Insubordination in the ranks as ratings compete for attention

In the outfield

Channel 4 have begun a cricket ratings war. This is nothing to do with the number of viewers their magnificent coverage of England's Test matches is gaining, although it is an open secret they are desperate for England to start winning again, as the figures are declining. It is rather the channel's decision to use their own rankings system of individual players. This has somewhat bewildered, not to say miffed, those behind the PricewaterhouseCoopers Ratings (PwC), which, while not official, have become accepted as the game's standard.

Indeed, all international players might be said to have a stake in the PwC system. Their annual junket at the Dorchester Hotel in London the other night (see below) was organised by the Federation of International Cricket Associations (Fica) in conjunction with PwC. The two bodies received joint top billing, and guests were greeted in the ballroom with a computer screen showing the PwC ratings.

Channel 4's rankings were inaugurated on their cricket website, and were first used on television during the Second Test against Australia. They have no intention of backing down.

"We update ours after every day's play, and that's something none of the others do," said Channel 4's media man, Gary Double. "There's no such thing as an official rating, but we believe ours are more up to date and keep the viewer right with all movements as they happen. For instance, in the last Test Steve Waugh moved up and down during the game."

Rob Eastaway, who has been calculating the PwC Ratings for 15 years, said: "I feel that it may be confusing the public, because Channel 4 are calling theirs world rankings. Of course, they are quite entitled to do what they like. I think, however, that our ratings are superior. People can compare and contrast across generations. We update after every match. Doing it every day can be a bit misleading, because you can be in the middle of an innings."

At least both parties agree at present on who are the top in the world. Glenn McGrath is the top bowler and Sachin Tendulkar the top batsman. There are differences: Steve Waugh is second in PwC, fourth in Channel 4, Adam Gilchrist, the other batting scourge of England, is up to sixth in PwC but a mere 20th in Channel 4's reckoning. Courtney Walsh is fourth in Channel 4's bowling chart but does not make PwC's top 10, on the fairly sensible grounds that he has retired.

Over at Sky, the other televisers of cricket, they use PwC. Confusion seems certain to reign.

Flower power wins the day

Six awards were handed out at the Fica annual dinner last week. The top gong, for international player of the year, went to the prolific Zimbabwean batsman Andy Flower, and if it was a surprise it went down well with a packed audience. He was, to boot, the unanimous choice of the judging panel.

The young player award went to Abdur Razzaq of Pakistan, the team award to Australia (the Test side, not the one-day side, though both were nominated), the international special merit award to both Don Bradman and Colin Cowdrey, the place in history award to Steve Waugh, and the sheer instinct award to Alec Stewart for scoring a century on the occasion of his hundredth Test match.

The evening's main speaker was the former prime minister John Major. He has become a popular regular at cricket dinners since he left so-called frontline politics, and makes no bones about his passion for the game. Surrey supporter though he might be, he is also opening he new stand at Headingley on the eve of the Fourth Test next month.

The dinner had another aim – raising much-needed funds for Fica. With raffle tickets at £20 each, they were obviously not messing about. There was also an auction, with Dermot Reeve, the Channel 4 commentator and former Warwickshire captain, as auctioneer. His enthusiasm is usually infectious, but the total of eight lots raised only £10,600. Sounds a lot, until you consider that the 2000 auction made five times that amount. Maybe it is simply that Gough- and Caddick-signed shirts and Nasser Hussain England memorabilia are not hot items at present.

Great Trott still unequalled

One record that the Australians – not even the outrageously inventive Adam Gilchrist – could equal at Lord's marks its 102nd anniversary on Tuesday intact. In May 1899, Albert Trott had driven Fred Tate so powerfully that the ball hit the left-hand emblem on the MCC coat of arms on the highest point of the pavilion.

On 31 July came his unique (so far) feat. Playing for MCC Club and Ground against the Australians, he struck a ball from Monty Noble over the pavilion. No batsman has done so since, despite a reward on offer from the magazine Cricket Lore. Gilchrist looked rampant enough at one time to do it, and time may yet be on his side.

Trott had other great moments. In his benefit match in 1907, when he was overweight and ungainly, he had one last hurrah by taking a hat-trick twice in the same innings. The second one finished the game, and Trott said he was bowling himself into the workhouse.

The days of wine and roses were over for the man known as Alberto. In increasingly worsening health, he became depressed and shot himself through the head at his lodgings in 1914. He will be remembered again with fondness on Tuesday.