There are many ways to skin cats.

Jonny Wilkinson would probably accomplish it armed with sterilised surgical instruments and under laboratory conditions, his every move watched by a hand-picked team of advisers.

Andrew Flintoff, in contrast, would probably rely on his bare hands.

The two Englishmen are contrasting characters with contrasting approaches to their trades, the former prone to calm introspection and rigorous analysis, the latter rather less so.

They have one thing in common, though, both having been hailed as the best in their respective sporting fields.

Flintoff skinned his cat by topping the most recent PricewaterhouseCoopers rankings as the best all rounder in the world.

That accolade is highly debatable, of course, the list reflecting performance rather than innate class.

But while the giant Lancastrian may not be blessed with the all-round gifts of Jacques Kallis or Shaun Pollock, he is certainly in the batting form of his life, and with the potential to improve further.

Tuesday's Sri Lankan debacle apart -- and what a Dambulla debacle it was -- the 25-year-old has averaged more than 62 in his last 15 one-dayers and more than 52 in his last five Tests. In his last Test series against South Africa, he hit one century and three 50s in five matches.

DIRE WARNINGS

Flintoff, though, deserves to be celebrated as much for the manner in which he plays as for the statistics.

Few players have ever struck a cricket ball more powerfully.

His 142 off 146 balls, including 102 in boundaries, at Lord's in July against the South Africans encapsulated the man.

Not so very long ago, there were doubts that he would ever exploit his undoubted potential.

His fondness for junk food, beer and his sofa led to a weight problem which, in turn, preceded a string of back injuries.

Coach Duncan Fletcher's dire warnings eventually led 'Freddie' kicking and screaming into a more professional approach.

CULT HERO

But he has remained something of the cult hero among English fans for his engaging personality and uncompromising, devil-may-care style. The smile rarely leaves Flintoff's face.

Wilkinson, in contrast, never appears to have much time for flippancy or recreation, let alone beaming.

He prefers a calculator or a slide rule where Flintoff would opt for fingers and thumbs.

A flyhalf who tackles above his weight and kicks close to perfection, Wilkinson shares the bigger man's heart but otherwise he has chosen a different way up the mountain.

For him, being the best -- and Wilkinson really can claim to be the best all-round number 10 in the world, with apologies to Carlos Spencer's magical running -- is a very, very serious business indeed.