Shami's ODI success, and England's No. 3 problem

Feb 27, 2015: Mohammed Shami has been in excellent ODI form over the last year, but the same can't be said for England's No. 3 batsmen

The slog-over deluge

Feb 20, 2015: Early numbers indicate this could be the best World Cup of all for batsmen, especially in the last ten overs

The most unfavoured opponent

Feb 13, 2015: Before the first India-Pakistan World Cup game in 1992, Pakistan had won 18 of their last 21 ODIs against India. But they lost in Sydney, and are still searching for their first World Cup win against India

The James Anderson factor

Feb 6, 2015: In the last couple of years Anderson has been the most-feared new-ball bowler in ODIs, but over the course of an entire innings South Africa have been the best bowling unit

Centuries galore for South Africa

Jan 30, 2015: Other teams have matched South Africa's top order in terms of averages and run rates in ODIs in the last two years, but none has scored hundreds at the rate that South African batsmen have

Australian challenge for spinners

Jan 23, 2015: Spinners have found it more difficult to take ODI wickets in Australia than in any other country, especially in the middle overs

Not a country for openers

Jan 16, 2015: Over the last six years, India has been the best country for opening batsmen in ODIs; Australia has been one of the worst

A bounty of runs

Jan 9, 2015: The ongoing Australia-India Test series has been an uninterrupted run-fest, and especially so for the captains

Two fortresses called Brisbane and Centurion

Dec 19, 2014: Australia haven't lost at the Gabba since 1988, while South Africa have a 14-2 record in Centurion. These are easily the two most dominant home venues going around

One win, 45 defeats

Dec 12, 2014: West Indies have been woeful in overseas Tests against the top teams in the last 14 years. Their only win has come in South Africa, where they return for a three-Test series

Tough for spinners in Australia

Dec 5, 2014: Slow bowlers have struggled to make an impact in Australia over the last few years, and that's even truer for overseas offspinners

Misbah's Pakistan or Imran's Pakistan?

Nov 21, 2014: Pakistan have notched up some fine wins under Misbah-ul-Haq's leadership, but they haven't yet achieved consistent results outside the UAE

Rohit or Rahane for overseas opener?

Nov 14, 2014: Rohit Sharma has been outstanding as an opener in home ODIs, but his overseas numbers don't look quite as good

Bangladesh's star with bat and ball

Nov 7, 2014: In only 36 Tests Shakib Al Hasan has twice achieved the double of a century and a five-for in the same Test, a feat that Kapil Dev and Richard Hadlee didn't achieve even once in their Test careers

Rewarding times for Hashim Amla

Oct 31, 2014: The rate at which Amla has accumulated ODI hundreds and MoM awards is among the fastest in history. And his runs-per-innings figure is easily the best of the lot

Younis Khan and the art of scoring hundreds

Oct 24, 2014: Out of 70 batsmen who've scored 15 or more Test hundreds only five are from Pakistan, but Younis Khan's appetite for hundreds matches that of some of the top contemporary batsmen

Spin challenge for Australia

Oct 17, 2014: On their last three tours to India, Australia have problems with spin - both bowling it and facing it. The series against Pakistan is an opportunity to prove they have learnt from those experiences

New rules, similar tempo

Oct 10, 2014: It's been almost two years since the four-outfielders rule was introduced, but while it has helped in boundary-hitting, the overall run rates haven't changed much

Why Ajmal will be missed in the UAE

Oct 3, 2014: Saeed Ajmal has taken almost a third of Pakistan's wickets in the Tests he has played, and since 2011 his combined record in Tests and ODIs is unmatched among spinners

Batting resurgence key to KKR's success

Sep 26, 2014: Prior to their 12-match winning streak, KKR had won only four of their previous 12. The bowling stats were better in the first phase, but the batting, led by Robin Uthappa, had led this revival