Nicholas Hogg

The pros have to deal with the pressure of high stakes and being shown up by technology, but the village ump's job isn't any easier

Can any modern player fill the gargantuan boots of Botham, Viv Richards or Harold Larwood? Glenn Maxwell is making a mighty fist of it

Why a ton of history, dating back to childhood games in the backyard, is necessarily tied up with thoughts about the beginning of the cricket season

Bat-making as a craft has undergone revolutionary changes and then some since the days of Hambledon

It's that time of year when you dust your kit and conveniently forget how the last season went

Ben Stokes may have broken his wrist by punching a locker door in anger, but that's much the same emotion he needs to channel at the top of his run-up

We don't think much about our bats, do we? No, not much at all

Streaker guard? Grass cutter? Bat maker? Or a sushi-eating cricket missionary?

How a team of sweating writers from England got through a joyous cricket tour that took in Colombo and Kandy

How long before the mighty heave that clears the stadium is awarded more than half a dozen runs?

A genuine English fast bowler, application for KP, a time machine for Sreesanth, and other humble requests

Think it's gone all pear-shaped for England in Australia? Other teams have had it worse when playing away from home

Just as Mitchell Johnson has risen from the ashes of cricket ignominy and ridicule, England need a new hero of the hour to inspire their fightback

Having a baying crowd in your corner can only be a good thing, can't it?

If a bowler hits the popping crease with a booming sidewinder that starts outside off and is about to uproot leg stump, not many batsmen are going to try anything fancy

How do you deal with a costly mistake on the field? By sobbing, praising your opponent's skill, or by using the power of your imagination?

Does a technical, complex sport like cricket contain new tricks that can't be taught to old dogs?

Would playing more mixed-sex cricket be an advancement of the sport?

Some call it a groove, others call it form, but all cricketers know when they're in it

The best in the business may say you can achieve a lot from a shortened run-up, but can you forego the power trip a long one gives you?