Tuesday, February 5, 2002 Australia's exit from their own one-day finals for only the third time in 23 years is a blow to national pride and to their crowds. But it does give us neutrals the chance to make some judgments on who is the world's best allrounder at the moment. For many years an allrounder was expected to have two strings to his bow, while today's one-day do-it-alls are often expected to have an extra one - three-dimensional cricketers, in the current phrase.

New Zealand have three players in this category - Nathan Astle, Chris Cairns, and Chris Harris. South Africa boast Jacques Kallis, Lance Klusener and Shaun Pollock. All them are potential matchwinners, and in our search for the world's top allrounder it's interesting to compare their strengths and weaknesses.

Cairns v Kallis
Most people would probably consider Cairns and Kallis to be top of the tree. Chris Cairns is a destructive, powerful batsman, not as consistent as he might be. He's a brilliant outfielder, quick to the ball, with a bullet arm; and a medium-quick bowler, slowed a bit by more than his fair share of injuries, but still the batsmen who face him report that he can be pretty sharp.

Jacques Kallis is a more classical and consistent batsman, and a quickish bowler. He doesn't have an entirely classical action, because he leans too far back at the crease, but he still swings it away. Cairns's slower ball is a beauty, while Kallis's is not slow enough - it's too flat. Kallis strikes me as the more consistent, while Cairns is the more explosive.

In this series Cairns has been suffering from a bad back, which may reduce his potency in the finals. By the look of it New Zealand's main threat with the ball will come from Shane Bond - it's amazing what real pace does for a team.

Verdict: 5-5

Klusener v Harris
Next up are Lance Klusener and Chris Harris. Both are left-handers, and both are matchwinners with the bat, albeit in different ways. Lance Klusener is belligerent and powerful, while Harris is persuasive and purposeful. With the ball, Harris is always a threat, as his little rolling legcutters with dip and inswing are not easy to get away - although I have noticed that the South Africans are trying to sweep him more. Klusener's potency with the ball is not what it was. His once-sharp medium-pace has slowed down in the interests of accuracy, and on some surfaces he relies on his offcutter more.

Chris Harris was a thorn in South Africa's side for years, until some careful video analysis of his batting while I was coach threw up some ideas on what to look for and how to bowl better at him. This made a significant difference, and I'd like to think it is the one major reason that South Africa have been able to maintain a winning streak against New Zealand.

Verdict: another draw, 4-4

Pollock v Astle
The last head-to-head is Shaun Pollock v Nathan Astle. Shaun is a very talented cricketer, with the ability to take the new ball and bowl top-order batsmen out, although he has lost a bit of pace as he's not as svelte as he was. He needs to lose a few pounds and strengthen his upper body significantly if he wants to reach his past speeds - but he makes up for this with superb control of line and length, and that wicked bouncer. His ability to bowl close to the stumps gives him an edge, and he's quite likely to get Astle nicking behind the wicket.

With the ball Nathan Astle is a bits-and-pieces bowler who doesn't really compare with Pollock. He reminds me of Gavin Larsen, who was such a successful one-day bowler. Both of them have the keeper standing up, which makes life difficult for the batsman, who has to chance his arm to get them away. Astle looks innocuous, but he often makes the opposition pay for over-confidence.

But it is Astle's batting that can change the game and makes him a matchwinner. He is capable of turning a game by lofting the ball over the infield. His one weakness is that he tends to play with half a bat when pushing on the off side, and often nicks the ball early on. He loves to hit through the gully region and over extra cover.

Pollock's batting has come on leaps and bounds recently. I have always thought of him as a fine player, but now he's added the confidence of Test hundreds to his natural ability. His innings of 69 in 34 balls at Perth last weekend is testimony to that advancement.

Verdict: 5-3 to Pollock

And one more ...
There is another allrounder who makes a difference and deserves a mention here - Jonty Rhodes. He's now in his thirties, but he seems as agile and energetic as ever. I'm often asked whether Jonty or Ricky Ponting is the better fielder. Ponting is very good, and he might hit the stumps more than Jonty - but Rhodes prevents singles by his sheer presence. Ponting is starting to do this too now, but Rhodes got there first and has been doing it throughout his career. As a stopper and diver Rhodes is outstanding, and his contribution to the team through his effervescence on the field is immense. His speed across 5-10 metres is electric, and occasionally if they do run, he throws them out. He is as good a catcher as anyone, although it's sometimes said that he gets too close. But he would be the first man I'd pencil in to my one-day World XI. So I'll give Rhodes 5 too.

Well, that's what I think. Isn't it great that cricket is such a subjective sport? These players represent the best there is to be had in the game. They are certainly all worth watching. Australia or no Australia, the spectators at Melbourne and Sydney will get their money's worth.

Bob Woolmer is Warwickshire's coach and ICC's high-performance manager. He was coach of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. More Bob Woolmer
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