Anya Shrubsole, fed up of trying to get anything out of a turgid Taunton track, instead asks the ball for a miracle. Image: Harrias, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
News of a used pitch for a women’s Test - again - was rightly met with anger in England. But their opponents India cannot even aspire to frustration. We speak to the experts to find out why the world’s biggest cricket board sidelines its women.
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Image: Daniel Kalisz, Cricket Australia via Getty
R Ashwin the cricket nerd. R Ashwin the Youtuber. R Ashwin the all-rounder…all are in danger of obscuring R Ashwin the taker of Test wickets, and in particular the taker of Test five-fors.
Read More![A grown-up and now successful actor Irrfan Khan (RIP) playing the sport he was unable to pursue beyond youth level due to lack of funds. How many hundreds of millions of others must have faced the same choice? [Photo credit: Irrfan Khan]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd43ebb552300018d921a/1588182852190-Z490RON7WY2OPUAHFT4T/Irffan+Khan+Cricket.png)
A grown-up and now successful actor Irrfan Khan (RIP) playing the sport he was unable to pursue beyond youth level due to lack of funds. How many hundreds of millions of others must have faced the same choice? [Photo credit: Irrfan Khan]
The sadly late actor Irrfan Khan was forced to end a promising cricketing career through lack of funds. While we reflect on his legacy, let’s also reflect on the millions who worked, scrapped and sacrificed to make it in cricket but for any number of reasons, including just the sheer numbers game, didn’t.
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Six houses. Twenty-four cricketers…and you! Choose your house, and wait out the COVID cricket shutdown in cricketing company.
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We’ve got used to seeing one side of Chepauk empty - what happens when it’s every stand of every ground in the country? (Photo credit: Sportskeeda)
We now know that IPL 2020 will postponed, and if and when it starts it may be played behind closed doors. In anticipation of that, here are five VERY SERIOUS AND IMPORTANT QUESTIONS that demand VERY SERIOUS AND IMPORTANT ANSWERS.
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Roars of delight go up around Potchefstroom and beyond as Bangladesh’s inspirational tiger cubs get their paws on the U19 World Cup. (Image credit: ICC/Getty).
With another brilliant edition of the Under 19 World Cup done and dusted, and a new champion crowned, I select a Team of the Tournament with a twist - no more than one player per nation, strict Fantasy League style. Who makes the cut?
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Shikhar Dhawan, Joe Root and Marcus Stoinis - just 3 fine cricketers who might star in a 2nd XI T20 World Cup. (Image credits (L-R): Press Association, The Telegraph, Omnisport)
The strength in depth of world T20 cricket has never been greater - so if freak circumstances aligned to force every team in this autumn’s men’s T20 World Cup to go without their first-choice XI, who would cope best?
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The famous St George’s Park brass band parp proudly at the 2018 Test vs Australia. (Image credit: Getty Images).
England produced their best Test performance in almost a year to level the series at Newlands. South Africa look re-energised after a dreadful 2019, but have the biggest of big issues to grapple with. With the series balanced on a knife-edge, we look at who could come in and who miss out at Port Elizabeth.
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Who’s got a better seam position than Vernon Philander and Jasprit Bumrah? And who is the very best in the world? Find out in Part Two of my run-down of the 10 best seam positions in men’s Test cricket - the top five revealed!
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India’s bowling coach says Mohammed Shami has the best seam position in the world - so let’s find out if he was right. Here’s Part One of the 10 best seam positions in world cricket!
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The IPL Governing Council are considering allowing teams in next year’s tournament to sub in players mid-match from a squad of 15. Would anyone have been able to challenge 2019 victors Mumbai Indians with this rule in place? (Photo credit: Vipin Pawar, ESPNCricinfo)
The IPL strongly considered introducing a Power Player concept for next year's tournament - in effect, a subs bench. How would last year's franchises have benefited from the rule?
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Scott Kuggeleijn was not found guilty of rape. This is the most we can say legally, and the least we can say morally. Photo: Dominico Zapata, Fairfax NZ (now Stuff.co.nz)
⚠️Content warning: rape, sexual assault, misogyny⚠️ - attached in the spirit of informed consent
New Zealand Cricket have shown by their words and actions that they want the cricket community to treat Scott Kuggeleijn like just another player. But Scott Kuggeleijn has shown by his that we cannot, and must not.
England have hired the experienced and skilful off-spinner Jeetan Patel (middle) for the T20I leg of the tour of New Zealand. He’ll replace former Pakistan stalwart Saqlain Mushtaq (left) as spin bowling consultant - but the ECB’s 5-year-long failure to replace Mushtaq Ahmed (right) as permanent spin bowling coach is inexcusable.
England’s men haven't had a full-time spin bowling coach for 5 years. So why does the world's second-richest board maintain a short-sighted policy of hiring temporary consultants to fix a permanent shortcoming?
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The ICC Board (left panel) made positive strides in the room where it happens - but new BCCI President Sourav Ganguly (left panel, L) and the man who made that office infamous N Srinivasan (right panel, R) aren’t willing to wait for it.
With the ambitious Sourav Ganguly at the helm, backed by the still-influential old guard, the BCCI are coming for the tentatively forward-looking ICC. Cricket should be worried.
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R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja combined to devastating effect in Visakhapatnam - but are they really only effective on turning tracks in Asia? (Image: Reuters)
India’s spin twins R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are both record-breakers. But they are frequently painted as ineffective away from the dustbowls of Asia - is this characterisation fair, or even accurate?
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Adil Rashid got a hero’s welcome in Bradford after the World Cup win - but not all of Yorkshire has always treated him so well. (Pic - Bradford Telegraph & Argus)
Adil Rashid is the greatest wrist-spinner England have ever produced, and has been an important part of the most successful period in Yorkshire’s modern history. So why don’t Yorkshire appreciate him?
Read MoreRohit Sharma will find it even harder to make the transition to opening in Test cricket than Jason Roy did. Here’s why.
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In which I fall in love with New Zealand, and ignore former New Zealand fast bowler Iain O’Brien’s exhortation for me to skinny dip.
Read MoreComing to you live from a hotel room in Wellington! Oh, the glamour. PS - GuerillaCricket.com, 12:50am GMT. Do it!
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An early morning arrival in Melbourne, and a hunt for World Cup fever.
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