balls.

Jayasuriya’s priceless ton, meanwhile, was his 28th ODI century as he continued his love affair with Indian bowlers.

The 38-year old, also became the oldest player ever to score an ODI ton. He reached his three figure mark off just 108 deliveries, in tough batting conditions, as he held the Sri Lankan innings together on the double paced Dambulla wicket.

Jayasuriya’s overwhelming impact on the Sri Lankan innings can be gauged by the fact that at the time of his dismissal, off the team’s score of 171 runs in the 40th over, a 107 had come off southpaw’s blade.

When on 37, Jayasuriya also became the 2nd batsman to complete 13000 runs in ODIs. He achieved the land-mark in his 428th outing (another record).

Only Sachin Tendulkar, with 16422 runs under his belt, has more runs than the ‘Matara Mauler’ in the limited overs format.

His ton was also the first by a Sri Lankan batsman on home soil in almost three and a half years and he was later adjudged Man of the Match.

Other that Jayasuriya, no other batsman posed major problems for Indian bowlers, who, managed to maintain a leash on the Lankan batsmen.

While Sri Lankan Mahela Jayawardene captain extended his bad run to another ODI with a patchy 11, Maharoof provided the spark to the innings with a busy 35 run cameo off 27 balls.

Some lusty blows by Kapugedera and Thushara, helped the Lankan total manage 246 runs in their allotted quota of overs.

Ishant Sharma, with figures off 3/52, was India’s most productive bowler.

L&T's Satyam gamble

Faced with capital losses, many investors tend to start buying more and more of the same stock or stocks, the justification being it would bring down the average cost of acquisition. And there would be a neat pile at the other end when prices rally.

Engineering and construction major Larsen & Toubro (L&T) seems to be doing the same with its investments in fraud-hit Satyam Computer Services. As Satyam’s share has tanked after the accounting/funds-siphoning fraud came to light, L&T’s investment in the company has risen, from 4% to about 12%. According to estimates, L&T’s average acquisition cost is down from Rs 157 a share to about Rs 80 now.

Against that, the Satyam stock closed at Rs 39 last week. The investments could well fetch a bonanza later, but as of now it raises some questions. When retail investors average down their acquisition costs in face of losses they are putting own money at risk.

In contrast, increased investment in Satyam by L&T board is tantamount to committing shareholder money. Since L&T is a professionally managed company, one would like to know what the minority shareholders think of such heavy investment in Satyam which may even go into liquidation. Sure, L&T would have taken its large investors into confidence, but the non-institutional shareholders that have a near 50% ownership in it need some explanations.


Besides averaging down acquisition cost, L&T’s intent is to acquire a significant ownership in Satyam to be able to have a say in its management. That is a justifiable action, but should L&T not have waited a while, at least till a better picture of the state of affairs at Satyam was available? L&T’s shareholders would also like to know if the management has asked some of Satyam’s large clients whether they would stay with the company if it were acquired by someone else.

For, as things stand, Satyam’s clients would themselves be answerable to their respective stakeholders. Therefore, L&T could simply be throwing good money after bad. Of course, there is also a reasonable chance it could turn out to be a master stroke. The point is that L&T needs to take its shareholders along in such decisions. It should at least publicise the facts so that those who do not agree with the management can exit.

Satyam bosses sold most shares ahead of scam

SEBI is itching to go into the Satyam probe but all that it can do now is wait - wait for the courts to allow them to interrogate B Ramalinga Raju and gang and wait for police to give them access to the documents.

The SEBI lawyer says this will delay a probe into the truth behind the Satyam episode.

"For each and every document, we have to make an application to the court and take the permission of the court, then go through the papers. Naturally there will be delay investigation," says SEBI lawyer, Pradyumna Kumar Reddy.

SEBI says it is the best equipped to handle a financial accounting fraud involving a listed company.

"SEBI should be given all information first and SEBI should be allowed to probe," says Reddy.

And one of the key areas SEBI will go into is - Did the top management indulge in insider trading? Did they sell shares in bulk?

Ramalinga Raju sold over 14 per cent Satyam shares in the last eight years, bringing his holding down from 22.89 per cent to 8.27 per cent in September 2008.

And Raju was not alone. Network 18 has learnt that as many as 20 people from the Satyam senior management sold shares just before the Maytas deal happened in December 2008.

Among them were Satyam CFO Sriniwas Vadalamani and Board Director Ram Mynampati - who is now the interim CEO of the company.

According to sources, among the top management of the company:

*Srinivas Vadlamani sold 92,538 shares

*Ram Mynampati sold 7 lakh shares and 2.5 lakh American Depository Receipts (ADRs)

*Keshan Mehta 6.1 lakh shares and 1 lakh ADRs

*Pavan Kumar Maddali sold 5.2 lakh shares and 75,000 ADRs

*Manish Mehta sold 30,000 shares

*T Hari sold 13,000 shares

*Independent Director Vinod Dham sold 2,500 shares

Apart from the top management, some 16 senior vice-presidents also sold shares in considerable amounts, raising questions of corporate governance and insider trading. It makes it seem as if everyone in the top echlons of the company had an idea that India's biggest corporate fraud was round the corner.

Obama acts on Guantanamo trials

After a long cold but historic day, it was time to dance the night away. Along with thousands of Americans and Washingtonians, Barack and Michelle Obama put on their dancing shoes and headed out to party.

For a president and an inauguration both full of symbolism, it was befitting that Tuesday night also marked the bicentennial of the tradition of holding inaugural balls.

Across town, dozens of balls were under way but for those hoping to catch a glimpse of the presidential couple, nothing but the official balls would do.

They lined up in orderly queues in the biting cold, their gala gowns and tuxedos only revealed inside after the coats, boots and scarves were removed.

The Washington convention centre in downtown DC was Ball Central, with several balls taking place inside the imposing, white building.

Probably to the relief of the Secret Service, six out of the 10 balls that the president and his wife visited were at the convention centre.

They made their way from one to the other over the course of the evening, somehow managing to avoid the central lobby where members of the media waited assiduously for a glimpse.

America's first couple kicked off the evening by going to the Neighbourhood Ball at the convention centre - an event that was made accessible to the public with cheap tickets, while more tickets were distributed to dozens of Americans selected through neighbourhood committees.

"We are neighbourhood people," Mr Obama said, referring to the reason they chose to highlight this ball first. "This campaign was organised neighbourhood by neighbourhood."

He added that the ball "captured best the spirit of this campaign".

The presidential inaugural committee tried to make the four days of events and celebrations surrounding the inauguration as inclusive as possible by reaching out to ordinary Americans.

The committee also tried to strike a careful balance in the image it projected. At a time of economic crisis, restraint was de rigueur but people had to be given the opportunity to celebrate a historic turning point for their country.

No-one felt it was necessary to be quite as drastic as President Franklin Roosevelt, who cancelled the inaugural balls during the Great Depression and World War II.

Business-like

The Neighbourhood Ball was a still a star-studded, electrifying event, with Mariah Carey, Queen Latifah and others performing. Beyonce, singing the Etta James classic At Last, serenaded the presidential couple.

Michelle wore a white sequined dress by Taiwan-born designer James Wu, while the president wore a white bow-tie and black tuxedo.

The couple danced a loving two-step, a performance repeated at the Youth Ball, which was another first of its kind event, bringing together young supporters and activists aged 18 to 35. There, they danced to an instrumental version of At Last.

Something about the inaugural balls was quintessentially Washingtonian - a subdued, business-like gathering with a specific goal.

Once the presidential couple had visited a ball, guests started to leave. For those at the last ball, the Southern Regional Ball, which the president visited at around 0230 (0730 GMT), it was a long night of waiting.

For those at the earlier venues, there was still time to catch some of the partying and dancing around town.

No room for debate, Sachin is the greatest

The ICC has confirmed what most of us suspected all along — rankings are rubbish. The issue is not of Sachin Tendulkar’s position in the latest rankings grabbing the headlines but the concept itself.

It is ridiculous to place Sachin below Matthew Hayden and Kumara Sangakkara, for example. He is better than Brian Lara and far superior to the likes of Mike Hussey and Kevin Pietersen. There is no need for a computer to tell us something different.

There is a larger issue too. Is there a proper measure of greatness? Can genius be judged, rated and compared? This looks impossible because it is difficult to compare a No. 5 batsman to a No. 3. How good each is depends on many factors, among them being the state of the game, team strategy and the quality of bowling. Such an exercise across generations becomes even trickier. Don Bradman is the all-time star but cricket then was a bit of a picnic. Old footage shows Bradman batting on 250, smashing boundaries, but still surrounded by five close-in fielders. Cricket has moved on. It is much more intense and competitive. Would Bradman, despite his rare talent and undisputed genius, score 29 hundreds in 52 games, and average close to 100 even today? Unlikely.

So, how do we decide which player is good, and how one is better than the other? The problem with rankings is players are not on an equal footing. A comparison between Herbert Sutcliffe, Sir Gary Sobers and Sachin can only be a joke. It is only in golf that an absolute worth of a player is possible because scores and statistics provide an accurate indication of how good one is. A club golfer, depending on his score, knows exactly where he stands in comparison to Tiger Woods!

Whatever the inherent flaws, there is an element of excitement about rankings. Similarly, people will speculate about who stands where and occupies what slot in cricket’s all-time ladder of greatness.

From our perspective, the top position is taken. Sachin’s record is such that there is no room for debate.

‘I’m not half as good as Tendulkar --Sewag

He had once said in jest that the only difference between him and Sachin Tendulkar was in their wealth, but Virender Sehwag said today that, as a batsman, he could never be “half of what the maestro is.” He said he would be honoured if Tendulkar was viewed as his guru. “I," he said, "am his shishya (disciple).”
Asked how soon India would become the world's number one Test team and what he thought of the International Cricket Council's recent list of the game's all-time greats, he said: "If Australia lose to South Africa in an away series next month and we do well in New Zealand, it might cost the present world champions their top spot. I think India will be the world's consistently best team by 2010. As for the ICC list, all Team India members are disappointed at how low they have placed Sachin Tendulkar. I am nowhere near him. I grew up watching and idolising him; his style, his shots I always tried to copy."
Asked which of Tendulkar's attributes he wished he had himself, Sehwag said: "Everything. And it's not just his unique style of batting. It is also his humility, his entire persona. I really feel his records will never be broken. For somebody to do it, he would not only need the talent and longevity but also rare luck with injuries. And that still might not be enough! He started his career at 15-plus. Somebody would have to start at 14 years! The equations you need to have in your favour to get past his 83 international centuries, nearly 30,000 runs and all that he has achieved are an impossible act."
Told he was just as calm on the field as Tendulkar, he said: "At the core of it is a sort of philosophy which I have learnt from my parents. They have always emphasised: if somebody teases you, you reply with a smile or a laugh. That would irritate him."
He recalled some of his close encounters with Shoaib Akhtar, saying: "I remember him verbally attacking me during my triple century in Pakistan. He kept bowling bouncers and taunting me. He said: 'Hit them if you are that gutsy' and 'You can only hit in the third man area.' I said: 'Say that to my partner.' My partner was Tendulkar. I also said: 'How come I am getting runs from third man if you have a fielder there?' And when I hit him straight down the ground, I told him this wasn't a shot square off the wicket!"

Satyam Bank Documents at Issue

Satyam Computer Services Ltd., the Indian outsourcer embroiled in a fraud scandal, used forged documents from at least four major banks to claim a cash balance in excess of $1 billion, according to a person close to the investigation.

Investigators have sent Satyam's account-balance statements and letters of confirmation of account balances to officials at HSBC Holdings PLC of the U.K., Citigroup Inc. of the U.S., and HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank Ltd. of ...

Is Satyam staring at Ctl+Alt+Del?

Thu, Jan 8 12:51 PM
As the Satyam drama unfolds, more clarity on its financial standing will emerge once the auditors recast the books after accounting for the fudging. At the first glance, it looks like Satyam as a corporate entity will not go under and capsize. It does have a sound operational base and has created a place for itself in the market. However, the dastardly acts of the top management have put a cloud over the enterprise that was created with a lot of effort. The fraud has not only brought the board members of the company under scanner but also the bankers, auditors and the analysts who kept on reviewing the company four times a year. The future prospects look truly grim.
"Satyam will now be enquired under civil and criminal laws not just in India but in the US as well. Though both the countries have similar laws, we have seen that the enforcement in the US is quite stringent. The new board and leadership will matter a lot to its relationship with the clients," said industry veteran, Deepak Ghaisas, former CEO, India Operations and CFO of I-flex Solutions. Industry experts also feel the chairman's admission of guilt comes in the wake of something worst coming for the company.
The possibility of a takeover from private equity investors is also in jeopardy. Industry players feel that Satyam will not get buyers as the acquirer will have to face the legal liabilities. Moreover, the company may find it difficult to get suitors as even its client list and deal flow is under scrutiny. The fact that Satyam could be forging the number of clients is not completely ruled out by experts.
"Clients are the biggest assets for an IT company. For any suitor that Satyam may have, its deal flows will be the biggest consideration. However, as admitted, Satyam showed bloated revenues in its second quarter results," said an analyst with a Mumbai-based brokerage. He added that there could only be two ways of doing it. Either the company was showing more revenues from its existing clients or it could be having dummy clients.
"Considering that IT companies are in no compulsion to reveal the names of their customers or give a break-up of individual clients, this could be possible. However, cooking up the names big companies as their clients could be a little remote," said an IT analyst on the condition of anonymity. "It will be difficult for any company to evaluate Satyam as there is no clarity on any subject, be it its client list or the number of clients it has," said Ashutosh Gupta, vice-president, investment research, Evalueserve.
Harish H V, partner, Grant Thornton, said, "People want to wait and watch what else is there before they take it up." Apart from this, their woes could be added by client migration. Religare Hichens Harrison said, "In short term we will see lot of Satyam's clients migrating to competition like Infosys, TCS and Wipro. Also, this development would make Satyam unattractive for any competitor or a PE player to take over the company." Kaustubh Dhavse, deputy director, ICT Practice, Frost and Sullivan, South Asia and Middle East, said, "Satyam will be in an uncertainty phase during the coming months. All its existing contracts might be in jeopardy. Satyam needs to put confidence among its clients, as there will be thoughts among their clients of moving away. "
For employees it remains a wait and watch situation as well. "We have been asked not to panic but it remains a concern for us in terms of the brand value we are connected to," says a Satyam employee. Another employee adds that around 400 employees at the Delhi office have been asked to look for a job on Wednesday.
At the same time industry experts feel there could be more to the situation. According to a source, "There is an air of uncertainly and if things should be believed Satyam may be on the sale block." The source said the sequence of events look like the minds are played to beat down Satyam shares to a level that it becomes an attractive catch. The source added that Satyam, the fourth largest IT company in the country, may interest service providers, or even for a financial firm who may look at fixing the finances and keeping profit as it may look at diluting stake after the buy or selling the business in bits and pieces to service providers.
HR managers in the industry say this comes as an added woo to the IT industry which is already reeling under the pressure of attrition, retention, rupee fluctuations, economic slowdown etc. HR managers believe that Satyam has deeply hampered the morale of the employees and going ahead company will not be able to attract talent for quite some time. "More people from the top management will leave following the resignation of few directors in the past," said Atul Srivastava, Sr. VP and head, Corporate HRD, Datamatics. According to Shiv Agrawal, CEO of ABC consultants said, "Most of the senior employees have money in the form of ESops which is now as good as nothing. Hence there is a real loss for them as far as money is concerned." Had the market been good today we would have heard people quitting Satyam in thousands, say experts.

Reliance Capital to Replace Satyam Computers in Nifty : Effective from January 12 2009

Breaking News : Reliance Capital to Replace Satyam Computers in Nifty : Effective from January 12 2009.

Will soon update this story. Visit again

- CNBC TV 18

Sachin Tendulkar - Defined by others

"Sachin is cricket's God"

- Barry Richards.

.

"He is 99.5 per cent perfect. I'd pay to see him"

- Viv Richards.

.

"I have seen God. He bats at number 4 for India"

- Mathew Hayden

.

"There is no shame being beaten by such a great player, Sachin is perhaps only next to the Don"

- Steve Waugh.

.

"I still think Tendulkar is the best batsmen in the world ahead of Steve Waugh and Lara"

- Glenn McGrath.

.

"You take Don Bradman away and he is next up I reckon"

- Steve Waugh.

.

"Cricketers like Sachin come once in a lifetime, and I am privileged he played in my time"

- Wasim Akram

.

"Sachin Tendulkar is a genius. I'm a mere mortal"

- Brian Lara

.

"Don't bowl him bad balls, he hits the good ones for fours"

- Michael Kasprowicz.

.

"It's scary, where the hell do we bowl to him"

- Allan Border.

.

"Yeah mate, but that's with all great players"

- Ian Chappell.

.

"He's better than Ben Hur"

- Paul Wilson.

.

"There's no doubt about it. He is the best"

- Tony Grieg.

.

"Technically, you can't fault Sachin. Seam or spin, fast or slow - nothing is a problem"

- Geoffrey Boycott.

.

"Destined to be a great"

- Barry Richards.

.

"You have to watch India in India truly to appreciate the pressure that Sachin Tendulkar is under every time he bats. Outside grounds, people wait until he goes in before paying to enter. They seem to want a wicket to fall even though it is their own side that will suffer"

- Shane Warne

Sachin Tendulkar and 'yeh hai youngistaan meri jaan'

10 years long bond come to an end when Pepsi decided to end their relation with great Sachin Tendulkar. As the young players are dominating the field and recently Pepsi also came with the young generation theme than this is going to happen.

But I think Pepsi should add some senior guidance too in 'yeh hai youngistaan meri jaan' as in Sachin Tendulkar and I am sure this will be more hit. But may be they are looking for fit and long innings player which can carry the brand name of Pepsi with his/their success to the long run.

Its really surprised for me that how a company can cut off their 10 years long relations. Sachin is most respected and down to earth human being and I am sure this decision will effect Pepsi adversely.

Yeah you can say that this is my respect and love which forced me to write this but can't help it ...

Please guys share your thoughts on it ...

Tendulkar hits century; India closes in on first-innings lead

SYDNEY (AP) Sachin Tendulkar posted his 38th test century Friday, defying a two-wicket burst from Brett Lee and keeping India in the reckoning for a first-innings lead in the second test.



India's master batsman, who now has four more centuries than anyone in test cricket, pushed a Stuart Clark delivery past cover point and ran two to reach triple figures just before tea.

He arched his back, raised his helmet and bat up in each arm and looked to the sky to celebrate, then embraced batting partner Harbhajan Singh in mid-pitch. He was given a lengthy standing ovation by the Sydney Cricket Ground crowd.

Singh gave able support, scoring 41 in an unbroken 79-run partnership after going in at the fall of two quick wickets with India at 345-7 and Tendulkar on 69.

Tendulkar was unbeaten 106 at tea on the third day and India was 424-7, just 39 behind Australia's first innings of 463.

Tendulkar's eighth hundred against Australia, which includes an unbeaten 241 the last time he played at the SCG four years ago, contained eight boundaries and a 6 from 160 balls.

Lee had India in trouble at 345-7 when he combined with Adam Gilchrist to remove Mahendra Singh Dhoni (2) and Anil Kumble (2), giving the Australian wicketkeeper his 400th and 401st test dismissals.

Gilchrist, who had a day to forget with two dropped catches and a missed stumping opportunity on the second day, is only the second wicketkeeper to reach the 400 mark.

Lee had trapped Yuvraj Singh (12) lbw four minutes before lunch, the second wicket of the first session.
S. Africa's progress

CAPE TOWN (AP) South Africa reached 125-4 by tea Thursday on the second day of the second test, after bowling out West Indies for 243.

West Indies medium-pace bowler Dwayne Bravo took 2-31 in his 15-over spell after lunch, including the prize wicket of Jacques Kallis, who was caught behind by Denesh Ramdin for 36.

The gratest innings for all time

As soon as the ink was dry on last week’s column extolling the virtues of Virender Sehwag, he not only played another astonishing innings, but one that rated higher than his other two mentioned last week. And so, to answer all the requests, here is the definitive list of the top ten innings of all time - in reverse order - as rated by the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings computer.

10 - Virender Sehwag, IND, 319 v SA, Chennai, 26/03/2008

The second triple-century of his career, this may have come on a featherbed Chennai pitch, but it was against the same attack who bowled South Africa to a series win over England this summer - Steyn, Ntini, Morkel, Kallis and Harris

9 - Len Hutton, ENG, 364 v AUS, The Oval, 20/08/1938

He broke Bradman’s Ashes record of 334 and Walter Hammond’s Test record of 336 not out, while leading England to victory by an innings and 579 runs. He also had to face 85 overs from the bowler the Don rated the greatest - Bill O’Reilly.

8 - Virender Sehwag, IND, 306 v PAK, Multan, 28/03/2004 Pressure? What pressure! Batting against his side’s fiercest rivals, he brought up India’s first Test triple-century with a six, and the match was won by an innings.

7 - Brian Lara, WI, 213 v AUS, Kingston, 13/03/1999 The first of two mind-blowing innings in the same series from Lara as he lifted his side to a first-innings lead and eventual ten-wicket victory against the might of the Australians and McGrath, Gillespie, Warne and MacGill at the peak of their powers.

6 - Len Hutton, ENG, 202* v WI, The Oval, 12/08/1950 Until last week, England’s first-innings total of 344 was the lowest in Test to include an individual double-century. Hutton carried his bat right through it, but was powerless to prevent an innings defeat as those two little pals of mine - Ramadhin and Valentine caused havoc.

5 - Bill Ponsford, AUS, 266 v ENG, The Oval, 18/08/1934

It was not a bad effort to outscore Bradman, but that is what Ponsford did - if only by 22 runs in an Ashes-clinching partnership of 451. Australia piled up 701 for a mammoth 562-run triumph and England wouldn’t see The Ashes for another nineteen years.

4 - Don Bradman, AUS, 270 v ENG, Melbourne, 01/01/1937

Caught on a vicious "sticky" wicket, Bradman opened the batting with his tail-enders and batted at number seven. Coming in at 97 for five, his innings is still the highest-ever at that position. O’Reilly and Fleetwood-Smith did the rest.

3 - Virender Sehwag, IND, 201* v SL, Galle, 31/07/2008

Where to start? He carried his bat, scoring over 60% of his side’s runs against two men with more than a thousand Test wickets, not to mention wonderkid Ajantha Mendis. Only two other batsmen reached double figures as his innings was the difference between the sides.

2 - Don Bradman, AUS, 299* v SA, Adelaide, 29/01/1932

Ian Bell was gutted to have been dismissed on 199, but how would Bradman have felt to have been stranded on 299 when last man Pud Thurlow was run out? He added over two hundred runs for the last five wickets which helped Australia to a ten-wicket triumph.

1 - Garry Sobers, WI, 365* v PAK, Kingston, 26/02/1958

I know what you’re saying. 'What about Gooch?", "What about Botham?", "What about Laxman?". Well - how about setting a World Test record against two of the top ten Rated bowlers at the time and leading your team to an innings victory? All that at the age of 21.

Apologies to Messrs Gooch, Laxman and Botham, who didn’t quite make it, but now all that remains to be said is "let the debates begin".

Leaving on a batting high

Donald Bradman’s final Test innings constitutes one of the greatest stories in cricket folklore, despite the fact that it only lasted two deliveries. As far as his Reliance Mobile ICC Player Ranking was concerned, it dropped him a mere three points from 957 to 954, but his batting average dropped far more significantly from 101.39 to its final resting place of 99.94.

Despite that disappointment, Bradman ended his career at the top of the Batting tree – the same position he had occupied since he dislodged Herbert Sutcliffe from the number one spot in January 1933 – 61 points ahead of Denis Compton in second place. However, another noteworthy achievement was the fact that Bradman ended his Test career ranked top, a feat matched by only one other man in the history of Test cricket.

It is someone equally remarkable who shares this distinction with the greatest batsman who ever lived – Colonel The Honourable Sir Francis Stanley Jackson.

During his time at Harrow School his fag was fellow parliamentarian and future Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and he made his England debut in 1893 while he was still studying at Trinity College, Cambridge. He scored 91 against the Australians at Lord’s and in his next Test later that summer at The Oval, he made 103. He was unable to tour abroad as the months away would have come in the way of his business commitments and so all twenty of his Tests were played on home soil.

The epitome of the so-called ‘Golden Age’ of cricket, it was in 1905 when Jackson was really at the peak of his powers. He won the toss in all five Test Matches against the Australians and scored more runs than any other player on either side with 492 including two centuries and two fifties, topping the averages with 70.28. Not content with that, he also topped the bowling averages with thirteen wickets at an average of just 15.46. Unsurprisingly, England won the series 2-0 and had much the better of the other three drawn games.

He was elected as a Conservative Member of Parliament in 1915, representing Howdenshire in Yorkshire until resigning in 1926. He served as Financial Secretary to the War Office 1922-23 and in 1927 he was appointed Governor of Bengal. In 1932, he was shot at close range by a girl student named Bina Das in Calcutta University, but escaped unhurt. He later served as chairman of the Test Match Selection Committee, and in 1943 presided over the special committee appointed by M.C.C. to consider Post-war Cricket.

A Ratting year in review 2008 -Cricket

As the old year comes to a close, it is time to reflect on the Ratings year and who were the biggest movers and shakers.

Five batsmen managed to achieve Test batting Ratings of more than 900 points over the course of the year: Mike Hussey, Jacques Kallis, Kumar Sangakkara, Ricky Ponting and Shivnarine Chanderpaul. In contrast, Muttiah Muralitharan was the only bowler to break the 900 barrier in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings in the twelve months of 2008. Dale Steyn narrowly missed out, peaking at 897 in April.

Virender Sehwag played the two highest-rated innings by the Ratings computer over the year – his undefeated 201 against Sri Lanka at Galle is rated as the third-greatest innings of all time, and his Indian-record 319 against a formidable South African attack at Chennai rated second-best. AB de Villiers’s undefeated 217 at Ahmedabad, Chris Gayle’s match-saving 197 against New Zealand at Napier and Simon Katich’s undefeated 131 against New Zealand at Brisbane round up the top five.

Jason Krejza’s debut performance of twelve for 358 was the best match performance of the year. Perennial number one Muttiah Muralitharan rated second for his eleven wickets against India at Colombo. Dale Steyn’s match-winning haul in the Boxing Day Test, Mitchell Johnson’s eleven wickets at Perth, and Harbhajan Singh’s ten-wicket haul against Sri Lanka at Galle complete this top five.

In the shorter format of the game, only two batsmen crossed the 800-point barrier during the course of the year. Ricky Ponting peaked at 822 back in February, and Indian skipper MS Dhoni reached 803 in August during the series with Sri Lanka. In terms of bowlers, the only man to crack 800 was Shaun Pollock, who reached 899 points during the home series with the West Indies before retiring. Daniel Vettori and Nathan Bracken were the only other bowlers to achieve a Rating of 750 or more over the course of the year.

Adam Gilchrist played the highest-rated One Day International innings of the year with his 118 against Sri Lanka at Perth back in February before retiring a month later. Yuvraj Singh’s whirlwind undefeated 138 from just 78 deliveries against England at Rajkot was rated just behind. Rounding off the top five were Sachin Tendulkar’s 117 not out against Australia at Sydney, Sanath Jayasuriya’s 125 against India at Karachi and Kumar Sangakkara’s 128 against the Australians at Adelaide.

Stuart Broad’s match-winning five for 23 against South Africa at Trent Bridge was the bowling performance of the year as rated by the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Ranking computer. Next up was Sri Lankan wonderkid Ajantha Mendis’s six for 13 against India at Karachi. Zaheer Khan managed two of the best five bowling performances of the year – both achieved in a five-day stretch against the Sri Lankans – four for 21 at Dambulla and then three for 23 at the Premadasa. Shaun Pollock’s two for 13 against the West Indians at Cape Town enabled him to end his ODI career on top.

In terms of all-rounders, no-one could touch Jacques Kallis at the top of the Test rankings as he maintained the number one position he has held unbroken since May 2006. However, six men shared the ODI number one spot for all-rounders: Shaun Pollock, Sanath Jayasuriya, Andrew Flintoff, Jacob Oram, Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi.