Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh hits six sixes in an over

How bloody good are we at saying other people are ace at cricket? We’re really bloody good at it – that’s how bloody good at it we are.

Perhaps it’s because we’ve spent our entire life honing our sense of how much everyone else is better than us. Show us someone and we’ll instantly tell you how they’re better than us.

Yuvraj Singh is better than us because he’s the finest one-day international batsman in the world. He’s better than us because he’s got rare talent, a great eye, unbelievable timing and astonishing power. He’s better than us because he managed to hit six sixes in an over.

The six sixes off poor, hapless Stuart Broad – who became visibly younger with each inevitable blow – formed the unusually brief bulk of his innings of 58 off (count ‘em) 16 balls.

Absolutely stunning and if the Indian public don’t go for Twenty20 now, they never will.

Yuvraj Singh in one-day cricket this summer

We’ve made one or two rash pronouncements in our time. Fortunately most of them are now all-but-invisible on the old site.

However, we’re going to bring one to the fore today in a fairly transparent bid to make a player lose form for a couple of matches against England. This particular pronouncement was that Yuvraj Singh was the best one-day international batsman in the world.

We mention it now because since Yuvraj arrived in Ireland back in June, his one-day international innings run as follows: 13, 49 not out, 61 not out, 38, 0, 49, 45, 71 and 72.

There are no hundreds because he bats in the middle order and hundreds aren’t common in those parts. What’s impressive is his consistency. Measured run-chase? Yuvraj is your man. Wild slog to post a ludicrous total? Yuvraj is your man.

He’d probably have a few more if Ganguly’s knees were up to non-sedate singles too.