The Surfer

Ever since he made his debut in 1996, cricket pundits have found it near impossible to bracket Shahid Afridi’s contributions, writes Aditya Iyer in the Indian Express

Afridi: Born to lead

Indian cricket may be witnessing the birth of a new Yuvraj Singh in this World Cup, writes Nihal Koshi in the Indian Express but signs of a turnaround from his form-slump were evident to those close to him, as early as last November

The new and improved Yuvraj Singh

Cricket encounters between India and Pakistan come with the inevitable mix of passion, paranoia, politics and propaganda, writes Ashok Malik in the Asian Age

Moving beyond boundaries

Stephen Brenkley captures the buzz and he build-up ahead of India's semi-final clash against Pakistan in Mohali in the Independent .

'A game that's more than cricket'

25-Feb-2013•Siddhartha Talya

'England should look ahead'

England need to start planning for the next World Cup right now says Geoffrey Boycott, writing in the Daily Telegraph

In the New Zealand Hearald , David Leggat says Kyle Mills' altercation with Faf du Plessis was a blemish on an excellent match for New Zealand

How far should New Zealand take aggression

25-Feb-2013•Dustin Silgardo

A test of India's temperament

Technically, India’s batsmen form a superb unit, says Duncan Fletcher, writing in the Guardian

Kishore Bhimani, writing in the Telegraph , remembers India’s tour to Pakistan in the autumn of 1978 – the first time India and Pakistan played each other since the 1965 and 1971 wars between the neighbours – and all the diplomacy surrounding it

Diplomacy aplenty

Australia simply don't have the depth they used, with either bat or ball, and it showed in this World Cup, writes Sanjay Manjrekar in Outlook India .

Australia crashing out was no surprise

It’s time for Andrew Strauss to relinquish the post of England’s ODI captain says Steve James, writing in the Daily Telegraph

Time for England overhaul

Bharat Sundaresan, writing in the Indian Express , catches up with Sri Lanka’s video analyst Sanath Jayasundara and gives us a peek into what Jayasundara’s job is all about.

In the video analyst’s seat

As a nation attempts to come to terms with yet another World Cup disappointment, in The Times Live Luke Alfred searches for the reasons behind South Africa's nervous capitulations

South Africa stumped by the fear factor

Jesse Ryder has justified the faith New Zealand team-mates and officials had in him by going from bad boy to World Cup hero, says Neil Reid writing in the Dominion Post .

Bad boy turned World Cup hero

Those who grew up with a love of the game before the era of television coverage, when the words of radio commentators and great cricket books were all one had to go by, were forced to fill the gaps with their own imaginations

Television has stopped play

In the Herald on Sunday , Mark Richardson says that while New Zealand's fielding and bowling was spot-on, it was the long partnership between Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor that did the trick in the quarter-final against South Africa

Top order delivers for New Zealand

25-Feb-2013•Cricinfo

Could gruelling schedule have affected Yardy?

"Some from the England squad and management have been away since the end of October, with only three nights at home

In the Guardian Duncan Fletcher writes that Muttiah Muralitharan, Sri Lanka's sorcerer, can drive England to distraction in their quarter-final game, but England have to work how how to handle him

Murali worry for England

Despite the presence of some of the world's best cricketers in their ranks, South Africa, once again,succumbed to the pressure and choked against New Zealand in Mirpur, writes Andy Bull in the Guardian

Déjà vu all over again