Ed Smith

Former Kent batsman. Writer of Luck - A Fresh Look at Fortune

Can sportsmen be called geniuses?

Mastery, playfulness, naturalness, style, wonder, mystery - all these concepts are relevant to the idea of genius. But is the term relevant to sport at all?

21-Sep-2015•Ed Smith

In praise of the old dog

Sometimes it just makes sense to pick an in-form player in his 30s than a younger alternative

25-Aug-2015•Ed Smith

Captaincy: why authenticity matters

In the hare-and-tortoise comparison of Clarke and Cook, we must not lose sight of the fact that one man's methods are not necessarily better than the other's

10-Aug-2015•Ed Smith

Selection: the most underrated force in a team's fortunes

Once the players are out on the pitch, they are on their own - which makes it important to get the right ones out there in the first place

28-Jul-2015•Ed Smith

England and the importance of optimism and innocence

Momentum isn't only about winning sessions in a row. It is a direct result of the kind of players you pick

13-Jul-2015•Ed Smith

Cook's clarity breeds resilience

With his immaculate concentration at Lord's on Sunday, England's captain revealed his mental toughness. Whatever the sphere, the latter flows from the former

25-May-2015•Ed Smith

Natural leaders are made in retrospect

There is no template for the perfect captain. Some of the game's greatest were not identified as such straightaway

11-May-2015•Ed Smith

Follow in the bare footsteps of the Kalenjin

Champion runners from the Kenyan tribe show how the interventions of modern sports science can be counterproductive if relied upon too soon. Cricketers, are you listening?

20-Apr-2015•Ed Smith

What did we learn from this World Cup?

That there is a place for proper batsmanship in ODIs, that New Zealand punch above their weight, and that taking wickets wins you matches

29-Mar-2015•Ed Smith

Data is not the enemy

Taking the stats at your disposal into account does not mean your players cannot play a fearless and instinctive brand of cricket

16-Mar-2015•Ed Smith

The World Cup needs the Associates

Our sport can never hope to compete with football unless it takes an expansionist view

03-Mar-2015•Ed Smith

How much can a captain influence short-term performance?

Modern captains have less power than ever, yet they are still held overwhelmingly accountable for decisions and tactics arrived at by backroom consensus

16-Feb-2015•Ed Smith

Why sport needs to be playful

The only way to win, in the deepest sense, is to enjoy playing

02-Feb-2015•Ed Smith

Test cricket is on the brink of exhaustion

The rise of New Zealand is heartening, but the preponderance of whitewashes in the five-day game tells of cramped itineraries that demean rivalry

12-Jan-2015•Ed Smith

It's not the plan, stupid

Good performances make all plans look good. The better team on the day always wins, irrespective of what was strategised in the dressing room

22-Dec-2014•Ed Smith

Why poor leadership is about followers too

Players blame coaches for poor leadership, but often it's just a case of them being poor followers, or there being better players available for selection

09-Dec-2014•Ed Smith

You can't bully cricketers into performing better

Lessons from a book that delivers insights on coaching and captaincy without once mentioning either

09-Nov-2014•Ed Smith

Why the perfect technique is the one that disappears

The various acts that are involved in playing cricket well happen best intuitively, when we aren't consciously perfection in them

27-Oct-2014•Ed Smith

A genius of self-belief and desire

Players achieve greatness in different ways. With KP, embryonic greatness poured out like incense

08-Oct-2014•Ed Smith

What baseball can teach cricket about expansion

Cricket should look to not only shore up struggling and emerging cricketing nations but also to export the game with entrepreneurial vigour

24-Sep-2014•Ed Smith

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