A short history of the cricket bat

The Pakistan team that won its first Test series in England in 1987 was probably the finest in the country's history

Nearly 110 years ago, South Africa held their nerve in a one-wicket nail-biter against England to secure their first ever Test win

When Ross Taylor made 290 in Perth recently, he broke a record by Tip Foster that had lasted for 111 years. Other records by Foster still endure

A look at four players whose Test careers and ambitions were thwarted by cancelled tours

From Ted McDonald to Richard Ellison, certain players saved their best for the old rivalry, before drifting away for various reasons

With defeat imminent, they were drinking their sorrows away but on the last day they scripted one of the greatest turnarounds in Test cricket

In a closely fought World Cup game against Pakistan in 1979, two of England's star players did a Freaky Friday to take their side to victory

In 1975, a must-win group game influenced which two sides made it into the eventual title match

India may only have a handful of wins in Australia, but the number of close contests are often forgotten, starting with this one in 1967-68

We might know him better as a commentator, but in his day he was a fine spinner and, when called on, a gritty opener

One of Australian cricket's leading voices, he was also a technically correct opener who took on some of the best fast bowling attacks with distinction over a ten-year career

It's easy to forget that some popular commentators of our time were excellent cricketers before they took up the mike

The South African batsman's superior Test numbers may have slipped under the radar because of his team's poor record in the few years either side of the Second World War

The antithesis of the dour English batting stereotype, Compton wowed fans and peers with his ability to play all the shots in the textbook and several outside of it

One of India's greatest allrounders is today unfortunately mostly remembered for a mode of dismissal that, though legitimate, is seen by many to be unfair

Let the home team prepare the kind of pitch they want but let the visitors decide whether to bat or field first on it

Wasim Raja played 57 Tests, scored four centuries, and averaged 36.16. But those numbers don't reveal his value to the side or the joy he brought to those watching

In the '80s, the classy Roy Dias gave stability to a Sri Lankan batting line-up that had to compete against teams with far greater experience and depth

A look at some brave efforts from injured batsmen who managed to return to the field to resume the fight