The fortunes of West Indies appear to be taking a turn for the better, and you only need look at the Cricket WorldŽ ODI MVP Ratings for proof.
Leading the way with the bat is captain Chris Gayle, with a rating of 47.5, nearly two points clear of Pakistan batsman Mohammad Yousuf, and with Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Marlon Samuels in the top 20, the West Indies are beginning to be seen as something of a threat again in the One Day arena.
Jostling for position behind Gayle are also Graeme Smith (South Africa), Sachin Tendulkar (India), Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) and Brendon McCullum (New Zealand).
New players to have made an instant impact include Jesse Ryder (15th, New Zealand), and Nasir Jamshed (16th, Pakistan).
Australia's Adam Gilchrist ended his career with a rating of 37.9 in 8th place overall.
Meanwhile, Jerome Taylor, who enjoyed a superb tour of Zimbabwe is second in the bowling rankings with a score of 24.6, second only to Sri Lanka's Dilhara Fernando.
He is the only West Indian bowler in the top 20, but with the promise he has shown, it will be a surprise if he is not in the top 20 for some time to come.
South African Andre Nel is 3rd, followed by Shoaib Malik (Pakistan), Nathan Bracken (Australia) and Charl Langeveldt (South Africa).
Dan Vettori (9th) is the top Kiwi, Murali Kartik and Praveen Kumar (11th and 12th) lead the way for India, while Andrew Flintoff (19th) remains England's top bowler despite being out of action for nearly a year.
The Cricket World MVP Ratings take into account the last five internationals played in a calendar year, thus giving a barometer of who is really in form.
ODI MVPS (as at April 10th, 2008):
Batting
C Gayle (WIN) 47.5
Mohammad Yousuf (PAK) 45.8
G Smith (RSA) 43.4
S Tendulkar (IND) 42.6
KC Sangakkara (SRI) 42.1
BB McCullum (NZL) 42.0
Younus Khan (PAK) 37.9
AC Gilchrist (AUS) 37.9
JH Kallis (RSA) 36.6
HH Gibbs (RSA) 33.0
Bowling
CRD Fernando (SRI) 29.2
JE Taylor (WIN) 24.6
A Nel (RSA) 24.0
Shoaib Malik (PAK) 20.7
NW Bracken (AUS) 18.6
CK Langeveldt (RSA) 18.0
M Morkel (RSA) 17.9
DL Vettori (NZL) 17.9
Shoaib Akhtar (PAK) 17.8
M Kartik (IND) 16.5
P Kumar (IND) 16.5
