Nicholas Hogg

Escaping the cold of England for a cricket tour and a wedding celebration in India: capital idea, no?

Bats, artificial pitches, blingy bails - we've come a long way in terms of cricket equipment

In which the author, compelled by the depredations of age, attempts a change in cricket speciality

Harold Larwood was a great who was made out to be a villain - the perfect replacement for Robin Hood in the eyes of a young ten-year-old

Letter from… London

In which gongs are handed out and wishes drawn up

Cook lacks certain qualities the ex-England captain listed as those necessary for an ideal leader, in particular, charisma

It's not just about wanting your side to win; there's also the matter of which players you want to do well

It's one way to keep in touch with the game in the long, dark English winters

A letter from a fan who grew up idolising the great Caribbean sides of the '80s

Standing up to an intimidating opposition rather than complaining about them might be an old-school attitude, but it's still relevant

Or do the sporting daydreams of childhood seep into attempts at rendering the game in fiction and trivialise it?

Should it be someone similar to yourself? Or do opposites attract?

For several retired pros, life after cricket has meant more cricket. Permanently shutting out the game is harder than it looks

Your first six? A last-ball victory? The legendary and the quiet moments of your favourite players?

Baseball may be cricket's closest relative, but it's boxing that actually offers most to the cricketer

An Englishman discovers cricket fervour in India, and realises he can't quite win a game against Indians back home either

Are some people just made to lead and the rest to follow? Let's examine the case of the two Captains Cook

Can those hurried scrawls reveal the private workings of a professional player's mind?

No matter how elegant your strokeplay, the clumsy dive into the crease that fails to save your bacon is forever graceless