South Africa v Australia, 3rd Test, Cape Town, 5th day

Where did Harris find the swing and strength?

Mar 5, 2014: Plain numbers will never explain how good Ryan Harris was in Cape Town, where he defied logic and a crocked knee to bowl Australia to a famous victory

Graeme Smith retires

The boy giant who stood up to legends

Mar 5, 2014: Graeme Smith was South Africa's youngest captain, a brash boy who wasn't afraid of older men, and he grew up under the harsh glare of international captaincy. He succeeded

SA v Australia, 3rd Test, Cape Town, 1st day

Clarke (just about) survives Mornzilla

Mar 1, 2014: A blow-by-blow account of Morne Morkel's fearsome attack on Michael Clarke

South Africa v Australia, 2nd Test, Port Elizabeth, 4th day

Damn you, day five

Feb 23, 2014: The light was faded. Dale Steyn was bowled into the ground. There was one wicket to take. The forecast for Monday was awful. The ball was thrown to Dean Elgar ...

South Africa v Australia, 2nd Test, Port Elizabeth, 2nd day

Four years, three balls, two wickets

Feb 21, 2014: Wayne Parnell's career had drifted away on a sea of different team shirts but Vince Barnes threw him a lifeline - now he may have given South Africa one too

South Africa v Australia, 1st Test, Centurion, 4th day

Standing in the shadows of giants

Feb 15, 2014: Without the coach who took them to No. 1 and the allrounder who made them great, South Africa are trying to surf into a tidal wave

South Africa v Australia, 1st Test, Centurion, 2nd day

Nice to see you again, Mr Smith

Feb 13, 2014: Graeme Smith has plenty of memories of facing Mitchell Johnson. Some are good. Some are painful. In their first head-to-head of this series the fast bowler came out on top in double quick time

South Africa v Australia, 1st Test, Centurion, 1st day

More bust than boom

Feb 12, 2014: Proper cricket fans would have enjoyed Shaun Marsh's doggedness and Steven Smith's strokeplay - pity there were too few in the ground

Tell the administrators you're watching them

Jan 18, 2014: International cricket's top three seem to be planning a hostile takeover of the game. Do you want to stop them?

The Ashes 2013-14

England's road to hell

Jan 5, 2014: At the end, as their coach vowed to get more intense and controlling, England's players drifted round the SCG like broken machines

Australia v England, 5th Test, Sydney, 1st day

Trying to turn six into No. 1

Jan 3, 2014: Australia's top order has been bailed out time and again by Brad Haddin - but they will need to do better if they are going to top the rankings

Australia v England, 4th Test, Melbourne, 4th day

Where it all didn't go wrong for Australia

Dec 29, 2013: So much has clicked for Michael Clarke and his players, even on the occasions when things briefly looked like they might go right for England instead

Australia v England, 4th Test, Melbourne, 2nd day

Mitchell's MCG redemption

Dec 27, 2013: Three years ago there was plenty of noise at the MCG when Mitchell Johnson ran into bowl, but for very different reasons to the atmosphere that greeted him this time

When dad watched Sobers make 252

Dec 27, 2013: Watching Garry Sobers' famous innings for the World XI at the MCG was a near-religious experience for one part-time bartender

The Ashes 2013-14

Jimmy Anderson's Australian lament

Dec 16, 2013: James Anderson has been one of the most skilful bowlers of the modern age, but when George Bailey thrashed 28 off one over it was a reminder that Australia has not always been kind to him

Australia v England, 3rd Test, Perth, 2nd day

Australia restore WACA spirit

Dec 14, 2013: The WACA came to life on the second day as England fought valiantly in the face of oppressive heat and aggressive bowling

Australia v England, 3rd Test, Perth

Different worlds collide as Clarke and Cook hit 100

Dec 12, 2013: Two very different men will have the honour of captaining their countries in their 100th Test with the Ashes at stake

'Johnson is the uncommon denominator between the two series'

Dec 12, 2013: Jarrod Kimber and Gideon Haigh try to make sense of the first two Ashes Tests, and wonder if Flower turned his players into East German athletes

Australia v England, 2nd Test, Adelaide, 5th day

All calm in Johnson's slipstream

Dec 9, 2013: Somehow, in 88 days, the Ashes flipped around. Even the Barmy Army's Mitchell Johnson song doesn't make sense any more

Australia v England, 2nd Test, Adelaide, 4th day

Mighty young Joe

Dec 8, 2013: He stood up to Mitchell Johnson and showed the fight England and their fans needed. Joe Root was the boy who wouldn't back down