Blog: long reads on cricket

From Lagaan to Fire in Babylon, cricket films reveal how different countries see the game: as empire, rebellion, family drama and national pride.

From crackling radio to ultra-high-definition replays, cricket commentary has shaped how fans experience the game. Meet the voices and the changes.

Test cricket crowds drift, chat, sing and settle in for days. Explore the rituals and atmosphere that make the five-day game's audiences unique.

On streets, beaches and rooftops, improvised cricket shapes players and communities alike. See how gully games work and why they matter to the sport.

Why does cricket stop for tea? Explore the intervals, customs and unwritten codes that give the game its distinctive identity and sense of civility.

From the dreaded 111 to the pad that must go on first, why cricketers cling to rituals in a game built on uncertainty and chance.

From Bodyline to the underarm ball to a stumping at Lord's, how cricket keeps arguing about where fair play ends and the rules begin.

Why Ashes, India-Pakistan and West Indian victories in England matter far beyond the scoreboard, and what rivalries say about the nations playing them.

Trade ships, army garrisons, school playing fields and local passion: how a village game from south-east England became a global sport.

From Victorian verse to village-green comedy and Caribbean essays, the poems, novels and memoirs that have made cricket a literary game.