The announcement of Neil Fairbrother's retirement means cricket will lose one of its great finishers. Fairbrother's unflappable nudging and nurdling made him one of the first finishers to be seen in one-day internationals, and the Wisden Wizard shows that he remains one of the best. There is a big difference between finishing in the first and second innings of a one-dayer, and where these men really earn their corn are in run-chases, where there is no place to hide if the game is to be won. So, who are the men who average the most in matches where their side have won batting second? Fairbrother himself averages a mighty 81, while Michael Bevan's average of 98 will surprise nobody who has seen him rescue lost causes time and time again.

But it is another, less heralded left-hander who leads the way. Russel Arnold has batted in 13 successful Sri Lankan run-chases and averages a staggering 147. That owes much to 10 not-outs, but these should not be sneezed at. The true finisher will always see the job through to the bitter end.

Apart from that there are the usual suspects - Graham Thorpe and Peter Kirsten - and a few unlikely ones as well: Geoff Boycott averaged 55 for England when they won batting second, and quite what Kumara Dharmasena is doing in second place is anyone's guess. And you might have heard the odd debate about where Nasser Hussain should bat in England's one-day side; his average when England win batting second (64.16) suggests those former players in the press-box might have had a point after all.

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