The Surfer

Following the drubbing in England, the good news for the Indian batsmen in Australia is that the ball will not do as much, laterally, for as long as it did in England, writes S Ram Mahesh in the Hindu

India shouldn't over-react to the conditions

ESPN 's Wright Thompson, an American journalist, on his experience of watching and reporting on a Test match at Lord's.

An American take on Test cricket

In the Express Tribune , Z Ali looks at how the Niaz Stadium , in the Pakistan city of Hyderabad, is in a state of disrepair two weeks before its golden jubilee celebrations are to be held

A stadium in shambles

25-Feb-2013•Cricinfo

A promising future for New Zealand

A run to the World Cup semi-final, and a rare Test victory over Australia were among the highlights of 2011 for New Zealand

25-Feb-2013•Cricinfo

All I want for Christmas …

In the Mumbai Mirror , Deepak Narayanan's complied a tongue-in-cheek list of what certain members of the cricket community would like for Christmas.

"Sixty-four years ago, in a preliminary to India's first tour of Australia, Don Bradman made his 100th 100

A ton of reasons to be at the MCG

As Australia and India prepare for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, Ted Corbett, writing in the Hindu , reminds them that England have beaten them both in 2011 and that the Border-Gavaskar trophy is a contest for second place.

A battle for second place

Jamie Pandaram, writing in Australia's Daily Telegraph , speaks to Dan Christian's family about his growing up years.

Christian picked cricket over rugby

In the Otago Daily Times Adrian Seconi talks to Suzie Bates , who was recently named captain on New Zealand's women's cricket team

An Olympian captain

25-Feb-2013•Cricinfo

Ed Cowan a breath of fresh air

Ed Cowan's rise to the Test team has been followed by many and he has found support from strong quarters

From MS Dhoni's ultimate captain's innings to Alastair Cook finally cutting loose, the Guardian 's blog lists a few cherished moments of 2011.

<i>The Spin</i>'s cricket moments of 2011

Nur Khan, the former head of the PCB who passed away recently, would be remembered as a visionary when it came to sports administration, even though cricket wasn't his favourite sport, writes Osman Samiuddin in the National

Nur Khan expanded cricket's boundaries

VVS Laxman makes another entry to the country in which he has scored a truckload of runs

Will Laxman torment Australia one last time?

In an interview to the Sunday Island , Dr Ali Bacher, the former South Africa captain and one of the country's most recognisable cricket administrators, talks about the pain of isolation from the 1970s, the 2003 World Cup, Hansie Cronje, the

'We were isolated for 21 years and it had to happen'

Michael Clarke, writing in Australia's Daily Telegraph , says his team takes responsibility for the batting in Hobart

Working hard to be at best on Boxing Day - Clarke

In the Yahoo cricket website, Rahul Bhatia goes behind the scenes to explore why the BCCI pulled the plug on its US$ 350 million broadcasting deal with Nimbus Communications.

How the Nimbus deal imploded

25-Feb-2013•Nitin Sundar

Hobart glory reveals size of Test-match fan base

New Zealand's win in Hobart has shown that the country has a bigger fun base for Tests than the crowds suggest and it's important New Zealand pays more attention to that, such as keeping Boxing Day Tests at the Basin Reserve, writes Adam Parore in

The progress into Test cricket from the limited-overs game by Australia's David Warner has been astonishing and highlights England's old-fashioned thinking, writes Mike Selvey in the Guardian .

David Warner's progress can be an eye-opener

"Doug Bracewell was always going to be a tough customer," writes Ian Snook for Fairfax Media

Doug Bracewell's talent learnt from the best