The Surfer

England made Kevin Pietersen available for Hampshire because he needed some batting practice ahead of the Tests against Pakistan

A mess that needs sorting out

"In assessing Murali one cannot avoid the issue of his action," writes Mike Brearley in the Guardian

We won't see the likes of Murali again

Pooran Singh, an Indian immigrant, died in Victoria in 1947 and wished that his ashes be scattered in the Ganges

Kapil Dev to help fulfill immigrant's last wish

Once a breeding ground for international cricketers, the Dadar Union Club has been fighting for survival over the last few years, but former Indian batsman Dilip Vengsarkar is determined to revive his former club, writes Devendra Pandey in the

Cricket nursery gets fresh lease of life

A disheveled Mashrafe Mortaza was spot on when he raised "real concern" with the Bangladesh team's bowling after arriving home from the tour of the UK, writes Mohammad Isam in the Daily Star .

Bowlers hurting Bangladesh

Writing for Yahoo , Venkat Ananth lauds the most endearing aspect of Muttiah Muralitharan's brilliance - the charming smile that epitomised his sportsmanship.

So long, Murali

25-Feb-2013•Nitin Sundar

A fiery Pakistan is good for cricket

Mohammad Aamer's swing and zip at Leeds on the opening day was brilliant from cricket's perspective and the upshot was two fold

25-Feb-2013•Kanishkaa Balachandran

Muttiah Muralitharan's biggest fan

All Test long the television cameras have been panning to Muttiah Muralitharan’s wife, Madhimalar, who has been joyously cheering her husband’s every ball as his remarkable career draws to a close

Andy Bull, writing in his blog The Spin in the Guardian , says Shahid Afridi's daring, swashbuckling approach to the game is what makes him the most enjoyable cricketer to watch.

Afridi will be sadly missed in Tests

25-Feb-2013•Siddhartha Talya

Grassroots cricket in England needs to be inclusive

Development isn’t just an economic buzzword, it has become a sporting one as well

Australia will try to beat Pakistan for the 14th consecutive time in Test matches when the two teams take the field today

Australia have lost that magic touch

While no one can deny that Shahid Afridi and Chris Gayle are the two coolest cricketers around, writing in The Wisden Cricketer John Stern says, the fact that both have chosen not to play Test cricket is worrying.

Do you pass the Afridi Test?

World cricket could be on the cusp of facing a huge drugs problem

The drugs do work

Injuries had kept Lasith Malinga out of the Sri Lankan Test squad for over two and a half years

Malinga’s philosophy is on his bowling arm

It has been an impressive Test debut for Karnataka's Abhimanyu Mithun so far

Mithun: Have muscle, will bowl hard

Cricket Australia’s latest proposal to revitalise the one-day format would give one batsman from each team the opportunity to bat twice

It wouldn't be cricket

The unique polygon-shaped Eden Park in Auckland is now a thing of the past

Eden Park's makeover

25-Feb-2013•Kanishkaa Balachandran

Don't be afraid (or Afridi) of Aussies

Looking back at the first Test between Australia and Pakistan in Lord's, Stephen Brenkley of The Independent draws two conclusions