The Surfer

Even the most one-eyed Lancastrian cannot claim that Old Trafford, the ground immortalised by the prose of Neville Cardus and the deeds of Cyril Washbrook, Brian Statham and Jim Laker, is the most picturesque of grounds, writes Michael Atherton

England’s quick-time win at Old Trafford has reignited interest in the game among the general public – well, those who pay to receive Sky TV – and also pushed cricket onto many back pages ahead of football for the first time in 2006.

"For the first time since Sydney, nearly four years ago, England are coping well in a Test match without Andrew Flintoff

It was 50 years ago yesterday that a Test match started at Old Trafford that went down in history for the exploits of Jim Laker

"I love maiden overs in the same way that civil servants do forms or VAT inspectors a pile of receipts," says Mike Selvey

Imagine the scene

Once upon a time, Shahid Mahmood might have cursed a scoreboard that showed Pakistan all out for 119, writes Richard Hobson in The Times

In The Guardian , David Hopps bemoans the loss of a more sporting approach to the game ..

Camaraderie between opposite teams is dying out.The sight of Andrew Flintoff consoling Brett Lee at the end of the Edgbaston thriller last year was a rarity,a reflection of the good old days, feels David Foot in The Guardian

“Get Freddie,” writes Mark Fuller in The Age .

Talk about permutations and combinations and if Thandi Tshabalala happens to be around, chances are he would pounce at the opportunity to narrate his real-life tale

Frist, the good news

"The most remarkable bowling feat in the history of Test cricket, Jim Laker’s 19 for 90 against the might of Australia at Old Trafford in 1956, could have happened 100 years ago, not 50, for all the available pictorial evidence there is of it,"

Derek Pringle explores the history of customized boots for fast bowlers as Andrew Flintoff heads to Germany where Adidas are fashioning a protective boot for him.

Those who paid careful attention to the glorious triumphs of the England Test side last summer may have noticed, among the unparalleled hoopla and hullabaloo of the press, mention made from time to time of David English and the Bunbury Cricket Club,

Read David Llewellyn's email conversation with Steve Waugh on topics as diverse as which four people in history Waugh would want to invite to a dinner party, whether Australia had it coming in the 2005 Ashes series, what his predictions are for