Cricket

Football is better without the crowds

10 October 2020 9:00 am

The Liverpool defence might have decided in a rare show of togetherness to demonstrate what the word ‘appalling’ means, and…

DeChambeau’s the one to watch in the Masters

26 September 2020 9:00 am

José Mourinho, it was surprising to read, recently said how relieved he was that the Amazon Prime cameras were out…

Zac Crawley, a cricketing giant

29 August 2020 9:00 am

Crowds, Covid and sport: could it get any crazier? I don’t mind about golf: no idiots yelling ‘Get in the…

The absurd self-pity of Stuart Broad

15 August 2020 9:00 am

You are, shall we say, a famous commentator, one of a tiny elite in the British media. You are paid…

Portrait of the week: Second wave fears, cash for cyclists and a cat catches Covid

1 August 2020 9:00 am

Home At a few hours’ notice, the government removed Spain from the list of countries from which it was possible…

The magnificence of Carlos Brathwaite

1 August 2020 9:00 am

We know about the endlessly jaw-dropping greatness of Ben Stokes (a peerage soon, surely), the furious power of a supercharged…

The hunt for a Test-class claret

25 July 2020 9:00 am

In one respect, there has been a reassertion of normality, though this is nothing to do with the virus. Although…

Was there ever any transparency in football?

18 July 2020 9:00 am

So all that sound and fury about Manchester City’s sins signified precisely nothing. Well, a €10 million fine isn’t nothing,…

How dangerous are cricket balls?

11 July 2020 9:00 am

The Prime Minister recently blamed the delay in the resumption of amateur cricket on the ball itself, calling it ‘a…

Klopp’s childlike enthusiasm – and incalculable savviness

4 July 2020 9:00 am

Where were we? Oh yes, Liverpool were running away with the Premier League and a mere three months later have…

The Barmy Army showcase the best of English character

1 February 2020 9:00 am

Not everyone likes the Six Nations — a recent well-received book on the state of rugby union described it as…

How much public income does the royal family receive?

24 January 2020 10:00 pm

Parliamentary motions The government floated the idea of moving the House of Lords permanently to York.    Until it was found…

Sport needs more men like Vincent Kompany

18 January 2020 9:00 am

Anyone still vaguely tempted to subscribe to that lazy and stupid cliché about footballers just being overpaid idiots should have…

What did psychics predict was going to happen in 2019?

21 December 2019 9:00 am

Bah humbug Some of the things reported to have been banned this Christmas: — Mulled wine banned from being sold…

Only now are we seeing what an extraordinary figure Bob Willis was

14 December 2019 9:00 am

Maybe it’s just an age thing, but the death of Bob Willis has left me — and, I am sure,…

Bob Willis’s contribution to English cricket will never be forgotten

5 December 2019 7:35 am

Certain days in the long and sometimes glorious history of English cricket are so brightly coloured they can never fade.…

Why Ben Stokes should win Sports Personality of the Year

30 November 2019 9:00 am

Oh those lazy, hazy, Stokesy days of summer: how long ago they seem now. When England won the cricket World…

Does the outcome of the Ashes dictate who wins a general election?

14 September 2019 9:00 am

Party speak Should the next Speaker of the House of Commons be a Labour MP on the basis that John…

Will Ben Stokes be the greatest cricketer of all time?

7 September 2019 9:00 am

Feeling depressed about politics? I hope not. Politicians don’t shape the world: they are the furniture movers, not the furniture…

Portrait of the week: Prorogation fury, cricketing glory and the PM’s pork pie

31 August 2019 9:00 am

Home The government sought to prorogue parliament on 10 September and have the Queen’s Speech opening the new session of…

Letters: Prince Harry has been searching for purpose since he left the army

31 August 2019 9:00 am

Harry’s army career Sir: I believe Jan Moir has misread the situation over Harry and Meghan (‘By royal disappointment’, 24 August).…

Bring out the biltong for Labuschagne, an Ashes hero

24 August 2019 9:00 am

Funny, the things cricketers put on their bats. England’s Jos Buttler has ‘Fuck it’ written at the top of his…

The magic and mystery of English cricket

18 August 2019 7:42 am

Nothing in cricket is quite as visceral, even quite as primeval, as the confrontation between a batsmen of the highest…

Steve Smith during the first Test Match between England and Australia last week (Getty)

Any true English cricket lover has to acknowledge that Steve Smith is a great hero

10 August 2019 9:00 am

During the World Cup (remember that?), Virat Kohli, the very model of a modern major cricketer, appealed to Indian fans…

Tim Rice at the cricket stump surrounded by Disney characters, by Michael Heath

Tim Rice: I left Lord’s during that cricket final… to see The Lion King

27 July 2019 9:00 am

As I left Lord’s at around 3 o’clock in the afternoon to go to The Lion King European premiere I…