PATHAN COMPARISON

They will, in the next few years, have two quality all-rounders. MS Dhoni is finding his way as a test batsman. But, Irfan Pathan is developing into the real thing.

So far in this Perth test, he's scored 74 runs and taken 4 wickets.

But how good is he? Well, it's one of the unwritten rules of being a great all-rounder - your batting average must be higher than your bowling. A look back in history confirms this:

Greatest All-rounders Test matches:

Imran Khan | Batting Average: 37.69 | Bowling Average: 22.81

Ian Botham | Batting Average: 33.54 | Bowling Average: 28.40

Richard Hadlee | Batting Average: 27.16 | Bowling Average: 22.29

Kapil Dev | Batting Average: 31.05 | Bowling Average: 29.64

Andrew Flintoff | Batting Average: 32.50 | Bowling Average: 32.02

Irfan Pathan | Batting Average: 31.27 | Bowling Average: 31.21

This is a list of truly great players. And one thing's for sure, Irfan Pathan is not far away from being right up there – and both sets of figures are going in the right direction.