West Indies v India - Series Summary

WEST INDIES WON THE SERIES 3-1
Whilst West Indies eventually took the series at a canter it must be remembered that India gave them a run for their money to begin with, winning the first Test in Jamaica and then holding on heroically for the draw in Trinidad. It was not until Curtly Ambrose came to the fore in the second half of the series that West Indies really asserted their authority, and with Garner and Marshall also finding their form in the latter stages it was a barrage of relenting pace that finally did for the Indians.

The recalled George Headley led the run scoring for the hosts, almost half his runs coming in one innings in Guyana (but what an innings!) and Viv Richards looked to be rediscovering his best form by the end of the series after what had been a somewhat extended slump. The opening positions are still up for grabs though, with neither Greenidge nor new boy Lawrence Rowe able to stake a solid claim, and whilst Dujon continued to provide valuable runs down the order - indeed, he actually topped the batting averages - his displays behind the stumps were somewhat below par.

If truth be told, neither side fielded particularly well, but whilst West Indies were able to compensate the Indians' poor out cricket went a long way to costing them the series. The tourists dropped sixteen catches over the course of the five games and with their bowling, Prasanna apart, lacking any sort of penetration, this was simply unacceptable. Gavaskar's stellar form with the bat papered over the cracks to some extent, but the likes of Pataudi, Manjrekar and Umrigar hit as many lows as they did highs, and the way in which India's batting simply disintegrated in the last two Tests would have been a source of both concern and embarrassment for the selectors.

West Indies' eighth consecutive series win guarantees that they will end Season VI on top of the rankings, whilst India remain in sixth place and are now in danger of being overtaken by perennial basement dwellers, New Zealand. For now though the focus switches to Sri Lanka, where Australia's visit for a one-off Test brings the season to a close.

Series Averages
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Players of the Series: CEL Ambrose & SM Gavaskar

New Zealand v Sri Lanka - Series Summary

NEW ZEALAND WON THE SERIES 1-0
Being able to write 'New Zealand won' is a rare event in the ATG world, but it happened twice when Jack Cowie took the final wicket in Hamilton, with New Zealand's victory there - just their sixth in 55 Tests - sealing their first ever series success. The fact that the opponents were Sri Lanka and that the series consisted of just two Tests must be taken into consideration, but when you have fed on scraps for so long you don't turn down any morsel that comes your way.

John Reid's two centuries will ensure that he retains the captaincy for a little while longer, and the form shown by Chris Cairns would suggest that New Zealand are now able to field three allrounders worthy of the name. The third member of the trio, Richard Hadlee, took his seasonal wicket haul past the fifty mark in Hamilton, but with Stephen Boock remaining out of both form and favour the Kiwi selectors continue to struggle to find a spinner capable of supporting their seamers on a consistent basis, with Hedley Howarth claiming just three wickets in the two Tests.

Aravinda de Silva showed his class by saving the first Test with twin centuries, and his absence through injury severely compromised Sri Lanka's chances in the second game. Indeed, for such a short tour the visitors had to cope with a number of injuries, and the loss of Wickramasinghe for the Tests, whilst probably not affecting the final outcome, certainly weakened their bowling attack. De Silva apart, Chandika Hathurusingha, with fifties in both matches, was the only other Sri Lankan to enhance his reputation over the course of the series, and even though Australia are not expected to field a full strength XI for the upcoming one-off Test in Kandy, one would not bank on Sri Lanka to break their ATG duck any time soon.

Series Averages
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Players of the Series: JR Reid & PA de Silva

New Zealand v West Indies - Series Summary

WEST INDIES WON THE SERIES 2-0
West Indies made it a magnificent seven consecutive series wins with their expected victory over New Zealand, but had Garry Sobers' team been up against stronger opponents then it could well have been a different story. Time and again the West Indian top order failed - Fredericks, Haynes and Kanhai recorded just one fifty between them and averaged less than fifteen as a unit - and only the form of Sobers and Worrell coupled with a tail that defied expectations with the bat kept the tourists afloat. Worrell was truly magnificent on his recall to the side, and his partnerships with Sobers, which were worth an average of 97.67, really proved to be a major difference between the teams.

A depleted West Indian attack supported each other well as a unit - Walsh, Garner, Griffith and Sobers shared 46 wickets evenly between them - with Hall proving the only real disappointment, but the same cannot be said of New Zealand, for whom Richard Hadlee ploughed an increasingly lone furrow as the series went on. Cowie bowled well in Wellington but faded thereafter, and by the end of the series Hadlee had captured 25 wickets compared to a combined haul of 28 for the remainder of New Zealand's attack. John Reid endured an anonymous series with the ball, but with Chris Cairns making little impact on debut, Reid is expected to retain his place in the side for the Sri Lanka Tests.

Despite its failings in the final innings in both Wellington and Auckland, New Zealand's batting looks in reasonable shape ahead of those matches, with Turner, Donnelly and Dempster all putting in good performances over the course of this series. There remains a vacancy at number three though, and Bevan Congdon is expected to be recalled to fill the berth against Sri Lanka. West Indies now head home to prepare for the visit of India, and all things point to them retaining their number one ranking come the end of that series.

Series Averages
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Players of the Series: RJ Hadlee & FMM Worrell

South Africa v West Indies - Series Summary

WEST INDIES WON THE SERIES 2-1

Hansie Cronje and Garry Sobers are, statistically speaking, ATG cricket's two most successful captains, but by the end of the series their fortunes and futures could hardly be more different. Sobers enjoyed his most successful series ever with the bat and West Indies have now won six successive series under his stewardship, maintaining their position as the number one team in the world, whilst Cronje now faces a most uncertain future following his first series defeat as skipper.

Regardless of the captaincy Cronje's alarming lack of form as a batsman must put his place in the side in severe jeopardy - he has scored just 332 runs at an average of 17.47 in 11 Tests this season - and his ill-fated declaration in the second Test allowed West Indies to snatch a last day victory that had seemed out of the question over the course of the first four days. With the spoils shared on two poor wickets in the final two Tests and South Africa having had the better of a drawn first Test, West Indies' successful chase of 349 at Centurion was the pivotal point of the series, and the knives were out for Cronje in many quarters from that moment on.

Could it be the end for Hansie Cronje?

Cronje's poor form was in stark contrast to that shown by Graeme Pollock and Barry Richards, with Richards' outrageous 171 in Cape Town one of the greatest innings in ATG history. Barlow and Lindsay gave solid support, as did Dudley Nourse on recall in the final Test, and despite Cronje and Cullinan's lack of production the South African batting unit far outperformed its West Indian counterpart. Sobers' tally of 603 runs was almost double the next highest contribution from within the tourists' ranks - 308 runs from Viv Richards - and with South Africa's bowlers arguably besting the West Indians as well, the series defeat was mystifying to the majority of the home fans.

Nonetheless, the West Indian juggernaut marches on, and it travels almost immediately to New Zealand, who fought gamely in the Caribbean last season despite eventually losing the series 4-1. South Africa do not now take the field until next season, and the Proteas' selectors will consequently have plenty of time to mull over the fate of Cronje and one or two others in the South African ranks.

Series averages
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Players of the Series: BA Richards & GStA Sobers

Australia v England - Series Summary

AUSTRALIA WON THE SERIES 2-1
England started and finished the tour in spirited fashion, but a disastrous slump in form in the middle part ultimately cost them the Ashes, and in four ATG series against Australia England are still to get their hands on the urn. Injuries took a tough toll on Hutton's squad, with Fred Trueman's ankle problems severely compromising the attack after he had bowled so well in the first Test, and Hutton himself missed the final game amid mounting speculation that he will step down from the captaincy some time before England's next series.

Ted Dexter - who captained the side in Hutton's absence - batted well in his first series, and both Cowdrey and Botham were in the best form of their ATG careers, their partnerships in Melbourne and Sydney likely to live long in the memory. There was little other support with the bat though, and with Trueman injured there was simply not enough penetration with the ball; Underwood was consistent but rarely threatening, and the fact that England's bowlers could take only nine wickets between them in Perth and Adelaide went a long way to consigning the tourists to defeat in both those matches and the series as a whole.

For Australia, everything revolved around Bill Woodfull, who occupied the crease for more than thirty five hours during the course of series, blunting England's pace attack and setting the stage for Bradman who, like Woodfull, averaged in the nineties and batted for over twenty four hours himself. Steve Waugh also scored heavily in what was a breakthrough series for him, and Ian Healy's batting down the order was a persistent thorn in England's side. The hosts' bowling attack lost its potency as the series progressed, but the decisive damage had been done in the early stages, and Richie Benaud's team did enough over the course of the five Tests to reclaim second spot in the rankings, whilst England plummeted to fifth, their lowest ever position.

Test averages
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Full tour averages
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Players of the Series: WM Woodfull & IT Botham

South Africa v New Zealand - Series Summary

SOUTH AFRICA WON THE SERIES 2-0
As expected, South Africa ran out comfortable victors over New Zealand, and their 2-0 series victory lifts them to second place in the world rankings. When Hansie Cronje took over as skipper for the series against Pakistan last season, South Africa were languishing in fifth, but a run of eight victories and only one defeat in twelve Tests under his leadership has transformed the side into serious challengers for West Indies' number one spot. Cronje's personal form during this time has fallen away quite alarmingly, but in this series he was more than covered by the performances of the rest of the Proteas' batting line-up. Eddie Barlow excelled on recall after time was finally called on Trevor Goddard's run in the side, but the real batting star was Graeme Pollock, who played an innings for the ages in the first Test and whose average of 168 is the highest ever recorded in an ATG series.

Of the South African attack, only Allan Donald disappointed as Neil Adcock and Mike Procter both enjoyed a particularly good series, with Glenn Turner being just about the only New Zealand batsman able to stand up to the pace barrage on a consistent basis. Skipper John Reid bookended the series with a couple of fighting fifties, and although Martin Donnelly ran up a century in the first Test he contributed little else thereafter. New Zealand's bowling was their real weakness however; Richard Hadlee was in poor form, despite his series-leading 14 wickets, and no-one was able to average under 35 as South Africa were allowed to run up substantial first innings totals in each of the three Tests.

Even allowing for the loss of Chris Cairns through injury before the series had begun, the manner of New Zealand's defeat was a huge disappointment after the spirit they had shown in the Caribbean, and they will be desperate to have Cairns fit and ready to face West Indies when they make the trip to New Zealand later this season. Before then, the West Indies travel to South Africa for a series that will put Hansie Cronje's captaincy to the ultimate test, but next up in the ATG world we head down under for Australia's defence of the Ashes against an England side who have never held the urn in ATG competition. Let battle commence!

Series averages
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Players of the Series: RG Pollock & GM Turner

Pakistan v Sri Lanka - Series Summary

PAKISTAN WON THE SERIES 3-0
Pakistan started as hot favourites in spite of the fact that they had not won a series since season IV, and a 3-0 scoreline come the conclusion of proceedings came as no surprise. Sri Lanka's batting proved itself capable, at least until the final Test, but its bowling attack was hopelessly outclassed, and the record total that Pakistan was allowed to amass in the first Test set the tone for the series.

Javed's triple century in Karachi was the undoubted batting highlight of the series, but Majid Khan was arguably Pakistan's most consistent batsman, notching two centuries and a fifty in his five visits to the crease. Mushtaq Mohammad was the only home batsman to disappoint, but he made up for this with his best ever series with the ball, culminating in his hat-trick in Lahore where he also returned the best bowling figures on either side over the course of the three Tests. Imran enjoyed a very consistent series with bat and ball, and victories in all three Tests have now placed his team right on England's shoulder in the rankings.

As for Sri Lanka, the lack of firepower in their bowling attack will surely see them continue to struggle at this level until the likes of Muralitharan and Vaas become eligible for selection in some future time. That said, the five wicket hauls returned by Ravi Ratnayeke and Rumesh Ratnayake in Lahore do offer some hope, although the wholly ineffectual performance of leg spinner Somachandra de Silva was a great disappointment. The other de Silva, Aravinda, made a most positive impact with the bat after missing the first Test through injury, and the fact that the Sri Lankans were able to pass the 300 mark in each of their first four innings shows that batting is certainly the islanders strongest suit. Gurusinha and Ranatunga will be unhappy with their contributions to the cause though, and both will be keen to make amends when their side next takes the field in a one-off Test against India.

Series averages
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Players of the Series: Javed Miandad & RS Mahanama

India v Australia - Series Summary

AUSTRALIA WON THE SERIES 2-1
Australia's win in the fourth and final Test gave them their first ever come-from-behind series victory, and the fact that they did so was largely down to the disintegration of India's batting over the second half of the series. First innings totals of 133 in Delhi and 127 in Kolkata put India out of realistic contention in both games, and the fact that these performances coincided with Don Bradman's triumphant return after injury sealed India's fate.

The series had begun so well for India, with two substantial centuries from Gavaskar guiding them into a 1-0 lead at the halfway stage, but aside from Engineer and a couple of fighting innings from Umrigar, he received little support as the series progressed. India's middle order had been reconstructed after their recent defeat against West Indies, but it still remains in need of repair, with Pataudi's complete failure putting his place in the side, and consequently his captaincy, in jeopardy once more. India's bowling was also inconsistent; Chandrasekhar started brightly but ran out steam, and Kapil Dev failed to make any impact following his good progress of the previous season.

As far as the Australians were concerned, Bradman's reintroduction to the team for the third Test was most certainly a turning point in their fortunes, and the bowling of the recalled O'Reilly was a consistent threat over the course of all four Tests. Richie Benaud's 8-20 in Delhi was undoubtedly the outstanding individual performance of the series, all the more so when one considers the anodyne nature of his performances with the ball in the first two Tests.

Series averages
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Australia thus head into the upcoming Ashes series in good spirits, with the opening partnership the only real area of concern for the selectors. For India however, it remains very much a case of 'one step forward and two steps back', and changes could well be made ahead of their next engagement, a one-off Test against Sri Lanka.

Players of the Series: SM Gavaskar & DG Bradman

England v South Africa - Series Summary

SOUTH AFRICA WON THE SERIES 3-1
Defeat at The Oval completed a wretched summer for England, and as a consequence they relinquished their number one status in the world rankings, with South Africa moving into second place behind new top dogs, the West Indies. Poor batting has been the root cause of England's demise, with Hammond's complete loss of form severely compromising a badly misfiring top order. Graham Thorpe seemed to spend the second half of the series trying to play himself out of the side after his match winning century at Trent Bridge, and David Gower now appears to be the only certainty in the middle order following his 146 in the last Test. Les Ames' influence was badly missed in the two defeats at Old Trafford and The Oval, and although England's bowlers all performed adequately, Ian Botham's place as all-rounder must surely be in doubt once again.

As for South Africa, Hansie Cronje's elevation to the captaincy has led to a huge upsurge in fortune for the Proteas, and although Cronje himself endured a poor series with the bat, those around him usually did enough to blunt the English attack. One criticism that could be levelled at the South African batsmen was their collective tendency to get out after making a start, but Denis Lindsay was invariably able to pick up the pieces, and his two centuries went a long way to securing the victories at Lord's and Old Trafford, although it must be said that his keeping was decidedly below par for much of the series. Goddard once again led the way with the ball, but his continued lack of production at the top of the batting order continues to give the selectors a major headache.

Series averages

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South Africa could go top of the rankings if, as expected, they defeat New Zealand in their next series, whilst England's selectors now face some tough decisions ahead of the upcoming Ashes tour.

Players of the Series: DL Underwood & DT Lindsay

England v Pakistan - Series Summary

SERIES DRAWN 1-1
An enthralling series ended with Pakistan on top, and had the elements not intervened at Headingley the tourists may well have been celebrating a glorious and unexpected come-from-behind victory. As it was, 1-1 was probably a fair result, one that the sixth-ranked Pakistanis will take far more from than will England. A crushing win for the hosts in the first Test seemed to herald the one-sided series that many had predicted, but Imran rallied his troops well and was so nearly able to hand England what would have been only their second ever series defeat.

Fred Trueman's restoration to the English attack was an unqualified success, but Brian Statham apart, the remainder of England's bowling was lacklustre, as was the performance of the middle order batting. Wally Hammond endured the worst run of form in his ATG career, with five single figure scores in six innings, and although his previous record will protect his place in the side for now, there may well be other changes ahead of the series with South Africa; England badly missed Jack Hobbs in the second and third Tests, and will welcome his return against the Proteas. Pakistan's resurgence was very much down to a team effort, with Imran's leadership binding the whole to great effect at Edgbaston and Headingley. Doubts still remain over the best opening partnership though, and Waqar's continued lack of form must now put his place in the side in doubt.

Series averages
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The draw in the final Test means that England just about hold on to the number one spot in the rankings, but anything other than a series victory over South Africa will see them concede that position, and with an Ashes tour on the horizon the next few months promise to be testing times for English cricket.

Players of the Series: FS Trueman & Javed Miandad

West Indies v New Zealand - Series Summary

On face value, a 4-1 result between two sides at opposite ends of the ATG pecking order comes as no surprise. However, if truth be told, New Zealand could have very easily taken the series 3-2, and Kiwi fans should be able to take solace in the fact that their team was able to compete on an equal footing with West Indies over the course of the last three Tests.

The first two Tests ended in comfortable victories for the home team once they had overcome a first day hiccup in Jamaica, with Kanhai and Haynes masterful with the bat and Marshall and Walsh irresistible with the ball. However, the matches in Barbados and Guyana provided two of the tightest finishes in all of Test history, and whilst the game at the Bourda really could have gone either way in the end, New Zealand were guilty of throwing away victory in Bridgetown, where they lost their last five wickets for just five runs to hand West Indies victory by 29 runs. The win in Antigua was just the fifth in New Zealand's history and the first against West Indies, and whilst the margin of victory was immense and the performance professional, it will rancour with the Kiwis that such success only came in a dead rubber.

As far as individual performances went, the bowlers were on top for much of the time on wickets that were, on the whole, less than ideal for batting, with Malcolm Marshall the standout on either side. Jack Cowie bowled exceptionally well for New Zealand when he was finally given a chance in the final three Tests, but Richard Hadlee was below his best despite claiming 23 wickets for the Blackcaps. Kanhai was the outstanding batsman on display and was well supported by Haynes, Lloyd and Dujon, but both Richards and Sobers had poor series by their standards and Greenidge managed just 45 runs in 6 innings after missing the first two Tests with injury. For New Zealand, skipper John Reid got better and better as the series went on, whilst Andrew Jones' form went the other way after a very promising start to his ATG career, and Turner, Donnelly and Crowe all made significant contributions without ever being able to dominate on a consistent basis.

All in all, it was a series of 'what might have beens' for New Zealand, but rather than dwelling on failure, the Blackcaps must be positive and take heart from the fact that they were able to run West Indies so close on the field, if not in the scoreline. With the likes of Chris Cairns, Nathan Astle and Craig McMillan all available for selection next season, things might in fact be looking up for New Zealand despite their defeat here, although a record that now reads 5 wins in 47 Tests is still nothing to shout about. West Indies on the other hand have now won their last five series to sit second behind England in the rankings, and season six of ATG cricket promises to be perhaps the most competitive ever.

Leading Series Averages

West Indies Batting
RB Kanhai 445 runs @ 49.44, PJL Dujon 317 @ 45.29, CH Lloyd 369 @ 41.00, DL Haynes 338 @ 37.56, IVA Richards 301 @ 33.44

West Indies Bowling
MD Marshall 29 wkts @ 20.62, GStA Sobers 14 @ 24.71, MA Holding 20 @ 27.40, CA Walsh 15 @ 28.73, CEL Ambrose 9 @ 30.44

New Zealand Batting
JR Reid 323 runs @ 40.38, AH Jones 366 @ 36.60, GM Turner 358 @ 35.80, MP Donnelly 355 @ 35.50, MD Crowe 310 @ 34.44

New Zealand Bowling
J Cowie 21 wkts @ 15.48, SL Boock 14 @ 25.00, RJ Hadlee 23 @ 27.61, JR Reid 10 @ 35.40, RO Collinge 7 @ 46.00

WEST INDIES WON THE SERIES 4-1


Players of the Series: MD Marshall & J Cowie

India v West Indies - Series Summary

India and West Indies have now met on three occasions in the ATG arena, and on all three occasions West Indies have emerged as 2-1 victors come the end of the series. Garry Sobers' tourists deserved their win here, with two decisive victories bookending the series as the West Indian spinners largely outbowled their hosts' counterparts on a succession of turning wickets. The exception was in the second Test in Mumbai, where twin centuries from Pataudi jnr extricated India from deep trouble and allowed his side to record their first home win in eight attempts.

Pataudi was the stand out batsman on either side but he received scant support from his top order, with Mohammad Azharuddin enduring a horror series that included three ducks in six innings. Kapil Dev was generally unable to maintain his good recent form, and there were rarely enough runs on the board to allow the Indian spinners to attack in the manner that they would have liked.

For West Indies, Rohan Kanhai made the most of Clive Lloyd's absence through injury to top the tourists' batting averages, and there were enough contributions from the rest of the line-up to ensure that India were always under pressure. Marshall and Walsh toiled admirably in unfavourable conditions, but it was the spin of Gibbs and Valentine that proved decisive in the first and third Tests, with Valentine's ten wicket haul in Chennai the first such return by a West Indian slow bowler. West Indies now move above South Africa into third place in the world rankings having won their last four series, and a comprehensive victory in the upcoming engagement with New Zealand could see them challenging England for top spot come the end of ATG Season V.

Leading Series Averages

India Batting

MAK Pataudi 391 runs @ 65.17, Kapil Dev 150 @ 25.00, VS Hazare 123 @ 24.60, SM Gavaskar 133 @ 22.17, M Prabhakar 125 @ 20.83

India Bowling

EAS Prasanna 9 wkts @ 14.11, BS Chandrasekhar 10 @ 29.10, S Venkataraghavan 7 @ 31.43, M Prabhakar 5 @ 32.80, Kapil Dev 6 @ 37.00

West Indies Batting

RB Kanhai 275 runs @ 68.75, PJL Dujon 166 @ 41.50, IVA Richards 207 @ 41.40, DL Haynes 198 @ 39.60, GStA Sobers 104 @ 26.00

West Indies Bowling

AL Valentine 11 wkts @ 18.91, LR Gibbs 15 @ 22.20, CA Walsh 12 @ 23.00, GStA Sobers 8 @ 23.13, MD Marshall 9 @ 25.67

WEST INDIES WON THE SERIES 2-1

Men of the Series: MAK Pataudi & RB Kanhai

South Africa v Pakistan - Series Summary

A 3-0 scoreline somewhat flatters South Africa, for whilst they probably just about deserved to win the series, Pakistan could very easily have won three Tests themselves. The series had a very symmetrical pattern about it; there were high scoring draws at its beginning and end, and a crushing South African victory in the third Test was sandwiched by a pair of thrilling, down to the wire finishes in Centurion and Cape Town. South Africa's recovery from 23-6 on the first morning in Centurion was a turning point in the series, and dramatic collapses from Pakistan's lower order blighted the tourists' chances in all but the final game.

Hansie Cronje's selection as captain for this series was certainly a gamble, but South Africa's new skipper did not let the selectors down; he was consistent with the bat - his 164 in Cape Town was arguably the innings of the series - and his captaincy showed few flaws. Former skipper Trevor Goddard had his best ever series with the ball, but his poor form with the bat presents the selectors with an interesting dilemma for the future. Graeme Pollock finished the series strongly and led the batting averages as is generally the custom, but with the ball dominant for much of the series the rest of the order struggled somewhat, with Dudley Nourse ploughing a particularly deep trough.

Cronje's opposite number, Imran Khan, enjoyed a reasonably profitable series with the ball, but his batting was in a slump even worse than that of Nourse, and it was his wicket that often opened the door for the succession of lower order collapses suffered by Pakistan. Wasim Akram was by far the best bowler for the tourists, and his absence through injury in the fourth Test possibly cost Pakistan the win. Waqar continues to disappoint after his miracle series in New Zealand last season, and injuries to Abdul Qadir and his replacement, Iqbal Qasim, limited the options available to Imran. On the batting side, Mohsin Khan made the most of his recall to the team, but Javed failed to get going and those collapses really did cost Pakistan any chances they might have had of winning the series.

South Africa now move back up into third place in the rankings, and their series in England next season should prove a very stern test of Cronje's team. Pakistan meanwhile now languish in sixth place, but they should have an easier task in their next outing as they host Sri Lanka for three Tests, and they will be hoping to reverse the 3-0 scoreline that they were on the wrong end of here.

Leading Series Averages

South Africa Batting
RG Pollock 580 runs @ 64.44, WJ Cronje 411 @ 45.67, BA Richards 314 @ 34.89, DJ Cullinan 261 @ 32.63, DT Lindsay 260 @ 28.89

South Africa Bowling
TL Goddard 25 wkts @ 17.52, NBF Mann 11 @ 25.55, MJ Procter 20 @ 28.25, AA Donald 19 @ 31.89, PS Heine 7 @ 36.86

Pakistan Batting
Saleem Malik 201 runs @ 67.00, Mohsin Khan 456 @ 45.60, Javed Miandad 328 @ 36.44, Asif Iqbal 227 @ 32.43, Majid Khan 281 @ 31.22

Pakistan Bowling
Wasim Akram 23 wkts @ 18.78, Imran Khan 23 @ 26.61, Asif Iqbal 10 @ 28.70, Abdul Qadir 10 @ 29.70, Waqar Younis 14 @ 36.00

SOUTH AFRICA WON THE SERIES 3-0


Men of the Series: WJ Cronje & Wasim Akram

New Zealand v India - Series Summary

A 2-0 scoreline suggests a comfortable victory for India, but truth be told New Zealand were once again guilty of squandering chances and once again they were made to pay. The Kiwis had numerous chances to kill off the Indians in the first Test, but time and again they let their grip slip, and once India completed a miraculous one wicket victory, only rain in Napier prevented the tourists from sweeping the series.

Kapil Dev was the dominant factor in India's two victories, and his form in India's last three series would indicate that he is finally establishing himself as a force in the ATG world. Pataudi's captaincy did much to erase the memories of Gavaskar's acrimonious departure in the series against England, and India suddenly appear to have a settled side again ahead of the home series against West Indies. Hazare was the only disappointment for the tourists, but his previous form probably allows him such a blip.

As for New Zealand, it is a case of back to drawing board, just as it seems to be after every series for the beleaguered Kiwis. Reid bowled well but his batting form was poor, and his tenure as captain must be in doubt once again. Collinge and Taylor had their moments with the ball, but a continued lack of penetration from the spinners again left the attack one-dimensional - there were just three wickets in the 139 overs sent down by Messrs Howarth, Patel and Bracewell - and the absence of Hadlee for the first two Tests was a huge blow for the team. There were no five wicket hauls for the Blackcaps, compared to three for the Indians, and it was the same story with the bat, where Donnelly's lone century stacked up poorly against the four made by the tourists.

New Zealand's lack of conversion with both bat and ball certainly cost them dear, and the upcoming five Tests in the Caribbean must seem a hugely daunting prospect at the moment.

Leading Series Averages

New Zealand Batting

	M	I	No	Runs	HS	Avge	100	50
RJ Hadlee	1	2	-	101	57	50.50	-	1
MP Donnelly	3	6	1	242	105	48.40	1	1
MD Crowe	3	6	-	286	99	47.67	-	3
GM Turner	3	6	-	237	98	39.50	-	2
BA Edgar	1	2	-	58	58	29.00	-	1

New Zealand Bowling

	Overs	Runs	Wkts	Avge	Best	5I	10M
BE Congdon	30.0	94	6	15.67	4-1	-	-
RJ Hadlee	26.4	110	4	27.50	4-101	-	-
JR Reid	87.0	236	8	29.50	3-36	-	-
RO Collinge	107.5	299	10	29.90	4-88	-	-
BR Taylor	82.0	295	8	36.88	4-84	-	-

India Batting

	M	I	No	Runs	HS	Avge	100	50
M Azharuddin	2	3	-	213	110	71.00	1	1
Kapil Dev	3	5	1	276	149	69.00	1	1
SM Gavaskar	2	4	2	136	106*	68.00	1	-
SMH Kirmani	3	4	2	119	54	59.50	-	1
M Amarnath	3	5	-	218	100	43.60	1	-

India Bowling

	Overs	Runs	Wkts	Avge	Best	5I	10M
Kapil Dev	121.5	329	18	18.28	5-65	1	-
M Prabhakar	86.2	227	10	22.70	5-40	1	-
S Venkataraghavan	108.0	291	10	29.10	6-100	1	-
MH Mankad	80.4	216	7	30.86	4-79	-	-
L Amar Singh	110.0	282	9	31.33	3-56	-	-

INDIA WON THE SERIES 2-0


Men of the Series: MD Crowe & Kapil Dev