Cricket, explained.
The statistics on this site only mean something if you know what they measure. These are the long reads: what the numbers say, how the skills work, and how the competitions came to be the way they are.
- 20 articles
- Explainer
- Analysis
- Guide
- History
Explainer
The World Test Championship explained, points, final and flaws
Why the World Test Championship was created, how the percentage points system works, how the final is decided, and the criticisms the format has not answered.
12 min read
Analysis
How women's cricket went professional
How the women's game professionalised: domestic contracts, franchise leagues, the World Cup, rising standards, broadcast reach and the gaps that remain.
11 min read
Explainer
Types of spin bowling explained: finger spin and wrist spin
Every spin delivery explained: off break, leg break, googly, doosra, carrom ball, arm ball, top spinner, slider: how each works and why some are unreadable.
12 min read
Guide
The art of wicketkeeping: standing up and standing back
How wicketkeeping actually works, from the leg-side take and the stumping to standing up to spin, and how the keeper-batter changed the way sides are picked.
13 min read
Explainer
How Test, ODI and T20 cricket differ, format by format
How Test, ODI and T20 cricket differ in length, ball, fielding rules and tactics, and why a batter who dominates one format can struggle badly in another.
12 min read
Guide
T20 franchise leagues around the world, a guide to the circuit
A guide to the global Twenty20 franchise circuit beyond the IPL, how the calendar filled up, and what it has done to contracts, availability and Test cricket.
13 min read
Explainer
Powerplay rules across formats: ODI and T20 restrictions
How fielding restrictions work in ODIs and T20s: the circle, fielders in and out, how the phases split an innings, and why the middle overs decide matches.
12 min read
Guide
How to read a cricket scorecard: every column explained
A column-by-column guide to the cricket scorecard: dismissal shorthand, the not-out asterisk, bowling figures, extras, fall of wickets and totals.
14 min read
Explainer
How the IPL auction works: rules, purse and retentions
A plain guide to the IPL auction: the purse, retentions, right to match, capped and uncapped players, accelerated rounds and the overseas limit.
11 min read
Explainer
How reverse swing works: the physics of the old ball
Reverse swing explained in plain terms: why an old ball moves the other way, the rough and shiny sides, the conditions it needs, and the laws on ball care.
11 min read
Explainer
How cricket teams use data: analytics behind the game
What cricket analysts actually do: matchups, phase planning, wagon wheels, pitch maps, expected runs, field placement from data, and the limits of numbers.
11 min read
History
The history of the Ashes, from mock obituary to modern urn
How a satirical death notice in 1882 created cricket's oldest rivalry, why home conditions decide so much of it, and why the series still matters.
12 min read
Explainer
Duckworth-Lewis-Stern explained: how rain rules work
How the DLS method works: what resources mean, how a par score and revised target are set, why it is less generous to the chasing side than assumed.
14 min read
History
Cricket World Cup history and how the format changed
From sixty overs in white clothing in 1975 to the modern ten-team tournament, how the one-day World Cup changed its rules, its scoring and its cast.
13 min read
Guide
Cricket statistics glossary: every key term explained
A reference for the cricket terms on a statistics page: average, strike rate, economy, maiden, duck, follow-on, dot ball and control percentage.
16 min read
Explainer
Cricket pitch types explained: green tops to dust bowls
How pitches are prepared and why they behave differently: grass cover, moisture, soil, cracks, five-day wear, and what a captain reads at the toss.
12 min read
Explainer
Cricket laws every fan should know, from lbw to DRS
The laws that decide matches and the reasoning behind them: lbw, no balls and free hits, wides, obstruction, timed out, dead ball and umpire's call.
13 min read
Guide
Cricket fielding positions explained, from slip to fine leg
A complete guide to cricket fielding positions, from slip and gully to long on, with how captains change the field for pace, spin, the new ball and each format.
12 min read
Explainer
Bowling economy, average and strike rate explained
The three bowling measures explained: what economy, average and strike rate each capture, how they trade off by format, and which extras a bowler pays for.
13 min read
Explainer
Batting average vs strike rate: what each one measures
Batting average and strike rate measure different things. How not-outs inflate an average, why strike rate rules T20, and what both numbers hide.
13 min read