Meanwhile, Jatin and I were palpitating on our presentation. I wasn’t that nervous about the presentation itself but about how much time we would get and when. That morning, Boria had slotted us in the earlier session from the one where I had been merely inked in as a “discussant” (which was a relief because I had been expected to comment on the presentation of those before us and then abruptly move into our own, which just seemed a bizarre thing to do). But things didn’t go well for us, as Charles Fry (the fabled CB Fry’s grandson and current MCC President) – the moderator of the session on legacy did not do a great job on timing the other three presentations, and time was up before we even began.
We were scheduled to be fitted into the next session (the last of the conference), which in turn annoyed David Kendix – the official ICC statistician who was due to present next with his colleague Rob Eastaway. Finally, Boria and Brian Murgatroyd – the ICC Media Manager, had a feverish discussion and promised to give us twenty minutes at the very end after David finished (it was touch-and-go and very tense for a while). There would be no time for a Q&A session. Disoriented and irritated, it filled me with a disquiet that didn’t leave me for a few days after that. (Jatin adds: Ask me; I had to bear the brunt of it for the next few days. Sreeram’s calming influence would certainly have helped a lot here.)
But it also gave me an energy that I wouldn’t have had otherwise perhaps. When our turn came (after an interesting presentation from Rob and David about individual and team rankings over the years in Test cricket), Jatin set up our laptop through the projector, and I just launched into it at breakneck speed, past caring somewhat. This detachment helped – I didn’t stumble at all like I had feared and the pace made sure I never had time to be self-conscious even once. The interest levels gradually began to rise, and by the time I explained our methodology – I could tell that we had the audience’s attention. There were nods and smiles and some comments began to emanate too – all indicating great interest (Jatin adds: I observed a few people taking down notes during our presentation).
The cartoons (by Rajnikanth and Sreeram) got laughter, and by the time I started doing the player rankings – interest was palpably fever pitch, as they tried to guess who the next player would be. Jatin got on to present the applications when Boria began to point at his watch. It was a little nerve-racking as this was a very important part of our presentation. But Jatin went through it coolly. (Jatin adds: A few encouraging words from Don and Paddianne reassuring me about our content before the presentation went a long way in settling my nerves). 
As he paused to enable me to deliver the cute little summation we’d prepared, the audience began to clap. And clap. They thought we’d finished, however abruptly, and it seemed facile trying to deliver the summation now. I switched off our machine and got off. As we walked out, and they feverishly prepared the room for the closing address from the ICC big brass, there was still some clapping going on. Hilary Beckles heartily congratulated us on our way out – the first time he had spoken to us during the conference. We had his respect. There were also comments that we’d actually addressed a problem that had been spoken about for years but never actually been tackled with a serious solution.
(Jatin adds: As I introduced myself to Hilary Beckles after dinner - the response to the presentation gave me some confidence - I was pleasantly taken aback when he invited me to come down to the University of Barbados and pursue a PhD in Cricket!)
Most people assumed we were professional cricket statisticians, and I did not go out of my way to correct their notion. In India at least, too many people think that if you do more than one thing, you are a mere dabbler, and don’t take you seriously (it’s easy to come to such conclusions since they don’t require you to think and judge for yourself).
Later, Don Neely and Paddianne gave us the thumbs up – said we’d done something genuinely new. Don asked us not to feel sheepish about our findings – as I was slightly about Bob Simpson making the top ten. He said it was great that this study was giving importance to some people who didn’t get their due before.
Next day, I was surprised again when Gideon Haigh told me that Simpson would be in his all-time Australian XI for sure. It was a pity that we managed to have a nice chat with Gideon only on the last day – it was very stimulating and interesting but there was so much more that I’d have loved to pick his brains on. He was there with his charming wife who is expecting so I felt conscious about taking too much of his time. They were on an Ashes honeymoon, he said. I did almost ask if they would consider naming their child (if a boy) after the Man of the Series but decided against it (didn’t want to offend them in any way). In any case, Michael and Clarke are probably too common as names for them.
The night before, at the final dinner, Haroon Lorgat (CEO of ICC) encouraged us warmly. He specifically suggested that we keep in touch with the ICC and see what we can do together on this (he meant the rankings part). Brian Murgatroyd (Media Manager – ICC) was also very friendly and made sure I had all their contacts. (They have kept in touch since I got back – which is the other interesting thing – my experience of the ICC has been very good till now; they’ve been polite, helpful, alert and responsive to everything, which does make you wonder slightly about why their reputation is what it is).
Tony was delighted with our presentation – he said it was appreciated all around from what he could see. In fact, he complimented us on our manner of presentation too, crisp and clear, he said. He had no idea about how much the panicky circumstances contributed to that.