Blog: long reads on cricket

How athletic fielding moved from afterthought to match-winning weapon, and the fielders whose diving, throwing and catching raised the standard.

A practical guide to introducing children to cricket: games first, small-sided rules, safe equipment and a coaching style that keeps them coming back.

Predicting cricket's next decade: how formats, technology, women's cricket and new audiences could reshape the game, and what might stay the same.

Why a wicketkeeper standing up to the stumps changes a bowler's plan and forces a batter to rethink footwork, balance and the safety of the crease.

How Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket of 1977-79 raised wages and brought in coloured kit, night matches and a new style of television coverage.

From 9.30am starts in India to floodlit finals in prime time, here is how daylight, time zones and broadcasters decide when cricket begins.

How modern bats, wider stances, a stronger base and a new shot toolkit turned six-hitting from a risky gamble into a repeatable, coachable skill.

The story of the 1986 Chennai tied Test between Australia and India, from Dean Jones's heat-battered double hundred to a final-over drama.

Averages and strike rates tell a story, but only with context. Learn how era, pitches, sample size and role can change what the numbers really mean.

How selectors pick a Test bowling attack, weighing pitch, conditions, workload and series context to blend pace, swing, seam and spin into a balanced unit.

The 1992 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand brought coloured clothing, floodlights and white balls, and ended with an unlikely Pakistan triumph.

Before the first ball is bowled, groundstaff have been up for hours. Discover how mowing, rolling, covering and repair make every cricket match possible.