Today, summer officially begins, meaning the cricket season — led by The Ashes — is finally here. The money is on Australia to win the first test and Leigh Josey gives you the players to watch.
Cricket
Betting the Hilfenhaus on a swinging Ashes series
Watch out for Australian swing bowler Ben Hilfenhaus this AShes, writes Cricinfo’s Peter English, for in an age when bowlers hurl the ball into the pitch, Hilfenhaus comes from an older era and starts every innings by trying to swing the new ball.
Brisbane set to determine tone of The Ashes
A good start in Brisbane on Thursday — the First Test of The Ashes — is likely to lead to a good middle and a good end for whichever side takes the lead, writes The Guardian’s Barney Ronay.
Meet the Mitchells: the Gabba’a greenskeeping guardians
Meet Kevin Mitchell and Kevin Mitchell Jnr, the Gabba’s famous curators who have the job to prepare the wicket for the much anticipated First Test of the Ashes in Brisbane, writes Cricinfo’s Peter English.
The transformation of Graeme Swann
He;s a different type of cat, but after spending eight years in the cricketing wilderness Graeme Swann can lay claim to being the best spinner in the world. And how the Australians deal with England’s X Factor will go a long way in determining the Ashes.
The worst Australian cricket side in 30 years
Australian cricket is in a dark place right now, writes The Guardian’s Duncan Fletcher, and you have to go back more than 30 years, to the era when Kerry Packer had tempted away the best players to World Series Cricket, to find the last time the team were in such a muddled state.
Australia is a desert for touring spinners
For opposition tweakers, Australia is a hard place to perform your craft, writes Cricinfo’s S Rajesh.
What has happened to cricket photography?
Has any sport been so blessed by those who freeze its frames for today and posterity? Not from where I’m sitting, writes Cricinfo’s Rob Steen.
Despite Australia’s fragility England aren’t favourites
Australia not need despair, writes Cricinfo’s Peter Roebuck, there are still many reasons why England won’t win the Ashes down under.
Has Australia forgotten how to win?
What has happened to the Australian cricketing juggernaut? They are not playing bad cricket, but they’ve lost the ability to close out games, writes The Guardian’s Mike Selvey.
The Ashes: Australia are the new England
The truth is that somebody needs to say it: Australia are simply not very good anymore. They are losing for fun at the moment. They are the new England, writes The Telegraph’s Steve James.
Remember the West Indies
Fire in Babylon is the title of Stevan Riley’s terrific documentary about the West Indies teams that, from early 1980 until 1995, ruled cricket with an enlightened despotism unmatched, arguably, by any sporting team of any persuasion, in any era, writes Cricinfo’s Rob Steen.
It’s time to take no balls by the horns and clean up Pakistani cricket
ABC TV’s Four Corners last night conformed what every cricket fan already knew: Pakistan cricket is a disgrace and it needs to be acted on, writes the SMH’s Peter Roebuck.
Why Ponting must stay as skipper
Ricky Ponting remains the right man to lead Australia into battle against England this summer, for, let’s face it, there are few options, writes Jon Pierik.
It’s just not cricket
Corruption is a way of life in Pakistan and India, so why are we surprised and punish cricketers when they do it? Because sport needs to exist on a higher holier ground or the entire notion of it collapses, argues Rahul Bhattacharya.
Is there a conspiracy against Pakistan cricket?
Newspapers don’t run conspiracies, they run a business, which requires them to make money by selling more papers, writes Cricinfo’s Osman Samiuddin, so why is Pakistan hitting out at everyone and everything?
Cricket’s match-fixing scandal: I knew it was happening
Do you think you could spot the difference between a bowler bowling two wides in an over on purpose or by accident? asks Jarrod Kimber, blogger at Cricket With Balls.
Gideon Haigh: Pakistani cricket is corrupt? Duh…
Of course cricket is suffering from massive match-fixing scandals, the maladministration in Pakistan has meant ethics in cricket was a bomb waiting to explode, writes Gideon Haigh.
Pakistan match fixing scandal: what now?
International cricket is in turmoil. The allegations of a match fixing scandal that has embroiled Pakistan may not come as a surprise to everyone, writes Leigh Josey.
Cricket: Pakistan’s new vuvuzela filled home
It is safe to say that after the first game it doesn’t look like Pakistan are going to struggle for support in England, says Jarrod Kimber, who was there for Pakistan’s first home series in England.
Come in Spinner: Despatching the spin on Howard’s ICC rejection
Already the spin is in — John Howard got knocked back for the ICC job because he opposed the Zimbabwean Government. Sadly it’s much more complicated than that, writes Noel Turnbull..
Can’t bat, can’t bowl: Howard ICC failure as ‘gang of six’ blocks post
Former Prime Minister John Howard, a well-known cricket tragic, appears to have been run out without facing a ball after his nomination to be International Cricket Council Vice President was blocked.
Can the Yanks be bowled over by cricket?
Cricket being played in New York’s Central Park? It sounds preposterous but The Guardian investigates why it isn’t as crazy as it sounds.
Cricket’s biggest controversies
The game itself may be often long, tedious and uneventful, but the sport of cricket has a colourful and controversial history. From the multi-million dollar fraud that was the Caribbean league to last year’s Pakistani shootings, a look at the game’s dark side.
Tendulkar on Twitter: they don’t like it. They love it.
Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has signed onto Twitter and his popularity precedes — almost 160,000 people have started following him and he found himself under a tidal wave of tweets, writes Sharda Ugra.
