23.5

Wait, how many degrees does Saeed Ajmal's elbow flex again? And does that make him the reincarnation of Plastic Man? Oh wait, it's eight. No, it's 15. No, it's a problem with English not being his first language. His action's legit, it's not, it's hours of fun for everyone.

1.55

What do you call it when you pull strings to make sure you're able to get the English allrounder of your dreams for your IPL team by paying over a million and a half dollars, and he plays three matches making not very many runs and taking not very many wickets? Karma?

Feb 8, 2012

T20 for T20's sake

The Associate players are participating in the BPL, Scott Styris is playing T20s for his fourth county, and even Murali has signed with Gloucestershire this season - all playing the format for love (and money) of the game.

T20 for nation's sake

Is it at all cool for James Anderson to claim that the reason he has entered his name in the IPL auction list is so he can make a case for his recall to the England Twenty20 side? How hurt will the franchises feel?

Feb 2, 2012

Seam

It has been the flavour of the season and what has caused the Indians to look so sour through the Test series in Australia

Stream

Stop that right now. Haven't you heard watching cricket matches online illegally is the greatest danger facing cricket today?

Jan 27, 2012

IPL

We love to hate it but we can't do without it. Neither can Ravi Bopara, who opted out last season, insisting he preferred county cricket over the league. But he's back now, like a moth towards this glorious flame.

BPL

There's a lot of buzz surrounding the new Bangladesh league, but is it turning out to be as unpopular to play in as the national side? Sammy has opted out and Afridi says he probably won't participate.

Jan 21, 2012

Bowled

Rahul Dravid has messed up his furniture eight times in his last ten innings. India may be abysmal right now, but that is some consistency

Caught

Mervyn Westfield not only took money to underperform, he even told his team-mate what he did. Not smart

Jan 15, 2012

Fighting talk

Treat the series against England like war, Ramiz Raja has advised Pakistan, political correctness be damned, in a modern retelling of Imran Khan's famous "cornered tigers" speech. Or something

Rolling over

Down under, having been thrashed to within an inch of their lives, India are being told this will help them build character. We're all for character, but is there a less painful way of acquiring it, please?

Jan 9, 2012

Ducks

You only really love things when you don't get enough of 'em. Like Jacques Kallis getting his first pair in Tests in 16 years.

Hundreds

The SCG is hosting its 100th Test. Peter Siddle has got to 100 Test wickets. Sangakkara got his first in South Africa. Everybody's getting them, except...

Jan 3, 2012

Debutants

Five-fors for Nathan Lyon, R Ashwin, Vernon Philander, Marchant de Lange, Pat Cummins, a half-century for Ed Cowan, all in their first Tests. The batch of 2011 is a pretty successful one, isn't it?

Farewells

So many new players are coming in but who's going out? India's big three show no signs of leaving, Warne, Hayden and MacGill have returned. Cricket's roster is getting as crowded as its itinerary

Dec 28, 2011

Coaching the coaches

Rod Marsh will be in charge of the coaching system in Australia. Now that's a novel idea. Someone to mind the coaches and teach them how to stare into the laptop and look in control when the team's collapsing out on the field. What will Warne say to the use coaches for coaches? And has John Buchanan applied for the post yet?

Sledging the opposition

The players are behaving themselves so the media outlets of India and Australia have taken the responsibility of mental disintegration, with reports about India wanting to leave Canberra because of the rain and researchers claiming Tendulkar is statistically better than Bradman. Boring and old

Dec 22, 2011

Gavaskar

Move over Hobart Test, there's a new thriller in town. Was Sunny G promised a fee of Rs 5 crore by the BCCI, which was then not paid? Yes, says Mr G. Yes, chirps Lalit Modi in assent. No, says the board's Rajiv Shukla. We're on the edge of our seats.

Sri Lanka

So their players haven't been paid for yonks, but instead of getting all militant and downing tools, they're placidly playing on - though even a promised partial payment hasn't materialised - saying they have cricket on their minds, not cash. Yawn.

Dec 16, 2011

Sticking to their guns

Angry young men Simon Katich and Graeme Swann have asserted their right to be inflammatory about their team-mates by standing by their kerfuffle-inducing statements about Michael Clarke and Kevin Pietersen respectively. That's the spirit, lads - no retreat, baby, no surrender.

Voting for change

Cricket Australia has in its hands a report that tells it to not just get its house in order but to turn it upside down first. And what do the fine gents at the board do? Assent meekly. "Everyone knows it's the right way forward for the next 100 years," chairman Wally Edwards said spinelessly.

Dec 10, 2011

Dravid

In 2011 Rahul Dravid returned to India's one-day and Twenty20 sides, then retired from the two formats, became the leading run-scorer in Tests in the calendar year and has now been named the Rajasthan Royals captain for 2012. Lots of action from one who many said should have retired last year.

Gayle

After turning down a central contract and being dropped from the West Indies squad, Chris Gayle went off to Zimbabwe to play Twenty20. But his presence hasn't made a huge difference to his side, Matabeleland Tuskers, who failed to reach the final of the Stanbic Bank 20. Thumbs down.

Dec 4, 2011

Draws

The India-West Indies Test in Mumbai has sexed up the boring old draw. Everyone's in a tizzy. Scores level? Why isn't it a tie? Why didn't Ashwin run? What's happening to the West Indies?

ODIs

Everyone talks about saving Tests and making money from Twenty20, but what about poor old ODIs? Swann said they could just kill the format - and he's the No. 3 bowler in the rankings. Sniff.

Nov 28, 2011

Nehra's back

You want commitment? Here. Fresh off weeks in training and bowling in the nets, gangly Indian colossus Ashish Nehra is back playing domestic cricket - his first first-class match in three years to boot.

Mickey's back

Welcome back, Mr Arthur. Coaching an international side again, we see. But then again, a South African leading Oz? How ignoble. What a blot on the noble Ozzie tradition of homegrown coaches. Fie.

Nov 22, 2011

22

Number of years Sachin Tendulkar has played international cricket. Not quite WG Grace yet, but impressive endurance. If only he had an equally impressive beard to match.

2

Number of Tests played by South Africa and Australia in this series. After all the fun in Cape Town, it's like being shown a preview of a thriller but not the movie itself

Nov 16, 2011

Captain's knock

He's not got steel, Clarke doesn't, they said. Well, he showed them, didn't he, with a gritty and attacking hundred against Steyn and Co on a juicy Newlands pitch, scoring half of his side's runs on day one. That's a brave Pup.

Ex-captain's talk

After his momentuous comeback, Shahid Afridi has informed the world that it is "time to play cricket", that he missed playing for Pakistan, and that he has no problems playing under Misbah. Thanks for the info, Shahid.

Nov 10, 2011

Returning at 42

Life begins at 40? You're damn tootin'. Among the reasons offered for Shane Warne's likely signing to play for Melbourne in the Big Bash this summer: his kids are now old enough to watch him play. Beat that, Sanath Jayasuriya.

Returning at, er, 31

Is anyone keeping track of Shahid Afridi's multiple-asterisked retirements and flouncings out? This latest comeback to ODI cricket is being sold as a return from a "wild period". More details of wildness please, or we'll be tuning out.

Nov 4, 2011

"Can't get worse"

Graeme Swann showed a glimmer of optimism about the Twenty20 in which he leads England against India, after suffering a 5-0 loss in the ODIs.

"Next time is the last time"

It's something addicts say. And something Shahid Afridi says every time he returns to cricket from yet another retirement. See the connection?

Oct 29, 2011

Aggression

England haven't come to India to play social cricket games, Jonathan Trott informs us. So it's all about glares and snarls and spitting and cussing. Right you are, JT, none of us want to watch a three-year-old's tea party.

Submission

God, West Indies, what's wrong with you? Bowled out for 61 by Bangladesh? And Zimbabwe disappointing after a cracking comeback. Depressing to watch these two not threaten the higher-ranked teams one bit.

Oct 22, 2011

The Swann revelations

Ooh, trouble in the camp at No. 1 Test Side HQ wot? Tell us more Mr Champion Offspinner Cheeky Chappie Fellow, tell us about how KP is no cop as captain. What's that? You "wouldn't say he was a useless captain, but he wasn't my sort of captain"? Excellent, that says enough, thanks very much.

The Shoaib shockers

So Pakistan are scandal-ridden, controversy-prone, saga-driven? Who woulda ever thunk it, had dear old Shoaib not produced a book with the sordid details, eh? Thank the lord you had the material handed to you on a plate and move on to Bollywood, will you? There's a nice lad.

Oct 17, 2011