Best batsman: One throne, many claimants

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">NEW DELHI:</span> Matthew Hayden is the toast of the town today. His record-making 380 against Zimbabwe has the world in raptures. The question on the lips of cricket lovers is not whether Sachin Tendulkar is as good as Bradman, but if Hayden is the world''s best batsman right now.<br /><br />And why not? The left-handed giant has scored 2,665 runs in his last 25 Tests at an average of 74.02, much higher than Lara''s, Tendulkar''s, Vaughan''s and Graeme Smith''s.The answer is obvious. No matter how much we -- Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara fans -- remonstrate, on current form Hayden is miles ahead of all his competitors.<br /><br />But a player''s brilliance can''t be measured by a few innings. If that was so, Vinod Kambli and Grame Hick would have been cricket''s greats. Not to mention VVS Laxman.<br /><br />Hayden, no doubt, has all the ingredients to become one of cricket''s best batsmen ever. But will he be one will be decided by his performance over the next five years. After all consistency is another virtue of a great batsman.<br /><br />The cricket-crazy population of India is so fickle-minded, it changes its colours every match. Because Tendulkar didn''t hit a ton in the Ahmedabad Test against New Zealand, the match became a crucial one. Had he hit one, the tie would have been an inconsequential one against a weak bowling attack on home ground.<br /><br />Sachin didn''t hit a century in the World Cup final, so he is a choker. That Australians piled up a mammoth 359 total is forgotten.<br /><br />Fans remember matches for their excitement. A last-ball six would be entrenched in the memory of sport lovers, but a convincing 10-wicket win over the opponents would be forgotten in no time.<br /><br />That is where players like Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar and Mark Waugh are at a disadvantage. Gifted strokemakers, they pace their innings and win matches for their teams with many overs in hand. The ease with which they craft wins means the matches become one-sided and ''inconsequential'' in turn.<br /><br />Spare a thought for Lara and Tendulkar who shouldered the burden of their countries without a flinch. Two batsmen who fought battles singlehandedly against bowling attacks which included Akram, Waqar, Shoaib, McGrath and Warne. <br /><br />Both Lara and Tendulkar are undergoing a lean patch. Some may even say they are past their prime. But none will doubt their greatness. <br /><br />Hayden, of course, is on course to take a place among these greats. He is the ''real'' contender for the throne of the best batsman in the world. As for others, they are just pretenders.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">CLAIMANTS TO THE THRONE</span><br /><br /><img align="left" src="/photo/235959.cms" alt="/photo/235959.cms" border="0" /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Sachin Tendulkar</span><br />Going through a lean patch, he has still scored 2,249 runs from the last 25 Tests at an average of 57.66, which is higher than his carrer average of 56.94. During the period, he scored seven centuries and nine fifties.<br /><br /><br /><img align="left" src="/photo/235960.cms" alt="/photo/235960.cms" border="0" /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Brian Lara</span><br />The West Indian great made 2,588 runs at an average of 58.81 from 25 Tests. His career average is 51.55. He scored seven tons and 11 half-centuries in the period.<br /><br /><br /><img align="left" src="/photo/235961.cms" alt="/photo/235961.cms" border="0" /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Graeme Smith</span><br />The recent addition to world cricket was made captain of the South African team after its fiasco at the World Cup. Since then he has been on a roll. Having played only 15 Tests, he has 1,351 runs at an average of 61.40 to his credit.<br /><br /><br /><img align="left" src="/photo/235962.cms" alt="/photo/235962.cms" border="0" /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Matthew Hayden</span><br />The most prolific run-getter right now has scored 2,665 runs from 25 Tests. His average during the period is 74.02. To his credit are 12 hundreds in the same period.<br /><br /><br /><img align="left" src="/photo/235963.cms" alt="/photo/235963.cms" border="0" /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Michael Vaughan</span><br />Vaughan, England''s latest heartthrob, hit 2,250 runs in his last 25 Tests. He scored nine centuries and three fifties.</div> </div>