Woolmer in pact with South Africa

Bob Woolmer, while responding yesterday to a question about handling Sehwag said

I have always rated Sehwag. We've studied lots of ways of bowling at him and certain bowlers tend to get him out quite easily. Ntini seems to have the wood on him.

Of course, having seen a lot of Sehwag's pre and post-match interviews, he doesn't generally care about comments like this. But you have to doubt Woolmer's facts. Sehwag has got out twice to Ntini and has a batting average of 49 against him in tests. Of course, given that Sehwag averages nearly 125 against Pakistan with two double centuries and a triple century in just seven tests, anyone else, relatively speaking, would appear to have the wood on Varinder Virender Sehwag. Woolmer clearly aims at using his past South African connections to get Ntini to play for Pakistan.

Unless of course Woolmer was talking about one-dayers, because he has only averaged 17.5 against Ntini, getting out twice. Surely he is getting ahead of the game, for the one-dayers are still a fair distance away.

Sehwag's performance in the first innings of a test is phenomenal enough (he averages over 77 in his team's first innings and over 85 when his team bats first). But his batting in the first test of a series is exceptional as well. Five of his 11 centuries have come in the first test of the series and averages over 63 in the first game of a series, including the one-off test in the series formerly known as the 'Super Series'. He most certainly sets the tone for a series.