Over the years at the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Sport website we have had a go at predicting players on the cusp of making an impact on the international cricket scene.
The tradition is to go for one player from each of the two teams touring England in the summer, three up-and-coming players on the county scene attempting to break into the national senior side, and a member from the England women's team.
No player can be selected if they have already appeared on our "six to follow".
We have had some success over the years, with the likes of Virender Sehwag, Kevin Pietersen, Graeme Smith, James Anderson and - last year - Dale Steyn all confidently tipped for the top. Inevitably, there have also been one or two players who have not quite lived up to expectation.
Have a look at if you like - you can also link from there to many of the previous picks - and most importantly have a go yourself.
I'll be back on the blog later to compile a "popular choice" selection if there are enough replies!
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Welcome to Ask Bearders, where Test Match Special statistician answers your questions on all things cricket.
Below are Bill's responses to some of your questions posed at the end of his last column and if you have a question for Bill, leave it at the end of this blog entry. Please do include your country of residence - Bill loves to hear where all his correspondents are posting from.
Bill isn't able to answer all of your questions, however. ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Sport staff will choose a selection of them and send them to Bearders for him to answer.
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prevented the cricket fan from experiencing five full days of play and it also decreased the chances of a result considerably.
Perhaps the choice was dictated by the prevailing circumstances in the country but it robbed the viewers of .
At Mohali, or for that matter at any place in the North of India, fog plays a major role in dictating the outcome.
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Another tour of India, albeit one with a tragic twist that overshadowed much of the cricket played, came to an end here in chilly .
The are still fresh in the mind for all of us who were in India on that fateful night and led to some hasty itinerary changes once it had been confirmed that the Test matches would go ahead.
Internal flights had to bought at extremely short notice - at sky high prices - and some of the routes home to the UK for Christmas from Chandigarh have to be heard to be believed!
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After looking back on the highlights of 2008 during the fourth day lunch interval at Mohali, we delved into "Old Aggers' Almanac" on Tuesday to make predictions for the year ahead - and what a 2009 it promises to be!
In we have the second Indian Premier League. Will it be bigger and better or will the novelty have faded? Will there be any English players taking part and will any of the IPL games be played in the UK?
Then we have the second with India defending the crown they won in that fantastic inaugural tournament in South Africa not to mention whatever has in store - if he doesn't take his bat and ball away, that is!
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Normally when I am abroad with the England team at this time of year it is very difficult to feel particularly Christmasy especially when the sun is shining and the temperatures soar. However when I arrived at the on the third day it felt more like winter in Manchester than December in Mohali.
As Jonathan Agnew put it as he welcomed listeners on TMS it was We could not even see the field at 9.00am local time when play was due to begin because of heavy fog in Chandigahr and when umpire Daryl Harper was asked when he thought he would next inspect he told the interviewer "when I can see the other side of the ground"!
However although the weather may be wintry there aren't too many signs of the festive season here in the Punjab. In the team hotel where we are also staying there is one rather sad looking Christmas tree decorated with cotton wool. It is quite difficult to see the tree as it is normally obscured by numerous armed security forces.
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The train journey north from the venue of the first Test in Chennai to Chandigarh always promised to be a long, long trip but, after defeat it provided time for contemplation of the mixed emotions stirred by India's incredible win.
With my faded England polo shirt on I was gutted that the team had thrown away an opportunity to achieve arguably their most surprising away Test victory since men beat the mighty West Indies in Jamaica in 1990.
But with my Indian travelling flip-flops and cricket lover's hat on, it was a pleasure and a privilege to have witnessed a game that had everything that a Test could contain and, coming when it did, providing a small but timely fillip to the whole of India.
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As Sachin Tendulkar deftly guided the final ball of the match to bring up , a banner was held up in front of the Test Match Special Commentary box which read "India's great victory - dedicated to the people who died in Mumbai". It was of course particularly poignant that , should be the man to win the game.
In any circumstances will be celebrated as one of the best games in recent times. But when you consider then the events we witnessed at the MA Chidambaram Stadium are all the more remarkable. Only just over a week ago , but both sides managed to compensate for the troubled build-up to produce an amazing spectacle.
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Looking around the room during Graeme Swann's press conference, it was noticeable how many journalists were watching and listening to him with interested smiles on their faces.
The English reporters were certainly pleased with the way day two of the first Test went for England against India in Chennai, but at that moment those smiles were definitely generated by Swann.
He is an eminently likeable and amusing character, sincere and generous hearted, yet never far away from a joke.
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The players have arrived; their security has arrived; a cyclone has apparently arrived and, if you look very closely, a small pocket of England supporters has slowly begun to arrive in in time for the first Test.
It's been a long and trying two weeks since the , not only for the players in deciding whether to return but also for those supporters waiting on that decision and making their own choice on whether to travel accordingly.
These are extraordinary times out here (as has been proved by the willingness of theand to come to an agreement over the venues) and it would be churlish to criticise the authorities too much for the time taken to come to a decision.
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Cricket has essentially been in limbo since the
But for fans of England and India, thoughts will finally return to matters on the field on Thursday when captains Kevin Pietersen and Mahendra Dhoni walk out for the toss at Chennai.
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Welcome to Ask Bearders, where Test Match Special statistician answers your questions on all things cricket.
Below are Bill's responses to some of your questions posed at the end of his last column and if you have a question for Bill, leave it at the end of this blog entry. Please do include your country of residence - Bill loves to hear where all his correspondents are posting from.
Bill isn't able to answer all of your questions, however. ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Sport staff will choose a selection of them and send them to Bearders for him to answer.
Read the rest of this entry
