Blog: long reads on cricket
Original long reads on tactics, history, science, culture and the future of the game.
Sobers, Lara, Gower and Gilchrist: why left-handers look so elegant, how they unsettle bowlers, and what makes them a pleasure to watch.
Fan Guide Following Cricket Across Time Zones: Surviving the Awkward HoursHow fans plan viewing, use highlights, sleep smartly and stay in the loop when matches start in the middle of the night or the working day.
Women's Cricket The Pipeline: How Girls’ Cricket Grows from the GrassrootsBehind every international star lies a path through schools, clubs and programmes. Here is how girls' cricket is built from the ground up.
Future Four Days or Five? The Great Test Match ArgumentShould Test cricket be shortened to four days? We weigh the arguments on scheduling, results, tradition and fairness on both sides of the debate.
Tactics Two Spinners in T20: When It Wins Matches and What It CostsWhen picking a pair of spinners helps a T20 side, how the two work together, and the balance a team gives up to play them.
History Lord’s 2019: The Final Decided by a Tie, a Super Over and BoundariesEngland and New Zealand tied the 2019 World Cup final and the Super Over, and England won on boundaries. The story of a famous final.
Science Shine On: Why Fielders Polish Only One Side of the BallThe logic behind keeping one side of the cricket ball shiny and the other rough, how it helps swing, and what the laws say you may…
Culture Lucky Pads and Nelson’s Number: Cricket’s SuperstitionsFrom the dreaded 111 to the pad that must go on first, why cricketers cling to rituals in a game built on uncertainty and chance.
Players Spin Twins: How Great Bowling Partnerships Hunt in PairsFrom Laker and Lock to Ashwin and Jadeja, discover how pairs of spinners squeeze, probe and trap batters together on turning pitches.
Fan Guide Tours, Series and Tournaments: How Cricket’s Calendar Really WorksConfused by tours, bilateral series, ICC events and franchise leagues? Here is a clear guide to how each format of competition works and why it matters.
Future Seeing Every Edge: How Broadcast Technology Remade Watching CricketFrom stump cameras and slow-motion replays to ball tracking and on-screen graphics, see how television technology changed how fans follow cricket.
Tactics Why Slip Fielding Is Cricket’s Hardest JobReflexes, footwork, soft hands and mental stamina: what makes the slip cordon the most demanding position on the whole field.