Wisden overview
Those who talk about the glorious unpredictability of cricket may have had Mathew Sinclair in mind. His boyish talent and attitude gained him a Test place, and a double-century on debut, against West Indies. Born in Australian, but educated in New Zealand, Sinclair was like a breath of fresh air, and such a promising talent that the selectors kept him away from one-day cricket lest his sharpness be blunted. Instead Sinclair went to South Africa for another Test hundred, picked up his second double against Pakistan and proved he was one-day material with two late-season one-day centuries at Sharjah. The fascination of Sinclair's batting is that at times he can look so fragile, so tempted to the risky stroke, and so often replies with a series of rattling boundaries, usually between third man and extra cover. This erratic approach is reflected by some all-or-nothing stats: Sinclair began his career with three scores of 150-plus, but nothing else over 50. There may not have been such a bewitching mixture of styles since Derek Randall sheathed his sword, except that Sinclair's footwork is the more classically accurate. And amid all the acclaim Sinclair retains his boyish charm, his obvious affection for the game - the way he likes to play it. Don Cameron

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